Jermale Dabney 
On Saturday, the 26th annual Chicago Football Classic returned to Soldier Field for another year of celebrating HBCU athletics, academics, and culture. This year’s game featured the Morehouse Maroon Tigers taking on the Kentucky State Thorobreds.
The day began with the College and Career Fair, featuring several HBCUs showcasing their various academic offerings and campuses. Some schools were even offering scholarships and admissions on the spot for seniors who brought their transcripts. But the fair also just spread knowledge about HBCUs from all over the country.
The second event of the day saw high school bands from across the Chicagoland area show off their talents at the “High School Bands Sound Off” event just a few hours before the game, on the South Lawn of Soldier Field. Rich Township High School and Englewood STEM were just two of the bands that participated in the fantastic event that paid tribute to impactful Black musical artists including Michael Jackson and Frankie Beverly.
Finally, the main event — the game between the Thorobreds and the Maroon Tigers. The game was back-and-forth throughout, with Morehouse leading by halftime, 15-14. By the end of the third quarter, Thorobreds running back Donovan Journey scored on a 13-yard run to give Kentucky State a 21-15 lead. After a Morehouse field goal, it seemed like Kentucky State sealed the game with another long touchdown run by Journey to make it 28-18 with 3:55 left in the game.
But the Maroon Tigers had other plans.
Morehouse marched down the field and scored a 22-yard touchdown on a pass from QB Miles Scott to receiver Ajani Williams to make it a 28-25 ballgame. And after the Maroon Tiger defense stood strong to force a punt from the Thorobreds, Scott hit tight end Maurice Veney for the game-winning, 24-yard touchdown pass to win the game for Morehouse in the final seconds, 31-28.
But of course, the Chicago Football Classic is about more than who wins or loses on the field. It’s about the celebration of HBCU culture, and to inspire the next generation of young Black scholars to not only succeed, but thrive, at the next level.
See more highlights from Marquis Sewell below.
By Jermale Dabney, Senior, Lindblom Math and Science Academy
Instagram: @jermale_d
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