I love the idea of having playoff games at neutral sites (remember Friday Night Lights in the Astrodome? (it was at UT in real life but I digress)), and I wonder how that would play out in Illinois, so we can really see who's the best without home-field advantages. So I plotted a hypothetical neutral site setup for the Illinois first round. Criteria:
- THIS IS A THOUGHT EXPERIMENT. I know it would never happen and maybe isn't even a good idea, but I had fun with it.
- I generally prefer turf over grass. That's not necessarily my thoughts for what makes a "good field" in the regular season; I only prefer turf in the playoffs because it's November and the weather is bad.
- The main thing is what's between the schools. I generally prefer stadiums with more seats over those with less.
- This is more a problem with lower classes, but I prefer stadiums with substantial visitor's side seats.
- No doubling up - one game per stadium, per round.
- I went 8A first and then on down.
- I only used other high school fields. No colleges (at least not first round!).
- I kept the all-CPS games at CPS fields.
So, without further ado:
8A
LWE vs. Conant at Downers Grove South
Lane Tech vs. Neuqu Valley at York
Warren vs. Stevenson at Libertyville
Huntley vs. Andrew at West Aurora
South Elgin vs. Belleville East at Champaign Centennial
Maine South vs. Bolingbrook at Lyons
Glenbard West vs. Lockport at Bolingbrook
Glenbrook South vs. Homewood-Flossmoor at Morton
York vs. Oswego East at Wheaton-Warrenville South
Naperville North vs. Marist at Hinsdale Central
Palatine vs. Downers Grove South at Addison Trail
Glenbard East vs. Minooka at Plainfield East
Plainfield North vs. Rich Township at Lincoln-Way West
Lyons vs. Naperville Central at Downers Grove North
Loyola vs. Plainfield South at Lake Park
O'Fallon vs. Edwardsville at Collinsville
7A
Mount Carmel vs. Buffalo Grove at Leyden
Lincoln Park vs. Downers Grove North at OPRF
Collinsville vs. Bradley-Bourbonnais at Normal Community
Jacobs vs. Brother Rice at Glenbard North
St. Charles North vs. Maine West at Streamwood
Elk Grove vs. Hoffman Estates at Conant
Prospect vs. Reavis at Ridgewood
St. Rita vs. Geneva at Glenbard East
Hersey vs. Argo at Maine South
Guilford vs. Batavia at Huntley
Yorkville vs. Libertyville at Elgin
Moline vs. DeKalb at Sterling
Pekin vs. Plainfield Central at Streator
Hononegah vs. Normal Community at LaSalle-Peru
Wheaton North vs. Willowbrook at Glenbard West
Lake Zurich vs. Larkin at Dundee-Crown
6A
Wauconda vs. Schurz at Stevenson
Niles Notre Dame vs. Antioch at Mundelein
Deerfield vs. St. Ignatius at Maine West
Belvidere North vs. Grayslake Central at Woodstock
Prairie Ridge vs. Crystal Lake South at Crystal Lake Central (too easy!)
