2 Illinois High School Grads To Play In Super Bowl 59

ACROSS ILLINOIS — Some familiar names are on the roster in Sunday’s Super Bowl LIX between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

Two of the players on the 53-man rosters got their start playing high school football in Illinois, according to High School Football America. They include an Eagles kicker and a guard.

Trevor Keegan, an Eagles guard who graduated from Crystal Lake South in 2019, played youth football in Crystal Lake. Making it to the Super Bowl has been a lifelong dream for him, his mom, Amanda Keegan, said.

"When we realized he was going to the Super Bowl, it may have been the most surreal moment of his football career,” she said. “Winning the National Championship with Michigan in 2023 was incredible, but going to the Super Bowl is what he has dreamed of since he was a little kid.”

• Super Bowl Appearance 'Surreal' For Crystal Lake Native Trevor Keegan

Rob Fontana, the head varsity football coach at Crystal Lake South, said he will be watching the game from his couch.

"I always tell Trevor that all of Crystal Lake is cheering for him," Fontana said.

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Fontana fondly recalls his time coaching Keegan at Crystal Lake South.

“Trevor was a great leader for us. He never let his personal goals interfere with our team goals. He was the number one player in Illinois his senior year and was being recruited by almost every big football school across the county from East Coast to West Coast but he didn't miss any of our team stuff from open gym practices to summer workouts," Fontana said.

Meanwhile, Jake Elliott, an Eagles kicker who graduated from Lyons Township High School. Elliott, will be making his third Super Bowl appearance this Sunday.

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Overall, high school athletes from 31 different states, plus Australia will be represented when the Chiefs and Eagles battle for the Vince Lombardi Trophy for the second time in the last three years.

Florida has 14 former players (10 for Philadelphia, four for Kansas City) slated to play in America’s biggest football game.

Texas has the second most with 12 (eight for Philadelphia, four for Kansas City).