With two weeks left in the regular season, here’s where Herald-News area teams stand in their quest to make the IHSA playoffs.

Locked in

Morris 7-0 (36 playoff points)

Week 7 could not have gone better for Morris‘ playoff picture. The Interstate 8 Conference leader not only added a victory, but also picked up every possible playoff point (opponents’ combined wins, the first tiebreaker after record when seeding potential playoff teams) when every team on its schedule won in Week 7 except the three teams (La Salle-Peru, Ottawa and Kaneland) that were playing other teams on Morris’ schedule. A win over 4-3 Sycamore this Friday would wrap up the I-8 title with 4-3 Byron Center, Mich., waiting in Week 9.

Lincoln-Way East 7-0 (34 playoff points)

The Griffins not only added another victory to their ledger, but five additional playoff points that will come in handy come seeding time. If Lincoln-Way East can keep rolling – the Griffins have outscored their victims 314-34 so far this fall – with wins in Week 8 (at 4-3 Naperville North) and Week 9 (home vs. 5-2 Sandburg), a top seed is not out of the question.

Lincoln-Way West 7-0 (29 playoff points)

The Warriors are in already and sitting in the catbird seat of the Southwest Valley Red championship race to boot. With a playoff-point total that’s good but not great, every additional win – L-W West has 6-1 Bradley-Bourbonnais and 0-7 Stagg still on the schedule – will help keep the Warriors in line for a strong seed come playoff pairings time.

Seneca 7-0 (20 playoff points)

The Fighting Irish have a berth locked up and, though it doesn’t come with an automatic bid, won the Chicagoland Prairie Conference title. If Seneca wants a good seed, it will likely need to keep winning, as what looked like a tough nonconference schedule before the season has not played out that way, hence the very low number of playoff points. Coming up are 4-3 St. Joe-Ogden and 0-7 Carlyle.

Coal City 6-1 (34 playoff points)

The Coalers clinched at least an at-large bid with last Friday’s 49-7 handling of Peotone, so they’re in. Victories in the next two weeks – home against 5-2 Herscher and at 6-1 Wilmington – would deliver not only the Illinois Central Eight Conference title, but a likely first-round home playoff game.

Wilmington 6-1 (33 playoff points)

The Wildcats, like last week, are in almost the exact same situation as their ICE archrival, Coal City. Wilmington has wrapped up an at-large bid but still has the conference title and a potential first-round home playoff game ahead of it, depending on the next two weeks at 3-4 Reed-Custer and home against the aforementioned 6-1 Coalers.

Lincoln-Way Central 6-1 (29 playoff points)

That sixth win recorded last Friday against another playoff hopeful, Andrew, has the Knights officially in the playoff field. There’s a great opportunity, however, to transform “getting in” to “getting a first-round home playoff game” with a remaining schedule that has L-W Central facing 1-6 Waubonsie Valley and 3-4 Rich Township.

Sitting comfortably

Minooka 5-2 (37 playoff points)

The Indians' 10-3 win over Oswego last Friday all but clinched a playoff spot – be it an at-large bid or with the Southwest Prairie West’s increasingly murky automatic bid awarded to its champion. Another win against 5-2 Bolingbrook and/or 6-1 Oswego East would make it official, but Minooka’s ultimate 40-plus playoff points should get the job done even without another victory.

Bolingbrook 5-2 (34 playoff points)

The Raiders have two games remaining, at home against 5-2 Minooka and 6-1 Yorkville. That makes Week 7’s 28-14 handling of Plainfield North all the more vital, as Bolingbrook is in great shape to get an at-large bid even without another win against those fellow playoff teams. Any win the Raiders can get, though, will only help their seeding.

Lemont 5-2 (32 playoff points)

With an at-large bid likely wrapped up but not a certainty quite yet, Lemont could clinch a postseason bid with wins either of the next two weeks against 6-1 Richards or 7-0 Oak Forest. A triumph over Oak Forest would also bring with it a conference championship and the South Suburban Blue’s automatic bid – not that Lemont would need it.

Providence 5-2 (31 playoff points)

The Celtics likely wrapped up a playoff bid with last Friday’s thrilling 21-20 win over Loyola, thanks to it being their fifth and having a decent amount of playoff points. They can make it a certainty with wins in either of their final two contests – at 2-5 Marian or at 2-5 Joliet Catholic.

