Illinoisians are hungry to crown the first-ever IHSA Pork & Pigskins Champion, as over 123,500 online ballots were cast during First Round voting to determine the best concession stand pork chop sandwich in the state.
The top four vote getters in each of the four regions advance to the Savory 16, where the IHSA’s panel of expert judges will now disperse to judge their fare from October 8 to October 22. The Savory 16 includes:
| ***PORK & PIGSKINS SAVORY 16*** |
| BERKSHIRE REGION |
DUROC REGION |
HAMPSHIRE REGION |
YORKSHIRE REGION |
| Cambridge |
El Paso-Gridley |
Carlinville |
Barrington |
| Hall |
Flanagan-Cornell |
Deer Creek-Mackinaw |
Bishop McNamara |
| Rockridge |
Normal Community |
Eureka |
Lemont |
| St. Bede |
Olympia |
Princeville |
Reed-Custer |
Pride and adulation aren’t the only things on the line for the Savory 16, as the winning school will receive a prize package from the Illinois Pork Producers Association that includes a $500 reimbursement on their pork purchase for next season, a state championship banner, and the coveted Golden Spatula.
Following in-person judging, the Savory 16 will be cut down to the Flavorful 4, as the one school advancing from each region will be announced live on the NFHS Network on October 23 during the IHSA Playoff Pairing Preview Show (7:30 PM).
The IHSA and Illinois Pork Producers Association will publicly reveal the Pork & Pigskins Champion during the IHSA Class 6A Football State Championship on Saturday, November 27 at Northern Illinois University’s Huskie Stadium.