IHSA playoffs: First round Kane County Chronicle preview capsules

No. 26 Brother Rice (5-4) at No. 7 Batavia (8-1)

When: 7 p.m., Friday

About the Crusaders: Brother Rice is back in the postseason for a fifth straight season and second under coach Casey Quedenfeld. The Crusaders reached the Class 8A state title game in 2018, the state semifinals the following two playoffs and the quarterfinals last year. Brother Rice qualified for the playoffs after winning its last two games against Montini and St. Rita to reach five wins. Two of Brother Rice’s losses came against Loyola and Mount Carmel, the top-ranked teams in the 8A and 7A Associated Press polls, respectively. Nazareth, another team the Crusaders lost to, received votes in the latest 5A poll. Navy commit Randall Nauden is an explosive running back who can burst for a long run or pick up critical yards. His pass-catching abilities also are hard to stop. Brother Rice had to revamp its defense without junior linebacker Christian Pierce, who is out for the season with an injury and holds offers from Ohio State, Michigan, Texas and Illinois. The Crusaders also have been without two defensive line starters and have a young secondary.

About the Bulldogs: Batavia ran through the DuKane Conference with an undefeated 7-0 record. Their lone loss was a one point nail-biter to Lincoln-Way East back in Week 2. This Bulldogs team has plenty of firepower on both sides of the ball to make a run to Normal. Senior quarterback Ryan Boe put a bow on a phenomenal regular season with a six-touchdown effort against Glenbard North on Oct. 20. The Bulldogs have depth at running back with Charlie Whelpley (516 yards, 7 TDs), Nathan Whitwell (349 yards, 7 TDs) and Zach Granberg (434 yards). Pat McNamara, Luke Alwin, CJ Valente and Isaiah Brown also are capable of explosive plays. Defensively, the Bulldogs’ front seven is arguably the best in the conference with Jordan Buckley, Cody Heeringa and Malachi Smith anchoring the defensive line and SIU commit Ben Fiegel (67 tackles), RJ Bohr (41 tackles) and Ben Brown (36 tackles) headlining the linebacker corps. Add in a secondary that is led by Kyle Porter (49 tackles) and Chase Osborne (61 tackles) and the Bulldogs are primed for a deep run.

Up next: The winner plays either Lincoln-Way Central (8-1) or Jacobs (6-3) in the second round.

FND Pick: Batavia

– Michal Dwojak contributed

No. 10 Chicago Senn (6-3) at No. 7 Geneva (7-2)

When: 7:30 p.m., Friday

About the Bulldogs: This is the second consecutive postseason appearance for Senn of the Chicago Public League. The Bulldogs ended the regular season on a two-game winning streak after a three-game skid. Junior quarterback Thijs Fosco is their standout on offense, but the program has apparently struggled with maintaining numbers for their varsity roster.

-- Mike Clark assisted

About the Vikings: Geneva was a handful of plays from possibly being 8-1, if not undefeated. The Vikings’ two losses to Wheaton North and Batavia were by a combined four points. Offensively, quarterback Nate Stempowski has been extremely reliable and effective as both a passer and a runner. Standout wide receiver Talyn Taylor apparently has been hobbled by an injury and has missed the last few weeks and his availability moving forward is uncertain. Troy Velez (348 yards) and Michael Rumoro (392 yards) have found success in the rushing attack and tight end Michael Loberg has been productive. Defensively, Rocco DiLeonardi (34 tackles, three sacks) headlines the group up front. Standout linebacker Tommy Diamond (42 tackles), when healthy, has gotten the job done. Senior defensive back Charlie Winterhalter (65 tackles) led the defense in tackles during the regular season.

FND Pick: Geneva

No. 17 St. Charles North (6-3) at No. 16 Bradley Bourbonnais (6-3)

When: 6 p.m., Saturday

About the North Stars: St. Charles North closed the regular season with a 20-10 loss to Geneva on Oct. 20, but the North Stars have shown the ability to put together solid stretches of winning football. Led by junior quarterback Ethan Plumb, the offense can put points up in a hurry with an experienced wideout corps led by Jake Mettetal, Anthony Taormina, Aedan Hayes and tight end Jake Furtney. The rushing attack has been steady with Joell Holloman. Defensively, Furtney is the standout as a linebacker/edge rusher. He is complemented by Jesse Moreno and Angelo Bradley. Julio Sanchez also has flashed in the past few weeks. Jaden Harmon is a reliable and athletic safety on the back end of the defense. Keep an eye on linebacker Aidan McClure, who had three interceptions in Week 8.

