2024 IHSA playoff pairings: First-round information for Kane County Chronicle teams

Here are the first-round matchups for each Kane County Chronicle area team. Dates and times will be updated when confirmed.

Class 7A

No. 30 Rolling Meadows (5-4) at No. 3 St. Charles North (8-1)

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday

About Rolling Meadows: The Mustangs made it back to the playoffs in their first season under head coach and former NFL kicker Robbie Gould. Rolling Meadows also makes its way back to the playoffs for the first time in three seasons after making it to 11 straight from 2011-2021. The Mustangs enter the contest as winners of just one of their final four games of the season after winning four straight. Rolling Meadows was 1-3 against teams that made the playoffs, with their lone win being a 38-7 win over Maine South in Week 4. The Mustangs are led by QB Quincy Johnson this season.

About St. Charles North: The North Stars enter the playoffs as winners of five straight since their 45-21 Week 4 loss to Batavia, a streak that includes a 35-21 victory over previously unbeaten Geneva in Week 9, to help them to a three-way share of the DuKane Conference title. The North Stars are making their third straight appearance in the playoffs after a two year drought following their Class 7A runner-up finish in 2018. Of their seven playoff appearances under head coach Rob Pomazak, the North Stars have made it out of the first round five times, with their 38-21 loss in the first round to Bradley Bourbannais last season being one of the exceptions. QB Ethan Plumb has been the focal point of the offense, rushing for 106 yards and having five total touchdowns in the Week 9 win, while WR Keaton Reinke has put up over 900 receiving yards so far this season. Junior LB Aiden McClure has been the main focal point of the defense this year, and has even been playing some DB recently.

No. 29 Collinsville (5-4) at No. 4 Batavia (8-1)

When: 6 p.m. Friday

About Collinsville: The Kahoks pulled out a 34-17 victory over Triad in Week 9 to sneak into the playoffs. Collinsville has now made it to four straight playoffs after only making it once since the turn of the century. The Kahoks went 3-3 against playoff-bound teams, getting wins against Centralia, Marion and Triad, while falling to Belleville East, Althoff Catholic and Cahokia.

About Batavia: The Bulldogs finished the season with a 35-34 victory over Glenbard North to secure a share in the DuKane Conference title alongside St. Charles North and Geneva for their fifth title in six years. Batavia has appeared in each of the last 13 playoffs, with each of their last three being ended by Mt. Carmel, who’s on the other side of the bracket. Of those 13, the Bulldogs have not made it out of the first round twice. RB Nathan Whitwell has been the main story on offense, rushing for 1,260 yards and 24 touchdowns in the regular season. But it’s the defense that’s really shined for them this season, being led by the likes of senior DLs Xavier Blanquel, Gavin Pecor and Malachi Smith, senior LBs RJ Bohr and Jacob Jansey and senior DB Chase Osborne.

Class 6A

No. 14 Amundsen (5-4) at No. 3 Geneva (8-1)

When: 2 p.m. Saturday

About Amundsen: The Vikings hail from the Chicago Public League Red Conference, where they finished in the middle of the pack in the standings with a 3-4 conference record. The Vikings started the season 3-0 before losing four straight to Taft, Simeon and Whitney Young, before defeating Lincoln Park 13-12 and Lane Tech 14-7 to end the season. This will be the sixth straight season that Amundsen have made the playoffs, but they have yet to win a playoff game since the program started in 1976. Junior RB Reggie Mitchell has been the standout for them.

About Geneva: The Vikings, who made it all the way to the Class 6A quarterfinals for the first time since 2014 last season, kept its momentum going with an 8-0 start to the season while averaging 42 points a game for their best regular season record since 2015, as well as their first conference title (shared with Batavia and St. Charles North) since 2010. Geneva has now appeared in four straight playoffs since the hiring of head coach Boone Thorgesen in 2021 after missing the previous four. QB Tony Chahino has emerged as a star on the offense, with the senior having 34 total touchdowns while only throwing two interceptions in his first season under center. He’s also been aided by a talented wide receiver core, led by Georgia commit Talyn Taylor (962 yards, 18 total touchdowns), who’s emerged as one of the nation’s top recruits in 2025, as well as Finnegan Weppner (569 yards, 11 touchdowns).

No. 11 Grant (6-3) at No. 6 Burlington Central (7-2)

When: 6 p.m. Saturday

About Grant: Grant hails out of the Northern Lake County Conference. It comes into the playoffs riding a four-game winning streak, including a 56-54 triple overtime win over Antioch in Week 8. Grant has averaged 45 points per game during the win streak. Earlier in the season it lost to Grayslake North 58-57. This is Grant’s second consecutive playoff appearance – the program’s last playoff win came in 2012.

About Burlington Central: Burlington Central earned a convincing 31-7 win over Huntley on Friday night, scoring the final 24 points. The Rockets tied Prairie Ridge and Jacobs for runner-up in the FVC behind undefeated Cary-Grove. Central is making its first playoff appearance since 2014. The Rockets missed the playoffs the previous two seasons with a 4-5 record.

