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Players to watch: LB/TE Ian Irps, WR/DB Lyzale Edmon
Preview: After surviving their Chicago Public Schools rival Kenwood by a 13-12 tally last week, the Dolphins now hit the road to take on a Boilermakers team full of confidence and momentum with a big road win at Jacobs last week. Edmon scored thrice in that contest, two from Gavin Kohl passes and one on a kick return, and as long as he’s finding the endzone multiple times, it’s tough to defeat the Boilers. Irps has been a great addition to the B-B defense this fall, and after being one of three players to record a tackle in the backfield last week, will look to remain active as a talented outside linebacker that can hold his own against the run, get pressure on the quarterback and also drop in coverage. If Irps and the rest of the defensive can remain solid in all three of those areas, they could very well advance to their first quarterfinal since their semifinal run in 2015.
Pick: Bradley-Bourbonnais 31, Whitney Young 28
Game time: 1 p.m. Saturday
Players to watch: QB Zander Meents, TE/LB Logan Natyshok
Preview: After dropping their last three regular season games and sneaking in the playoff field at 5-4, the Titans showed their quality with a dominant 26-0 win over then-unbeaten South Shore in round one. Their reward is a home game this weekend, and they’ll need every bit of a home field advantage against a Coalers team that routed Johnsburg 41-13 behind Landin Benson’s five touchdowns. Benson, the school’s all-time rushing leader, will definitely be fed plenty again, but Meents has been an absolute animal since his late-season return from injury, and if he goes for over 200 yards again like last week, the Coalers like their odds. Natyshok is one of the pass catchers Meents will look to, and also will help Benson get to the edge on outside run plays.
Pick: Coal City 35, Boylan Catholic 17
Game time: 5 p.m. Saturday
Players to watch: TE/LB Ryan Nelson, OL/LB Jack Cutter
Preview: The Wildats ran wild last week, eclipsing 400 yards and seven touchdowns in a running clock win over Stillman Valley, and while wingbacks Ryan Kettman and Kyle Farrell are the primary suspects in terms of accumulating those yards and points, they can’t do it without guys like Nelson and Cutter doing the dirty work at the line of scrimmage. Nelson, in his third year contributing for the Wildcats, is also one of the unsung heroes of the Wildcats’ dominant defense, and he’ll be quite active on that side of the ball against a Hornets offense that loves to churn out chunk plays out of the pistol. On the rare occasion the Wildcats allow someone to get past the second level, a secondary with speed to burn all over is as good of a last line of defense as there is in Class 3A.
Pick: Wilmington 35, Eureka 14
Game time: 4 p.m. Saturday
Players to watch: DE/TE Ben Harpster, QB/DB Grant Pomaranski
Preview: The Cardinals are 1-for-1 in playoff games in program history, and if they’re going to make it 2-for-2, they’ll do so by making a statement and being the first team to knock off the Indians this season. Sensational senior running back Chris Link, who had 270 rushing yards and all three touchdowns in last week’s 22-20 win over St. Thomas More, is once again going to be the most obvious key player in the state of Illinois this week, but if the Cardinals score the upset, they’ll have gotten a big dual-threat game from their quarterback, Pomaranski, as well. Pomaranski is more than just a signal-caller, as his 12 tackles last week were tied for the team lead, and he had an interception. Harpster leads the team in both tackles for loss (12) and sacks (5), and if he can up those numbers Saturday, the Cardinals could be coming home as a state semifinalist.
Pick: St. Anne 28, Pawnee 22
https://daily-journal.com/sports/football-second-round-playoff-capsules/article_048a4336-9b39-11ef-b08e-e750e8bfac27.html