Here’s a look at the opening round of the IHSA and I8FA playoffs, including games for Sandwich, Seneca, Dwight/GSW, Marquette and Flanagan-Cornell/Woodland.
Class 4A
No. 13 Sandwich (5-4) at No. 4 Wheaton Academy (8-1)
When: 7 p.m. Friday in West Chicago
About the Indians: Sandwich has a chance to avenge last year’s season-ending loss in the Class 4A quarterfinals. And while the Indians haven’t been as dominant this year as they were last – pointed out by last week’s 28-14 loss at home that allowed Marengo to sneak into the playoffs – Sandwich has still been solid enough, scoring key victories over eventual playoff entrants Johnsburg (28-21 in Week 4) and Woodstock North (42-35 in Week 8) to earn its spot. RBs Nick Michalek and Simeion Harris provide a potent one-two punch out of Sandwich’s wing-T rushing attack, while QB Brady Behringer has come up clutch in the Indians’ more nail-biting triumphs. Sandwich is almost dead even this season in points scored (263) and points allowed (264).
About the Warriors: The champions of the Chicagoland Christian Conference, Wheaton Academy is coming off a 41-0 blowout of fellow playoff entrant Aurora Christian in Week 8 and a 48-0 smashing of 3-6 Marian. Those are just the last two of six consecutive lopsided wins and eight straight triumphs for the Warriors, who haven’t played a somewhat close contest since Week 3′s 27-7 win over Chicago Christian and haven’t lost since Week 1′s 19-7 heartbreaker against Second Baptist, a seven-win team from Texas. QB/DB Nathan Downey and OL/DL Jeremy Johanik are electric playmakers for Wheaton Academy, whose dominating season can be easily summed up by its average final score against Illinois competition – a 42.4-5.8 victory.
Friday Night Drive pick: Wheaton Academy
Class 2A
No. 10 El Paso-Gridley (6-3) at No. 7 Seneca (8-1)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
About the Titans: Back-to-back, close midseason wins over eventual playoff teams – 34-30 over 6-3 Shelbyville and 19-14 over 5-4 Dee-Mack – proved to be the tipping point for EPG’s season. The Titans outside of those went 3-0 against teams that wound up with losing records and 0-3 against teams that finished above .500. All three of those losses – 28-14 to Casey Westfield, 14-0 to Eureka and 42-0 to Tri-Valley – came against teams that are now 8-1, just like Seneca. The Titans are if nothing else a balanced team, averaging 140.8 yards per game on the ground, 109.1 through the air and outgaining opponents by just 13.4 yards per game on average. Dual-threat QB/RB Owen Adams leads the team in both rushing (419 yards, eight TDs) and passing (519 yards, four TDs) and accounted for all three Titans touchdowns in their Week 9 win at Clinton.
About the Fighting Irish: Seneca is coming off its first regular-season loss since 2021, though it should be noted it was a loss of the quality variety, 33-22 to Class 3A powerhouse Durand-Pecatonica in a game that Seneca led heading into the fourth quarter. Aside from the inability to get first downs or stops in the last quarter against a dynamic offense and some costly second-quarter turnovers, the game played out like most of the Irish’s wins. Seneca’s power-T offense churned up 292 yards rushing led by fullback Brody Rademacher’s 187-yard effort, QB Paxton Giertz was an effective runner and hit a big pass play off play-action, and the Irish were in position to win late. Only eventual Class 2A state champion Wilmington halted Seneca’s postseason run last year – in overtime, no less – and the Wildcats are in 3A this year. To start another deep run, though, Seneca will have to do better reigning in El Paso-Gridley’s play-making QB this Friday than it did against DuPec’s last Friday.
Friday Night Drive pick: Seneca
No. 12 Dwight/GSW (6-3) at No. 5 Momence (8-1)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
About the Trojans: As it turned out, the Trojans didn’t have to win its Week 9 revenge game at Marquette to get into the playoffs. The 21-20 victory – avenging a 26-21 loss earlier in the season – did, however, allow Dwight/Gardner-South Wilmington and avoid a trip to undefeated Farmington or Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin. It also allowed the Trojans to maintain the momentum they’ve built up after suffering through a three-game losing streak midseason, heading into the postseason winners of three straight. Dylan Crouch, Evan Cox and Ayden Collum lead a Dwight/GSW running attack that has increasingly been complemented by an efficient passing game as the season wore on. Kicker Angel Martin, who set a school record with a 43-yard field goal early in the season, has a strong enough leg to make a difference in a close one.
