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Class 1A
No. 13 Marquette (5-4) at No. 4 Rushville (8-1)
When: 7 p.m. on Friday
About the Crusaders: Marquette has now reached the playoffs in 12 consecutive seasons. The Crusaders began the season at 1-2, then won four straight, but lost to Class 2A playoff qualifiers Seneca (for the second time in Week 8) and Dwight/Gardner-South Wilmington (in a heart-breaking 21-20 loss to finish the regular season after topping the Trojans 26-21 in Week 4). Marquette, which had a forfeit win in Week 6, is averaging 21.5 points per game while giving up 20.3. Marquette’s wing-T offense and aggressive defense is led by seniors Payton Gutierrez (RB/DB) and Keaton Davis (TE/LB), as well as juniors Anthony Couch (QB/LB), Jaxsen Higgins (RB/DB) and Grant Dose (RB/LB). Crusaders coach Tom Jobst is 112-43 in his 15 seasons at the helm.
About the Rockets: Rushville, which finished 3-6 in 2023, opened this season with a 27-6 loss to Lincoln Trail-Prairieland Conference Small Division champion Stark County but hasn’t been beaten since, with five of those wins by a combined 44 points. The Rockets have rushed for nearly 3,000 yards and 35 TDs this season, led by Rylan Reimolds (128 carries-1,091 yards-14 TDs), Brady Downs (169-970-11) and Jordan McGinnis (96-639-8). Junior quarterback Jagger Bartlett has only thrown 14 passes all season, but of his five completions, three have gone for scores. Rushville has scored 34+ points in its last six games but has also given up 21+ in five of those contests. On the season, the Rockets have outscored its opponents 296-204.
Class 2A
No. 10 El Paso-Gridley (6-3) at No. 7 Seneca (8-1)
When: 7 p.m. on Friday
About the Titans: El Paso-Gridley’s three losses were Casey Westfield (28-14) in Week 2, Heart of Illinois Conference Large Division runner-up Eureka (14-0) in Week 4 and to league champion Tri-Valley (42-0) in Week 5, those three opponents all finished the season at 8-1. The Titans, which enter the playoffs on a four-game win streak, outscored its opponents 187-154. Out of its spread offense, dual-threat sophomore QB Owen Adams has posted solid games against Tremont (164 rushing yards, 3 TDs), Dee-Mack (88 yards rushing, 127 passing), Shelbyville (136 on the ground, 4 TDs) and Clinton (19 carries and 139 total yards, TD) the last four weeks. EP-G is 3-1 on the road this season.
About the Fighting Irish: The past three seasons the Seneca football program has gone 29-3, including last year’s squad that reached the Class 2A playoff quarterfinals and rushed for more than 3,600 yards out of a power-T offense behind a strong offensive line. Graduation has left the Fighting Irish with just three starters back and needing to replace the entire offensive line. But they haven’t missed a beat, other than a Week 9 loss to Durand-Pecatonica that snapped a 28-game regular season win streak. Seneca has topped 3,000 rushing yards again this season, led by Brody Rademacher (89 carries-1,490 yards-15 TDs) and Cameron Shriey (84-572-8), with Nick Grant and QB Paxton Giertz also posting just over 400 ground yards each. The Irish have outscored their opponents 304 to 108.
Class 4A
No. 13 Sandwich (5-4) at No. 4 Wheaton Academy (8-1)
When: 7 p.m. on Friday
About the Indians: Sandwich, after a feel-good 2023 season that culminated in a run to the Class 4A quarterfinals, backed up the program’s renaissance with a second straight playoff appearance. This is a rematch of last year’s quarterfinal won by Wheaton Academy 42-7 in the Warriors’ first-ever quarterfinal appearance. Sandwich overcame an 0-2 start against a pair of tough conference opponents in Manteno and Wilmington to win five of six games and put itself in playoff position. Sandwich is one of five teams from the Kishwaukee River Conference to reach the postseason. Six of the Indians’ nine opponents are in the playoffs. Nick Michalek emerged as the leading rusher for Sandwich’s wing-T offense which also features speedster Simeion Harris. Jeffrey Ashley leads a linebacking corps that overcame the offseason injuries to Sandwich’s top two tacklers from last year.
About Wheaton Academy: The Warriors are making their fourth consecutive playoff appearance after reaching the Class 4A semifinals last year. Wheaton Academy, champions of the Chicagoland Christian Conference, has won eight consecutive games since a Week 1 loss to Second Baptist from Houston, Texas. Senior Jeremy Johanik, a two-way starter at center and defensive end, is the ringleader of a defense that’s allowed just 65 points this season – eight points over the last five weeks with four shutouts. The Warriors had four pick-sixes in a Week 9 win over Marian Central.
Illinois 8-Man Football Association
Flanagan-Cornell/Woodland (6-3) vs. West Carroll (7-2)
When: 1 p.m. on Saturday
About the Falcons: Flanagan-Cornell/Woodland’s losses came in Week 3 and 8 to last season’s playoff runner-up Ridgewood co-op and in Week 6 to defending champion Amboy-LaMoille-Ohio co-op. In those three defeats, the Falcons were outscored 118-35, but in their six wins they’ve outpointed opponents 254-92. FCW has rushed 371 times for 2,208 yards (6.0 ypc), led by junior running back Leelynd Durbin, who surpassed 1,000 yards this season in a Week 9 win over Galva. Senior quarterback Seth Jones has thrown for 908 yards, with senior Connor Reed (17 catches-390 yards) and junior Logan Ruddy (15-367) being his top targets. Durbin also leads the team in tackles (74 solo, 38 assists), while senior Elijah Detwiler has recorded eight sacks.
About the Thunder: West Carroll’s two losses came against 8-1 Milledgeville (44-0) in Week 5 and undefeated Polo (52-6) in Week 8. West Carroll, which outscored its opponents this season 345-205, finished off the regular season with a 36-26 win over South Beloit. The Thunder’s top players are No. 1 and No. 2 running backs Aden Buchholz and Raef Pickard-Schintgen, QB Winter Harrington, and WR Roger Laborn.