Taking a look at the IHSA Playoff Quarterfinal football matchups in the Kane County Chronicle area

Class 7A

No. 5 Downers Grove North (10-1) at No. 4 Batavia (10-1)

When: 1 p.m. Saturday

About the Trojans: Downers Grove North survived a late comeback attempt from Fenwick in the second round, with kicker Antonio Kollintzas kicking a 28-yard field goal as time expired to win the game 13-10, and will be looking to make it to the semifinals for the second straight season. Their 13 points in the second round was the first time that the Trojans’ offense was held under 20 points all season. The reigning Class 7A runner ups have been led by junior QB and Minnesota commit Owen Lansu, who threw for 186 yards against the Friars’ tough defense. The defense has also been a strong point for the Trojans, as they’ve allowed just 17 points so far in the playoffs. Aiden Solecki had three sacks, Weston Waughop recovered a fumble and Caden Chiarelli had an interception in the second round. The Trojans’ only loss of the season came at the hands of undefeated Lyons, who managed a 21-point comeback after Lansu went down with an injury.

About the Bulldogs: Batavia pulled off an impressive victory over Lincoln-Way West, scoring 25 consecutive points to take the 25-21 victory and advance to the quarterfinals for the eighth time in 14 seasons. The story of the game was the performance of sophomore QB Michael Vander Luitgaren, who came into the game and threw for 269 yards and three touchdowns, including a 48-yard game-winning touchdown pass to Brett Berggren. Head coach Dennis Piron said that he’s committed to having both Vander Luitgaren and junior Bodi Anderson share time as the main pass slinger. But no matter who’s back there, they’ve had no trouble finding senior WR Isaiah Brown, who recorded back-to-back 100+ receiving-yard performances for the first time in his career. Also adding a compliment to the offense was senior RB Nathan Whitwell, who exceeded the 100-yard rushing mark for the seventh time this season in the win. The defense also picked up steam in the second half after struggling early, allowing only 50 yards of offense, including just six rushing yards, in the entirety of the second half.

FND Pick: Downers Grove North

Class 6A

No. 3 Geneva (10-1) at No. 7 Lake Forest (9-2)

When: 1 p.m. Saturday

About the Vikings: Geneva is making its second straight appearance in the 6A quarterfinals after pulling off a 42-28 victory over Burlington Central. Senior WR Talyn Taylor recorded his eighth game with over 100 receiving yards and seventh with multiple touchdowns in the victory, with his 96-yard kickoff return touchdown proving to be the explosive play needed to turn the tides in favor of the Vikings. QB Tony Chahino also stepped up big for the Vikings, throwing for 285 yards and two touchdowns to give him 40 passing scores on the season, while adding a rushing one of his own on the night. RB Michael Rumoro recorded his third game of going over the 100-yard rushing mark, his first since putting up 200 in the win against Geneva, and had the go-ahead score, as well as an insurance one in the fourth quarter. The Vikings have scored over 40 points in each of their playoff victories, and have done so in seven of their 11 games this season. If the Vikings pull off the victory, they’ll be in the semifinals for the first time since 2008, when they finished as runner-ups in Class 6A.

About the Scouts: Lake Forest pulled out an upset victory over second-seeded and North Suburban Conference rival Libertyville, driving 98 yards in the final two minutes before QB Danny Van Camp scored on a 1-yard QB sneak with just 6.6 seconds left in the 24-17 victory. WR Charlie Markee and RB Marty Hippel have been the driving forces on the Scouts’ offense, but were also moved onto the defensive side for the first time in the second round. The move ended up working in their favor, with Hippel causing a few pass break ups whule Markee grabbed two interceptions, with one being a pick-six. Lake Forest is making its second appearance in four seasons, and will be looking to reach the semifinals for the first time since 2012.

FND Pick: Geneva

Class 5A

No. 4 St. Francis (9-2) at No. 1 Sycamore (11-0)

When: 1 p.m. Saturday

About the St. Francis Spartans: They have an explosive scoring capability, as witnessed by Zach Washington’s 80-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Prairie Ridge last week, negating some early momentum for the Wolves in the Spartans’ 30-21 win. Tanner Glock had a 63-yard run, a 10-yard touchdown reception and an interception on defense. Dario Milivojevic had a 68-yard touchdown catch from Brady Palmer in the game as well. The Spartans are in the quarterfinals for the third straight year and the fourth time in coach Bob McMillen’s eight years. They lost to eventual state champion Nazareth last year in the semifinals, 38-31. Their losses this year were 31-13 to St. Rita and 27-25 to Providence Catholic. They do give up points – they’ve surrendered 21 or more in eight games this year. The winner of this game gets either Nazareth or Rochelle in the semifinals.

About the Sycamore Spartans: They haven’t been tested so far in a playoff game, rolling Westinghouse last week 69-12 after opening the postseason with a 50-8 win over Noble/Bulls. In fact, since a 25-19 Week 4 win against Rochelle, they’ve only played one game decided by less than 28 points – and that was a 28-13 win against La Salle-Peru in which they scored the first 28 points. They’ve scored at least 40 in their last four games, and that includes a 42-0 win against a Morris team still alive in the postseason. Senior quarterback Burke Gautcher leads the offense, completing 65.9% of his passes for 1,661 yards, 17 touchdowns and just one interception. He’s got a lot of speedy options to throw to, including Carter York (31-546-3), Aidan Wyzard (21-626-9) and Josiah Mitchell (23-281-3). On the ground, Dylan Hodges put up over 100 yards in just a half against Westinghouse, putting him at 698 yards this year to go with seven scores. Kevin Lee has rushed for 452 yards and 14 touchdowns, and Gautcher has 229 yards and eight touchdowns. Only DeKalb and Rochelle have scored 19 or more points against Sycamore in a game this year, and the Spartans shut out Ottawa and Morris. The defense can force a lot of turnovers, with York picking off five passes this year, Caden O’Donnell four and Cooper Bode two. They’ve also forced seven fumbles and averaged two forced turnovers a game.

FND pick: St. Francis

- Eddie Carifio