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Class 7A
No. 30 Rolling Meadows (5-4) at No. 3 St. Charles North (8-1)
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
About the Mustangs: Rolling Meadows made it back to the playoffs in the first season under head coach and former NFL kicker Robbie Gould. The Mustangs also make their 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 its lone win being a 38-7 win over Maine West in Week 4. The Mustangs are led by QB Quincy Johnson this season.
About the North Stars: St. Charles North enters the playoffs as winners of five straight games since a 45-21 Week 4 loss to Batavia, a streak that includes a 35-21 victory over previously unbeaten Geneva in Week 9, to help the North Stars to a three-way share of the DuKane Conference title. The North Stars are making their third straight appearance in the playoffs. 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 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. The two teams faced off in 2018 in the second round, where the North Stars won 24-17 before eventually finishing as Class 7A runner-ups.
Winner faces: No. 14 Harlem (7-2) or No. 18 Mount Carmel (6-3)
FND Pick: St. Charles North
No. 29 Collinsville (5-4) at No. 4 Batavia (8-1)
When: 6 p.m. Friday
About the Kahoks: Collinsville 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, and are looking to make it to the second round for the third consecutive season. 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 the Bulldogs: Batavia 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 Mount Carmel, who’s on the other side of the bracket. During that span, Batavia holds a 29-10 record in the playoffs, with state titles in 2013 and 2017, as well as a runner-up finish in 2022. Of those 13, the Bulldogs have not made it out of the first round on just two occasions. 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.
Winner faces: No. 13 Pekin (7-2) or No. 20 Lincoln-Way West (6-3)
FND Pick: Batavia
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 playoff teams such as 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 has 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 their 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. 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).
Winner faces: No. 6 Burlington Central (7-2) or No. 11 Grant (6-3)
FND Pick: Geneva
No. 11 Grant (6-3) at No. 6 Burlington Central (7-2)
When: 6 p.m. Saturday
About the Bulldogs: Grant hails out of the Northern Lake County Conference. The Bulldogs enter 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 the Rockets: Burlington Central earned a convincing 31-7 win over Huntley on Friday night, scoring the final 24 points after the score was tied 7-7 after three quarters. The Rockets tied Prairie Ridge and Jacobs for runner-up honors in the Fox Valley Conference 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. … They are led by several three-year varsity players, including QB Jackson Alcorn, Caden West, Rocco Boss, LJ Kerr, Liam Ballantyne, McKade Naus, Zach Samaan, Chase Powrozek and Jack Therkildsen. Sophomore DB Parker Auxier had an interception and 2 fumble recoveries in the second half against Huntley. Senior RB Zane Pollack, a first-year football player, rushed for 116 yards and a TD. Alcorn, who hasn’t thrown an interception this season, passed for a TD and caught one on a pass from Powrozek. Kicker David McCoy is another weapon for the Rockets.
Winner plays: No. 3 Geneva (8-1) or No. 14 Amundsen (5-4)
FND Pick: Burlington Central
— Joe Aguilar
No. 13 Kaneland (5-4) at No. 4 Belvidere North (8-1)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
About the Knights: The Knights started the year 4-0, including a pair of wins against teams that are currently 7-2 - Wauconda and Washington. But they’ve lost four of five, including to conference foes Rochelle, Sycamore and Morris by an average of 32 points. They lost 14-10 to Belleville Althoff, the No. 1 team in Class 1, in Week 9. Three of the four teams they’ve lost to this year are at least 8-1. Carter Grabowski and Brady Alstott lead the team in tackles with 61 each. Grabowski has a pair of interceptions and Alstott has one. Rogan O’Neil and Jake Buckley each have 10 tackles for a loss. Grabowski leads the team with 613 rushing yards. Chase Kruckenberg has thrown for 1,365 yards and 14 touchdowns while being intercepted four times. The teams met in the first round of the 2015 playoffs in the Knights’ first year in 6A. Kaneland won, 33-31.
About the Blue Thunder: Their only loss came to Hononegah 22-19 in Week 8, allowing the two teams to split the NIC-10 title. They held off third-place Harlem in Week 9, 34-20. They feature a balanced ground game with four players at 400 or more rushing yards, with Ben Bucher (37-587-8) and Erick Roman (52-578-5) leading the way.
Winner plays: No. 12 Fenton (6-3) or No. 5 Wauconda (7-2)
FND Pick: Kaneland
— Eddie Carifio
Class 5A
No. 13 Sterling (5-4) at No. 4 St. Francis (7-2)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
About the Golden Warriors: Sterling 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, St. Francis is 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.
Winner plays: No. 5 Prairie Ridge (7-2) or No. 12 Chicago Goode (5-4)
FND Pick: St. Francis
— Michal Dwojak
No. 15 Marmion (5-4) at No. 2 Rochelle (8-1)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
About the Cadets: Marmion won its regular season finale 20-14 over Leo in order to return to its first playoffs since 2021 under first-year coach Adam Guerra, who was the CCL/ESCC Red Anthony Lawless recipient as the division’s Coach of the Year on Wednesday. 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 the Hubs: Rochelle comes 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.
Winner plays: No. 7 Benet (6-3) or No. 10 Chicago Providence/Leadership Co-op (5-4)
FND Pick: Rochelle
Class 1A
No. 16 Aurora Christian (5-4) at No. 1 LeRoy (9-0)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
About the Eagles: Aurora Christian 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 the Panthers: LeRoy is coming off its 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.
Winner faces: No. 8 Annawan-Wethersfield Co-op (6-3) or No. 9 Rockford Lutheran (6-3)
FND Pick: LeRoy