Almost there

Lockport 4-3 (35 playoff points)

A three-game winning streak to answer a three-game losing skid has the Porters on the brink of locking up a playoff berth. With 35 playoff points already on hand and more guaranteed to come in, a win against either 2-5 Metea Valley this Friday or 3-4 Neuqua Valley in Week 9 should get Lockport into the field of 256.

Dwight 4-3 (28 playoff points)

Back-to-back wins have done wonders for the Trojans. While it’s likely they’d get in at 5-4, their pedestrian number of playoff points could cause them stress come the Saturday pairings show. Running the table against 3-4 Warrensburg-Latham and 4-3 Oregon would punch the Trojans’ ticket to Week 10 for certain.

Romeoville 4-3 (20 playoff points)

Romeoville is one of many area teams alive and well in the playoff picture thanks to the still-to-be-decided Southwest Prairie East championship and its corresponding automatic bid to the postseason. They are one of the few Southwest Prairie East teams, however, just as alive for an at-large bid if the automatic one doesn’t come through. They might need to win both of their remaining games against a 4-3 Plainfield East in an identical situation as Romeoville and 2-5 Plainfield South, though, because 20 playoff points is an extremely low total through seven weeks of play.

Plainfield East 4-3 (19 playoff points)

Almost everything written above about Romeoville applies to the Bengals, except with one fewer playoff point and a different two-win Plainfield opponent in Week 9. East’s remaining games against 4-3 Romeoville and 2-5 Plainfield Central will determine whether it gets in, the former an especially important one, as it could bring with it the automatic bid that comes with the Southwest Prairie East championship.

Work to do

Peotone 3-4 (31 playoff points)

Back-to-back losses have the Blue Devils’ playoff hopes reeling. Like Reed-Custer, their playoff-point total is average, making an at-large bid with a 4-5 record unlikely. Peotone’s surest and probably only realistic route is to win out while facing 4-3 Manteno and 5-2 Herscher.

Hail Mary time

Reed-Custer 3-4 (32 playoff points)

For all intents and purposes, the Comets are 4-4 thanks to a Week 9 forfeit coming from Lisle. That makes this Friday’s home game against 6-1 Wilmington a likely must-have for playoff consideration, as the Comets’ 32 playoff points are not exactly on the low side, but likely not high enough to get them in if 4-5 teams are invited at all.

Plainfield North 2-5 (44 playoff points)

The one thing the Tigers have going for them is their impressive playoff point total, which makes them a leading candidate to get in if 4-5 teams make the cut. The downside of having a lot of playoff points is it means the schedule is filled with good teams – including the 6-1 Yorkville and 5-2 Oswego squads Plainfield North would have to beat to make its stack of playoff points useful.

Joliet Catholic 2-5 (40 playoff points)

JCA is a top candidate to get in as a four-win team thanks to the hefty pile of playoff points that comes with playing a demanding schedule. There are two big “ifs” in that scenario, however – if 4-5 teams get invited to the field of 256 at all, and if the Hilltoppers can win out against 0-7 De La Salle and 5-2 Providence.

Joliet West 2-5 (35 playoff points)

The Tigers are still alive for the Southwest Prairie East championship and the automatic playoff bid that goes with it, but last week’s loss to Plainfield East was a big hit. Still, if the Tigers can win out against 2-5 Plainfield Central and 1-6 Joliet Central, they could sneak in one of two ways – a convoluted SPC East championship tiebreak or as a 4-5 team with their above-average number of playoff points, assuming that any 4-5s get in, that is.

Plainfield South 2-5 (31 playoff points)

Still alive to win the Southwest Prairie East championship and the automatic bid that comes with it, thanks to a Week 7 victory, the Cougars could also theoretically get in with an at-large bid if they can win out against 1-6 Joliet Central and 4-3 Romeoville.

Plainfield Central 2-5 (25 playoff points)

The Southwest Prairie East’s conference title could mean a spot for the Wildcats despite their pedestrian number of playoff points. To seize it, they need to beat both 2-5 Joliet West and 4-3 Plainfield East and come out on top of a multi-team tiebreaker.