Soucie: Class 7A Breakdown

The Class 7A field has a lot of depth to it.

So much so, that it seems almost likely that at least a few lower seeds are going to make a run deep into the bracket.

Who might that be? The possibilities are numerous.

First round matchups

Batavia vs. Lake Zurich: Batavia played with fire a few times, but somehow managed to get through a very difficult schedule without a blemish. The Bulldogs haven’t had much trouble scoring points and at times the defense has been top notch. Lake Zurich has turned its season around as of late, narrowly missing an upset of Lake Forest, while winning four of its last five games.

Pick: Batavia

Thornwood vs. Mount Carmel: Thornwood still has some work to do to bridge the gap with the top two teams in the Southland Conference (Crete-Monee and Kankakee) but the T-Birds made some significant strides. Mt. Carmel finds itself on a fairly low seed line, but the strength of its schedule led to that issue.

Pick: Mount Carmel

Plainfield Central at Yorkville: A rematch of two Southwest Prairie Conference rivals that was taken by upstart Plainfield Central the first time around. The Wildcats have won eight games this season, eclipsing the program’s win production over the last five seasons. Yorkville is playing fantastic football right now though, especially on the offensive side of the football.

Pick: Yorkville

Brother Rice vs. Wheaton Warrenville South: Brother Rice rode the fence between the 7A and 8A classifications all season, eventually landing in the 7A field as the largest school. The Crusaders are as dynamic as any team in the field. Wheaton Warrenville South needed a narrow win in Week 9 just to get into the field, but they are still a perplexing opponent to have to deal with.

Pick: Brother Rice

Wheaton North vs. Larkin: Wheaton North’s defense has been a tough nut to crack this season ad the Falcons have held opponents to single digit scoring in six of nine games. The offense has been potent as well, but it really hasn’t had to be. It has been feast of famine for Larkin as it has soundly beaten some opponents and has also been walloped a few times itself.

Pick: Wheaton North

Hoffman Estates vs. T.F. South: Hoffman Estates appeared to be in a nice groove heading into the postseason but left the regular season with a bit of a sour taste in its mouth after a Week 9 loss to Palatine. T.F. South suffered much the same fate in Week 9, falling to an inspired Hillcrest team that was fighting for its playoff lives.

Pick: Hoffman Estates

Moline vs. Hampshire: Moline emerged the victor in a highly competitive Western Big Six and promptly set themselves up with a top five seed. Hampshire isn’t that far removed from being a middle classification school, but now finds itself as the smallest member of the Class 7A playoff field.

Pick: Moline

Whitney Young vs. Willowbrook: Whitney Young plays in one of the better CPL divisions, but that likely won’t be enough to help them hang around the 7A draw for very long. Willowbrook hasn’t had the dominant regular season like it has had in previous seasons, but it always seems to crank things up a notch once the postseason arrives.

Pick: Willowbrook

Hononegah vs. Plainfield East: Hononegah has stifled nearly every opponent on its schedule this season and has shown that they can win defensive scuffles or high-scoring affairs. Plainfield East’s roster has a lot of underclass talent on it and it might need a little more time to grow, but it would certainly like to hang around awhile to give that core some more on the job training.

Pick: Hononegah

Pekin vs. Libertyville: Pekin’s schedule requires a pretty significant step up for the Dragons to be effective, but with this team’s sound defensive unit they may be able to do it. Libertyville’s season has been one with some solid wins and perplexing losses. At the top of its game, Libertyville can compete with anyone, but that isn’t something that always shows itself.

Pick: Libertyville

Collinsville vs. Geneva: When Collinsville left the Southwestern Conference and became an independent they likely knew they’d have to settle for a strange schedule. That’s certainly the case now as the Kahoks have fared very well but the competition level leaves a lot to be desired. That’s not the case for Geneva, who had to scratch and claw to get to the five-win plateau.

Pick: Geneva

St. Rita vs. Rolling Meadows: St. Rita was expected to be one of the most potent teams in Illinois and it has done quite well for itself despite the fact that they’ve played the entire year without injured Ohio State recruit Kaleb Brown, who may return for the playoffs. Rolling Meadows will continue to try to play spoiler after earning an upset win in Week 9 just to get into the dance.

Pick: St. Rita

Normal Community vs. Blue Island Eisenhower: Normal Community finished atop the Big Twelve Conference and scored points in bunches, but the Ironmen got a few challenges to the throne along the way. Eisenhower really helped its playoff prospects by winning both of its non-conference games because once the Cardinals got into South Suburban league play their results were all over the map.

Pick: Normal Community

Hersey vs. Jacobs: Hersey breezed through its first seven games, but the Huskies experienced back-to-back heartbreakers losing by one point to both Buffalo Grove and Prospect to cap the regular season. Jacobs has turned in a interesting campaign as well, and if this game turns into a shootout, the Golden Eagles appear well equipped.

Pick: Hersey

Buffalo Grove vs. Lincoln-Way West: Buffalo Grove has been wearing a tread in the ground as the Bison have stacked up nearly 3,000 rushing yards on the season but they’ll meet an interesting challenge in Lincoln-Way West. The Warriors have played a power packed schedule and have been in the thick of every game they have played.

Pick: Buffalo Grove

Prospect vs. Shepard: A week 9 loss to Rolling Meadows hurt Prospect’s seed a bit, but there’s no denying that the Knights are a potentially dangerous team in this 7A field. Shepard’s playoff hopes were hanging by a thread after it dropped the first four games of the season, but rallied to win five straight to earn the berth.

Pick: Prospect