Entering the quarterfinal round, the 618 still has at least one representative in 7 out of 8 classes. The lone gap is in 7A, where there are only a few Southern Illinois teams anyways. We have 12 total teams remaining and there will be just 3 games played in the 618 this week. One of the home games is a 618 vs 618 between Murphysboro and Harrisburg in 4A.
8A
#4 Edwardsville (10-1) at #5 York (10-1)
Round one was a big letdown for the Tigers as they did not pull away from Aurora West until the fourth quarter. Understandably, this gave some cause for concern against a much better Glenbard West squad. All those worries washed away once they hit the field and dominated wire-to-wire for a 48-14 win over the Hilltoppers.
Now, our focus turns to the Dukes of York. They have also played Glenbard West this season and fell 28-7 for their lone loss of the year. That game came in week six, so it’s still fresh enough to compare. York also snuck by Lyons 17-14 last week, which is not too encouraging for the Dukes. Edwardsville should be the favorite here and will need to get their slingshot ready if they meet Loyola in the semis.
6A
#4 East St. Louis (9-2) at #1 Kankakee (11-0)
Not that its any level of surprise, but the Flyers have rolled through their first two rounds. That path started with a 61-0 beatdown of Lemont and they added another running clock victory last week with a 54-7 blowout of Normal West. East Side has not lost since their September 9th trip to Texas. They’ve won by 40+ in all their games since, with the exception of Edwardsville.
Kankakee is the test we’ve all awaited to see. So, what have the Kays been up to? Last week, they needed to come from behind to get by Blue Island Eisenhower 49-35. The Kays have played closer games, but this still looks like their worst result of the year. Another question facing Kankakee is if they can finally win “a big one”. They’ve won plenty of postseason games in the recent years, yet they still need a program defining victory. Expect East St. Louis to win this one.
5A
#3 Highland (10-1) at #15 Providence Catholic (7-4)
As the final ticks ran off in last week’s third quarter, Highland sat in a 30-20 hole against Metamora. They responded with a 21-0 run across the next 10 minutes to regain the lead enroute to a 41-36 win. Quarterback Blake Gelly deserves a large share of credit for the comeback with two 60+ yard TD passes in the final quarter.
Against Providence, a 10 point deficit in the fourth won’t be so manageable. Their four losses all came against quality opponents (note all 4 are still alive in the postseason). Massey gives Highland a 37% chance at victory and Calpreps gives them a 35% chance. Those figures feel apt to and I think the Bulldogs can surprise some people if they play a clean game in New Lenox.
4A
#4 Breese Central (9-2) at #1 Rochester (11-0)
As previously stated in the thread dedicated to this game, Breese’s defense has been clicking as of late. Unfortunately, they have been slow on the offensive side of the ball and that does not bode well against a strong Rochester defense. The Rockets should be one of the biggest favorites in the state for quarters.
#2 Murphysboro (10-1) at #11 Harrisburg (8-3)
Whoever wins here would host the expected semi-final against Rochester (which would be the largest class game played in the 618). Murphysboro won this matchup 40-0 in week 7, so they should roll.
3A
#4 Mt. Carmel (10-1) at #9 Tolono Unity (9-2)
Both of these teams are no stranger to the playoffs and that experience has showed. They each have strong resumes, but Tolono taking DuQuoin out 35-25 last week really stands out. Mt. Carmel probably wins 3 out of 10 times in this contest.
#3 Roxana (11-0) at #7 Stanford Olympia (9-2)
Before last week, Roxana had not really been pushed. They found themselves in serious danger against St. Joseph Ogden however, who led them 41-27 headed to the final quarter. They quickly turned things around with a 21-0 run to go ahead 48-41 with 1:18 responding. St. Joseph responded with a touchdown in the final seconds and made an ill-fated decision to go for a two-point conversion.
So what’s next for a Shells team that ran for 435 yards last week? They face what should be a slightly easier foe in the Olympia Spartans. Roxana feels like around an 8 point favorite to advance to a home semifinal.
2A
#8 Nashville (8-3) vs #4 Athens (9-2)
The projection sites have a rare level of agreement on this one. Massey sees Athen winning 34-28 and Calpreps says Athens wins 35-28. Those point totals do feel a bit high however and I like the Hornets to pull off an upset on a homefield they find ways to win on.
#11 Breese Mater Dei (8-3) at #2 Shelbyville (10-1)
Especially in the small school divisions, it becomes tough to evaluate teams with no common opponents. Mater Dei certainly has played a stronger schedule, so their 3 losses aren’t too concerning. The Knights also seem to have built up a bit more momentum in the past few weeks. Call Mater Dei a slight favorite here. Its worth noting that if they play Nashville in the semis, the Hornets defeated Shelbyville 54-20 earlier in the year.
1A
#4 Althoff (10-1) at #1 Camp Point Central (11-0)
After two blowout wins, it feels like Althoff’s postseason truly begins this week. CPC has won 24 of their last 25 games and the lone loss in there is against Lena-Winslow (who have won 30 consecutive). Across their 11 wins this year, CPC is scoring an average of 47.5 and allowing 6.8. As impressive as it is, could that come back to hurt them? I think so, as Althoff is much more battle tested. I sense a bit off a shootout before the Crusaders pull away.
#2 Sesser Valier (11-0) vs #3 Greenfield (11-0)
Althoff should root for Sesser Valier for several reasons. First, the Red Devils are another 618 team. Second, Althoff would host Sesser but travel to Greenfield in the semis.
