Sterling scored a safety 6 seconds into their game vs Payton yesterday. The Payton return man bobbled the kickoff near the goal line, recovered and retreated into the end zone where he was tackled. Anyone ever see something like that before?

(and there was/is some debate on whether it should have been a touchback, but the officials called it a safety)

Great game to watch. I apologize to my neighbors if they heard me yelling because the announcers are incompetent and don't know how to count thinking LA had to run another play and then thinking they were going to get a penalty for the team coming on the field with time still left on the clock even though no one could stop the clock and LA wasn't going to run another play.

WB6 playoff week 1 wrap up:

Quincy 44 – West Chicago 14: Pretty awesome season for West Chicago to make the playoffs, but Quincy was head, shoulders, and torso above them. Quincy’s offense continues to roll.

Sterling 50 – Chicago Payton 0: Sterling was off and running from the opening kick off til halftime, building a 43-0 halftime lead. A lot of young kids got about a half of football for Sterling.

IC Catholic 35 – Geneseo 12: Geneseo played hard, but IC Catholic is a buzz saw. The Leafs need to figure out a few more ways to move the ball on offense going forward.



WB6 playoff week 2 look ahead:

Quincy over Wheaton North: Quincy gets the long bus ride and a much sterner test this week against a very solid Wheaton North team. Quincy does not normally face a team that can sling it like they can so not only should this game be interesting…it could be a track meet. I think Quincy’s RB Jeraius Rice is the kicker here for the Blue Devils. He has a 100+ yard game a few scores, Quincy takes it. He gets bottled up though? Things get dicey.

St. Francis over Sterling: These two played week 2 in the tune of a 42-28 St. Francis victory. Both teams have improved since then, but SF’s QB Alessio Milivojevic is the real deal and he has weapons around him. Sterling has to find a way to get pressure on him, or he will pick them apart. If Sterling can find a way to move the ball and chew some clock, they can give themselves a chance in this one. St. Francis’ defense has been prone to giving up yards and points, but the Spartans have enough firepower to advance to the quarters.


I'll post the TRAC one later on.

8a - LA
7a - MC
6a - ESL
4a - Rochester
3a - Roxana
1a - Althoff

Only 2a and 5a are in play.
EDITTED

Class 8A EDGYTIM Week 11 poll

1. Loyola Academy 10-0 (1) vs Nequa Valley
2. Lincoln Way East 10-0 (2) vs Minooka
3. Maine South 9-1 (3) vs Belleville East
4. Barrington 10-0 (4) @ Naperville Central
5. Edwardsville 9-1 (5) vs Glenbard West
6. Warren Township 8-2 (6) @ South Elgin
7. Glenbard West 8-2 (7) @ Edwardsville
8. Belleville East 8-2 (8) @ Maine South
9. York 9-1 (9) @ Lyons Township
10. Neuqua Valley 7-3 (NR) @ Loyola]

Out: Palatine

Class 7A EDGYTIM Week 110 poll

1. Mount Carmel 9-1 (1) vs Prospect
2. Batavia 9-1 (2) vs Lincoln Way Central
3. Quincy 10-0 (3) @ Wheaton North
4, Hersey 10-0 (4) vs Downers Grove South
5. Hononegah 10-0 (5) vs Willowbrook
6. Normal Community 10-0 (6) vs Bradley
7. Prospect 8-2 (7) @ Mount Carmel
8. Wheaton North 7-3 (8) vs Quincy
9. Downers Grove North 8-2 (10) @ Hersey
10. Lincoln Way West 8-2 (NR) @ Collinsville

Out: St Charles North

Class 6A EDGYTIM Week 11 poll

1. East St Louis 8-2 (1) vs Normal West
2. Kankakee 10-0 (2) vs Eisenhower
3. Lake Zurich 9-1 (3) @ Kaneland
4. Geneva 8-2 (4) @ Lake Forest
5. Washington 9-1 (5) vs Crete Monee
6. Cary Grove 8-2 (6) @ Highland Park
7. Glenwood 7-3 (8) @ Oak Lawn Richards
8. Crete-Monee 7-3 (9) @ Washington
9 Lake Forest 6-4 (10) vs Geneva
10. Oak Lawn Richards 8-2 (NR) vs Glenwood

Out: Libertyville

Class 5A EDGYTIM Week 11 poll

1 St. Francis 8-2 (3) @ Sterling
2. Morris 10-0 (4) @ Sacred Heart Griffin
3. Nazareth Academy 5-5 (NR) vs Glenbard South
4. Morgan Park 9-1 (5) vs Sycamore
5. Carmel 9-1 (6) @ Antioch
6. Prairie Ridge 9-1 (1) Season completed
7 Joliet Catholic 7-3 (7) vs Triad
8. Sycamore 9-1 (8) @ Morgan Park
9. Antioch 10-0 (9) vs Carmel
10. Glenbard South 9-1 (10) @ Nazareth Academy
10. Providence Catholic (6-4) @ Hillcrest

