Steve Overbey

"He's already established himself as the leader of our team," John Merritt said of new quarterback Gabe Rodriguez.

"I knew right from the start that he was going to be a special, special defensive lineman," Spartans coach John Merritt said.

"For us, it's nothing but a state championship," East St. Louis junior guard Phillip Jones said.

“We were ready for this moment. This was a great win for us,” MICDS senior Gabe Weaver said.

"This will make us stronger for next year," Clayton High junior Sabastian Bolden said.

Ricky Proehl said: "To get a win in this dome was emotional."

"He's just really mature beyond his years," SLUH coach Kaleb King said.

Knights coach Jesse Bugger said: "We had a pretty good game plan going in and the guys came out and executed it."

Vianney (29-9) will face either Eureka or Lafayette on the road in a best-of-3 quarterfinal series beginning May 29.

The Rockets take a 24-7 record against Dakota (29-4) in a semifinal game at 10 a.m. Thursday at Louisville Slugger Softball Complex in Peoria.