ICE Playoffs Round 1 and Outlook

[Wilmatucky]

3A
#15 Stillman Valley (5-4) @ #2 Wilmington (9-0) - Rematch of the '03 Snow Bowl in Champaign. First time they have met since then too. I do not think Stillman will poise too much of a challenge. Cats should get some reps in but still be rested for round 2. Wilmo by 3 scores.

#10 Peotone (6-3) @ #7 Eureka (8-1) - Peotone just didn't impress me much this year. They lost to Wilma and CC which was to be expected, but I am not so sure that the Manteno loss is a good look for them. Peotone also hasn't beat anybody of note. Eureka only lost once, but I'm not convinced they played the toughest of schedules either. I think It'll be a close game, but Peotone won't be able to hold it together for the win. Eureka by 10.

4A
#10 Johnsburg (6-3) @ #7 Coal City (7-2) - Johnsburg doesn't appear to have any notable wins with the exception of Richmond-Burton. They also lost to a few teams that they probably should have beaten. Coal City looked tough against Wilmo and I think they have enough to carry them to a win. CC by 14

#10 Normal University (7-2) @ #7 Manteno (7-2) - I think Manteno was a fluke that came out hot, but got beat bad by CC and Wilmo. U-High beat Chatam and barely lost to Rochester and Bloomington. I don't think Manteno can hang. Normal by 3 scores.

Wilmington has a pretty decent draw to face up with Byron/Montini in the Semis, but like someone said in another thread they are going to have to play tough. Some of the tougher 3a teams won't let them get by with making mistakes.

Peotone even if they do upset Eureka would be done in Round 2 when they face Wilmo.

Coal City should meet up with Dixon in the quarters. I think their season ends there.

I don't know much about the teams in Manteno's quad, however I don't see them making a big run.

 

[doctor_d]

Wilmo and CC should not have too much trouble.
Stillman has great tradition and coaching and plays in a good league, but they haven’t beaten anyone particularly good, and got beat handily a few times.
Johnsburg somehow beat Richmond-Burton but lost to Sandwich. Sandwich wasn’t very impressive when I saw them week 2. I don’t think the Kishwaukee conference was as strong as it has been in past years.

Manteno, on the other hand, is in trouble. They got absolutely pummeled two weeks in a row. U-High seems like a clear favorite. I will say that U-High was in a somewhat similar situation last year where they were 7-2 from a traditionally strong conference and got pounded by CC in round 1. I’m going with the Pioneers here. I’d love to see Manteno get the W for the conference, but I don’t think it’s gonna happen.

Peotone @ Eureka seems like a toss up. Devils have righted the ship after a tough stretch weeks 4-6. Eureka’s league is pretty good, but it’s mostly a 1A/2A league.
I think ‘Tone can get the ground game going and pull the mild upset.

 

[Coalertown44]

Wilmo and CC will both win comfortably.
Manteno will get boat raced
Peotone will be in a dog fight. Matter which Tone team shows up to play

Wilmo has a good road to the Semi Finals. Winner of Byron and Montini will be there waiting. I think Montitni will win 3A this year

Coalers have an interesting round 2 game with Boylan but I think there is a good chance CC advances to the Quarters where they will face a really good Dixon team who will not be tested at all the first two rounds

 

[McEvergreen]

CATS BIG over SV
CC BIG over Johnsburg
U-High BIG over Manteno
Eureka BARELY over Peotone

@Coalertown44 I would love to see a CC v Dixon game!

 

[Coalertown44]

CATS BIG over SV
CC BIG over Johnsburg
U-High BIG over Manteno
Eureka BARELY over Peotone

@Coalertown44 I would love to see a CC v Dixon game!

I think there is a good chance that can happen. But Boylan is a good 15 seed. They won’t be easy

 

[SouthofI80FootballFan]

Stillman Valley vs. Wilmington - two traditional powerhouse programs who have played several years ago in the playoffs. Wilmington has rolled pretty much everyone while Stillman Valley has lost to some very good teams and squeaked out a few wins against average opponents. SV has played the tougher schedule but Wilmington has been pretty consistent all season. Should be a fast game. Wilmington 34 Stillman Valley 20

Coal City vs. Johnsburg - other than week 1 and week 7, the Coalers have been playing pretty good football. I know absolutely nothing of Johnsburg but other than beating Richmond-Burton, who aren't what they used to be, they don't have any great wins. Coal City 28 Johnsburg 13

Uni High vs. Manteno - lots of doubters here of Manteno and the last two weeks proved that they are not a top tier/top 10 4A team. Uni slowly progressing to what they were 10-15 years ago. They have a great spread system and the QB this year is one of their best in the past few years. Given the difficulty of their schedule, I would guess they would only have 1 or 2 losses in the ICE. Coal City whooped them last season and a very rainy and windy game which stopped the from being able to run their system. Uni High 45 Manteno 23

Eureka vs. Peotone - a battle of opposites here. Eureka is very effective at running the spread and may have more speed on the field than Peotone. However, they play a 1A/2A schedule but it is one of the top small school conferences in the state with several playoff qualifiers. If the Manteno game is any indication of Peotone vs. the spread, this could end up being a long game for the Blue Devils. But Peotone is good at running the ball and I saw TV run all over Eureka a few weeks ago so that plays in their favor. This is one of the better matchups in the 1st round. Peotone 36 Eureka 35 OT

 

[IceConGuy]

Wilmo over SV. Does SV still run flexbone veer? If so, I could see them hitting some long runs. Probably wont matter as Wilmington grinds the clock. Cats 35 SV 7

CC over Johnsburg. Johnsburg has been a pass first team for a bit. Outside of Morris, I don't think anyone through the ball well against CC. My guess is a game like CC/Peotone. Close but the Coalers get some breathing room late. CC 28 Jburg 14

Peotone over Eureka. This is a coin flip game. Based the pick off of competition in season. Although Peotone went 0-3 in their big games, I think they will be battle tested and ready. Not sure on the field conditions at Eureka but it could favor Peotone's style of play on offense. Peotone 21- Eureka 7

UHigh over Manteno. The last 2 weeks for Manteno were rough. UHigh has some high profile wins this year and are fast. They may take last year's playoff beating by CC out on Manteno. Manteno needs the ground game humming to get out of this one. Not sure if they can after the last two weeks. Uhigh 35- Manteno 14

3-1 round one without any CPS. Not a bad round for the ICE

 

[SouthofI80FootballFan]

Eureka 29 Peotone 22

Followed by watching NFHS while at TV and BCC game. Too many turnovers for Peotone. TV pretty dominant over BCC, they are definitely a contender for 2A.

 

[McEvergreen]

Live it up Hornets 🎊🎉 You are going to get ANNIHILATED next Saturday at Wilmington!