When the IHSA football playoff pairings are announced, teams routinely start figuring out how to exchange film and travel to their first-round opponent.
“Right now, our biggest concern is which airport to fly out of, Midway or O’Hare,” Batavia coach Mike Gaspari quipped.
The No. 6-seeded Bulldogs (5-4) will have to travel 276 miles each way to face No. 3-seed East St. Louis (8-1) in the first round this week. Gaspari could be facing a ride to Springfield today just to handle the film exchange.
Batavia, fresh off an appearance in the Class 6A state title game last year, has been bumped up to Class 7A this season.
“Every year, somebody from up here has to match up with them,” Gaspari said. “The upside of it, like previous trips we made to Morgan Park or Rock Island [in the playoffs], is it’s a great experience. It’s an opponent we’ve never faced before. It’s neat to see somebody you’ve never seen before.”
Batavia is part of a quadrant in Class 7A that has an extreme Tri-Cities flavor. The winner of Batavia’s game would face off against either No. 7-seed St. Charles North (5-4) or No. 2-seed Moline (8-1).
For the second straight season, the North Stars travel to face the Maroons. Last year, North notched its first-ever playoff win at Moline. Moline has lost 12 straight playoff games, dating to the first round in 1991.
“We know exactly how to get there,” North coach Mark Gould said. “I know they’ll be thinking about revenge.
“There’s good and bad with it. It won’t be unfamiliar for the kids. They should have some confidence,” Gould added.
At the top of the quadrant, No. 1-seed Geneva (9-0) plays host to 5-4 Bradley-Bourbonnais in the first round. The Vikings just wrapped up their first unbeaten regular season since 1985 with a 14-12 win against Batavia on Friday.
Geneva was on the bubble between Class 6A and 7A, but wound up being one of the smallest schools in the Class 7A field based on enrollment.
“We’re going to be 7A sometime, might as well be now,” Geneva coach Rob Wicinski said. “It will be great experience for the kids.”
The winner will face either No. 4 St. Charles East (7-2) or No. 5 Granite City (6-3).
For the second straight season, East earned the higher seed over an opponent from the St. Louis area that will be forced to travel. Edwardsville knocked off the Saints in the first round last year.
“We weren’t sure who we’d play, but we’re ecstatic we don’t have to go to Granite City,” Monken said. “To really go back to the summer, looking at our schedule, we really anticipated a heck of a ride. We feel real fortunate to be 7-2 and at home now.”
Tri-Cities football fans immediately can tell what could happen in Round 2. If all four Tri-Cities teams win, there would be a four-team Tri-Cities tournament to advance to the quarterfinals, guaranteeing a local team in the Class 7A semifinals.
“That would really be something,” Gaspari said. “My hope certainly would be that it would happen. Those schools are all coached by quality guys.”
Marmion (5-4) squeezed into the playoffs for the first time since 1998, traveling to unbeaten Prairie Ridge in the Class 6A playoffs next week. Last season, the Cadets had an identical record and were kept out of the playoff field because of a lack of playoff points.
“We’re really excited right now,” Marmion coach Dan Thorpe. “I really feel for last year’s seniors. I think that team could have done some damage. But I’m really proud of the work ethic of this team. We worked hard, and we deserve this.”
Burlington Central (6-3) bumped up from Class 4A to Class 5A this season, and the Rockets will face a stiff challenge in the first round. They travel to No. 5 seed Morris (7-2), a three-time state champion making the playoffs for the 20th time in 21 seasons.
“This is a great opportunity for us,” Central coach Aaron Wichman said. “It’s our first year in 5A, so the biggest thing for us is it’s an opportunity for us to see how we stack up against some of the stronger programs out there. It’ll be a nice gauge for us.”
Aurora Christian (9-0) wrapped up its first-ever unbeaten season and Private School League title. The Eagles earned the No. 3 seed in Class 3A and will host 5-4 Rockford Christian.
Mooseheart (7-2) will take to the road in Round 1 in Class 1A, traveling to fellow 7-2 team Milledgeville.
All dates and times for next week’s games will be announced Monday.