Coldest Playoff Game

[caravan8]

For me it would be the 2013 Semi at Edwardsville-I think the temp was 8 degrees-unsure on wind chill. I have heard the 87 semi at East St Louis and 95 2nd round at Boylan were colder.

I remember the day of this game very well. I decided that morning to go with a buddy to the ND/BYU game in South Bend. It was snowy and frigid, at the opening kickoff it was announced that it was the coldest kickoff temp in Notre Dame Stadium history (who really knows how long they actually had been keeping records). I survived the first half, but the score was like 35-0 at halftime and everyone went ti the bars so the start of the 3rd quarter felt horrible since there was no one next to us to block any of the wind. We left about 5 minutes into the 3rd and I was checking the MC score the whole time back to Chicago.

 

[FBFever7]

Not a playoff but the 1982 last ever game for Joliet East at Sterling was very cold & special

 

[The Disciple]

The coldest I've ever been in my life was the 1976 Class 4A Championship game. It was 75 degrees on Thanksgiving morning. A cold front came in early Friday morning. During the Class 3A game an ice storm came through and the temperature dropped. By Saturday morning the wind was blowing in the 20-25 mile range and the temperature had dropped in the low teens. It was the most miserable 2 hours outside in my lifetime. There isn't a single person who was at that game that doesn't agree that it was the coldest they ever were. I'm sure the two teams and their fans who played after us have the same story 46 years later.

Yep. That's the game i recall as the coldest as well. 16 - 8 win with JCHS over Danville. I think the air temps were in single digits at the start of the 4A game and dropping. Fumbles all over the place. The ball had to feel like a block of ice. Never been so cold in my life as i was that day. I don't know how they played the 5A game after that, but they did. And in that one they even had to endure overtime with St. Laurence topping Glenbard West 22 -21. Brutal conditions to say the least. It reminded me of the infamous Ice Bowl game between GreenBay and Dallas in 1967.

 

[ClownBaby]

In 1991 JCA played Wheaton Central (their last year before becoming WWS) at Wheaton College in a 5A semi-final game. JCA lost 28-6. I was freezing the entire game and regretted every second that I was there. We had to park a mile away, I was not properly dressed for the weather and JCA lost. It was also the last high school game for running back Mike Alstott. Just a miserable experience.

Second choice was the JCA at Pontiac semi-final in 2000. At least JCA won that game (28-20).

This game is in the team picture for me was really cold but the game that takes it is the ‘96 second round game between Dunbar and WWS at Gately. The game was played on a Friday night (very rare at that time) in snow flurries and a 15-20degree wind chill.

 

[DJrodey24]

Couple games come to mind...

2008 7A Semis - Geneva - CL South (it was the only Friday night semifinal game in the state)
15 degrees, a weird back and forth game. Oddly enough, no wind. It was the most comfortable super cold game I can remember seeing. The bars in town after the Vikings clinched their first trip downstate in 33 years were pretty warm though!

2012 7A/8A Final - This was the hardest hitting game I can remember seeing between LWE/GBW (10-8) and the nightcap had MC going for another one. I did sidelines with Susannah Collins. 22 degrees, but the wind was just horrific and it was a 7 degree wind chill. Susannah just gave up and midway through the 8A game just had enough and hid in the bowels of Memorial Stadium. I remember refusing to put on a hat all day just because. Network talent, I tell ya!

2013 4A Final - I remember that Rochester-Geneseo game. I was sidelines for CSN for that one too. 4 layers under the shirt, tie and overcoat and snow pants. I kept moving, but it was a blah game and that's tough after a long day down there.

2015 Semis - The Blizzard - I started the day at Montini and PR in hopes of scouting for the title game I was doing on CSN the next week in 6A. Useless, could not see the other sideline. Weird game. That was supposed to be "the year" for PR. Imagine those seniors and what's happened since. Have to feel bad for those kids (now 20 something)

Night cap I drove to the Southside to do sidelines at Marist. There was nowhere to put the snow when they cleared the field. You worried about the back of the endzone all night. Waubonsie kids were ready to go home after 5 mins. The wind and cold as mentioned for those night games were brutal. I had been there just two weeks earlier and the fans were just ready to leave. All of them! One of the strangest environments I've been in.