About the Boilermakers: Bradley ended the regular season with a tough 42-41 loss to Lincoln-Way Central in overtime. This is the second consecutive season that the Boilermakers have qualified for the postseason. Bradley has scored at least 38 points in all but two of its games.

Up next: The winner faces either Normal (9-0) or Argo (5-4) in the second round.

FND Pick: St. Charles North

No. 9 Kaneland (6-3, 3-2) at No. 8 Riverside Brookfield

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About the Knights: Kaneland’s three losses this year have come to three teams that are a combined 25-2 heading into the postseason. They led in the fourth quarter in each of those games against Washington, Morris and Sycamore. The Knights have qualified for six straight postseason and have missed the playoffs only three times since 1995. The Knights have been explosive on offense even against the best defenses. Sycamore gave up more than seven points this year twice – once was to the Knights. Morris gave up more than 20 points once – it was in a 43-33 win over Kaneland.

About Riverside-Brookfield: The Bulldogs played an unusual schedule this season, its last seven games against teams from the Southland Conference before R-B joins the Upstate Eight Conference next year. R-B won its last four games, including a 35-20 win over Rich Township in Week 9. This is the Bulldogs’ fourth straight playoff appearance and the eighth since 2014, but they seek their first playoff win since reaching the 2015 Class 6A quarterfinals. Senior QB Diego Gutierrez is a three-year starter, but he injured an ankle in a Week 7 win over Thornridge. R-B has scored 298 points in its seven wins but only 13 combined in losses to Kankakee and Crete-Monee – the only teams with winning records the Bulldogs have played.

The teams met in last season’s playoffs, with Kaneland winning 35-14 before losing to Prairie Ridge in the second round.

Up next: The winner faces either No. 1 Lake Zurich (8-1) or No. 16 Crystal Lake Central (5-4) in the second round. Belvidere North, Amundsen, Wauconda or Grant await in the quarterfinals.

FND Pick: Kaneland.

-- Eddie Carifio

No. 9 Rochelle (7-3) at No. 8 St. Francis (7-2, 1-1)

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday

About the Hubs: Don’t expect a lot of passing from the Hubs, who excel at the triple option. Led by junior tailback Grant Gensler, who averages 115 yards and has scored 7 touchdowns, freshman Dylan Manning and sophomore Roman Villalobos, Rochelle averages 33 points per game. Manning and Villalobos have combined for 9 rushing touchdowns. “Like last year, Rochelle has hard-nosed, blue collar football players,” said St. Francis coach Bob McMillen. “They run it (triple option) so well that I don’t know if you can stop it. We’re just hoping to slow it down.”

About the Spartans: Few teams are more prepared for postseason play than the Spartans, who faced 7 state playoff qualifiers — Downers Grove North, St. Laurence, Sterling, Joliet Catholic, St. Rita, IC Catholic Prep, and Nazareth. “Playing in the CCL has definitely made us a complete team,” said McMillen. “You can’t just rely on one side of the ball, or you won’t be successful. All three phases must show up week in and week out.” Led by CCL Orange Player of the Year, senior quarterback Alessio Milivojevic, who threw 25 touchdown passes and ran for 6 touchdowns, the Spartans scored 30 or more points in 7 of their 9 games. The Ball State-bound Milivojevic has plenty of talent around him, including receivers Ian Willis (10 TDs), Zach Washington (8 TDs), Dario Milivojevic, and DeShaun Williams, and tailback TyVonn Ransom (120 yards per game, 9 TDs). Defensively, the Spartans are paced by linebackers Dom Beres, Liam Kolinski, cornerbacks Corin Greenwell, Asher Boone, and lineman Antonio Gutierrez. “I like how the guys competed and didn’t back down from some of the bigger schools,” said the coach. “We played a tough schedule, and our kids came and fought every week.”

Up next: The winner faces No. 16 Sterling (4-5) or Chicago Payton (9-0).

FND Pick: St. Francis.

-- Craig Brueske, Daily Herald Media Group