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Here are the first-round matchups for each Daily Chronicle-area football team.
Class 5A
No. 9 Sycamore at No. 8 Evergreen Park
When: 5 p.m. Saturday, Evergreen Park
About Sycamore: The Spartans finished 6-3, with two of those losses coming to teams that finished the season undefeated, and the third coming against Class 7A DeKalb in overtime. It’s the third straight playoff berth for the Spartans and 11th since 2009. The two teams played in 2019, in the first round, with No. 3 Sycamore beating No. 14 Evergreen Park, 59-7.
About Evergreen Park: The Mustangs made a run into the 5A quarterfinals in 2018, falling, 54-7, to a Montini team the week after Montini beat Sycamore, 21-17. They played only one team with at least seven wins, falling, 21-14, to Richards.
No. 15 Kaneland at No. 2 Fenwick
When: 7 p.m. Friday, Triton College
About Kaneland: The Knights needed a win in their final game against La Salle-Peru to qualify for the postseason. They averaged 37 points a game behind a potent passing attack led by quarterback Troyer Carlson. It’s the fifth straight playoff appearance for the Knights.
About Fenwick: The Friars went 7-2 this year, winning their three games in the CCL/ESCC White. They handed St. Ignatius its first loss of the season, 28-20, in Week 9. They gave up 15.1 points a game. It’s the second straight playoff berth for the Friars, who went two rounds deep in 2019. It’s also the seventh playoff berth since 2012.
Class 4A
No. 13 Bogan at No. 4 Genoa-Kingston
When: 7 p.m. Friday
About Bogan: The Bengals enter the game with a 6-3 record, qualifying for the first time since a 9-0 regular season in Class 7A in 2009 and just the second time since 1996.
About Genoa-Kingston: The Cogs lost one game all season, 7-3 at Byron - which is a No. 1 seed in Class 3A. They hammer the ball on the ground with a balanced ground attack. It’s the sixth straight playoff berth for the Cogs.
Eight-man
No. 14 Hiawatha at No. 3 Orangeville
When: 1 p.m. Saturday
About Hiawatha: The Hawks enter the tournament at 4-5, competing in the eight-man field for the first time. They’ll have to do so against an Orangeville team that beat them, 56-8, in Week 3. The Hawks won a shootout in Week 9, 76-62, to finish 4-5 and get into the field.
About Orangeville: The Broncos’ only loss came in Week 6, 56-26 to Milledgeville. Before this season, they made the 1A playoffs three straight years. They scored 50 points or more in five of their eight on-the-field games.