Today, the East St. Louis Football team has a chance to make it seven Football titles and 42 team championships overall as it tackles Geneva (13-0) in the Illinois Class 7A championship game at Memorial Stadium at 4 p.m.

The Flyers (12-1) are No. 1 in the Post-Dispatch large-schools rankings and sit atop the final regular-season Illinois Associated Press Class 7A state poll. The Vikings were No. 4 in the AP poll.

"We have to take care of the Football and really take advantage of every opportunity we get," said Flyers head coach Darren Sunkett. "(The team) knows what's at stake. We're approaching it as a regular-season game. We all know what we're playing for. There's no need to talk about the state championship game. We all know that."

To reach the finals, the Flyers have had to beat three Chicago-area Catholic schools - St. Laurence, De La Salle and St. Rita - then defeated Glenbard West in the semifinals last Saturday.

Geneva is having its best run since 1975, when the school finished second overall in Class 3A. The Vikings, who have beaten Rolling Meadows, Rockton Hononegah, Mundelein Carmel and Crystal Lake South to reach the championship, were eliminated last year by East St. Louis 34-26 in the quarterfinals at Clyde C. Jordan Memorial Stadium.

"I think at the start of the season if we thought we could play East St. Louis again, that would be an unbelievable opportunity," said Geneva coach Rob Wicinski by phone. "We're looking forward to a real good game and we're really looking forward to the challenge."

Wicinski's group will try to do what only one team has been able to do so far: contain the Flyers' offense. Since scoring 12 in the opener against Wayne, Ohio, in a 20-12 loss at the Kirk Herbstreit Challenge in Cincinnati, the team has scored 605 points during a 12-game winning streak.

"I don't know if you stop 'em," Wicinski said. "You can contain 'em I suppose. They're just offensive threats and offensive weapons. We've got to have some ball control."

On offense, the Vikings will have to deal with quarterback Detchauz Wray, wide receivers Terry Hawthorne, Kraig Appleton and Keante Minor, and running backs Courtney Molton, Vincent Arterbridge and Dantrell Smith. That group is responsible for 7,115 yards.

Defensively, Hawthorne has risen to the top from his corner spot. He leads the team with 112 tackles and has six playoff interceptions with four returned for touchdowns. He has seven picks for the season. Tackle Ty Phillips has 105 tackles and 17 quarterback sacks.

As for Geneva, the Flyers will have to stop a Vikings running attack led by fullback Michael Ratay. He has rushed for 2,764 yards and 45 touchdowns. He also has caught 13 passes for 211 yards and two scores. Overall, the team gained 5,067 offensive yards, including 3,791 on the ground.

"We have to contain Ratay," Sunkett said. "And get them into second- and third-and-longs."

As for Sunkett, he's no stranger to winning state Football championships. In 1998, he led Riverview Gardens to the Missouri Class 5 state title. But Sunkett said this Flyers team has more tangibles than his '98 Riverview squad.

"I don't think there's a comparison," he said. "This team we've got is a lot bigger than that team. It's a lot stronger, a lot faster. We've got a lot more depth. That team in '98 won the state title. This team here, we've still got one more step to complete the journey. There's no doubt in my mind that we're going to accomplish that (today)."