About Momence: The Trojans and Momence have a recent history, eight years as conference rivals in the Sangamon Valley and then the Vermilion Valley Football Alliance before parting ways. Over those seasons, Momence went 5-3 against the Trojans, though Dwight/GSW did win the last matchup in 2022, 33-28. As for this year, Momence suffered its lone loss in Week 7, 42-14 at the hands of unbeaten BHRA. Outside of that, there have been a few close ones (15-14 over 6-3 Westville, 28-21 over 5-4 Salt Fork) and some lopsided wins over additional playoff teams Fithian Oakwood and Clifton Central that speak strongly toward Momence’s playoff resume. Nick Charbonneau has been an impact player for the Momence defense, while QB Erick Castillo has led an explosive offense that has scored 35 or more points in six of its nine outings.
Friday Night Drive pick: Momence
Class 1A
No. 13 Marquette (5-4) at No. 4 Rushville-Industry (8-1)
When: 7 p.m. Friday at Wixom Field, Rushville
About the Crusaders: Marquette Academy – a Class 1A playoff entrant for 12 consecutive postseasons now – enters this year’s Week 10 on a bit of a skid. The Crusaders lost a pair of games the past two weeks to Class 2A playoff teams, 21-6 to Seneca in a rematch of a game earlier this season and 21-20 to Dwight/GSW in another repeat bout. With another close loss to another playoff entrant (24-19 to Aurora Christian) opening the season, Marquette has played good teams tough for the most part but comes in 1-4 against squads that made the field of 256. The Crusaders, as always, bring a hard-nosed defensive strategy and efficient wing-T rushing attack led by RBs Grant Dose and Payton Gutierrez and are among the more dangerous 5-4s in small-school football. That’s especially true if they can get a lead against another run-minded offense like Rushville-Industry’s.
About the Rockets: The co-champions of the Lincoln Trail-Prairieland Small with a Stark County team that handed it their only defeat back in Week 1, Rushville-Industry comes into the playoffs on an eight-game winning streak. Surprising for a team with that run of success, only one of those games – last week’s 50-14 drubbing of two-win South Fulton – was lopsided, with the rest of the Rockets’ eight victories coming by 18 or fewer points. Quality wins include 26-13 over 6-3 Annawan-Wethersfield, 42-34 over 4-5 ROWVA and Week 8′s 34-21 handling of 7-2 Princeville. Like Marquette, Rushville-Industry relies heavily on its run game, the Rockets’ led by Rylan Reimolds (1,091 yards, 14 TDs), Brady Downs (970 yards, 11 TDs) and Jordan Mcginnis (639 yards, eight TDs). They’ve attempted only 14 passes and completed five this season for 152 yards.
Friday Night Drive pick: Rushville-Industry
Illinois 8-Man
No. 10 Flanagan-Cornell/Woodland (6-3) at No. 7 West Carroll (7-2)
When: 1 p.m. Saturday in Savanna
About the Falcons: Flanagan-Cornell/Woodland only took three losses last season – all three coming at the hands of Ridgewood and Amboy/LaMoille/Ohio, the teams in last year’s Illinois 8-Man Football Association state championship game – but those three dings were enough to send FCW 144 miles one way, north of the Quad Cities in this opening-round matchup. Led by 1,000-yard rusher/leading tackler Leelynd Durbin, (almost) 1,000-yard passer Seth Jones and dominant defensive players Elijah Detweiler and Aydan Radke, the Falcons have never been shutout and have been held under three touchdowns just three times, in their losses; conversely allowing more than three TDs only four times. If you’re a believer in coincidental trends, FCW is 3-0 this season against teams with “West” in their name, having beaten 3-6 West Prairie twice and 6-3 West Central in Week 7 – the best win on the Falcons’ resume.
About the Thunder: West Carroll’s first season playing in the I8FA has gone quite well, the Thunder earning the No. 7 seed on the 16-team playoff bracket after four consecutive winless seasons to finish their tenure playing the 11-man game. Utilizing a somewhat balanced offense led by RBs Aden Buchholz and Raef Pickard-Schingten along with QB Winter Harrington and WR Roger Laborn, West Carroll has shown the ability to put up points in bunches, averaging 38.3 per outing including 54 or more four times. But it allows them in handfuls too, surrendering 26 or more four times and allowing 22.8 per game. A possible knock might be the Thunder’s relatively weak schedule (opponents went a combined 38-43) and difficulty hanging with I8FA’s better teams this season, but they quieted that a bit with last week’s quality, 36-26 win at 6-3 South Beloit.
Friday Night Drive pick: FCW