The field is set for the 1A/2A IHSA State Finals. Along with Marquette, Harvest Christian Academy, Gibault Catholic and Steeleville, the PBR Illinois team will travel to Peoria to provide coverage of the two-day tournament. Dozer Park will host the state finals once again. The semifinals start the action on Friday, May 31, followed by the title games and third—place matchups coming on Saturday, June 1.

There’s a little bit of everything packaged into this year’s state finals. Personal stories, winning streaks, redemption and much more will be at stake come Friday. Before the fun starts, we give you what you need to know about each team.

Marquette academy (31-1)

How they got there: Marquette won their first two matchups by a combined 18 runs, beating Midland 11-3 and Dwight 11-1. Things got much closer for the Crusaders against Delavan in the sectional semifinal, winning a 2-0 shutout. In the sectional final, Marquette downed LeRoy by a slim 1-0 margin and eventually took down Salt Fork 10-4 to punch their ticket. Don’t let the 6-run win fool you, the Crusaders were down by a pair of runs in the late innings until they posted a 9-run sixth inning to pull ahead.

Who to watch for:  OF Logan Komater (2019) has been handy at the plate this season. He comes off a super-sectional performance where he had three hits including a homer, 2 RBI and 2 runs scored. Komater leads the team in hits, RBI and doubles. P John Thompson (2020) has tossed the most innings on the bump for the Crusaders with 66 innings pitched – 16 more than the next guy. He has a perfect 9-0 record and has struck out 66 against 42 hits allowed.

Misc: The Crusaders dropped one game this season, and that was an 11-4 loss to Peoria (Notre Dame). They’ll travel to Dozer Park on a 15-game win streak. This will be head coach Todd Hopkins’ third appearance in the state finals. In 1999 and 2018, Hopkins’ squad placed fourth. Hopkins is in his 22nd year at the helm with a career record of 540-169.

Takeaway: Marquette is back in the state finals after qualifying a year ago. The Crusaders went winless, falling to Aurora Christian, and dropping their third-place contest against Goreville. It’ll be interesting to see if Marquette can continue their current streak or if anyone will get in the way of the Crusaders. Nonetheless, they’re poised to keep their season loss total at one and continue their winning ways.

Gibault Catholic (26-8)

How they got there: Gibault Catholic comes into the state finals having defeated most of their opponents in convincing fashion. They kicked off postseason play by run-ruling Mulberry Grove, Okawville and Greenfield. Carrollton has given them their closest contest which came in the sectional championship. Gibault Catholic downed Carrollton, 6-3, before beating Illini Bluffs to seal their spot in the state finals.

Who to watch for: IF/P Mark Branz (2019) has been key on both sides of the ball for the Hawks. He leads Gibault Catholic in innings pitched and has a 9-0 record on the season. Branz has punched out 68 hitters and has yielded just 19 earned runs and 23 walks to opponents. Branz is hitting .453 and leads the Hawks with 17 doubles. OF/P Tim Reinholz (2020) has been a catalyst at the dish and is a fan of the long ball with four homers to his credit. Reinholz has driven in 40 runs throughout the season; don’t be surprised if Reinholz finds himself lifting the Hawks offensively in Peoria.

Misc: This will be the Hawks third appearance in the state tournament. Its first appearance came in 1997. Andy Skaer, head coach of the Hawks, is in his 15th season at Gibault Catholic and has reached the pinnacle once before. He capped off the 2013 campaign with the 1A title en route to a 25-11 season finish.

Takeaway: Skaer knows what it takes to hoist the hardware, and experience is invaluable this time of year, so the Hawks are an immediate threat to make a deep run this weekend. While trying to bring another championship to Waterloo, Ian Metcalf and the Hawks are playing with a little extra on their minds and hearts. Metcalf’s mother, Kelley, passed away the night after Gibault Catholic’s regional final game against Okawville. Kelley’s services were the morning of the sectional semifinal, before the Hawks laced ‘em up against Greenfield. With Kelley looking down on Ian and the Hawks, they look to make some noise in Peoria come Friday.