Class 4A EDGYTIM Week 11 poll

1. Rochester 10-0 (1) vs Lincoln
2. IC Catholic Prep 8-2 (2) vs Geneseo
3. Boylan 9-1 (3) vs Phillips
4. Murphysboro 10-0 (5) vs Taylorville
5. St. Laurence 7-3 (7) @ Vocational
6. Coal City 8-2 (8) vs UHigh
7. Wheaton Academy 9-1 (9) vs Chicago Phoenix
8. St Viator 6-4 (NR) vs Wheaton Academy
9. Richmond Burton 7-3 (4)
10. Mt. Zion 8-2 (NR) vs Breese Central

Out: Carterville/Geneseo

The West Suburban conference has 7 teams playing a 10th game this weekend, 4 in the 8A playoffs, and 3 in the 7A playoffs. The WSS representatives in 8A got a tough draw, as LT, York and GBW are all in the same sub-bracket. It guarentees we will not see two semi-finalists again.

I'd love to give a full breakdown of each game, but I honestly don't know enough about all the opponents to them justice. Here is the insight I can give -

1. Addison Trail - I know I tracked their run to 6 wins all season, but I always knew who they were. They qualify for the playoffs with 6 wins, and the lowest number of playoff points of any playoff qualifier in the state. Their 3 losses were to the only team s on their schedule with winning records.

2. Downers Grove South - All their losses are to playoff teams - Wheaton North, DGN, and York - and none of those games were particularly close. Their sole win over another playoff team was against Willowbrook in week 4, winning by 7.

3. Willowbrook - The only playoff teams Willowbrook faced this season were AT and DGS. They clocked AT 42-0 and lost to DGS by 7. They narrowly beat Hinsdale South by 3 in week 5. They also narrowly lost to Niles Notre Dame (2-7) by 3 in week 1.

4. Downers Grove North - DGS went 3-2 against playoff teams in the regular season. We can all admit, even with some teams in down years, the Silver side of the West Suburban Conference is not a cake walk.

5. York - Two of the 4-5 teams to make the playoffs (Glenbrook South and Nazareth) lost to York in weeks 1 and 2. That gives York a 5-1 record against playoff teams in the regular season. The one loss to Glenbard West snapped a streak of WSC wins dating back to the 2021 season.

6. Glenbard West - 2-2 against playoff teams, but one of those losses was to De Smet Jesuit out of Missouri, who finished the season 7-1. The other loss to DGN seemed to be a turning point in their season, as the Hilltoppers are on a 6 game winning streak heading into the playoffs. Included in that streak is the win over York in week 7.

7. Lyons Township - LT faced 5 playoff teams this season, going 2-3 against them. The 2 wins were against Wheaton Warrenville South in week 2, and DGN in week 7. Their losses to Glenbard West by 3 points, and to York by 10 (watching the game, it was closer than the score) indicate LT may not be an easy out.

Here are the games to pick. Good Luck!

Opening kick off starts with Sterling getting a safety...very weird start.

I have some local suggestions.

(29) Aurora West (5-4) at (4) Edwardsville (8-1)
BBQ - https://www.edleysbbq.com - By rep - I've not tried yet
Beer/Shot - https://www.bigdaddysedwardsville.com/
Fancy / Steakhouse - https://www.moussallisprime.com/
Fancy / Steakhouse - https://1818chophouse.com/

(22) Aurora East (6-3) at (11) Belleville East (7-2)
Downtown Belleville
Beer/Shot - Big Daddy's 618 - https://www.facebook.com/groups/199956506179/
Gastro Pub - https://tavernonmainbelleville.com/
OUTSTANDING BBQ - https://www.beastcraftbbq.com/ - they have snoots too. Get a basket for the table.

(13) Lemont (5-4) at (4) East St. Louis (7-2)
OUTSTANDING BBQ - https://www.bigmamasbbq.net/- My fave - get snoot pieces for the table.
Plan ahead and order a cake: https://www.bigmamasbbq.net/cakes - De-Effing-Licious

(13) Cahokia (5-4) at (4) Breese Central (7-2)
Burger Stand - Wally's Drive In. Order a locally bottled Ski soda. No website.
711 N 4th St Breese, IL 62230
Fancy / Steakhouse - https://www.popeyeschophouse.com/ - Might be the most cost-efficient, high-end steakhouse in the state. I am not kidding. You will find some gems on the wine list at half the cost of St. Louis.

