Only one area team is left standing after last week’s showdown between Carterville and Herrin in the Illinois High School Association Class 4A playoffs.

Herrin won the first game in 18 years behind an explosive fourth quarter that turned a tie game into a 28-7 victory.

The Tigers forced six turnovers in handing Carterville its first loss of the year. Saturday, Herrin will face Rochester High School, a team in search of its fifth straight state title.

Herrin’s defense will have to contain one of the most explosive offenses in the state, as Rochester boasts two players who have each accounted for over 2,000 yards this season.

Senior running back Evan Sembell has rushed for 2049 yards and 29 touchdowns this year. He has broken 200 yards in four games, including two in the playoffs.

Sembell ran for 183 yards and five touchdowns in the Rockets’ quarterfinal victory over Bloomington Central Catholic High School.

Quarterback Danny Ziegler threw for 2,610 yards in his junior campaign and posted a 29 to 5 touchdown to interception ratio. Ziegler’s favorite target is junior wide receiver Jeremy Bivens. Bivens has posted 1,155 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns, averaging 17.2 yards per reception.

Herrin senior cornerback Josh Haynes said the Tigers are not intimidated by Rochester, but expect a battle from start to finish.

“We know that they can throw the ball and they can run the ball,” Haynes said. “But we know that we can beat them. It’s going to be a tough game no matter what.”

Herrin’s offense will be matched up against a defense that has allowed its fair share of points this year. Opponents are averaging 23.4 points per game against the Rockets.

That statistic bodes well for the Tigers, who have scored fewer than 27 points only once all season.

Herrin averages 46.8 points per game offensively, relying on senior running backs Chase Merrill and Brent Milner. Merrill and Milner have each rushed for more than 1,000 yards in each of the last two seasons.

Milner ran for a game-high 229 yards and two scores against Carterville. Merrill added 65 yards and a touchdown of his own.

Senior running back Chris Butler and junior running back Gavyn Gosha also factor in the Tiger rushing attack.

Saturday’s semifinal game will kick off at 2 p.m. at Herrin’s Harrison Bruce Sports Complex. The gates will open at 11:30 for what will likely be a large crowd for Herrin’s first semifinal appearance in school history.

A quick drive through Herrin is all it takes to see evidence of the support the community has for its football team. Businesses on virtually every block of Park Street display some form of “Go Tigers.”

Herrin boys’ basketball coach Irv Lukens said the football team’s success has brought the whole town together.

“It’s good to see everybody come together with the same focus,” Lukens said. “We’re cheering and trying to get our town the win.”

The winner of the Rochester-Herrin semifinal will advance to Memorial Stadium in Champaign to face wither Coal City High School or Chicago Phillips High School. Those two schools will meet at 3:45 p.m. Saturday at Chicago Phillips’ Gately Stadium.

Phillips advanced to the semifinal after knocking off previously unbeaten Rockford Lutheran High School in dramatic fashion.

The Wildcats took on a Lutheran team that came into the game averaging almost 54 points per game and held them to 13, getting help from a missed extra point to win 14-13.

Phillips’ offense runs through senior dual-threat quarterback Dewayne Collins. Collins threw a 33-yard touchdown pass in the quarterfinals and ran for the other Wildcat touchdown.

Phillips hangs its hat on its defense. The Wildcats have notched seven shutouts this season. Their lone loss came to Mundelein Carmel Catholic High School on Sept. 6.

Sophomore defensive tackle Chris Elmore led Phillips with three of the Wildcats’ six sacks against Rockford Lutheran.

The Wildcats will face a Coal City squad that relies on its run game.

Senior running back Jack Dibble is the lynchpin of the Coalers’ attack. He ran for 304 yards and all four of his team’s touchdowns in the second round of the playoffs against Elgin St. Edward Central Catholic High School.

St. Edward coach Mike Rolando said Phillips would be in for a grind against Coal City.

“They’re pretty much what they look like on paper,” Rolando said. “They’ve got big kids. They’ll wear you down.”

Thomas can be reached at [email protected] and on Twitter @tdonleyDE