Herald-News Prep Football Second-Round Playoff Capsules

Class 8A

Lincoln-Way East (10-0) at Neuqua Valley (8-2)

When: 6 p.m. Friday

Last matchup: Lincoln-Way East 43, Neuqua Valley 14 (2007 8A playoffs)

About the Griffins: Lincoln-Way East surgically took apart Conant in the opening round, stifling Conant’s run-heavy offense while scoring on its first six possessions. Although some of Lincoln-Way East’s games haven’t gone quite as well as that win, a fair majority have. The defense has been a bit underappreciated all season, but that’s only because the offense has been so good. LB Jake Scianna is anchoring the defense with a unit full of players who seem way more concerned with containing opponents’ yardage and points scored than who is garnering the headlines.

About the Wildcats: Neuqua Valley has been an up-and-down football team this season. At its heights, the Wildcats can play with anyone, but several downswings have shown you could get anything on the spectrum from this team on a given night. Some of that inconsistency can be attributed to the fact the Wildcats have played large chunks of the season without standout quarterback Mark Mennecke because of injury. Mennecke played in Neuqua’s easy victory over Lane Tech in the first round of the playoffs, and if he’s fully able, he and RB Jaden McGee give Neuqua Valley some weapons to try to attack a talented Lincoln-Way East defensive front.

Friday Night Drive Pick: Lincoln-Way East

Palatine (9-1) at Minooka (7-3)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Last matchup: First meeting

About the Pirates: Palatine has had absolutely no shortage of offense this season, scoring at least 26 points in every game. Dominik Ball leads a host of dangerous offensive performers for Palatine, which can spread the ball around to multiple players who can get the job done if Ball is keyed on. The Pirates are still moving the football at a high rate despite having to deploy a backup quarterback in place of injured starter Grant Dersnah. Palatine’s 31-23 victory over Downers Grove South in Round 1 is the closest game the Pirates have had since their lone loss, 43-42 to Glenbrook South in Week 4.

About the Indians: Minooka has completed something of a metamorphosis on defense. The Indians looked lost on that side of the football early in the season, but there’s no questioning Minooka has found its footing there now. It isn’t a one- or two-man army either. Minooka is getting contributions from everywhere on a regular basis. Palatine’s offense is likely to cause the biggest amount of offensive problems Minooka has faced, however, which means that the Indians’ offense might need to produce a little bit more than it has in recent outcomes. RB Joey Partridge has steadily been producing on offense, but Minooka might need to expand the playbook a bit to trade barbs with Palatine.

FND pick: Palatine

Lyons (8-2) at Plainfield North (10-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Last matchup: First meeting

About the Lions: With its eighth win, Lyons is moving into rarified air for the program, at least in recent seasons. It is a team that seems to be doing what it needs to win, but only as much as it needs to do to get them. Four of Lyons’ wins, including last weekend’s opening-round playoff victory over Naperville Central, have been decided by 10 points or fewer. Quarterback Ryan Jackson is a playmaker for Lyons, but he came through in a different way in clinching the win over Naperville Central, providing a pivotal pooch punt that led to a safety for Lyons that secured the win. Two-way performer Danny Pasko is involved in almost everything Lyons does.

About the Tigers: Plainfield North and Lyons have a common opponent. The Tigers upended Naperville Central 19-9 in Week 2. It’s not the only thing that these two teams have in common, either. Both subscribe to the notion of doing whatever they have to do to reach an end goal, and both are pretty confident their defense will play well enough to give them a chance to win against almost any opponent. Plainfield North may have the advantage on offense, however, with talented QB Demir Ashiru’s unflappability allowing the Tigers to be inventive and at times risky in moving the ball down the field. If teams designate the passing game must be the component to try to stop, the Tigers have demonstrated time and time again they can switch gears to a bruising running game to keep the chains moving.

FND pick: Plainfield North

Class 6A

Lemont (10-0) at Quincy (8-2)

When: 3 p.m. Saturday

Last matchup: First meeting

About Lemont: Lemont continued its trend of pummeling South Suburban Conference foes, as after breezing through league play in the regular season it drew yet another SSC team in the opening round of the playoffs in Blue Island Eisenhower. The Cardinals were unable to break the string of SSC teams not being able to stay remotely competitive with Lemont, falling 55-14. That now makes eight consecutive games since Lemont has been challenged, stretching back to a Week 2 nonconference win over Nazareth. Lemont QB Payton Salomon continues to be spectacular, completing 80% of his passes and connecting for his 30th touchdown without an interception. He has three more touchdown passes than he has incomplete passes.

