Class 1A Serena Regional

Team to beat: Mendota (19-2-1)

Wednesday, Oct. 16

Match 1 - (7) DePue-Hall 5, (10) Earlville 1

Friday, Oct. 18

Match 2 - (1) Mendota vs. (7) DePue-Hall (10-14-1, 4 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 19

Match 3 - (4) Serena (5-13-2) vs. (6) Princeton (3-11-5), 11 a.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 22

Championship - Winner Match 2 vs. Winner Match 3, 4 p.m.

Note worthy: Mendota is a five-time regional champion, with a sectional title in 2021, and heavily favored to win again. The Trojans have lost only to 3A Yorkville and Moline and have swept DePue-Hall (5-0), Earlville (9-0) and Princeton (9-0) by a whopping combined margin of 23-0. ... DePue-Hall advanced to Friday’s semifinals with a 5-1 win over the Red Raiders on Wednesday. The Little Giants won five of their last seven matches heading into the postseason, starting with a 2-1 win at Princeton on Sept. 28. ... DePue-Hall and Earlville played to a 1-1 tie on Sept. 13. ... Princeton is 1-7-3 in its last 11 matches. The Tigers beat Earlville 3-0 early on the first week of September.

BCR Pick: Mendota over Serena

Next: Winner advances to the Chillicothe Sectional to play the Monmouth-Roseville Regional winner at noon on Saturday, Oct. 26.