The Herald-News IHSA playoffs semifinal preview

Here’s the Herald-News prep football preview for the semifinals of the state playoffs, featuring key games across the greater Joliet area.

Class 8A

Loyola (10-2) at Lincoln-Way East (12-0)

When: 6 p.m. Saturday

About the Ramblers: Loyola clearly has found something that has worked for it in the second half of the season after looking a little shaky – at least by Ramblers standards – early in the season. Factors in that? Along with the renewed health of QB Ryan Fitzgerald, the fact that the running game has become stable with Iowa-bound RB Drew McPherson also staying healthy and spearheading a sometimes punishing Ramblers running game. That recipe has allowed Loyola to slowly wear down opponents, and with a defense led by DB Donovan Robinson, a Washington commit, you don’t want to be trying to make up ground in the second half. In the quarterfinals against Maine South, Loyola ran away and hid in the second half, amassing nearly 300 yards of total offense after the break. These two teams have played in five of the six previous postseasons, including the past two Class 8A state championships, and Loyola has won the past five meetings. However, if the Ramblers are going to run that streak to six, they will have to likely play their best game of the season.

About the Griffins: Lincoln-Way East doesn’t really talk about wanting this rematch with Loyola, as the Ramblers have owned the recent series between the two, albeit in close games. But it is hard not to notice how the Griffins might look more prepared for this matchup than any of the previous meetings. Lincoln-Way East has been dominant all season. With no opponent coming closer than three touchdowns and with electric QB Jonas Williams displaying a new trick in his bag in the quarterfinal win over Stevenson by running for a pair of long touchdowns, the Griffins look almost unstoppable on that side of the football. Lincoln-Way East’s defense also has played near flawlessly this season, often throwing teams out of their plan of attack almost immediately. DEs Caden O’Rourke and Jacob Alexander seem to be causing almost constant havoc against opponents.

Friday Night Drive pick: Lincoln-Way East

Class 7A

Batavia (11-1) at Lincoln-Way Central (9-3)

When: 5 p.m. Saturday

About the Knights: Lincoln-Way Central is into the state semifinals for the first time since 2000 after a consistent blueprint that has served them all season. The Knights started 1-2 and still were sitting at just the .500 mark after six games. However, they began to figure out some solutions on defense and began to make life difficult for opponents to gain serious offensive traction. Meanwhile, the offense may not be flashy, but the Knights’ power-running game has formulated a thunder-and-lightning combination of Tyler Tulk and Luke Tingley. Tingley shouldered most of the load in Lincoln-Way Central’s 28-16 win over Bradley-Bourbonnais – the Knights’ second win over the Boilermakers this season – but Tulk has gotten the lion’s share of the work for much of the season. Ultimately, Lincoln-Way Central chooses whatever is working on a given night, and lately it has had a lot to choose from.

About the Bulldogs: Batavia’s playoff gear has clearly been activated. A week after a shocking rally against Lincoln-Way West in the second round, the Bulldogs went old school to oust last year’s Class 7A finalist, Downers Grove North, using a stout defense and a 40-carry performance from bruising running back Nathan Whitwell to carry them to victory. It was the defense that anchored much of that win, as Batavia DB Chase Osborne made sure DGN standout QB Owen Lansu couldn’t get the Trojans’ typically powerful offense started. Offensively, Batavia’s rotating quarterback situation of Bode Anderson and Michael Vander Luitgaren seems to work well, and WR Isaiah Brown is a dangerous weapon.

FND pick: Batavia

Class 5A

Morris (8-4) at Joliet Catholic (9-3)

When: 2 p.m. Saturday

About Morris: Morris continues to make a mockery out of its No. 13 seed in the Class 5A bracket, as it beat its third consecutive considerably higher seed – last weekend top-seeded in Morgan Park in the quarterfinals. This run was probably one that most people didn’t see coming from Morris, considering that it dropped three of its last four games of the regular season, but this is clearly a different version of that team. Finally mostly healthy, Morris has all of its offensive components in place, and its defense is clearly playing the best football it has played all season right now. Containing an explosive Morgan Park offense to one touchdown bears further witness to how well the unit is playing. Morris doesn’t have a great history with Joliet Catholic in the postseason – including a lopsided loss last season – but with the level of confidence Morris seems to be playing with right now, it has to believe a victory is possible.