About the Blue Devils: Quincy might be arriving about a year earlier than expected with a number of underclassmen producing at a high level. Leading that pack is sophomore quarterback Bradyn Little, who set a school record with 428 yards passing to go along with four touchdown passes in the Blue Devils’ opening-round win over Glenwood. On the season he’s thrown for 2,617 yards and 24 scores. His leading receiver is Gregory Quince, who has caught 49 passes for 781 yards, and more members of the Quincy sophomore class add explosiveness to the offense – WR Tykell Hammers (40 catches, 630 yards) and RB Jeraius Rice (97 carries, 875 yards, 16 touchdowns). Quincy has given up a fair amount of points, but it looks like it’s comfortable playing games at a fierce pace.

FND pick: Lemont

Class 5A

Morris (8-2) at Centralia (6-4)

When: 3 p.m. Saturday

Last matchup: First meeting

About Morris: Morris bounced back nicely from a rough Week 9 loss to Sycamore, taking advantage of the situation created by the playoff bracket that allowed it to pick on La Salle-Peru for the second time this season. Morris continues to use a balanced offense, so opponents can’t key on anything. RB Ashton Yard is averaging nearly 8 yards a carry, while QB Carter Button is completing passes at a high clip, largely to WR/returns ace A.J. Zweeres (36 catches, 515 yards).

About the Orphans: Centralia didn’t appear to be on the path to being a qualifier for the second round of the playoffs, entering the postseason with three consecutive losses. They were all to playoff-bound foes, however, and a couple of close calls in those losses seemed to spark a better effort from the 12th-seeded Orphans when they pulled off a mild upset of Triad in the opening round. RB Amir Johnson could be a problem for Morris, as he’s amassed almost 1,400 yards of total offense and 16 touchdowns on the season. Centralia doesn’t throw a lot, but it does a nice job of distributing the ball to multiple receivers. Four pass catchers have from 280 to 316 receiving yards.

FND pick: Morris

Class 4A

Coal City (7-3) at Carterville (10-0)

When: 1 p.m. Saturday

Last matchup: First meeting

About the Coalers: Coal City continues to use a simple boilerplate this time of year, and it often has served it well. A gritty defensive effort carried it to a win over Wood River/East Alton in a contest where the Coaler defense bent several times but rarely broke in repeatedly turning the Oilers away empty after they reached the red zone. RB Landin Benson has become the focus of the Coal City offense as it attempts to make sure it controls clock and possession as it moves deeper into the postseason.

About the Lions: Carterville has had an all-around impressive season, but potentially lost in the shuffle of the Lions’ unblemished ledger is the spectacular play of its defense. The Lions tend to set up shop in the opponent’s backfield and have recorded over 50 tackles for loss this season led by 11.5 recorded by defensive tackle Riley Bradford. And the offense is more than happy to take advantage of what extra opportunities the defense creates. RB Bryce Smith has rushed for just short of 1,400 yards on the season with 19 touchdowns, while QB Andrew Hellriegel has tossed 19 touchdown passes and spread the ball around to three 30-plus-catch wide receivers in Blake Burkey, Nolan Hartford and Peyton Bittle.

FND pick: Carterville

Joliet Catholic (8-2) at Providence (6-4)

When: 1 p.m. Saturday

Last matchup: Joliet Catholic 49, Providence 41 (2022 - Week 4)

About the Hilltoppers: Joliet Catholic showed another wrinkle of its offense, tossing four touchdown passes in its opening-round win over Phillips. QB TJ Schlageter has had some strong flashes of showing what the Hilltoppers can do through the air if they need to go that way, but they haven’t had a lot of need to deviate from a rushing attack that uses a number of ball carriers, led by HJ Grigsby. But how far Joliet Catholic ultimately goes in the postseason likely hinges on the defense’s ability to stack up stops. DL Jeremy Johnson had a mammoth game against Phillips, and getting more efforts like that and more opportunities for the offense to flourish would be a quality formula for the Hilltoppers to abide by.