Harvest Christian Academy (24-3)

How they got there: Harvest Christian Academy’s road to Peoria came about much different – in more ways than one – than the others in Class 1A. The Lions didn’t run-rule a team – its biggest margin of victory came by seven runs. After handling business against Parkview Christian Academy, its first test came against Newark. A 2-1 victory would propel them to the sectional semifinal where they handily beat North Shore Country Day. In the sectional final, they’d face a nearby Elgin foe in E. Academy. They prevailed by another 2-1 score. Then, in the super-sectional game against River Ridge, the Lions won a 3-1, rain-shortened game to secure their spot in Peoria.

Who to watch for: P/IF Sam Bonick (2020) has more than doubled his hits-to-strikeouts ratio and is undefeated with a 5-0 record across 36 innings pitched. Look for the Lions to lean on Bonick on the mound this weekend. IF/P Gil Duran (2020) has been an offensive leader for the Lions. He brings to the tournament his .434 average, 29 RBI and 40 runs scored; Duran also has a homerun to his credit on the season.

Misc: As previously stated, the road to Peoria was slightly different for the Lions. The usual is a dog pile on the field after a super-sectional victory to celebrate a well-deserved qualification into the state finals. But, when rain played a factor in the supers against River Ridge, the celebration came inside a board room at Benedictine University – the host site of the super-sectional. Officials and coaches met to discuss the weather and situation, and it was eventually decided to end the game after five frames and a 3-1 score. Head coach Matt Ellett informed the team on what had happened in the meeting, and the celebration began.

This is the first-ever state tournament appearance for Harvest Christian Academy. Ellett is also in his first season in charge of the Lions. They roll into Peoria with a 24-3 record having only lost once since March 23.

Harvest’s state semifinal will come against Marquette in what will be a rematch from an earlier meeting this season. Marquette shutout the Lions, 6-0, but Ellett and his group are looking for payback on the big stage.

Takeaway: Harvest Christian Academy is an intriguing matchup and will be a fun team to watch. They’ve played tough competition throughout the season, including an early season loss to No. 16 Prairie Ridge 12-10. The Lions downed 2A qualifier Aurora Christian, 8-1, back in April, and have been on a roll ever since despite one hiccup against Sandwich.

This team is battle tested, and they’re one of the younger teams in this tournament with only three seniors. Harvest Christian Academy will be a name we might be hearing about for years to come, but for now, they’re a group having fun which is one of the most dangerous things to run into this late in the season. Look for the Lions to be loose and ready to go once Friday hits.

Steeleville (23-5)

How they got there: The Warriors enter the tournament winning 12 straight dating back to April 23. They upended Elverado, Cobden and Gallatin County before knocking out 2018 1A state qualifier Goreville in the sectional final. An 11-7 win against Altamont punched their ticket to the state tournament for the first time since 1993.

Who to watch for: P/SS Owen Gross (2019) is a two-way dynamo. He’s a workhorse on the mound boasting 46.2 innings pitched – the most on his Warriors team. Gross has a 1.35 ERA and 56 Ks on the year. At the dish, he’s tied for the team lead with three homers, and he hits for a .341 average. Gross ranks second on the team in RBI with 28 on the year. P/OF Austin Hagel (2020) and P/OF Dylan Hill (2020) are also leaders at the plate with a .404 and .493 average, respectively. Hagel has driven in a team-high 30 runs, and Hill is up there with the team leaders in nearly every offensive category.

Misc: Head coach John Sutton is leading his team to the state finals for the first time since 1993, and it’ll be Sutton’s first time during his 21-year long tenure.

Takeaway: Steeleville relies heavily on its upperclassmen, and it’s a team that has the horses to carry them into contention for a championship. Gross is a weapon on the mound and at the plate, and Hagel and Hill will look to keep doing damage at the dish. A group with multiple people who can propel them is exactly what you want in a team heading into the state finals.

Marquette and Harvest Christian Academy get us rolling on Friday at 10 a.m. At noon, Steeleville and Gibault Catholic will duke it out for a chance to play for the first-place hardware The third-place matchup is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Saturday; meanwhile the championship is slated for 11 a.m.