Mt. Carmel is celebrating while the rest of the Little Illini Conference is contemplating.

The Golden Aces wrapped up their fourth football title in six years in the league with a 40-0 victory over Marshall on Friday night. As for the rest of the conference, it is now a dead sprint to the regular-season finish line, as we wait and see how many teams will make the field in the newly-expanded IHSA state tournament. Olney downed Casey-Westfield, 42-20, to earn a fourth win and a cinched spot in the playoffs. Four LIC teams are in for now, with the hope that three more could still join the fray when the 384-team, eight-class brackets are unveiled on Saturday night.

Three games are on tap this Friday night, while the league finale (Olney at Robinson) at 1 p.m. on Saturday afternoon could still be packed with playoff implications. So, it’s down to the wire!

Here is the way Week 8 went:

Mt. Carmel 40, Marshall 0
Mt. Carmel recorded back-to-back shutout wins for the first time since 1999 to clinch its’ first LIC crown in three years. Quarterback River Deisher threw three touchdown passes, going 11-of-16 for 194 yards. Freshman Aran Guanipa put on a show all by himself for the Golden Aces. He scooped up a Marshall fumble and raced 55 yards to the end zone for a TD in the first quarter, then opened the second half with a 90-yard kickoff return to account for the final score.The Lions were held to 54 yards on the ground in 31 carries. QB Luke Brodie was 5-of-11 in the air for 82 yards.

Newton 58, Lawrenceville 6
Quincy Fulton scored five touchdowns to lead Newton to Win No. 5. The Eagles led 48-0 by halftime and coasted in from there. Fulton scored three of his TDs on the ground (eight carries for 68 yards), and added two other scores as a receiver. Maddox Horner finished team-high on the ground with 74 yards. Eagles quarterback Hayden Mulvey was 4-of-6 in the air for 82 yards and one TD. Horner also flipped a scoring pass to Fulton for the winners. Lawrenceville QB  Blayton Gossett completed eight of 16 passes for 120 yards, with Isaac Vennard catching all but one completion.

Olney 42, Casey-Westfield 20
Olney became the fourth LIC team to clinch a playoff spot with the win. The Tigers certainly spread the wealth around – six different players scored touchdowns. Quarterback Owen Cycholl was 9-of-15 in the air for 126 yards and three touchdowns. Xavier Owusu-Gyan rushed for 102 yards (on 16 carries) to lead the way, with Gentry Hough next at seven trips for 93 yards. Casey-Westfield’s Weston Hupp finished game-high in rushing, with 114 yards and one score on 17 attempts.

Paris 42, Robinson 0
Paris celebrated Senior Night by shutting out Robinson. The Tigers amassed 474 yards of total offense, led by the rushing combo of Kipton Bradford and Dawson Rogers. Bradford ran for 176 yards on 12 carries. while Rogers finished with 102 yards in 18 trips. In the air, Paris quarterback Drew Kirby was 6-of-12 for a total of 121 yards. Rogers scored three times on the night. The Tigers held Robinson to 53 yards on the ground on 32 carries, and 58 yards in the air. Paris led 27-0 at halftime.