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The possibility of a Cary-Grove/East St. Louis matchup remains an option but multiple other teams made strong statements that they won’t be making it easy on the two powerhouses culminating in yet another state championship game pairing between the two teams.
First round predictions: 15-1
Second-round matchups
Cary-Grove vs. Antioch: Cary-Grove continues to roll up dominant performances, having won its last three games by 43, 47 and 65 points. That’s largely been the story of Cary-Grove’s season to date. Antioch’s primary mode of attack for multiple weeks has been just trying to outscore the opposition by stacking as many points as possible, but that might not be a great blueprint for dealing with Cary-Grove.
Pick: Cary-Grove
Belvidere North vs. Wauconda: Belvidere North was one of just two Northern Illinois 10 teams that won in the opening round of the playoffs but the Blue Thunder look as if they might be able to hang around for awhile. One of Wauconda’s two losses this season came at the hands of Kaneland back in Week 2, the same Kaneland team Belvidere North beat last week.
Pick: Belvidere North
Libertyville vs. Lake Forest: Libertyville gets a chance to avenge its lone loss of the season, a 42-35 setback at the hands of Lake Forest back in Week 8. Libertyville’s offense has been incredibly consistent this season, while Lake Forest after suffering back-to-back setbacks in the middle of the season has really been on a roll down the stretch.
Pick: Libertyville
Geneva vs. Burlington Central: Despite being just 14 miles apart these two schools have never met on the gridiron prior to this encounter. Geneva seems to have bounced back from its Week 9 loss to St. Charles North rather well. This is Burlington Central’s best season from a win perspective since 2006, which is also the last time the school won a playoff game prior to this year.
Pick: Geneva
East St. Louis vs. Normal West: East St. Louis wasted little time making its mark on the postseason, overwhelming Springfield in the opening round. Normal West collected a solid win in the opening round with a win over Simeon but the Wildcats will have to crank their efforts up several notches to have a chance to be in the hunt to score the massive upset here.
Pick: East St. Louis
Oak Forest vs. Glenwood: Oak Forest received a good draw for them in the first round as the Bengals dismantled an overmatched Kennedy squad, but now the degree of difficulty cranks up significantly. Glenwood has scored points in bunches in nearly every game this season and the Titans seem to have a good opportunity here to continue that trend.
Pick: Glenwood
Oak Lawn Richards vs. Washington: Richards avoided a huge scare in the first round, escaping with a one-point win over Dunlap. It was one of the few times the Bulldogs have been in a competitive game this year and they likely won’t be able to escape in the same fashion this week against Washington, who has been playing great football since starting the season 0-2.
Pick: Washington
Kankakee vs. Bloomington: Kankakee may have been shorthanded in its opening round win over Glenbard South, but that didn’t real show in the end product as the Kays rolled to a running clock victory. Bloomington continues its breakout season and advanced to the contest by putting together a second half rally against a Lemont team that usually is a difficult out in the postseason.
Pick: Kankakee