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A look at the IHSA playoff quarterfinal matchups for Morris, Princeton and Dwight-Gardner-South Wilmington.
CLASS 5A
No. 13 Morris (7-4) at No. 1 Morgan Park (10-1)
When: 4 p.m. Saturday at Gately Stadium, Chicago
About Morris: Morris battled health issues for most of the second half of the season but is largely healthy now. Morris has looked like a different team in the first two rounds of the playoffs. Morris has a variety of offensive weapons at its disposal when healthy, meaning QB Brady Varner has a multitude of choices in where to send the football. WR Ethan Mumbrue had a solid game against Highland in the second round, but he’s far from the only choice Varner has. Morris might be able to figure out a way to continue its high rate of scoring – it has put up 31 or more points in eight of its 11 games this season – against Morgan Park, but the focus will be on the defense’s ability to get at least some stops. Morris has given up more than its fair share of points over the past few weeks – notably 42 to Sycamore, 48 to Byron Center (Michigan), 28 to Triad and 20 on Saturday to Highland – so getting those things in check will be pivotal for Morris in its chance to topple the bracket’s top seed. Morris last made the 5A semifinals in 2022 and was last in a state championship game during the 2017 4A playoffs. Morris this year is 5-3 against fellow Illinois playoff qualifiers.
About the Mustangs: Morgan Park has its eyes set on becoming the second team from the Chicago Public League to win a state title, and so far the Mustangs have looked the part. After losing its Week 1 game against Marist, Morgan Park has done an incredible job on defense, allowing only 13 points over its next 10 games. Metamora broke Morgan Park’s defensive spell by scoring 28 points on the Mustangs in Round 2, but the problem for Metamora was keeping Morgan Park from scoring at a frightening pace. The Mustangs feature the potent one-two punch of QB Marcus Thaxton and RB Terrance Gurley, both of whom had a field day running and throwing all over Metamora’s defense. It’s a dilemma that all of Morgan Park’s opponents didn’t really manage to solve. After being held to 16 points in that season-opening defeat, Morgan Park has scored – in chronological order – 26, 54, 20, 42, 57, 48, 62, 42, 34 and 55 points and is approaching 500 points for the season.
Next: The winner will face Saturday’s winner of the Peoria (9-2) hosting Joliet Catholic (8-3) quarterfinal in next week’s semifinals. Morris would visit Joliet Catholic should those two both win. Morris would host Peoria High if that is the matchup.
Friday Night Drive pick: Morgan Park
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CLASS 3A
No. 9 Lombard Montini (9-2) at No. 4 Princeton (10-1)
When: 1 p.m. Saturday, Bryant Field, Princeton
About the Broncos: Montini held on for a 14-13 win over No. 1 Byron when senior linebacker Jaxon Lane stopped the Tigers short of the goal line going for a game-winning 2-point conversion. That win avenged a 26-20 loss to Byron in 2023 and snapped Byron’s 24-game winning streak. Jeremiah Peterson rushed for 110 yards on 17 carries and both touchdowns for Montini, and sophomore quarterback Izzy Abrams ran for 50 yards while completing 10 of 13 passes for 56 yards. Last week’s one-point win and the Broncos’ two losses this season – 21-6 to Marist and 14-10 at the hands of Fenwick – are the only relatively close contests Montini has played, winning all of its other games by at least 18 points. Montini has a playoff tradition as rich as any program in the state with 34 appearances, 73 playoff wins, 18 quarterfinal berths, six state championships and three runner-up finishes. The Broncos are 12-5 historically in quarterfinal play, 2-0 against Bureau County teams, including a 48-34 win over Hall in 1993. Montini defeated Princeton last season in the quarterfinals.
About the Tigers: Quarterfinal weekends are becoming common occurrences for Princeton, which makes its fifth straight appearance. However, the Tigers have lost in this round each of the past three seasons, including last year’s defeat to Montini. Princeton has geared up for a rematch with the Broncos since that defeat. Casey Etheridge rushed for 217 yards and three touchdowns with a receiving TD in last week’s 34-16 win over King on the South Side of Chicago. Noah LaPorte also scored on a TD reception from QB Will Lott. The Tigers’ defense also stepped up with timely plays, including sacks by linebackers Common Green and Arthur Burden and DL Cade Odell. The Tigers are 3-3 at home in quarterfinal play, with wins over Alleman in 1989 (27-14), Rochester in 2002 (48-21) and Paxton-Buckley-Loda in 2019 (38-12) and losses to IC Catholic in 2015 (37-12) and 2022 (27-20) and Montini in 2023 (27-9). In 2021, the Tigers lost to IC Catholic (31-17) on the road.
Next: The winner will face Saturday’s winner of the Wilmington (11-0) at Durand-Pecatonica (10-1) quarterfinal in next week’s semifinals. Princeton would travel to either Wilmington or Du-Pec.
Friday Night Drive pick: Montini
Class 2A
No. 1 Farmington (11-0) at No. 12 Dwight/GSW (8-3)
When: 1 p.m. Saturday
About the Farmers: Farmington has taken on a couple of forms this season. Early on, the Farmers were putting up tons of points. While that hasn’t maintained at quite the same pace, the defense has played better and better and has only four games in which it has allowed double-digit points. One of those was in Round 2 of the playoffs, when it edged Rockridge 14-10 and forced a number of turnovers in the red zone to ensure the victory was in hand. The Farmers – champions of the Lincoln Trail-Prairieland Large – haven’t lost this season, but have had a number of close calls with three games decided by a touchdown or less, including a 26-20 win over 7-3 Macomb, an 8-6 victory over 6-4 Annawan-Wethersfield and last week’s four-point playoff win hosting Rockridge. One game that wasn’t close? The Farmers’ 40-0, Week 5 blanking of Elmwood-Brimfield, the team Dwight/GSW edged 12-6 last week. Farmington is the top seed in 2A’s North Bracket.
About Dwight: Dwight/Gardner-South Wilmington showed a flair for the dramatic in its first second-round playoff victory, as it clipped Elmwood-Brimfield 12-6 on a Collin Bachand-to-Evan Cox 6-yard touchdown pass with 2.8 seconds remaining. Dwight’s first-round playoff win over Momence was the program’s first since 1983. Dwight/GSW has done most of its postseason journey courtesy of a strong running game and even stronger defensive efforts. Limiting Elmwood to six points was an accomplishment considering how many points that team had posted during the regular season. Dwight/GSW’s offense has been workman-like, utilizing a number of runners – namely Ayden Collom (73 yards last week), Cox (90 yards) and Dylan Crouch (28 yards) plus Bachand (31 yards) on keepers – to keep the chains moving. It might be in the Trojans’ best interests to play a little bit of possession ball with Farmington and sustain long, clock-chewing drives, as the Farmers have the capability to be a quick-strike offense. The Trojans are the only team left in 2A with more than one loss this season.
Next: Should Dwight/GSW pull off its third straight upset, the Trojans would play the winner of Saturday’s Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin (11-0) vs. Chicago Christian (10-1) semifinal. Dwight/GSW would be on the road in either matchup.
FND pick: Farmington