(14) Paris (5-4) at (3) Roxana (9-0)
Parisians will be disappointed with the fare. Either pack some sandwiches or stop at one of my fave heart-hurting chains - https://locations.ljsilvers.com/il/wood-river/1224-east-edwardsville-road

(13) Tuscola (5-4) at (4) Belleville (Althoff Catholic) (8-1)
West End Belleville
OUTSTANDING BBQ - https://www.bigmamasbbq.net/- not too far.
Bring Your Own - Tailgating Spot at St. Henry's - just east of Althoff on West Main. Porta-Pottys and ample parking.
Beer/Shot - https://www.fletcherskitchen.com/
Gastro Pub - Cured and Cultured - plus a shop for noshes and unique spirits.

Southern speed kills.

From the radio guys. 610 yards of rushing offense and 34 passing yards. This beats the record of 7 of 8 classes.
Side note: Du Pec has already played LeWin and Althoff. If they beat Stillman and Byron beats their opponent, DuPec will add the number 1 team in 3A.

Unlike round 1, I see a lot of interesting and close round 2 games:

5A
-Glenbard South @ Naz. I see a close game here, GBS has a solid balance of offense and defense to try and combat Naz skill guys.
-Sycamore @ Morgan Park
-Morris @ SHG

7A
-Downers North @ Hersey. I like Hersey but DGN has a proven schedule to hang in and give itself a chance imo.
-Quincy @ Wheaton North. Should be a good game, Quincy offense is really dangerous but not sure they’ve played a team as good and deep as WN.

8A
-Glenbard West @ Edwardsville
-York @ Lyons rematch
-Warren @ South Elgin
-Naperville Central @ Barrington. Think Barrington wins but NC defense vs Barrington O seems like fun matchup.

Thoughts on any of these or others?

I’m at LWC and Jacob’s go Griffs! I should have done both as advised earlier this week!

nm

It seems like the people of lemont are not very happy about having to take the trip to estl for the third time any thoughts on this game? Login to view embedded media

Metamora started aggressive by attempting an onside kick to start the game. Mac recovered and scored with the short field. Mac stopped Metamora inside the 10 on a 4th down.

Sorry no postgame from this one....

Login to view embedded media

Login to view embedded media
Login to view embedded media

Nm

Preliminary Week 11 Chicagoland Top 30

1. Loyola Academy 10-0 (1) Next: vs Neuqua Valley
2. Lincoln Way East 10-0 (2) Next vs Minooka
3. Mount Carmel 9-1 (3) Next: vs Prospect
4. Batavia 9-1 (4) Next: vs Lincoln Way Central
5. Maine South 9-1 (5) Next: vs Belleville East
6. Kankakee 10-0 (6) Next:vs Eisenhower
7. Hersey 10-0 (8) Next: vs Downers Grove North
8. Barrington 10-0 (9) Next: @ Naperville Central
9. Warren Township 8-2 (10) Next: @ South Elgin
10. St. Francis 7-2 (11) Next: @ Sterling
11. Lake Zurich 8-1 (12) Next: @ Kaneland
12. Glenbard West 8-2 (13) Next: @ Edwardsville
13. York 9-1 (14) Next: @ Lyons Township
14. Wheaton North 7-3 (15) Next: vs Quincy
15. Morris 10-0 (16) Next: @ Sacred Heart Griffin
16. Nazareth Academy 5-5 (NR) Next: vs Glenbard South
17. Morgan Park 9-1 (18) Next: vs Sycamore
18. Geneva 8-2 (19) Next: @ Lake Forest
19. Prospect 8-2 (20) Next: @ Mount Carmel
20. Carmel 9-1 (21) Next: @ Antioch
21. Neuqua Valley 7-3 (22) Next: @ Loyola Academy
22. Prairie Ridge 9-1 (7) Next: Season Completed
23. Huntley 9-1 (23) Next: @ St. Ignatius
24. Naperville Central 8-2 (24) Next: vs Barrington
25. St Ignatius 7-3 (25) Next: vs Huntley
26. Downers Grove North 8-2 (27) Next: @ Hersey
27. IC Catholic Prep 8-2 (28) Next: @ Boylan
28. Antioch 10-0 (29) Next: vs Carmel
29. Sycamore 9-1 (30) Next: @ Morgan Park
30. Lincoln Way West 8-2 (NR) @ Collinsville '

Out: Palatine/St Charles North

Next In (in NO order): Minooka/Lyons Township/South Elgin/Glenbard East/Glenbard South/Lincoln Way Central/Willowbrook/Cary Grove/Kaneland/Crete-Monee/Joliet Catholic/Providence Catholic/St Viator/St. Laurence/Montini Catholic/Bradley/Wilmington

Recognizing this is very subjective, when a QB is in Shotgun, how much body movement and jerking his body can he do while barking the signal/snap counts in his effort to draw the Defense offside? At what point is the movement a motion/procedure penalty?

