BELVIDERE ― Belvidere North's longest run through the Class 5A state playoffs in football ended abruptly on Saturday, when Wheaton St. Francis clamped down on a 35-13 semifinal win on the Blue Thunders' home turf.

"I'm not going to lie, it doesn't feel it good," North's senior all-state linebacker and halfback Erick Roman said. "But the standard we set as players, and, I guess the legacy we've left here now, it's in a pretty good place."

Belvidere North (12-1) edged Cary-Grove by a touchdown in the quarterfinals and squeaked by Kaneland by five in the second round of the playoffs, and even needed a second-half push to beat Hononegah, which wound up 5-5 this year, late in the regular season. But there was no magic left for this one.

St. Francis' senior quarterback Brock Phillip, who came

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