Mid-Illini drama and more: What we learned about Peoria-area football in Week 1

Weather played a big factor in the week leading up to the 2023 high school football season opener.

While intense heat affected practices and altered the time schedule heading into the season, few expected thunderstorms would cause so much havoc on Friday night.

Here are some takeaways from Week 1, led by the list of postponements involving Peoria-area programs.

Stormy night for a few programs

Games involving Limestone, Farmington and Tremont were postponed to Saturday after thunderstorms swept through parts of Illinois on Friday night.

Limestone will continue its game against Mount Zion at 6 p.m. Saturday. The Rockets trail 21-0 in the first quarter. Farmington leads Illini West 16-0 at halftime. That game is set to restart at 1 p.m. Saturday. Tremont's game against Clinton never got started and will be played at 6 p.m. Saturday on the turf at Jim McDonald Field in Mackinaw.

All the stories in one place: Ultimate guide to Peoria-area high school football for 2023

Dramatic night for the Mid-Illini

The Mid-Illini Conference picked up five victories in Week 1, boasting wins by Metamora, Morton, Washington, Pekin and Dunlap — at least three in dramatic fashion.

Metamora defeated Class 5A No. 8 Sterling 28-17 on the new turf field at Malone Field. According to Metamora statistician Alex Staab, this is the Redbirds' first win over a state-ranked team in 2,484 days — a 2016 playoff victory over No. 2 Highland. The game also featured two former Metamora quarterbacks acting as head coaches in Metamora coach Jared Grebner (class of 1997) and Jon Schlemmer (class of 2002).

Senior running back Kainon McQueary scored on a 35-yard touchdown run to give Washington a 33-27 victory at Maple Park Kaneland. McQueary took an inside draw, shook two defenders and scampered to the house for the game-winner with 50.2 seconds remaining. Kaneland got to near midfield before the Panthers iced the game with an interception.

Morton rallied for a 20-14 victory over Mahomet-Seymour, but not without confusion. The Potters ended Mahomet's final drive with an interception in the endzone and took over at the 20 after a touchback. In attempting to kill the clock, Morton eventually kneeled on fourth down on the 15 with 3 seconds remaining. Mahomet contended they should have the ball there with time remaining.

Dunlap earned a 53-14 win over Galesburg, while Pekin earned a 19-7 win at Rolling Meadows. East Peoria lost to Streator, 74-29, while Canton fell to Eureka, 49-6 and Limestone was scheduled to finish its game on Saturday.

Illinois game of the year in Week 1?

East St. Louis and Chicago Mt. Carmel are playing in a marquee game Saturday night at the home of the new Ilinois High School Association state finals.

Class 6A top-ranked and reigning state champion ESL will join Class 7A No. 1 and state title winner Mt. Carmel for a 7 p.m. Saturday kickoff at Hancock Stadium on the Illinois State University campus.

Hancock Stadium this November will host the state finals for the first time in 25 years.

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A look ahead to Week 2

A quick glance at the Week 2 schedule provides some intrigue with at least two games.

Washington hosts Kankakee in a meeting of teams ranked in the Class 6A poll by The Associated Press. The Panthers are eighth, while Kankakee — which knocked off reigning Class 5A champion LaGrange Park Nazareth in Week 1 — comes in at No. 6.

Peoria High will open Big 12 Conference play and get an opportunity to bounce back, but not on Friday. The Lions host Danville at 6 p.m. Saturday in a league meeting at Peoria Stadium.

Adam Duvall is a Journal Star sports reporter. Email him at aduvall@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @AdamDuvall. Wes Huett and Dave Eminian contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: IHSA football: Takeaways, what we learned in Peoria area in Week 1