Six CS8 teams made the playoffs: Rochester, U High, and Lincoln in 4A, SHG and MacArthur in 5A, and Chatham in 6A.

Two Friday night and three Saturday afternoon games, with one contest a rematch of CS8 teams.

I think there will be 4 CS8 teams advance to the second round.

Friday
4A #16 Lincoln (5-4) at #1 Rochester (9-0)
Congratulations to Lincoln for making the playoffs for the first time since 1984. These teams have played previously in Week 7 at Lincoln. At the time, the Railers were 5-1. However, their 5 wins came against opponents who ended the season with a combined record of 8-37. Lincoln lost their last three games of the season pretty decisively to playoff teams (Rochester 55-0, U High 49-28, and Chatham 42-14). Rochester 51 Lincoln 7

4A #9 U High (7-2) at #8 Coal City (7-2)
A mea culpa to start. I picked U High to be 8th in the conference in August. They were 3-6 last year, hadn't been in the playoffs since 2015, and had to replace a 2-year starting QB. U High finished 2nd in the CS8 and was the surprise of the conference this season. Unfortunately for the Pioneers, their 7-2 record does not get them a home playoff game. They have wins over 2 playoff teams: MacArthur and Lincoln. Their losses were to playoff teams SHG and Chatham. The Pioneers are led by Junior QB Alek Weiland, who has thrown for over 1,800 yards and 20 TD's and also has 7 rushing TD's. Coal City is a perennial playoff team. Their two losses were to 5A power Morris (43-3) and 2A power Wilmington (28-0). They have one win over a playoff team, beating 3A Peotone. Winning on the road in the playoffs is difficult. U High has a quick strike offense which can put up lots of points. Their defense has, however, given up 28-35 points each of the last three weeks. I would pick U High if the game was at ISU but think the Coalers playoff experience gets them a win at home in a one-score contest. Coal City 27 U High 23

Saturday
5A #9 SHG (6-3) at #8 TF North (7-2)
SHG ended the regular season with two losses but played much better in Week 9 against Rochester than in Week 8 versus MacArthur. Having seen QB Levi Hanauer play twice this season, I thought he looked much improved against the Rockets last week. With RB Christian Pollard, they have a balanced offensive attack. TF North is in the playoffs for the first time since 2011. They have one win over a playoff team (6-3 Hillcrest) and have lost to two 5-4 playoff teams (Bremen and Lemont). Lemont clinched a playoff spot last week by beating TF North on the road 19-18. This is a favorable road matchup for the Cyclones. SHG 33 TF North 17

5A #11 MacArthur (6-3) at #6 Metamora (7-2)
No team in the CS8 is as hot as Mac is currently. After a 1-3 start, which included a disputed last second TD loss to Jacksonville, the Generals have won 5 in a row. They have wins over Chatham and SHG during the streak and running clocked 6A qualifier Bloomington 54-10 last week on the road. The combination of QB Cameron France, RB Myson Johnson Cook, and WR Sam Owens has been scoring lots of points. The offense has big play capability and Freshman Johnson Cook already has an offer from the University of Illinois. The Generals defense has improved as well during the winning streak. Metamora has won 5 straight too, are a perennial playoff team, and it's always a challenge to beat them at home. Their losses are to two very good teams: 6A Washington 45-7 and 5A Morton 45-19. I've picked Mac to lose three times this year where they've ended up winning. Don't want to put the hex them, but I think that the Redbirds are a favorable opponent for the Generals. The speed of Johnson and power running of France should carry the day. MacArthur 41 Metamora 26

6A #11 Bloomington (5-4) at #6 Chatham (6-3)
Bloomington was routed 54-10 last week at home by MacArthur. They have played a tough schedule but none of their four losses were particularly close. The Purple Raiders do have three wins over playoff teams, Danville (who the Titans also beat in Week 1), Peoria Notre Dame, and Champaign Centennial. Chatham bounced back from a Week 8 loss to Rochester by beating Lincoln at home 42-14 last week. Chatham usually plays well at home, although they lost in the 1st round of the playoffs last year to Quincy. Sophomore QB Colton Knoedler has shown steady improvement and threw three TD's last week to fellow Sophomore WR Blake Lehnen. I don't see Bloomington rebounding from their running clock loss with an upset road win. Chatham 38 Bloomington 20

20 - 3 MC begin 2Q