Kaneland vs. Riverside-Brookfield at West Chicago
Grayslake North vs. Senn at Buffalo Grove
Amundsen vs. Harlem at Barrington
Lemont vs. Blue Island Eisenhower at Sandburg
Glenwood vs. Quincy at Jacksonville
Perspectives vs. Kenwood at Gately
Bremen vs. Washington at Ottawa Marquette (I know, they're a 1A school, they have a big facility)
Simeon vs. Oak Forest at Marist
Crete-Monee vs. Champaign Centennial at Kankakee
Normal West vs. Danville at Urbana
East St. Louis vs. Richards at Decatur Eisenhower
5A
Sycamore vs. Westinghouse at Fenton
Bulls Prep vs. Carmel at Niles Notre Dame
Goode vs. Pritzker at Rockne
Sterling vs. St. Viator at DeKalb
Morgan Park vs. Fenwick at Argo
Payton vs. Speer at Lane
Boylan vs. Hillcrest at East Aurora
Glenbard South vs. Nazareth at Nazareth
Mahomet-Seymour vs. Ottawa at Normal West
Metamora vs. Jacksonville at Lincoln
Morris vs. LaSalle-Peru at Ottawa
Triad vs. Centralia at Breese Central
Highland vs. Dunlap at SHG
Mascoutah vs. Marion at Mount Vernon
Decatur MacArthur vs. Peoria at Bloomington
Kankakee vs. Mount Vernon at Decatur MacArthur
4A
Richmond-Burton vs. Ridgewood at Jacobs
Sullivan vs. UP-Bronzeville at Hanson
Wheaton Academy vs. Providence at Neuqua Valley
JCA vs. Phillips at Shepard
Hyde Park vs. Johnsburg at Elk Grove
Dixon vs. Rochelle at Oregon
St. Francis vs. Marengo at South Elgin
Evergreen Park vs. Comer at St. Rita
Carterville vs. Geneseo at Glenwood
Coal City vs. East Alton-Wood River at Mahomet-Seymour
Rochester vs. Effingham at Mount Zion
Breese Central vs. Mount Zion at Effingham
SHG vs. Hall at East Peoria
Richland County vs. Waterloo at Centralia
Macomb vs. Quincy Notre Dame at Illini West
Murphysboro vs. Columbia at Sparta
3A
Peotone vs. Princeton at Seneca
Genoa-Kingston vs. Elmwood/Brimfield at Hall
IC Catholic vs. King at Riverside-Brookfield
Stillman Valley vs. Monmouth-Roseville at Geneseo
Reed-Custer vs. Carver at Lincoln-Way Central
Durand/Pecatonica vs. Catalyst-Maria at Burlington Central
Seneca vs. Winnebago at Mendota
Byron vs. Lisle at Sycamore
Prairie Central vs. PBL at GCMS
Hillsboro vs. Roxana at Staunton
Harrisburg vs. Tolono Unity at Richland County
Monticello vs. Mt. Carmel at Mattoon
Benton vs. Olympia at North Mac
SJO vs. Robinson at Charleston
Williamsville vs. Carlinville at Rochester
Eureka vs. Beardstown at Canton
2A
Maroa-Forsyth vs. North Lawndale at Bradley-Bourbonnais
El Paso-Gridley vs. Farmington at Peoria Stadium
Rockridge vs. Newman at United Township
Mercer County vs. Bloomington Central Catholic at Dunlap
BHRA vs. Westville at Danville
Knoxville vs. Mendon Unity at Macomb
Wilmington vs. Chicago Christian at Joliet Memorial Stadium
Tri-Valley vs. Clifton Central at Pontiac
St. Teresa vs. Chester at Edwardsville
Carmi-White County vs. Athens at O'Fallon
Pana vs. Auburn at Taylorville
Fairfield vs. North Mac at Vandalia
Johnston City vs. Flora at Hamilton County
ALAH vs. Vandalia at Shelbyville
Althoff vs. Shelbyville at Salem
Red Bud vs. Nashville at Belleville East
1A
Lena-Winslow vs. Chicago Richards at Hampshire
ROWVA/Williamsfield vs. Stark County at Galva
Fulton vs. Aurora Christian at Dixon
Annawan/Wethersfield vs. Rockford Lutheran at Rock Falls
Chicago Hope vs. Goode at Mount Carmel (on Dante)
St. Bede vs. Forreston at Rochelle
Ottawa Marquette vs. Morrison at Bureau Valley
Dakota vs. Iroquois West at Yorkville
Ridgeview/Lexington vs. Madison at Springfield Southeast
Red Hill vs. Salt Fork at Marshall
Tuscola vs. Brown County at Riverton
Routt vs. Villa Grove at Warrensburg-Latham
Camp Point Central vs. Dupo at Jersey
Sesser-Valier vs. Central A&M at Greenville
Greenfield/Northwestern vs. Calhoun at Carrollton
Rushville-Industry vs. Cumberland at Williamsville
Thoughts?
