CLASS 5A

No. 12 St. Viator (5-4) at No. 5 Sterling (7-2)

When: 2 p.m. Saturday

About St. Viator: The Lions return to the playoffs for the first time since 2017. St. Viator qualified for the postseason by winning its last regular season game against St. Patrick. The team also picked up a share of the CCL/ESCC Purple with the win. … St. Viator started the season 3-0 before dropping four of its next five games. Three of those losses came against teams ranked in their respective classes, including Niles Notre Dame, St. Ignatius and Loyola. … The Lions’ 24 points it scored against St. Patrick in Week 9 was the most it scored since 42 in Week 3.

About Sterling: The Golden Warriors finished the season with a 63-33 win over United Township on Friday night to finish 6-1 and take second place in the Western Big 6; their only losses on the season came to St. Francis and Moline, both playoff teams. … Sterling is in the playoffs for the eight straight season, and 19th time in the last 20 years, and finished 5-4 the only time it missed the postseason in that stretch. … Sterling’s quarterback platoon has produced good results this season, as senior Kael Ryan has run for 981 yards and 18 touchdowns on 111 carries while going 23 for 47 through the air for 261 yards and a TD, and senior JP Schilling is 35 for 54 for 517 yards, 6 touchdowns and an interception through the air, and has rushed 85 times for 424 yards and 10 TDs. … Antonio Tablante has run for 586 yards and 11 touchdowns on 88 carries, with AJ Kested adding 283 yards and 6 scores on 37 rushes. Cale Ledergerber has 36 carries for 181 yards and 2 TDs. … Isaiah Mendoza leads the receiving corps with 12 catches for 217 yards and a touchdown, while Ledergerber has 10 catches for 104 yards and a score, and Justin Null has 9 catches for 113 yards and 2 TDs.

CLASS 4A

No. 10 Dixon (6-3) at No. 7 Rochelle (7-2)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About Dixon: The Dukes bounced back from a Week 8 loss to Byron with a 49-0 shutout of Rock Falls at A.C. Bowers Field on Friday night to guaranteed themselves a playoff berth. … Dixon is in the playoffs for the eighth straight season, after making it to the postseason just five times in program history prior to the current run. The Dukes have outscored opponents 249-174 this season. … Tyler Shaner leads Dixon in rushing and passing, with 149 carries for 913 yards and 8 TDs, and 60-for-111 passing for 818 yards, 10 TDs and 12 INTs. … Aiden Wiseman has been a workhorse in the backfield next to Shaner, with 133 rushes for 906 yards and 12 TDs. … Ethan Hays is the Dukes’ top receiver with 23 catches for 358 yards and 4 TDs, while Rylan Ramsdell (12 catches, 192 yards, 3 TDs) and Jath St. Pier (12-143, 3 TDs) are also favorite targets for Shaner.

About Rochelle: The Hubs will host this first-round matchup of former NCIC foes whose rivalry goes back to 1913; the two teams haven’t played regularly since breakup of the NCIC in the late 2000s. … The Hubs play a ground-and-pound style of offense, and have an aggressive and physical defense. … Rochelle finished 4-1 and in second place behind Richmond-Burton in the Kishwaukee River/Interstate Eight Conference’s Blue Division, and outscored opponents 341-199 this season. ... The Hubs are making their second straight playoff appearance, fifth in the last six seasons, and 21st in the last 26 seasons.

CLASS 2A

No. 13 Newman (5-4) at No. 4 Rockridge (8-1)

When: 1 p.m. Saturday

About Newman: The Comets come in off a 10-7 loss to Kewanee in Week 9 that snapped a two-game winning streak. Newman has still won three of its last five games. … The Comets are in the playoffs for the 21st straight season, and 28th time in the last 29 years, and haven’t had a losing season since finishing 4-5 in 1991. … Newman has relied on its defense all season, having allowed less than 20 points per game. … The Comets are 3-1 in one-score games this season.

About Rockridge: The Rockets won the last matchup between the teams, defeating Newman 33-8 in a Week 2 game at Roscoe Eades Stadium. … Rockridge went 6-0 and won the Three Rivers Rock title, and has won eight straight games since a 41-22 loss to Princeton – the TRAC Mississippi champ – in Week 1. … The Rockets have outscored their opponents 297-157 this season.

