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First-round matchups
Cary-Grove vs. Senn: The defending Class 6A champions appear to be in good shape to give the northern bracket fits. Defensively is where the Trojans have largely shined. Other than a 43-point outburst from Huntley in Week 7, Cary-Grove has held all opponents to two touchdowns or less. After starting 3-0, Senn has finished with less than a flourish scoring just 48 points in their final six games.
Pick: Cary-Grove
Antioch vs. Grayslake North: A Northern Lake County Conference rematch where Antioch emerged with a 22-18 win in Week 6. Antioch has pretty much followed its usual blueprint of stacking up as many points as it can, even scoring 54 in one of its losses. Grayslake North has clamped down on defense down the stretch allowing just 46 points over its final five games.
Pick: Antioch
Belvidere North vs. Kaneland: It’s been a workman like effort for Belvidere North as it has kept teams at arm’s length but run away and hid from very few opponents. Kaneland hopes that the postseason will give them a fresh start after a rough second half for the Knights. Kaneland started 4-0, but dropped four of five down the stretch including lopsided losses to Morris, Sycamore and Rochelle.
Pick: Kaneland
Wauconda vs. Fenton: It’s been largely business as usual for Wauconda because other than a seven-point misstep against Kaneland in Week 2 the Bulldogs have been piling up the points with regularity. Fenton went winless in 2023, but the Bison started 3-0 and locked in their fifth win in Week 7 completing a pretty epic turnaround for the progam.
Pick: Wauconda
Libertyville vs. Deerfield: Libertyville made an early statement by breezing through three pretty strong programs (Lemont, Richards, Stevenson) right out of the box. The Wildcats would ultimate fall in Week 8 to Lake Forest but the offensive flexing of its muscle was never really contained. Deerfield didn’t beat a single team that had more than three wins on the season.
Pick: Libertyville
Lake Forest vs. Mather: Lake Forest opened some eyes early in the season by rolling to an easy win over conference stalwart Warren. Although the middle portion of the season wasn’t as impressive they rebounded to add another feather in their cap with a win over Libertyville. Mather leans on its defense most of the time, having recorded three shutouts and holding over half of its opponents to a touchdown or less.
Pick: Lake Forest
Geneva vs. Amundsen: Geneva couldn’t finish the job on a perfect regular season, but will now reset with the idea of making a deep run in the postseason. The Vikings pass attack has fueled some high scoring efforts, but its defensive effort has also had its charms. Amundsen had to fight through a difficult CPS schedule and fended off Lane in Week 9 just to secure its place in the field.
Pick: Geneva
Burlington Central vs. Grant: Burlington Central is making its first playoff appearance since 2014 and its body of work this year seems to indicate they might be able to stay around for a bit. Grant has been involved in a number of wild games this season and it seems like the Bulldogs are more comfortable playing in battles where the scoreboard is active.
Pick: Burlington Central
East St. Louis vs. Springfield: East St. Louis has been on everyone’s radar since the beginning of the season as its comfortable win over Loyola served notice. The Flyers kept it up all year and narrowly missed an upset of national power IMG Academy in Week 9. Springfield’s defense, which has scuffled down the stretch surrendering 145 points in three consecutive losses, will be put to a massive test.
Pick: East St. Louis
Normal West vs. Simeon: Some valuable lessons must have been learned from Normal West’s lopsided loss to Bloomington in Week 4, because from then on the Wildcats caught a nice groove, surprising Peoria in Week 5 before breezing to wins in their last four games. Simeon bookended losses to Rochester in Week 1 and Morgan Park in Week 9 with some solid work, but the Wolverines didn’t beat a team with more than five wins this season.
Pick: Normal West
Kennedy vs. Oak Forest: Kennedy feasted against lesser Chicago Public League teams, but its offense got slowed to a crawl against the better teams in their division. Oak Forest rebounded nicely from an 0-2 start, picking off several teams they’ve struggled with for awhile during a five-game winning streak in the middle of the season.
Pick: Oak Forest
Glenwood vs. Crete-Monee: Glenwood might be flying under the radar a little bit having authored wins over both Rochester and Sacred Heart Griffin, which is something few schools are ever able to do in any given season. Crete-Monee struggled out of the box dropping its first two games before tearing through the next six games on its schedule scoring nearly 400 points while allowing just 24. But Kankakee put Crete’s good vibes on hold with a resounding win over the Warriors in Week 9.
Pick: Glenwood
Oak Lawn Richards vs. Dunlap: After a Week 2 loss to Libertyville, Richards has been an absolute wrecking ball with only one game being even remotely competitive down the stretch. Dunlap snapped a two-game losing streak with a win over a solid Metamora team in Week 9, but that victory is the only one that the Eagles have over a playoff bound team.
Pick: Oak Lawn Richards
Washington vs. Shepard: Washington looked like they might be having a hard time adjusting to a new coaching regime dropping their first two games of the season, but after those losses to Kankakee and Kaneland only Pekin has been remotely close to taking down the Panthers. Shepard has put together a fine season, especially after regrouping from a Week 1 loss to Joliet West, in its eight remaining games it allowed just 63 points.
Pick: Washington
Kankakee vs. Glenbard South: Kankakee has been an absolute buzzsaw for opponents, especially after its Week 1 narrow loss to Nazareth. The Kays surrendered 37 points in that setback, and allowed just three more than that the rest of the season. Glenbard South is voluntarily playing up in 6A and would have been in the 5A field had they not.
Pick: Kankakee
Bloomington vs. Lemont: Bloomington picked up a pair of solid wins early in the season over Normal University and Normal Community West which indicated early on that the Purple Raiders intended to be a player in the Big 12 race. Lemont was beaten soundly by two quality nonconference opponents (Libertyville and Geneva) and its conference crossover game was also a loss to Richards. As such, Lemont’s three losses came to opponents that combined for a 24-3 record.
Pick: Bloomington