- THIS IS A THOUGHT EXPERIMENT. I know it would never happen and maybe isn't even a good idea, but I had fun with it.
- I generally prefer turf over grass. That's not necessarily my thoughts for what makes a "good field" in the regular season; I only prefer turf in the playoffs because it's November and the weather is bad.
- The main thing is what's between the schools. I generally prefer stadiums with more seats over those with less.
- This is more a problem with lower classes, but I prefer stadiums with substantial visitor's side seats.
- No doubling up - one game per stadium, per round.
- I went 8A first and then on down.
- I only used other high school fields. No colleges (at least not first round!).
- I kept the all-CPS games at CPS fields.
So, without further ado:
8A
LWE vs. Conant at Downers Grove South
Lane Tech vs. Neuqu Valley at York
Warren vs. Stevenson at Libertyville
Huntley vs. Andrew at West Aurora
South Elgin vs. Belleville East at Champaign Centennial
Maine South vs. Bolingbrook at Lyons
Glenbard West vs. Lockport at Bolingbrook
Glenbrook South vs. Homewood-Flossmoor at Morton
York vs. Oswego East at Wheaton-Warrenville South
Naperville North vs. Marist at Hinsdale Central
Palatine vs. Downers Grove South at Addison Trail
Glenbard East vs. Minooka at Plainfield East
Plainfield North vs. Rich Township at Lincoln-Way West
Lyons vs. Naperville Central at Downers Grove North
Loyola vs. Plainfield South at Lake Park
O'Fallon vs. Edwardsville at Collinsville
7A
Mount Carmel vs. Buffalo Grove at Leyden
Lincoln Park vs. Downers Grove North at OPRF
Collinsville vs. Bradley-Bourbonnais at Normal Community
Jacobs vs. Brother Rice at Glenbard North
St. Charles North vs. Maine West at Streamwood
Elk Grove vs. Hoffman Estates at Conant
Prospect vs. Reavis at Ridgewood
St. Rita vs. Geneva at Glenbard East
Hersey vs. Argo at Maine South
Guilford vs. Batavia at Huntley
Yorkville vs. Libertyville at Elgin
Moline vs. DeKalb at Sterling
Pekin vs. Plainfield Central at Streator
Hononegah vs. Normal Community at LaSalle-Peru
Wheaton North vs. Willowbrook at Glenbard West
Lake Zurich vs. Larkin at Dundee-Crown
6A
Wauconda vs. Schurz at Stevenson
Niles Notre Dame vs. Antioch at Mundelein
Deerfield vs. St. Ignatius at Maine West
Belvidere North vs. Grayslake Central at Woodstock
Prairie Ridge vs. Crystal Lake South at Crystal Lake Central (too easy!)