About the Celtics: Providence relishes another chance at Joliet Catholic after losing 49-41 in Week 4 in a game where it appeared the Celtics were close to seizing control before a fourth-quarter Joliet Catholic rally denied them. Some of that desire is geared toward giving its defense another crack at the Hilltoppers. The unit has been very stout over the second half of the season and has truly set the pace for better overall performance. Two-way performer Mason Santiago is one of the leaders of that group, but the list of contributors is long. On offense it is more of a piecemeal effort, but RB Jamari Tribett was extremely effective in the first meeting between the two teams and would like to duplicate that performance.

FND pick: Joliet Catholic

Class 3A

Durand-Pecatonica (8-2) at Reed-Custer (10-0)

When: 5 p.m. Saturday

Last matchup: First meeting

About the Comets: Reed-Custer continues to dismantle everything in its path, setting a school record for points in a game for the fourth time this season by hanging 77 in the opening-round win over Carver. Reed-Custer also eclipsed the 600-point barrier for the first time in program history in the win. On the surface, Reed-Custer’s individual stats don’t look impressive, but when you consider those numbers are often amassed in less than a half of playing time, they glow a little more. If Reed-Custer is pushed into the second half in this one, it might mark the first time that the Comets have had to play in a game without a running clock.

About the Rivermen: Although Durand-Pecatonica plays in a predominately Class 1A conference, the Northwest Upstate Illini, it’s easily the best of that kind in the state and prepares the Rivermen more than adequately for the rigors of the postseason. They still might meet the same fate as all of the Comets’ other opponents this season, but at least they have some ammunition at their disposal to make an attack. Experienced QB Cooper Hoffman hasn’t thrown for more than 1,000 yards yet, but when he does throw he’s usually on the mark, completing more than 65% of his passes. But the brunt of the workload falls on the shoulders of AJ Mulcahy, who has racked up more than 1,200 yards rushing with 20 scores. Mulcahy also is the team’s top tackler from his linebacker position.

FND pick: Reed-Custer

Seneca (10-0) at Byron (9-1)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Last matchup: First meeting

About the Fighting Irish: Seneca is hoping to dispatch its second consecutive member of the Big Northern Conference after walloping Winnebago in the opening round last week. This one will likely serve as a much bigger challenge. The Fighting Irish continue to lean heavily on a proficient running game but added a wrinkle in the win over Winnebago. Nathan Grant tossed two touchdown passes to go along with his 215 yards rushing that paced a 465-yard rushing attack by the team. Seneca’s excellent defensive effort has somewhat been lost in the shuffle of its excellent offense, and the 20 points it allowed to Winnebago snapped a six-game shutout string.

About the Tigers: The defending Class 3A state champions experienced a rare regular-season loss to Stillman Valley in the season opener, but ever since have been every bit the powerful 3A program that everyone has come to expect from the Tigers. Byron has been slightly deviating from its typical blueprint, which is running the ball almost exclusively. It opened its Round 1 playoff win over Lisle with a pair of early touchdown passes. But that doesn’t mean it has strayed from a run-based offense, as it still stacked up nearly 400 yards rushing at a 12-yards-per-carry clip. Caden Considine, a freshman who just returned from injury, typically leads the ground game that features multiple capable ball carriers.

FND pick: Byron

Class 2A

Tri-Valley (8-2) at Wilmington (9-1)

When: 6 p.m. Saturday

Last matchup: Wilmington 42, Tri-Valley 14 (2021 Class 2A playoffs)

About the Vikings: After sputtering to the regular-season finish line with a 6-0 win over Eureka followed by a somewhat surprising loss to El-Paso Gridley in the season finale, it didn’t appear that the Vikings were primed for the postseason. Midway through the season the Vikings looked as if they were building an offensive juggernaut. They appear to have found the solution to whatever might have been slowing them down, however, by routing a well-respected Clifton Central program in the opening round of the playoffs. A lot of the things Tri-Valley likes to do are similar to what Wilmington does. Provided Tri-Valley can approach this game with a clean slate and forget its last trip to Wilmington, this could be a real dogfight.

About the Wildcats: The postseason formula has been repeated time and time again by the Wildcats, and it’s working, so why fiddle with it? Wilmington’s vaunted running game seems to be cranking up at the right time, and its defense created four extra opportunities for the Wildcats to power out more points. Those two things working together should make the defending Class 2A champions a difficult team to dispatch from the postseason. There also is the fact that Wilmington again is at home – a place where opponents never seem to feel comfortable playing, including this week’s opponent, which seemed overwhelmed from the get-go in a loss in the semifinals last season.

FND pick: Wilmington