Quincy defeated Goode during one of the longest high school football games of all-time in Illinois, if not the longest high school football game of all-time. They combined for more than 170 points and had to switch venues during the fourth quarter.
It took more than four hours to play 48 minutes.
To add to the chaos, it was a high school football playoff game with state championship implications! Points were not hard to come by.
Quincy held a four-point lead over Goode before the field change.
Quincy Senior High School, which is located on the westernmost border of the state, is one of the 20 largest high schools in Illinois by enrollment— outside of Chicago. It enrolls more than 1,800 students in Grades 9-12. The Sarah E. Goode Stem Academy is located in Chicago. It enrolls slightly less than 1,000 students in Grades 9-12.
Despite their discrepancy in terms of student body, both schools compete in Class 6A of the Illinois High School Association. The Knights traveled more than four hours to play the Blue Devils for the first round of the high school football playoffs on Friday.
It did not take long for the scoring to get out of hand. Goode and Quincy combined for 119 points before halftime. The Blue Devils, after trailing for much of the first half, capitalized on a key interception to cut its deficit to only one point at the end of the second quarter. The Knights were winning 60-59. That was just the beginning.
Kickoff took place at 3:00 p.m. on Friday. It was played at a stadium without lights, which became an issue as the night continued.
As the high-scoring shootout dragged on, darkness settled in. The officials ultimately determined that it was no longer possible to play the game with three minutes and 42 second remaining in the fourth quarter. They called for a stoppage.
Quincy held a four-point lead over Goode when the officiating crew decided to suspend the contest.
The Illinois high school football playoff game broke a scoring record.
Although the referees stopped the game, it was only temporary. Both teams boarded their respective buses and traveled approximately 20 minutes across town to play at Englewood Academy.
Englewood Academy has lights! It took more than an hour to get things figured out at the new location.
More than four hours after it started, the Illinois high school football playoff finally game came to an end at 7:00 p.m. The score did not change. Quincy defeated Goode by a final score of 88-84. It was the highest-scoring high school football game in state history.
Both teams combined for more than 1,700 yards of offense. They scored 11 (!!) touchdowns during the second quarter alone.
The Blue Devils will advance to the next round of the playoffs. The Knights had their season come to an end.