 

[kpjasion]

The night games of that date, although after the snow, were frigid. In 6A, Crete-Monee travelled to Hinsdale South for a 40-37 win. The temp dropped like a rock between the clear skies and snowpack. Even North Face winter boots were little match for the combination of snow on aluminum bleachers.

Yes!!! Loyola at Palatine was backed up to a night game so they could clear the snow. Brutal temperatures and wind. .. and in the stands they just shoved the snow from the seats down to the feets. Few things more enjoyable than having your feet encased in snow for three hours

 

[USD24]

I was on the opposite sidelines. I just don’t remember it being that cold.

I just looked it up. High in Belvidere that day was 33 and low was 14. Had to make sure I wasnt misremembering. The things you can find out with modern technology now a days 🤣

 

[gobucsgo]

Me too. I looked it. Up. Haha. That was an incredible atmosphere that day.

 

[King MJ]

Played in the quarterfinals in 93. Was 4 below at kickoff. Most players wore vaseline to try to stay warm. Kids who wore bandanas under their helmet had them freeze.

 

[mmca]

1977 5A Championship game, night game. One of the coldest HS games ever attended!!

 

[USD24]

Me too. I looked it. Up. Haha. That was an incredible atmosphere that day.

Found this. Some familiar names on that JC team.

JC/Belvidere

 

[colin2229]

One that sticks out to me is Quarterfinals 1995 Montini @ Woodstock Marian. Loads of snow the night before and cold.

Marian's RB (Liska) set the state record for Rushing yards this game.

1995 Montini @ Woodstock Marian

 

[Porter1997]

2013 Stillman Valley @ Aurora Christian in the 3A semis. Was 14 degrees at kick with windchill it was -8

 

[MWittman]

With Friday night and Saturday this week looking to be fairly frigid, what’s the coldest IHSA playoff game you all can remember attending?

DMurph11:

I don't go out in the cold. The temperature in my home is usually no lower than 67 degrees.

 

[Braves55]

1991 Andrew HS vs. East St. Louis Semi-Final game. Looks like JCA and Carmel also listed this weekend as one of the worst. Mud, turned into frozen mud…and snow.

 

[The_Oldfan]

I don't remember which was the coldest objectively, though I remember on championship game at Champaign against JC. We were the early game on Saturday and had to brush several inches of snoff those concrete bleachers.

The coldest I've ever been was way.back in the first '75 playoff game. Griffin HS V. Lincoln at Memorial stadium. Icy wind in our faces all night alternating snow and freezing rain. My clothing was frozen so stiff I had trouble wslking

 

[mship1975]

It was 1995, but bitter cold definitely describes the scene.

and 6 inches of snow fell during that icebox at isu

 

[FCHS2019]

Sounds like a common theme of semifinal Saturday in 2000. The JC at Pontiac game was frigid as were all other games that weekend.

2004 title game saturday was very wet but not as cold.

More recently, 2018 semifinal Saturday with hillcrest at JC was uncomfortably cold as well. So was last years 4a title game on Friday night between JC and SHG but the wind got still so it was tolerable.

I literally watched a few minutes of that game in the porta potty on the JCA side through the vent for a few minutes because it was so brutal that day lol

 

[HoopinHawk]

1977 5A Championship game, night game. One of the coldest HS games ever attended!!

Absolutely the most brutal conditions and a totally frozen field. So many fumbles. East Leyden beat Deerfield.

 

[McCaravan]

I’m changing my vote to November 19th 2022

 

[mullin17]

1993 Class 4A State Championship at ISU. Marian Catholic 13 Geneseo 6.
It was about 15 degrees and the field was completely covered in ice.

This is the correct answer. RB Terrance Marible could not plant his foot in the ground. Ice Rink