There was a mixed bag of easy victories and scares for the higher seeds in Class 6A.

The second-round pairings now bring much sterner challenges to the top seeds than the previous round did.

Will the clear favorites keep moving along the path to Illinois State? Round 2 will almost certainly provide challenges to some of those squads.

First round predictions: 15-1

Second-round matchups

Nazareth vs. Wheaton Warrenville South: Nazareth had little trouble in its opener as it tries to go back-to-back in different classifications. Wheaton Warrenville South also rolled in its first round game. The Tigers do have a prominent win on its resume, a victory over St. Charles North. Do they have the ability to put another huge feather in their proverbial cap?

Pick: Nazareth

Lake Zurich vs. Antioch: Lake Zurich’s top-flight defense seems to have returned to the Bears as almost no one has been able to get much of a foothold against it this season. Antioch could have the countermove though, with an offensive attack that seems to be constantly successful in its pursuit of points.

Pick: Lake Zurich

Burlington Central vs. Harlem: Burlington Central had to sweat out a win over 15th-seeded Libertyville, scoring the game-winner with a little over a minute to play in the game. It remains to be seen if the Rockets will have to scrap as hard to survive again this week against Harlem, who had absolutely no difficulties in the opening round as they dispatched an overmatched CPL team, Mather.

Pick: Burlington Central

Rolling Meadows vs. Fenwick: Rolling Meadows pulled off the surprise of the 6A opening round by toppling one-loss Riverside-Brookfield. But if the Mustangs want to keep this upset train rolling along they are going to have to step up to another level of play. Fenwick stormed to a Round 1 win over Kennedy and there might not be a more deceptive three-loss team in any field in terms of quality of team.

Pick: Fenwick

Glenwood vs. East St. Louis: Glenwood did as little as it had to and not much more in dispatching a gritty 4-5 Joliet Catholic team from the field in Round 1. But if the Titans hope to keep their undefeated season intact they are going to have to show a lot more firepower, especially on offense to hang with this week’s opposition. Not surprisingly, East St. Louis flattened opening round opponent Plainfield East and not a single Illinois team has been remotely competitive with the Flyers this season.

Pick: East St. Louis

Normal West vs. Simeon: Normal West has been a confusing team to get a read on and struggled more with a Thornwood team than expected in Round 1. The Wildcats have some talent and they’ll have to tap into to dispatch one of the few remaining CPL teams for the field. Simeon has more talent than your average CPL team, but doesn’t have what would be classified as anything close to a marquee win this year and is largely at this stage because they faced a lower-rung CPL team in Round 1.

Pick: Normal West

Bradley-Bourbonnais vs. St. Laurence: Bradley-Bourbonnais is enjoying its debut run in the Class 6A field after years of participating in the Class 7A postseason. The Boilermakers had little trouble ousting Shepard from the field and now face a St. Laurence squad that got only its third win over a team with a winning record by beating Oak Lawn Community in the opening round of the postseason.

Pick: Bradley-Bourbonnais

Crete-Monee vs. Dunlap: The momentum gained by Crete-Monee by beating long-time rival Kankakee in Week 9 seems to have carried over to the postseason. The Warriors posted an all-class high of 73 points in their opening round win over Quincy. Dunlap does have two losses on the season, but by a combined eight points and might have the defense in place that could be capable of slowing down this high-octane Crete attack.

Pick: Crete-Monee