2024 IHSA playoffs: Steve Soucie’s Class 4A first-round analysis

Rochester is looking for another state title, but there’s a whole host of teams looking to challenge that run to another piece of hardware. Steve Soucie breaks down the opening round of the 2024 IHSA Class 4A playoffs.

First-round matchups

Chicago Sullivan vs. Geneseo: Sullivan plays in one of the lower rungs of the Chicago Public League and that immediately puts their ability to compete at this level into question. But if they are able to hang in there it will be because its defense can somehow live up to the ridiculous resume it posted in the regular season where it allowed just 36 points all year. Geneseo played only three playoff bound opponents and lost to all three.

Pick: Geneseo

Dyett vs. DePaul Prep: Dyett has won five of its last six and has played particularly well defensively down the stretch. DePaul Prep has been one of the surprise teams of the season emerging from a difficult CCL/ESCC schedule with six wins. DePaul Prep (then known as Gordon Tech) hasn’t won a playoff game since 2005 and looks well positioned to end that drought here.

Pick: DePaul Prep

Wheaton Academy vs. Sandwich: A rematch of a quarterfinal game from a year ago (won by Wheaton Academy), these two teams have both started to build something in recent campaigns. Wheaton Academy’s lone loss came in Week 1 to a team from Texas, while Sandwich has shown some flashes and can’t be counted out of this one.

Pick: Wheaton Academy

Richmond-Burton vs. St. Laurence: Richmond-Burton struggled a bit out of the gate starting 1-2, but something seemed to click in Week 4 as the Rockets have been absolutely dominant since that point, with only one team coming as close as 14 points. St. Laurence started 5-0 but has scuffled a bit since an injury to quarterback Chris Kwiatkowski, who is scheduled to return for the postseason.

Pick: St. Laurence

South Shore vs. Rockford Boylan: South Shore has dominated every opponent they have played this season, notching four shutouts and no opponent managing to score eight points against them all season. But the level of competiton will be amped up here tremendously for the Tars, as Rockford Boylan has cut its teeth in a conference full of solid 5A/6A/7A programs.

Pick: Rockford Boylan

Coal City vs. Johnsburg: Coal City is been a wrecking ball for most of the second half of the season with a setback against Wilmington serving as the lone blip on a resume of domination. Johnsburg has been doing a little bit of dominating of its own during a four-game winning streak the Skyhawks closed the season with.

Pick: Coal City

Dixon vs. Marengo: Dixon was one point away from completing a perfect regular season and looks primed to do some damage in this postseason bracket. Marengo had to punch its way into the field with a Week 9 win over Sandwich, but the Indians could be a tricky team to dispatch despite their relatively low seed.

Pick: Dixon

Agricultural Science vs. Clemente: In a matchup of two Chicago Public League teams from lower divisions in the CPL both of these two teams are looking to win their first ever IHSA playoff game. Agricultural Science has been the more successful of these two programs over the past few years but this is the kind of game that could go either way.

Pick: Agricultural Science

Breese Central vs. Harrisburg: Breese Central has only allowed 20 points to opponents in the last six weeks of the season while scoring over 250 points during the same stretch. Harrisburg has scored a fair amount of points this season but only managed to put up 41 of those in four games against playoff caliber opponents, all games the Bulldogs came up short in.

Pick: Breese Central

Macomb vs. Murphysboro: Macomb’s two losses were by a combined nine points as the Bombers haven’t had much trouble putting up points all season long. Murphysboro also experienced a pair of narrow losses, both by three points to Carbondale and Carterville. They also had four games where they won contests by 40 points or more.

Pick: Murphysboro

Rochester vs. Peoria Notre Dame: Rochester didn’t breeze through the regular season like they have in many previous years, but injuries have hampered the Rockets a bit. Still not enough to keep them from averaging nearly 40 points a game though. Peoria Notre Dame certainly isn’t allergic to scoring points either having three different games scoring 60 plus points.

Pick: Rochester

Carterville vs. Mount Zion: After a 41-0 loss to start its season it didn’t look like Carterville would find itself in this position, but the Lions regrouped quickly handing Nashville its only loss of the season and going on a bit of a run over the course of the rest of the season. Mt. Zion has been inconsistent, but there’s no doubt this team has some offensive firepower at its disposal.

Pick: Mount Zion

Olney East Richland vs. Kewanee: Olney East Richland completed an epic turnaround after going 0-9 in 2023 to running the table in 2024. The Tigers methodology seems to be that they are just going to try to outscore you if possible. Kewanee started 1-3 before bouncing back with four wins in five tries where it scored 40-plus points in each of the wins.

Pick: Olney East Richland

Manteno vs. Normal University: Manteno started the season fast winning its first seven games but hit the roadblock that most do in the Illinois Central Eight losing back-to-back games to Wilmington and Coal City to close the regular season. Normal University scored 64 points in its season opening win and haven’t really stopped scoring since putting up a minimum of 30 points in every game.

Pick: Normal University

Waterloo vs. Taylorville: Waterloo has played a number of close games this season and found themselves on the right side of all of them. Its lone loss came in a runaway win by Triad and was the only game where the Bulldog offense didn’t flourish. Taylorville was 1-4 at one point, but put together a strong second half of the season and earned playoff placement.

Pick: Waterloo

Cahokia vs. Columbia: Cahokia looked to be rolling into the postseason but hit a brick wall known as Sycamore in Week 9 falling 52-14. The Comanches still look rather dangerous, though, heading into the 4A playoffs after playing a schedule where every opponent was a larger school than they are. Columbia bounced back from a rough 2-7 season in 2023 to make the field, but the Eagles have scuffled against playoff caliber opponents this season.

Pick: Cahokia