Kaneland vs. Riverside-Brookfield at West Chicago
Grayslake North vs. Senn at Buffalo Grove
Amundsen vs. Harlem at Barrington
Lemont vs. Blue Island Eisenhower at Sandburg
Glenwood vs. Quincy at Jacksonville
Perspectives vs. Kenwood at Gately
Bremen vs. Washington at Ottawa Marquette (I know, they're a 1A school, they have a big facility)
Simeon vs. Oak Forest at Marist
Crete-Monee vs. Champaign Centennial at Kankakee
Normal West vs. Danville at Urbana
East St. Louis vs. Richards at Decatur Eisenhower
5A
Sycamore vs. Westinghouse at Fenton
Bulls Prep vs. Carmel at Niles Notre Dame
Goode vs. Pritzker at Rockne
Sterling vs. St. Viator at DeKalb
Morgan Park vs. Fenwick at Argo
Payton vs. Speer at Lane
Boylan vs. Hillcrest at East Aurora
Glenbard South vs. Nazareth at Nazareth
Mahomet-Seymour vs. Ottawa at Normal West
Metamora vs. Jacksonville at Lincoln
Morris vs. LaSalle-Peru at Ottawa
Triad vs. Centralia at Breese Central
Highland vs. Dunlap at SHG
Mascoutah vs. Marion at Mount Vernon
Decatur MacArthur vs. Peoria at Bloomington
Kankakee vs. Mount Vernon at Decatur MacArthur
4A
Richmond-Burton vs. Ridgewood at Jacobs
Sullivan vs. UP-Bronzeville at Hanson
Wheaton Academy vs. Providence at Neuqua Valley
JCA vs. Phillips at Shepard
Hyde Park vs. Johnsburg at Elk Grove
Dixon vs. Rochelle at Oregon
St. Francis vs. Marengo at South Elgin
Evergreen Park vs. Comer at St. Rita
Carterville vs. Geneseo at Glenwood
Coal City vs. East Alton-Wood River at Mahomet-Seymour
Rochester vs. Effingham at Mount Zion
Breese Central vs. Mount Zion at Effingham
SHG vs. Hall at East Peoria
Richland County vs. Waterloo at Centralia
Macomb vs. Quincy Notre Dame at Illini West
Murphysboro vs. Columbia at Sparta
3A
Peotone vs. Princeton at Seneca
Genoa-Kingston vs. Elmwood/Brimfield at Hall
IC Catholic vs. King at Riverside-Brookfield
Stillman Valley vs. Monmouth-Roseville at Geneseo
Reed-Custer vs. Carver at Lincoln-Way Central
Durand/Pecatonica vs. Catalyst-Maria at Burlington Central
Seneca vs. Winnebago at Mendota
Byron vs. Lisle at Sycamore
Prairie Central vs. PBL at GCMS
Hillsboro vs. Roxana at Staunton
Harrisburg vs. Tolono Unity at Richland County
Monticello vs. Mt. Carmel at Mattoon
Benton vs. Olympia at North Mac
SJO vs. Robinson at Charleston
Williamsville vs. Carlinville at Rochester
Eureka vs. Beardstown at Canton
2A
Maroa-Forsyth vs. North Lawndale at Bradley-Bourbonnais
El Paso-Gridley vs. Farmington at Peoria Stadium
Rockridge vs. Newman at United Township
Mercer County vs. Bloomington Central Catholic at Dunlap
BHRA vs. Westville at Danville
Knoxville vs. Mendon Unity at Macomb
Wilmington vs. Chicago Christian at Joliet Memorial Stadium
Tri-Valley vs. Clifton Central at Pontiac
St. Teresa vs. Chester at Edwardsville
Carmi-White County vs. Athens at O'Fallon
Pana vs. Auburn at Taylorville
Fairfield vs. North Mac at Vandalia
Johnston City vs. Flora at Hamilton County
ALAH vs. Vandalia at Shelbyville
Althoff vs. Shelbyville at Salem
Red Bud vs. Nashville at Belleville East
1A
Lena-Winslow vs. Chicago Richards at Hampshire
ROWVA/Williamsfield vs. Stark County at Galva
Fulton vs. Aurora Christian at Dixon
Annawan/Wethersfield vs. Rockford Lutheran at Rock Falls
Chicago Hope vs. Goode at Mount Carmel (on Dante)
St. Bede vs. Forreston at Rochelle
Ottawa Marquette vs. Morrison at Bureau Valley
Dakota vs. Iroquois West at Yorkville
Ridgeview/Lexington vs. Madison at Springfield Southeast
Red Hill vs. Salt Fork at Marshall
Tuscola vs. Brown County at Riverton
Routt vs. Villa Grove at Warrensburg-Latham
Camp Point Central vs. Dupo at Jersey
Sesser-Valier vs. Central A&M at Greenville
Greenfield/Northwestern vs. Calhoun at Carrollton
Rushville-Industry vs. Cumberland at Williamsville
Thoughts?