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Here are previews and picks for the first-round matchups for each Record Newspapers area playoff team.
Class 8A
No. 23 Oswego (6-3) at No. 10 Warren (7-2)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
About Oswego: The Panthers have enjoyed a bounce-back season after missing the playoffs last year for the first time since 2010. Oswego started the season 4-0 and goes into the playoffs fresh off a 16-0 crosstown win over Oswego East. Junior linebackers Carson Cooney and Mikey Claycombe are among the standouts for an Oswego defense that has allowed just 70 points this season. The Panthers, though, scored only a combined 17 points in their three losses. Two-way standout Jeremiah Cain, a junior WR/DB, is a game-breaking threat outside who was slowed by injury in the Panthers’ losses. Oswego won at least one playoff game every season from 2011-2019.
About Warren: The Blue Devils are champions of the North Suburban Conference. Warren has won seven consecutive games since losses to Barrington and Maine South to start the season. Its marquee win was a 21-17 Week 5 win over Lake Zurich. Warren was a Class 8A quarterfinalist last season and Class 8A runner-up to Lincoln-Way East, losing to the Griffins in their final game in both seasons. Warren has outscored its opponents 306-116 on the season and shut out its last three opponents.
Up next: The winner faces either No. 26 Lane (6-3) or No. 7 South Elgin (8-1).
FND Pick: Warren.
Class 7A
No. 18 Yorkville (6-3) at No. 15 Willowbrook (7-2)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
About Yorkville: The Foxes, who last season made the program’s first quarterfinal appearance since 1999, carry momentum into their fifth straight playoff bid with four straight wins to end the regular season. Yorkville last Friday rallied from a 10-0 halftime deficit to beat Plainfield North 13-10 on Dominic Recchia’s game-winning field goal as time expired for the program’s first conference title since 1989. Third-year starter Ben Alvarez and two-year starter Luke Zook are experienced leaders of a defense that has allowed a total of 31 points during the four-game winning streak. Senior QB Michael Dopart, senior RB Josh Gettemy and senior WR Dom Coronado lead the offense. Yorkville has won at least one playoff game in each of its previous postseason appearances.
About Willowbrook: The Warriors are rolling into the playoffs with five consecutive wins since a Week 4 loss to Downers Grove South. This is Willowbrook’s seventh straight playoff appearance, a stretch that included five straight quarterfinals from 2016-2021 and a Class 7A semifinal appearance in 2019. Senior QB Arthur Palicki is a four-year starter. Among his notable performances, he threw for 348 yards and two TDs and ran for 178 yards and three TDs in a Week 7 win over Oak Park-River Forest. The Warriors have played just two teams with winning records, splitting games with Addison Trail and Downers Grove South. This game is a rematch of a 2019 Class 7A second-round game won by Willowbrook 33-24, a game in which former Willowbrook star Sam Tumilty accounted for 450 yards and four TDs.
Up next: The winner faces either No. 31 Rockford Auburn (5-4) or No. 2 Hononegah (9-0).
FND Pick: Yorkville
Class 4A
No. 9 Ridgewood (6-3) at No. 8 Sandwich (6-3)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
About Ridgewood: Ridgewood is making its second consecutive playoff appearance after finishing 5-5 last season. The Rebels’ last playoff win came in 2017. Ridgewood took fourth place in the newly-formed Chicagoland Prairie Conference, which houses a couple of Sandwich’s old Interstate 8 rivals, finishing its season with a 48-0 win over Westmont. Ridgewood has won three games in a row since a 36-26 loss to Ottawa Marquette. Senior QB Jaden Rodriguez has thrown for 1,541 yards and 23 TDs with zero interceptions in seven games. With the exception of Week 5′s 51-7 loss to conference champion Seneca, all of the Rebels’ game have been either decisive wins or competitive losses, though it should be noted that aside from a pair of wins to start the season against Chicago Public League schools and its annual game with archrival Elmwood Park in Week 8, Ridgewood’s schedule is filled with much smaller schools enrollment-wise.
About Sandwich: One of the best stories of the season, Sandwich is back in the playoffs for the first time since 2013 after not fielding a varsity football team in 2022 due to low numbers and going 0-9 in 2021. This is also Sandwich’s first home playoff game since 2012. The Indians, who started the season 3-0, bounced back from a two-game losing streak to beat Woodstock North 21-6 in Week 9. Sandwich features a run-heavy wing-T offense with a balanced rushing attack led by Simeion Harris, who had 838 rushing yards heading into Week 9, and sophomore Nick Michalek, who had 558 yards going into Week 9. Sandwich’s last playoff win came in 2011 when the Indians reached the Class 4A quarterfinals.
Up next: The winner faces No. 16 Chicago Agricultural Science (5-4) or No. 1 Chicago Dyett (8-1).
FND Pick: Sandwich
No. 14 Plano (5-4) at No. 3 Dixon (8-1)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
About Plano: The Reapers carry a ton of momentum into their second playoff appearance in three seasons with a rousing 48-21 win over Marengo in a win-and-in Week 9 matchup of 4-4 teams. Speedy senior RB Waleed Johnson had a spectacular 240-yard, four-touchdown night in the win, and has rushed for 1,190 yards on the season. Senior Armando Martinez, who moved from quarterback to fullback midway through the season after an injury to Andrew Cox, rushed for 146 yards and two TDs in the game. Johnson and Martinez, both third-year varsity starters, are also leaders of the Plano defense. The 48-point outburst was a welcome sight for a Plano offense that has struggled to establish Johnson in its losses. Plano is 0-3 in its last three playoff appearances, its last postseason win coming in 2015.
About Dixon: This is Dixon’s ninth straight playoff berth. The Dukes have suffered four straight first-round losses. Dixon had a seven-game winning streak until a 49-6 Week 8 loss to top-ranked Class 3A Byron. Senior quarterback Tyler Shaner has passed for over 1,200 yards and rushed for over 650 while accounting for 30 total touchdowns (16 passing, 14 rushing) this season. Senior running back Aiden Wiseman has rushed for 11 touchdowns and close to 1,000 yards.
Up next: The winner faces No. 11 St. Laurence (6-3) or No. 6 Chicago Vocational (7-2).
FND Pick: Plano.