When No. 13 seed Deerfield faces No. 5 seed DeKalb in the second round of the Class 6A football playoffs at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7, it will be the first time the Warriors have hosted a postseason game since 2006, when they were shut out by Lake Zurich 41-0.
Needless to say, they’re excited, but also avoiding distractions.
“The big thing for us is to stay focused on what we’re trying to do, and make sure we don’t get caught up in all the hype before the game even begins,” Deerfield coach Steve Winiecki said. “DeKalb is a well-coached football team with an extremely athletic quarterback, and while we have the utmost respect for them, our priority needs to be playing our game.
“If we can play Deerfield football and execute the things we’ve worked on all year long, we feel like the rest will take care of itself. Last week was the first time our team had been to the playoffs since we lost on the road to Nazareth in 2011, so getting that valuable experience and coming out on top like we did [in a 49-6 first-round win over Kenwood] was huge.”
The Warriors (7-3) have outscored their opponents by a combined 132-20 margin during their current three-game win streak, and have won six of their last seven.
One key reason has been their option-based offense, led by senior running back John Fisher. He racked up just over 200 yards on the ground last week.
“The great thing about our offense is it doesn’t just rely on one force,” Fisher said. “All 11 guys out there are doing the work together, and when everyone’s on the same page like that, we feel like we can move the football against anyone we face. We have a very selfless offense this year. And we also have a QB that can produce.”
That QB is senior Anthony Ranallo.
“We don’t look at seeds, or any of those things,” Ranallo said. “We’re looking to meet our standards and our expectations on both offense and defense.”
DeKalb’s offense comes into the matchup averaging 36.6 points per game and scored 57 against Hampshire a week ago. DeKalb has scored 21 points or more every game this season but one, and has won eight of its last nine on its way to an 8-2 record.
If there’s any pressure mounting, Deerfield isn’t showing it.
“To steal a quote from [Chicago Cubs manager] Joe Maddon, ‘This is not pressure. This is fun,'” Winiecki said. “Not too many teams get the opportunity to still be playing and hosting a playoff game this late in the season. This is a really exciting time for our kids and for everyone in our community. We’re embracing this opportunity and enjoying every moment of it. Hopefully, we’re able to play our best game of the year at the right time and can come out ahead with a victory.”
Tim Froehlig is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter: @TFroehlig