Now the fun really begins.
We’ve made it through the regular season and we have brackets to study and predictions to make as we get set to embark on six weeks of playoff football with the largest postseason fields in Illinois High School Association history.
So, who got a bad draw? Who got a good draw? And who’s going to win it all?
I’ll answer all those questions — and take a look at one of last week’s biggest wins — in my Week 9 takeaways.
Best area teams have tough roads but Cinderellas face favorable paths
The teams that have been at the top of the Daily Southtown’s rankings all season — Lincoln-Way East, Brother Rice and Mount Carmel — do not have things easy.
Of course, they’re all good enough to navigate difficult paths. But let’s look first at the stacked top half of the Class 8A bracket.
Lincoln-Way East and Mount Carmel would meet in a quarterfinal for the second straight season should they both avoid upsets in the first two rounds.
I expect the winner of that game to make it down to Normal and win the whole thing.
The Caravan, meanwhile, will likely have to go through a wave of Southland teams to get back to Illinois State’s Hancock Stadium in Normal. Marist and Sandburg could be Mount Carmel’s first two opponents before it can get to the Griffins. Lockport is one of several contenders in a wide-open quarter of the field that will produce the Caravan’s potential semifinal foe.
Let’s move to 7A, where nothing looks easy for Brother Rice. Either St. Charles North or McHenry will be a tougher first-round opponent than most. Then it looks like Batavia in the second round before a potential trip to undefeated Normal Community for the quarterfinals.
If the Crusaders get through all that — which I expect they will — a semifinal showdown with East St. Louis likely awaits. I think the winner of that game wins it all.
Dropping down to 5A, what did Providence and Kankakee do to deserve this? The Celtics and Kays are undoubtedly two of the five favorites to win the state title, but they will meet in the first round in Kankakee, assuming the Celtics get by Mount Vernon in this week’s opening round.
Then the winner of that game likely gets Public League champion Morgan Park. A tough path, indeed.
How do I think it all turns out for the Southland’s title contenders? Stay tuned for my predictions at the end of this column.
But first, which other area teams could make surprise runs?
As already mentioned, Lockport’s quarter of the 8A draw looks pretty wide open. I could see the Porters losing in the opening round to Stevenson — I do think Lockport wins that one — or making it all the way to the semifinals for a second straight year. Anything looks possible here.
In 7A, I love Lincoln-Way West’s path to the quarterfinals. Same for St. Rita and Richards, who would meet up if they make it. Ultimately, I think the Mustangs get back to the semifinals with a shot at another trip to Normal.
Also look out for Joliet Catholic in 6A, and I expect Hillcrest to cruise to two wins in 4A, with a chance at going deeper.
Most eye-opening score
Lemont 38, Oak Lawn 26.
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It’s been hard this season to get a read on Lemont (5-4). Early on, a 17-10 loss to a really good Kaneland team and a 34-20 win over Oak Forest had things promising. Then there were a couple befuddling losses.
But behind a pair of TD runs from Andrew Ascolani, Lemont got a great win over the Spartans to head into the playoffs with some momentum.
Lemont hosts Peoria in one of the most intriguing opening-round games.
Southland will have multiple state champions for third straight year
Tough paths aside, I expect more hardware to come back to the area. In 8A, it’s certainly hard to pick against Mount Carmel. But I expect the Caravan’s quarterfinal against Lincoln-Way East to be played in Frankfort on the newly christened Rob Zvonar Field.
Zvonar has said he has not fully made his mind up about retiring at the end of this season, but it sure would be perfect for him to go out with a state title. There’s just something about this Griffins team that makes me think they can make that storybook ending happen.
I also think that between Brother Rice and Providence, at least one team is bringing home a championship.
Because I expect the Crusaders to have take the trip to East St. Louis for the semifinals, I have to pick the Flyers in that one.
The Celtics on the other hand? I have them overcoming all the in-season controversy and winning the 5A championship.
Let’s enjoy the ride.