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El Paso-Gridley faces Seneca in Round 1 of the 2024 Class 6A IHSA football playoffs Friday Night Drive reporter Brian Hoxsey will have live updates, scores and news from the game.
What to know
El Paso-Gridley vs. Seneca kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: Seneca
El Paso-Gridley-Seneca preview
About the Titans: Back-to-back, close midseason wins over eventual playoff teams – 34-30 over 6-3 Shelbyville and 19-14 over 5-4 Dee-Mack – proved to be the tipping point for EPG’s season. The Titans outside of those went 3-0 against teams that wound up with losing records and 0-3 against teams that finished above .500. All three of those losses – 28-14 to Casey Westfield, 14-0 to Eureka and 42-0 to Tri-Valley – came against teams that are now 8-1, just like Seneca. The Titans are if nothing else a balanced team, averaging 140.8 yards per game on the ground, 109.1 through the air and outgaining opponents by just 13.4 yards per game on average. Dual-threat QB/RB Owen Adams leads the team in both rushing (419 yards, eight TDs) and passing (519 yards, four TDs) and accounted for all three Titans touchdowns in their Week 9 win at Clinton.
About the Fighting Irish: Seneca is coming off its first regular-season loss since 2021, though it should be noted it was a loss of the quality variety, 33-22 to Class 3A powerhouse Durand-Pecatonica in a game that Seneca led heading into the fourth quarter. Aside from the inability to get first downs or stops in the last quarter against a dynamic offense and some costly second-quarter turnovers, the game played out like most of the Irish’s wins. Seneca’s power-T offense churned up 292 yards rushing led by fullback Brody Rademacher’s 187-yard effort, QB Paxton Giertz was an effective runner and hit a big pass play off play-action, and the Irish were in position to win late. Only eventual Class 2A state champion Wilmington halted Seneca’s postseason run last year – in overtime, no less – and the Wildcats are in 3A this year. To start another deep run, though, Seneca will have to do better reigning in El Paso-Gridley’s play-making QB this Friday than it did against DuPec’s last Friday.
Friday Night Drive pick: Seneca