Illinois Playoff Preview: Three Contenders, Two Brackets and a Difficult November
T25PS10/30/20265 min read
Photo: Lawrence Bryant / St. Louis American; graphic: T25PS
The Griffins and Raiders could meet in an 8A semifinal. #15 East St. Louis (IL) has a separate 7A route that could run through Prospect, Brother Rice and Hersey.
#93 Lincoln-Way East (IL) and Bolingbrook are in the same half of the Class 8A bracket. Both can reach the semifinals. Both cannot reach the championship game.
Lincoln-Way East has a quarterfinal danger in Mount Carmel, fresh off a 38–21 win over Loyola. East St. Louis faces a separate Class 7A route through an upper half containing unbeaten Normal Community and a Brother Rice team that pushed the Griffins to a one-point game.
Three openers, then four more wins to a title
Illinois expanded to 48 teams per class this season. The Opening Round was October 23–24. #93 Lincoln-Way East (IL), Bolingbrook and #15 East St. Louis (IL) had byes; all three begin in the First Round on Friday, October 30.
#93 Lincoln-Way East (IL), the #1 seed at 9–0, hosts 5–5 Oak Park-River Forest at 6:15 p.m. Central. The Huskies won their Opening Round game 58–7 against East Aurora.
Bolingbrook, the #5 seed at 8–1, hosts 6–4 Lockport at 7 p.m. after the Porters beat Stevenson 35–21. #15 East St. Louis (IL), the #4 seed at 8–1, hosts 5–5 Reavis at 6 p.m.; Reavis advanced 31–28 over Elgin.
The Second Round is November 6–7, quarterfinals November 13–14 and semifinals November 20–21. Both finals are Saturday, November 28, at Hancock Stadium in Normal: 7A at 4 p.m. and 8A at 7 p.m. Central.
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Lincoln-Way East faces a passing test down the road
#93 Lincoln-Way East (IL) finished with three straight shutouts before beating Lincoln-Way West 37–14. Those shutouts came against Andrew, Lincoln-Way Central and Lockport, with the Griffins scoring 54, 42 and 40 points.
Jack Murphy gives the passing game a proven source of big production. His eight catches for 186 yards and two touchdowns against Lincoln-Way Central were reported October 14. Those are figures from that game, not a season total.
The next opponent would be Hinsdale Central or Von Steuben. Hinsdale Central opened with a 41–19 win over Lake Park.
The quarterfinal pool is Mount Carmel, Marist, Sandburg and Barrington. Mount Carmel is the most immediate concern. Brady Cloherty threw for 420 yards in the October 16 win over Loyola, giving the Caravan an immediate reason to believe it can beat another championship contender. Lincoln-Way East already beat Sandburg 38–17, but has no comparable result against Mount Carmel this season.
The Griffins have repeatedly limited opponents, including a 38–7 win over Homewood-Flossmoor. Mount Carmel’s passing performance against Loyola would test that strength directly.
Bolingbrook's quarter contains a useful rematch
Bolingbrook lost its opener 31–0 to Homewood-Flossmoor, then won eight straight. The Raiders finished by beating Plainfield North 46–14 and Minooka 45–14. TJ Lewis scored on an 80-yard play in the opening minute of that Minooka game.
The Second Round would bring Lyons or Perspectives/Leadership. Lyons won 36–14 over Metea Valley in the Opening Round.
Oswego, Naperville Central, Naperville North and Fremd occupy the adjoining section. A Bolingbrook–Oswego quarterfinal would revisit the Raiders' 21–7 win on September 11. Oswego is 8–1, but that head-to-head result helps explain why Bolingbrook can go deep into this half.
Lincoln-Way East and Bolingbrook could meet in the semifinals. Their results against Homewood-Flossmoor were dramatically different, although two weeks apart and not a transitive score prediction. Bolingbrook's eight-game recovery is the reason not to dismiss the Raiders because of August.
The other 8A half has its own contenders
Huntley is 9–0, with New Trier and Homewood-Flossmoor also in that quarter. Loyola’s wins over Cathedral, 33–19; Brother Rice, 27–24; and St. Ignatius, 38–7, give the Ramblers a strong case from the other half. Their 38–21 loss to Mount Carmel also shows the vulnerability in that case.
East St. Louis combines passing production with defense
#15 East St. Louis (IL) beat Mount Carmel 42–23, lost 35–28 in overtime to American Heritage and then won seven straight. Its last six wins included four consecutive shutouts and a 35–8 finish against Naperville North.
Reece Shanklin's season line entering the postseason, reported October 28, was 125 completions in 193 attempts for 1,996 yards and 24 touchdowns. Ronnie Gomiller had 784 rushing yards and 26 receptions for 467 yards and five receiving touchdowns.
The Westinghouse–St. Patrick winner follows Reavis if the Flyers advance. St. Patrick scored 54 points in its Opening Round win, another reminder that the low opponent totals will have to be earned again.
Prospect joins DePaul Prep, Guilford and Zion-Benton in the quarterfinal pool. Its only loss, 48–35 against Hersey, showed an offense capable of testing the Flyers’ defense.
The adjoining quarter includes #1 seed Normal Community, 9–0 after a 52–16 win over Peoria, and Brother Rice. Brother Rice's close losses to #93 Lincoln-Way East (IL) and Loyola make it a credible threat to outperform its position in that half.
Hersey could make the final a scoring test
The October 16 win over Prospect explains the confidence. Jake Nawrot threw for 343 yards and four touchdowns, while Jackson Travis ran for 310 yards and three scores. That is one game's production, but it came against an unbeaten opponent.
Hersey’s production makes it a serious threat from the other half. Against an offense that can move the ball both ways, East St. Louis would need its defensive form to hold up as well as Shanklin’s passing.
Our championship calls
Class 8A matchup: #93 Lincoln-Way East (IL) vs. Loyola Academy. Champion: Lincoln-Way East, whose sustained defensive results support the unbeaten record. Possible surprise team: Bolingbrook; eight straight wins and the 21–7 result against Oswego give the Raiders a real route into the late rounds.
Class 7A matchup: #15 East St. Louis (IL) vs. Hersey. Champion: East St. Louis, combining Shanklin's passing, Gomiller's production and its strong defensive run. Possible surprise team: Brother Rice, which pushed Lincoln-Way East to a one-point game and lost only 27–24 to Loyola.
