Cary-Grove forces four turnovers, rushes for 431 yards to beat St. Francis

In Cary and Fox River Grove, kids grow up counting the days till they can suit up in Penn State-inspired navy-blue-and-white uniforms to play on a pristine grass football field with old-school goalposts. Junior lineman Caleb Wright was one of those kids hoping to add to Cary-Grove’s tradition. ‘‘It’s like nothing else, if I’m being honest,’’ Wright said. ‘‘We all dreamed about this before we go to sleep, and it’s all seeming to come true now. We’ve just got to keep executing, getting better every single day.’’ The No. 25 Trojans have another week to get better after turning four takeaways into 27 points and knocking out defending champion St. Francis 55-36 in a Class 5A quarterfinal Saturday in Cary. Cary-Grove (10-2) will host Sycamore (9-4) next weekend in search of its fourth state-championship berth since 2018. ‘‘For many years, the semifinals were the standard here,’’ Trojans coach Brad Seaburg said. ‘‘And now that standard has really been elevated.

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