The Sometimes-Weekly Picks Blog does not receive much in the way of congratulations, except for the self variety.
Hearing none despite our soothsaying 7-1 second-round performance in Class 8A, we’d like to take this opportunity to tell you how great we are.
We’re so great that even though the playoff field was cut in half for the quarterfinals, we’re providing twice the amount of picks. OK, 1.5. Still not interested in 5A. Yet.
Class 8A
#1 Loyola (11-0) at #24 Huntley (8-3): So Huntley beat Fremd, which beat Brother Rice, which beat everybody … except Loyola. Nobody beats Loyola. Loyola 38-14.
#20 Glenbard West (9-2) at #12 Edwardsville (10-1): If you were surprised Glenbard West beat Homewood-Flossmoor last week, well you just haven’t been paying attention to the Sometimes-Weekly Picks Blog. You’re not alone. We had West beating both Neuqua Valley and H-F in the first two rounds. Our read on Edwardsville is that playing East St. Louis as closely as they did (a 20-10 home loss in Week 6) means the Tigers must be awfully good. Good enough to beat the Hitters? Sure. Pick against the Hitters? No thanks. Not until next week, anyway. Glenbard West 17-14.
#26 Maine South (8-3) at #18 Lincoln-Way East (9-2): The two postseason staples are meeting for just the second time, and Maine South coach David Inserra said this East team looks a lot like the one that beat his Hawks in double overtime in the 2005 Class 8A championship game. The Griffins were ranked No. 2 in the preseason and look like a good bet to finish the season against No. 1 Loyola in the championship game. LWE 44-31.
#6 St. Charles East (11-0) at #3 Palatine (11-0): So I vowed last week to stick with St. Charles East until at least the final because I felt guilty about ignoring the Saints up until them. I saw them firsthand and was impressed with quarterback Zach Mitchell, but New Trier did a better job handling the option than I would have thought. Palatine probably hasn’t seen anything quite like it either, but the Pirates have been really good defensively, probably better than New Trier. What’s a Sometimes-Weekly Picks Blog to do? Palatine 21-20.
Class 7A
#8 Rockford Auburn (10-1) at #16 Plainfield North (9-2): Blindsided by North’s 49-20 victory over top-seeded Bradley-Bourbonnais, the Sometimes-Weekly Picks Blog did some point-and-click and discovered that the Tigers had allowed an average of 1.4 points in their previous five games. That’s four shutouts and a 47-7 victory over an 8A playoff team (Joliet West). That’s good enough for us. Plainfield North 19-13.
#4 Fenwick (10-1) at #28 Jacobs (7-4): Fenwick’s Tribune Top 20 ranking (No. 7) may be a bit inflated by its Week 1 victory over Phillips, but the Friars have to be considered contenders. They beat Lake Zurich 20-14 last week, and the good Lake Zurich teams always get better as the season goes on. Three of the four teams that beat Jacobs are still playing, but the scores of those games are not inspiring. Fenwick 28-14.
#2 East St. Louis (11-0) at #23 Willowbrook (8-3): I believe the 7A championship game was played last weekend. East St. Louis beat Glenbard North 32-28. East St. Louis 41-10.
#11 Benet (9-2) at #3 Rolling Meadows (11-0): Meadows’ closest victory of the season (23-13 over Lincoln-Way Central) was also probably its most impressive. Central is a quality team from a strong conference, and it may well be better than anybody Benet beat this season. But Benet’s overall schedule is probably superior to Meadows’, and when in doubt, the Sometimes-Weekly Picks Blog goes with the team with the stronger schedule. Benet 27-24.
More Top Picks Lintelek Id115hr
Class 6A
#12 Lake Forest (8-3) at #1 Prairie Ridge (11-0): Bring on the Trojans! Prairie Ridge 35-7.
#3 Cary-Grove (10-1) at #7 DeKalb (9-2): Bring on the Wolves! Cary-Grove 35-7.
#1 Lemont (11-0) at #12 St. Laurence (8-3): St. Laurence is fun. The Vikings score a ton of points and they always seem to find themselves in these wild finishes. The brain says Lemont, the Sometimes-Weekly Picks Blog says St. Laurence 35-34.
#2 Sacred Heart-Griffin (11-0) at #11 Rock Island (9-2): We’ve been pooh-poohing the classes below 8A, but we can get behind a state final pitting Sacred Heart-Griffin against either Prairie Ridge or Cary-Grove. Sacred Heart-Griffin 42-20.