CLASS 1A

No. 13 Aurora Christian (5-4) at No. 4 Fulton (7-2)

When: 2 p.m. Saturday

About Aurora Christian: The Eagles won three out of their last five games, but come in off a 24-3 loss to Wheaton Academy on Friday night. … Head coach David Beebe is the brother of former NFL wideout and special teamer Don Beebe, and served as Don’s defensive coordinator at Aurora Christian for 10 years before taking over the head coaching duties in 2014. … The Eagles have outscored opponents 247-152 this season.

About Fulton: The Steamers have a 320-169 scoring edge on their opponents this season, and have won four straight games after back-to-back losses in Weeks 4 and 5. … Through 8 weeks, Ryan Eads led Fulton with 94 rushes for 460 yards and 6 TDs, while Lukas Schroeder had 82 carries for 411 yards and 9 TDs, and Joel Ford had 38 rushes for 243 yards and 4 scores. … Brayden Dykstra was 104 for 174 through the air for 1,099 yards, 11 TDs and 6 INTs. … Baylen Damhoff had 38 catches for 442 yards and 6 TDs, and Eads had 33 catches for 322 yards and 3 TDs.

No. 14 Morrison (5-4) at No. 3 Ottawa Marquette (8-1)

When: 1 p.m Saturday

About Morrison: The Mustangs defeated Erie-Prophetstown 27-14 on Friday night to win a battle of 4-4 teams looking to become eligible for the playoffs. … Morrison has been in playoff mode since a Week 6 loss to Rockridge dropped the Mustangs to 2-4. They have since won three straight games, outscoring their opponents 138-34 in that stretch. On the season, Morrison holds a 256-188 scoring edge. … The Mustangs have a tough running game with Carson Strating, Brady Anderson and Logan Baker, and QB Danny Mouw has been strong in the second half of the season. He threw for 183 yards and 3 touchdowns in the win over E-P.

About Marquette: The Crusaders have allowed just 91 points all season – just over 10 points per game – while scoring 277 (30.8 ppg). … Marquette coach Tom Jobst coached the Mustangs to a 50-28 mark from 1980-87, then coached against them in 2010 and ‘11, his first two seasons at Marquette when both were in the Big Rivers Conference. ... The second-smallest playoff school in the entire state (Madison at 156.5 to MA’s 163), the Crusaders under Jobst have been a postseason machine, earning 11 straight berths in going 108-37. Their only loss this season was to 1A No. 2 seed Chicago Hope Academy 40-25 back on Sept. 23. … Tommy Durdan ran for 203 yards and 2 touchdowns on just 7 carries in a 40-7 win over Sherrard on Friday night, and Logan Nelson had 5 rushes for 106 yards and 2 TDs, and also caught a touchdown pass.

No. 10 Forreston (5-4) at No. 7 St. Bede (7-2)

When: 2 p.m. Saturday

About Forreston: The Cardinals’ four losses came to playoff teams that went a combined 27-8, and are by a combined 32 points. … Forreston is averaging 35.6 points per game while allowing 21.7 points per game. … The Cardinals have advanced to the second round or further in seven consecutive seasons, including state titles in 2019, 2016 and 2014. … Johnny Kobler leads a balanced rushing attack for Forreston with 127 carries for 951 yards and 16 TDs, while Kaleb Sanders has 84 rushes for 736 yards and 9 TDs, and Micah Nelson has 49 carries for 513 yards and 7 TDs, though he didn’t play in Week 9′s loss to Lena-Winslow. … Quinten Frederick (52-274), McKeon Crase (47-281, 4 TDs), Brock Smith (33-260, 4 TDs) and Owen Mulder (38-201, TD) all have run for more than 200 yards this season.

About St. Bede: The Bruins are in the playoffs for the second year in a row, and will be hosting a first-round game for the second straight season. Last year, St. Bede defeated Chicago Hope in its playoff opener. … The Bruins started 6-0 for the first time since 1987 before losing back-to-back games. St. Bede ended the regular season with a 39-20 win at Mendota. … QB John Brady has thrown for 1,273 yards and 13 TDs, and also has 918 yards and 16 TDs on the ground. … Ben Wallace is Brady’s favorite target downfield, with 34 catches for 505 yards and 6 scores.

