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Class 6A
No. 13 Kaneland (5-4) at No. 4 Belvidere North (8-1)
When: 7 or 7:30 p.m. Friday
About the Knights: The Knights now have qualified for seven straight postseasons. They’ve made the second round every time they’ve qualified for the postseason since 2010, with the exception of 2021. They started this season 4-0, including wins over a pair of teams that finished 7-2 - Washington and Wauconda. They then dropped three straight by 28 or more points to Morris (50-10), Sycamore (35-7) and Rochelle (52-24). Carter Grabowski has been doing everything for the Knights. He’s the leading rusher, a top defender and is a threat in the kick return game.
About the Blue Thunder: They split the NIC 10 title with Hononegah after the Indians had to take a forfeit against Harlem. Belvidere North’s 22-19 Week 8 loss to Hononegah is its only blemish. The NIC 10 is a closed 10-team conference, so there’s no common opponents between the Knights and Blue Thunder. Belvidere North has qualified for seven straight postseasons, although only twice have the Blue Thunder gotten past the first round. They made the quarterfinals last year, losing 14-10 to Lake Zurich.
Class 5A
No. 16 Noble/Bulls (5-4) at No. 1 Sycamore (9-0)
When: 1 p.m.
About the Bulls: They went 3-4 in the CPL Red but won nondivision games against Perspectives/Leadership (5-4) and Noble/UIC (2-7) as part of a 3-1 start to the season. They lost two of their last three games, the only win against Hyde Park (0-9), 34-8. The two losses were in Week 7 against Noble/Johnson (3-6), a 33-12 loss, and 35-0 to Kenwood (4-5), a 35-0 loss. They were outscored 195-172 this year.
About the Spartans: They had an undefeated regular season for the third time this decade and for the second time in a full season. They claimed an Interstate 8 title as well this season. The Spartans had to come from behind in the first three games this year, and the first four games were all decided by one score. Since then, their average margin of victory was 37.2 points per game in the final five games. Burke Gautcher is a key piece at both quarterback and safety, while Carter York and Aidan Wyzard have been the top targets for Gautcher. York also has four interceptions this year at safety opposite Gautcher.
Class 3A
No. 14 Genoa-Kingston (5-4) at No. 3 Durand-Pecatonica (8-1)
When: 1 p.m. Saturday
About the Cogs: For a minute it seemed like they were going to miss the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2011-12. But they pulled off a convincing 29-14 win against Rockford Lutheran on Friday to move to 5-4. The Crusaders had shut out North Boone and Oregon in consecutive weeks and had only lost to Dixon and Byron this year. The Cogs only allowed the Crusader offense to score one touchdown in the game and kept them off the board completely for the final 2½ quarters. The Cogs were one-and-done in their last playoff appearance in 2022, but before that had made at least the second round in their five prior postseason appearances.
About the Indians: Du-Pec’s only loss was a 46-22 loss to Lena-Winslow, which is still undefeated. Like the Cogs, the Indians enter the postseason with some momentum. They topped Seneca 33-22 in Week 9, Seneca’s first regular season loss since 2021. The Indians reached the quarterfinals last year, losing to eventual state champ Byron, 63-15.