After an 0-2 start, Washington football coach Todd Stevens says his team matured a lot and won its way to a second straight Mid Illini Conference title in 2024.

The Panthers lost to Kaneland and Kankakee but won seven straight after that to finish 7-2. Coach Stevens indicates in the process his team grew up and showed a lot of maturity in its response to those two early losses.

Coach Stevens feels they had a lot of kids that could have started at a lot of other programs last year but they sat behind some talented kids that led Washington to the 6A semifinals. This year, those kids stepped up.

Coach Stevens says his team cleaned up a lot of the early issues that plagued them, primarily penalties. Now it's about staying healthy and continuing to play good football.

The postseason journey for the Panthers begins Friday night at 7:30 pm when they host Palos Heights Shephard.