No. 13 Kaneland (5-4) at No. 4 Belvidere North (8-1)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About Kaneland: 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 Belvidere North: The Blue Thunder 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. 13 Sterling (5-4) at No. 4 St. Francis (7-2)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About Sterling: They entered the season with a young team, especially in the trenches, and managed to make the playoffs for the 10th straight year. Sterling is coming off a 45-31 loss to Moline (7-2) on Friday. Two of its other three losses came to playoff teams in Metamora (6-3) in Week 1 28-9 and Quincy (9-0) 63-6 in Week 7. They lost 17-0 to Niles Notre Dame in Week 2. Sterling beat one playoff team this season in Geneseo (5-4), a 13-6 victory in Week 6. The Golden Warriors made the playoffs at 4-5 last season, beating No. 1 seed Chicago Payton 50-0 as a No. 16 seed before losing in the second round. They are led by senior quarterback Drew Nettleton, who has thrown for 1,406 yards (61.3 % completion rate) and 12 touchdowns to five interceptions. Leading slot receiver/cornerback/punt returner Kaedon Phillips has had a highlight-filled senior campaign, tallying 576 yards and eight touchdowns on 39 catches this season. Phillips had two punt return touchdowns and a rushing score in a 27-26 win over United Township (4-5) this season.

About St. Francis: After back-to-back semifinal appearances, the Spartans are back in the playoffs with a younger lineup this season. The team has now reached the postseason for six straight seasons. … St. Francis earned No. 5 in the latest AP 5A ranking. … The Spartans have been battle-tested with a tough CCL/ESCC schedule. They earned impressive wins over No. 6 in 8A Loyola in Week 3, No. 8 in 4A DePaul Prep and No. 1 in 5A Nazareth and dropped games to No. 6 in 7A St. Rita, receiving votes in 5A Providence. … St. Francis’ offense features plenty of potent weapons. It is highlighted by junior quarterback Brady Palmer, senior running back Ty Ransom, senior wide receiver and Illinois State commit Ian Willis, junior wideout Zach Washington and junior tight end Gavin Mueller. … Senior defensive back Seth Valeri is one of the Spartans’ top defensive leaders. … The Spartans earned a share of the Green title with their win over Nazareth on Friday.

No. 15 Marmion (5-4) at No. 2 Rochelle (8-1)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Similar opponent: Both teams defeated Marian Catholic, with the Cadets winning 21-7 in Week 6 and the Hubs winning 48-23 in Week 9

About Marmion: The Cadets won their regular season finale in order to return to their first playoffs since 2021 under first-year coach Adam Guerra. The program has now reached the postseason 10 times since 2009, reaching the 6A state championship in 2010. … Three of Marmion’s losses came against playoff teams. The Cadets lost 55-19 to No. 3 in 3A Montini, 40-6 to receiving votes in 4A IC Catholic and 42-0 to No. 5 in 8A Marist. … The Cadets won one game against a playoff team this season. They beat Oak Forest 21-15 to start the season. … Senior wide receiver Bryan Scales is a major offensive threat for Marmion. He also plays a key role in the Cadets’ secondary. … Marmion won the outright Red title with its win over Leo on Saturday. It’s the Cadets’ first division title since the CCL/ESCC formed.

About Rochelle: The Hubs come into the playoffs as winners of five straight following a Week 4 loss to Sycamore, as well as a second-place finish in the Interstate 8 Conference. Rochelle has made it to the playoffs in each of the last three seasons, with the Hubs getting bounced in the first round by St. Francis last season. The Hubs have been led by their trio of running backs, including senior Grant Gensler, who rushed for over 1,000 yards this season. He’s followed closely behind by junior Roman Villalobos and sophomore Dylan Manning. On defense, they’ve been led by DE Markell Pogue.

Class 1A

No. 16 Aurora Christian (5-4) at No. 1 LeRoy (9-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About Aurora Christian: The Eagles come into the playoffs on a two-game losing streak after falling to Wheaton Academy and Chicago Christian to end the season. The Eagles have appeared in each of the last six playoffs, but have only made it past the first round twice, including last season when they made it to the second round. The Eagles may be dealing with injuries after losing players in their game against Wheaton Academy, including RB Chris Fielding. They would be with senior QB Asa Johnson, who’s been leading the offense, along with leading WR Jonah Miceli.

About LeRoy: The Panthers are coming off their first undefeated regular season since 2012, and have recorded over 40 points in eight of their nine wins, while letting up no more than 14 points all season. The Panthers have made it to the playoffs in back-to-back season after missing out on the past three, with them making it to the second round last year. LeRoy has been led by senior QB Bo Zeleznik, the son of head coach B.J. Zeleznik, who’s been a force in the ground game.

Eddie Carifio, Michal Dwojak and Alex Kantecki contributed to the article