We have one common opponent here: Carrolton. SV defeated the Hawks 34-8 last week and Greenfield edged them 14-0 in week 9. Based on that, the Red Devils are a slight favorite.
8A
#4 Edwardsville (10-1) at #5 York (10-1)
Round one was a big letdown for the Tigers as they did not pull away from Aurora West until the fourth quarter. Understandably, this gave some cause for concern against a much better Glenbard West squad. All those worries washed away once they hit the field and dominated wire-to-wire for a 48-14 win over the Hilltoppers.
Now, our focus turns to the Dukes of York. They have also played Glenbard West this season and fell 28-7 for their lone loss of the year. That game came in week six, so it’s still fresh enough to compare. York also snuck by Lyons 17-14 last week, which is not too encouraging for the Dukes. Edwardsville should be the favorite here and will need to get their slingshot ready if they meet Loyola in the semis.
6A
#4 East St. Louis (9-2) at #1 Kankakee (11-0)
Not that its any level of surprise, but the Flyers have rolled through their first two rounds. That path started with a 61-0 beatdown of Lemont and they added another running clock victory last week with a 54-7 blowout of Normal West. East Side has not lost since their September 9th trip to Texas. They’ve won by 40+ in all their games since, with the exception of Edwardsville.
Kankakee is the test we’ve all awaited to see. So, what have the Kays been up to? Last week, they needed to come from behind to get by Blue Island Eisenhower 49-35. The Kays have played closer games, but this still looks like their worst result of the year. Another question facing Kankakee is if they can finally win “a big one”. They’ve won plenty of postseason games in the recent years, yet they still need a program defining victory. Expect East St. Louis to win this one.
5A
#3 Highland (10-1) at #15 Providence Catholic (7-4)
As the final ticks ran off in last week’s third quarter, Highland sat in a 30-20 hole against Metamora. They responded with a 21-0 run across the next 10 minutes to regain the lead enroute to a 41-36 win. Quarterback Blake Gelly deserves a large share of credit for the comeback with two 60+ yard TD passes in the final quarter.
Against Providence, a 10 point deficit in the fourth won’t be so manageable. Their four losses all came against quality opponents (note all 4 are still alive in the postseason). Massey gives Highland a 37% chance at victory and Calpreps gives them a 35% chance. Those figures feel apt to and I think the Bulldogs can surprise some people if they play a clean game in New Lenox.
4A
#4 Breese Central (9-2) at #1 Rochester (11-0)
As previously stated in the thread dedicated to this game, Breese’s defense has been clicking as of late. Unfortunately, they have been slow on the offensive side of the ball and that does not bode well against a strong Rochester defense. The Rockets should be one of the biggest favorites in the state for quarters.
#2 Murphysboro (10-1) at #11 Harrisburg (8-3)
Whoever wins here would host the expected semi-final against Rochester (which would be the largest class game played in the 618). Murphysboro won this matchup 40-0 in week 7, so they should roll.
3A
#4 Mt. Carmel (10-1) at #9 Tolono Unity (9-2)
Both of these teams are no stranger to the playoffs and that experience has showed. They each have strong resumes, but Tolono taking DuQuoin out 35-25 last week really stands out. Mt. Carmel probably wins 3 out of 10 times in this contest.
#3 Roxana (11-0) at #7 Stanford Olympia (9-2)
Before last week, Roxana had not really been pushed. They found themselves in serious danger against St. Joseph Ogden however, who led them 41-27 headed to the final quarter. They quickly turned things around with a 21-0 run to go ahead 48-41 with 1:18 responding. St. Joseph responded with a touchdown in the final seconds and made an ill-fated decision to go for a two-point conversion.
So what’s next for a Shells team that ran for 435 yards last week? They face what should be a slightly easier foe in the Olympia Spartans. Roxana feels like around an 8 point favorite to advance to a home semifinal.
2A
#8 Nashville (8-3) vs #4 Athens (9-2)
The projection sites have a rare level of agreement on this one. Massey sees Athen winning 34-28 and Calpreps says Athens wins 35-28. Those point totals do feel a bit high however and I like the Hornets to pull off an upset on a homefield they find ways to win on.
#11 Breese Mater Dei (8-3) at #2 Shelbyville (10-1)
Especially in the small school divisions, it becomes tough to evaluate teams with no common opponents. Mater Dei certainly has played a stronger schedule, so their 3 losses aren’t too concerning. The Knights also seem to have built up a bit more momentum in the past few weeks. Call Mater Dei a slight favorite here. Its worth noting that if they play Nashville in the semis, the Hornets defeated Shelbyville 54-20 earlier in the year.
1A
#4 Althoff (10-1) at #1 Camp Point Central (11-0)
After two blowout wins, it feels like Althoff’s postseason truly begins this week. CPC has won 24 of their last 25 games and the lone loss in there is against Lena-Winslow (who have won 30 consecutive). Across their 11 wins this year, CPC is scoring an average of 47.5 and allowing 6.8. As impressive as it is, could that come back to hurt them? I think so, as Althoff is much more battle tested. I sense a bit off a shootout before the Crusaders pull away.
#2 Sesser Valier (11-0) vs #3 Greenfield (11-0)
Althoff should root for Sesser Valier for several reasons. First, the Red Devils are another 618 team. Second, Althoff would host Sesser but travel to Greenfield in the semis.
We have one common opponent here: Carrolton. SV defeated the Hawks 34-8 last week and Greenfield edged them 14-0 in week 9. Based on that, the Red Devils are a slight favorite.
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