About the Hilltoppers: When the 5A bracket was released, it appeared Joliet Catholic’s road would be one where it might be able to flex some of the muscle it developed playing a rigorous CCL/ESCC schedule. That’s exactly what has happened. The Hilltoppers have routed all three of their opponents in the bracket thus far, as their ground game – paced largely by the efforts of Larry Stringham and Nate Magrini – has been far too much for opponents to stop. And as good as the offense has been, the defense might be performing even better. All three of Joliet Catholic’s postseason opponents haven’t had any problems scoring points in most of their games this season, especially quarterfinal foe Peoria High, but the trio could seemingly do almost nothing right against the Hilltoppers.

FND pick: Joliet Catholic

Class 4A

DePaul Prep (9-3) at Coal City (10-2)

When: 1 p.m. Saturday

About the Rams: DePaul Prep is truly one of the biggest Cinderella stories of the 2024 postseason. The school hadn’t advanced to the playoffs since 2015, and you have to go all the way back to 2005 – when the school was known as Gordon Tech – to find the last time the Rams had collected even one postseason win. DePaul has had this breakout season largely because of its ability to keep games competitive with its defense and then seize the opportunity when it comes late in contests for wins. That defense set the stage for an impressive win over St. Laurence. The Rams trailed 14-0 but started the second half with three consecutive defensive three-and-outs that sparked a 26-point outburst unanswered by St. Laurence. The tandem of QB Nick Martinez and RB Juju Rodriguez account for the lion’s share of DePaul Prep’s offense, a unit that has been held under 20 points just once this season (a 35-7 loss to Loyola in Week 5).

About the Coalers: Coal City endured a wild contest with Dixon to lock up its place in the semifinals, and not surprisingly it was a combination of a salty defense coupled with some gritty running of the football with RB Landin Benson. It shouldn’t be a surprise that Coal City leaned on its defense to get the job done. However, it was a little surprising how well that unit did hemming in a Dixon offense that had been explosive the entire season. The effort was tested supremely, as turnovers led to Dixon getting several late opportunities to possibly tack on a tying or game-winning score. But in the end, Dixon saw the same fate as nine other opponents this season, as it too was held to 13 points or less by the Coalers’ stout defense.

FND pick: Coal City

Class 3A

Wilmington (12-0) at Montini (10-2)

When: 1 p.m. Saturday

About the Wildcats: Wilmington put forth an impressive effort in ousting Durand-Pecatonica from the playoffs in the quarterfinals, as its defense does what it tends to do – frustrate, annoy and cause problems for opponents to run what they want effectively. DuPec entered the contest averaging 43 points per game but quickly found out the sledding was going to be much more difficult than it has been all season. Wilmington’s offense also did a tremendous job of putting together several impressive drives that chewed up the clock and didn’t give the Rivermen much of an opportunity to get momentum going. The fact that the Wildcats did it all without the services of one of their best players, RB/LB Kyle Farrell, made the win even more impressive. Farrell went down on the first play of the game with an injury and did not return. His status is unknown for this game, but the Wildcats are obviously much more dangerous with Farrell than without him.

About the Broncos: Montini scuffled more than many expected in finally pulling away Princeton, as it could have been argued the Broncos might still have been suffering a little bit of a hangover from a thrilling win over last year’s Class 3A champion, Byron, in the second round. Regardless, Montini still looks like it is going to be a difficult team to get out of the playoff field, as the experienced group cut its teeth all year long against a rigorous CCL/ESCC schedule where its lone two losses came at the hands of Marist and Fenwick. Sophomore QB Israel Abrams seems to be growing into his role, while RB Jeremiah Peterson thrives with a heavy workload. Like Wilmington, Montini’s defensive front seems to be the anchor for the squad. Montini has allowed only 114 points all season (Wilmington has allowed 119), and just two opponents have managed to post more than two touchdowns against it in a game (Marmion 19 points; Marist 21).

FND pick: Montini