EIGHT-MAN

No. 12 Farmer City-Blue Ridge (6-3) at No. 5 Amboy-LaMoille-Ohio (7-2)

When: 3 p.m. Saturday

About Farmer City: The Knights have won four straight since a three-game losing streak in Weeks 3-5, and come in off a 44-34 win over Galva on Saturday afternoon. ... Farmer City has scored at least 38 points in all six wins, and has allowed more than 22 points only twice all season. … The Knights hold a 287-208 scoring edge on opponents this season.

About Amboy: The Clippers have win streaks of three and four games this season; their four-game streak was snapped Friday night in a 68-30 loss to No. 1 seed West Central. … Amboy has outscored opponents 370-204 this season; the 204 points are the second-fewest allowed in the I8FA North 2 Division. … Landon Whelchel (102 rushes, 913 yards, 9 TDs) and Quinn Leffelman (62-463, 8 TDs) have provided a solid 1-2 punch in the backfield, and Eddie Jones has been solid at QB since taking over for injured starter Tucker Lindenmeyer early in the game in Week 4. … Brennan Blaine has 28 receptions for 799 yards and 14 TDs.

No. 11 Hiawatha (6-3) at No. 6 Polo (7-2)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About Hiawatha: The Hawks started the year 4-0 before finishing 2-3 down the stretch. ... In each of its five contested victories, Hiawatha scored at least 56 points, and reached 60 points four times. ... The team is in the I8FA playoffs for the second straight year under coach Nick Doolittle. Before that, they reached the 1A playoffs in three seasons between 2016 and 2019. That 2016 berth was the first postseason trip since 1987.

About Polo: The Marcos have started fast the last two games, scoring 56 points in the first quarter against Flanagan-Cornell/Woodland in Week 8, and 46 in a win over Aquin on Friday night. … Polo’s 418 points scored and 164 points allowed are both the top marks in the two I8FA North Divisions. … Brock Soltow has 144 rushes for 1,656 yards and 26 TDs, while Avery Grenoble has 107 carries for 897 yards and 13 TDs. Both went over 1,400 yards last season to lead the Marcos to their second straight I8FA state title.

No. 10 Sciota West Prairie (6-3) at No. 7 Milledgeville (6-3)

When: 1 p.m. Saturday

About West Prairie: The Cyclones have won five straight games after a three-game losing streak, and have scored 39 or more points in each of the last four contests. … West Prairie has allowed more than 18 points just once during the current winning streak, in a 49-26 win over Peoria Heights in Week 7. … The Cyclones have outscored opponents 295-276 this season, but that margin has been 181-70 the past four weeks.

About Milledgeville: The Missiles have won two straight games heading into the postseason, and have outscored River Ridge and St. Thomas More 112-20 in those two games. … On the season, Milledgeville holds a 406-252 scoring edge, with its three losses coming to teams with a combined record of 25-2. … Connor Nye had touchdowns rushing, passing and on defense in Saturday’s win over St. Thomas More, as he returned a fumble 82 yards for a touchdown. … Kolton Wilk had 20 rushes for 154 yards and a TD in that game.

No. 13 AFC (6-3) at No. 4 Milford-Cissna Park (7-2)

When: 2 p.m. Saturday

About AFC: The Raiders are in the playoffs for the first time since 2005. … A season after playing just four games before canceling the final four games due to low numbers and injuries, AFC has advanced to the I8FA playoffs in its first full season playing eight-man football. … The Raiders’ 34-32 win over Alden-Hebron in Week 3 was their first victory in five years. … Carson Rueff threw for 212 yards and 5 TDs in AFC’s Week 9 win over Christian Life on Thursday, and also ran for 48 yards and a score. … Lane Koning had 98 yards receiving and 4 TDs, and also had an interception on defense. Zane Murphy had 122 yards receiving and a score, and also picked off two passes.

About Milford: The Bearcats started 6-0, but have lost two of their last three games; both losses are to I8FA playoff teams (St. Thomas More in Week 7 and top-seeded Decatur Lutheran in Week 9). … The 54-40 loss to Decatur LSA was the first time all season MCP has allowed more than 34 points in a game; the Bearcats have held opponents to 26 points or fewer six times. … MCP has outscored opponents 405-216 this season, and won the I8FA Central 1 Division title. … The Bearcats won the first Illinois 8-Man Football Association state championship in 2018.

Note: Read what the coaches of all 10 SVM playoff teams think about their first-round pairings in Tuesday’s edition.