December 21, 2024
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2024 IHSA playoffs: Steve Soucie’s Class 2A semifinal-round analysis

By Steve Soucie
Dwight/Gardner-South Wilmington running back Ayden Collom (25) gets tripped up by the Farmington defense Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, during a Class 2A quarterfinal in Dwight.

Dwight/Gardner-South Wilmington running back Ayden Collom (25) gets tripped up by the Farmington defense Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, during a Class 2A quarterfinal in Dwight. Top-seeded Farmington will play against Chicago Christian in the semifinals. (MaKade Rios For Shaw Local)

Three of the four teams remaining (Johnston City, Farmington, Chicago Christian) in the Class 2A field have never reached a state championship.

Two of them (Farmington, Chicago Christian) are playing in a semifinal game for the first time this season.

Maroa-Forsyth, who has a long standing postseason track record, is the lone team that has some experience at this level of the tournament.

It will be interesting to see if experience matters in Class 2A.

First round predictions: 12-4

Second-round predictions: 5-3

Quarterfinal-round predictions: 2-2

Semifinal-round matchups

Farmington vs. Chicago Christian: Farmington has had no problems scoring points this season but perhaps the thing that folks are missing is how good the Farmers are on defense. After holding Dwight to seven points in a quarterfinal battle that marks the eighth time this season that Farmington has held an opponent to one touchdown or less this season. Chicago Christian is in the midst of the most historic season in school history as the Knights are in the semifinals for the first time ever. Prior to this season where Chicago Christian has already netted three playoff wins the program had mustered just six wins in the postseason since its first appearance in 1997.

Pick: Farmington

Johnston City vs. Maroa-Forsyth: Johnston City’s defense has been quite good all season with its only misstep coming when it allowed 40 points in a midseason loss to Dixon. Otherwise the Indians have reined in almost every team they’ve played holding all but three opponents to two touchdowns or less. It’s a unit that has to show up big to try to contain a Maroa-Forsyth offense that has gone over 50 points six times this season and is closing in on 600 points on the season. The Trojans survived an epic duel with Quincy Notre Dame in the quarterfinals in a game that many thought the winner would reveal the likely Class 2A winner.

Pick: Maroa-Forsyth