Somehow, eight weeks of football have already been played and we’re down to just one week left in the regular season.
Playoff pairings come out Saturday. Our attention will shift toward who has a favorable draw and can go a long way and who has a tough test immediately.
But first, conference titles were clinched in Week 8. Plus, some teams face must-win situations — essentially starting the playoffs a week early.
Let’s look at where things stand with my Week 8 takeaways.
Conference champs include familiar faces, led again by Lincoln-Way East
This was supposed to be the year where the rest of the SouthWest Suburban Conference had a shot to knock Lincoln-Way East off its throne for once.
After all, the Griffins were supposedly rebuilding. And even after I watched Lincoln-Way East stun Brother Rice 22-21 in Week 1, I thought there were enough good teams to test a Griffins group that, for the first time in a long time, does not have a massive talent advantage over the rest of the conference.
Well, so much for all of that. Lincoln-Way East did what Lincoln-Way East does. The Griffins clinched the SWSC title with Friday’s 40-0 win over Lockport. In their six conference games so far — they still take on Lincoln-Way West on Friday — the closest call was a 38-17 win over Sandburg.
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Junior quarterback Evan LeFevour has blossomed into a star. The Griffins’ defense lacks the stockpile of top recruits it had in past years — Central Michigan-bound senior safety Charlie Palmer is the lone Division I commit — but has been stellar all season.
“This was not a heralded group coming into the season,” Lincoln-Way East coach Rob Zvonar said. “That Brother Rice game maybe went a way that even I didn’t expect it to go and these guys built on that win, won another tough game against a talented Kankakee team in Week 2, and once we got into conference, things started going our way.”
Some things never change, indeed.
The same is true in the South Suburban Red, where Richards has clinched at least a share of its 37th conference title. The Bulldogs, behind senior quarterback Eric Jacobs and a strong group of playmakers, will win conference outright at 6-0 assuming they beat winless Argo on Friday night.
There was a bit of a surprise on the other side of the conference, however, as longtime coach Artie Rogers led T.F. North (6-2, 5-0) to the South Suburban Blue title and clinched with Friday night’s 24-13 win over Oak Forest.
The Catholic League titles remain up for grabs in Week 9.
Some Southland teams put seasons on the line this week
So, which games truly matter in Week 9 when it comes to teams making or missing the playoffs? We have a few.
Marian Catholic (2-6), looking to make the postseason for the first time since 2019, could get in with two wins. But it’s unlikely. The Spartans would need just about everything to go their way in Week 9.
The safe bet would be to top Leo (4-4) on Friday night in Chicago Heights.
St. Laurence (2-6) is in a much better position than the Spartans from an opponents-wins standpoint. The Vikings would be among the top contenders to qualify as a two-win team. However, they’d certainly like to erase all doubts by winning Friday night at DePaul Prep (3-5).
Rich Township (2-6) will find itself squarely on the bubble and could be one of the last teams in or one of the first teams out if it loses this week. But a win over an also-desperate Ottawa (2-6) would make the Raptors safe.
Andrew (2-6) is likely in regardless, but an upset over Homewood-Flossmoor (6-2) would end the drama. Meanwhile, district rival Stagg (2-6) almost certainly needs to take down Lincoln-Way Central (4-4).
There are even a couple 1-7 teams who have hope. Bremen and Eisenhower have enough opponents wins to be in the mix if either gets a second victory, but it will require upsets of Oak Forest (4-4) and Evergreen Park (6-2), respectively.
Most eye-opening score
T.F. South 22, Reavis 16.
Here’s one team that doesn’t have to sweat it out in Week 9. With their upset of the Rams (4-4), the Red Wolves (3-5) are playoff-bound for the first time since 2021.
Junior running back Cameron Harvey helped T.F. South punch its ticket, going for 141 yards and two TDs.