Which teams got great draws that could lead them further then expected in playoffs? Which teams that were successful in regular season got bad draws that could give them an earlier exit then expected? Will any team seeded in bottom half of there bracket make it to Dekalb and even win it all? LET THE PREDICTIONS ROLL.
Playoff Sleepers
- Thread starter Southland Fan 2016
- Start date
St.Patrick Shamrocks could make a run.
I think GBN got a horrible draw. Lost 3 games by 5 points in the DuKane. Open with Bolingbrook and if they can beat them Warren.
I think GBN got a horrible draw. Lost 3 games by 5 points in the DuKane. Open with Bolingbrook and if they can beat them Warren.
St.Patrick Shamrocks could make a run.
I agree about St. Patrick to a degree. Probably could have swapped seeds for St. Patrick and Nazareth. The drawback for the draw is that it could have led to two CCL teams in the 5A State Final.
I would say that St. Pats received a fortuitous draw being in the upper half of the north bracket. I see a walk for them to the final eight where they will then face GBS. If I'm Naz, Fenwick or Marmion, I would much rather face Sterling then Rochelle than eachother.
Looked like a favorable bracket for SP if they could get past Sterling. After seeing this post from a reliable source I like their chances in round 1.
Best Draws
8A-- South Elgin, by far the easiest 8A draw, can easily see them getting to semis
7A-- St. Rita, have to be the favorite to reach finals in the bottom half. The top half of 7A is stacked.
6A-- Lake Forest, pretty easy route to at least the semis
8A-- South Elgin, by far the easiest 8A draw, can easily see them getting to semis
7A-- St. Rita, have to be the favorite to reach finals in the bottom half. The top half of 7A is stacked.
6A-- Lake Forest, pretty easy route to at least the semis
I like Hinsdale Central's draw in 8A. If they get by Sandburg, I like them to get to the semi's. Bottom half of 8A appears to be much weaker than the top half.
You like South Elgin traveling to Marist in week 2?
I like Plainfield North to make a little noise in the bottom of that bracket.
I think Lake Forest v Wauconda could be a good game to get to the semis. I don’t know if Wauconda played great competition this season but they’ve rolled everyone they faced. I never count out PR too.
Elgin vs edwardsville, winner most likely plays Marist? Disagree with that take.
Yorkville outplayed them in every facet of the game - they were better offensively, slightly better defensively and they outcoached them. Not sure how much the news earlier that day affected them, but I know it was on their minds.
I agree. They had three big games this year (Rice, LA, MC) and lost them all by double digits.
I think that all 3 of those teams however are alot better then anyone else in Marist way up until quarters or semis. No one in bottom half outside of Marist and Nequa seem to be battled tested, that is why i think Marist could make a little surprising run to semis if not dekalb.
Well for us Public School people, traveling to some of the powerhouse Catholic League schools in week two after they've played high level teams most of the year poses a problem.
Catholic league bias…. Didnt they go 5-4 reg season a few yrs back and go deep in playoffs? Im guessing memories of that yr helps, but this board loves its CCL teams.
It will be the most difficult game of their route. My point is that of all possible 8A draws, they got the easiest possible draw. A bit tougher in 8A since there are so many high quality teams.
I think most would agree that is the easiest quarter of the draw by some margin.
I don't know if it's that much easier then the bottom quarter, but avoiding Loyola, Warren is typically welcomed.
The Souc picked my Palatine Pirates on Saturday night, but the draw is brutal and they'd need to beat Neuqua Valley and then Maine South for a second time this year to reach the semi-finals.
I disagree - HC beat LT (low playoff seed) handily, GW (mid playoff seed, hosting) in a defensive battle, and York (high playoff seed, hosting) in a shoot, 4th Qtr comeback. This is a much better team than their Wk 1 loss to NC (another playoff team), where they gave up 1 TD on defense, with the other NC score being a pick six.
Saying Marist and NV are the only battle tested teams in the bottom have is a incorrect.
The problem RD is that York and GW played no one in the nonconference and HC lost their matchup to a 3 loss NC. 0 quality wins for a conference means not a lot of battle testing. Also the conference has struggled the last 5 years in 8A.
Could have Bostick back by Neuqua. If that's the case, he is a difference maker
When watching teams outside of the CCL Blue, the first thing to look at is the offensive line and defensive line play. Are they big enough and athletic enough to compete? Teams like LWE and Warren have a ton of talent and size, which is why an elimination game is always a slugfest.
I started watching WWS and Batavia games because I am a BR fan.
WWS is a scrappy squad that will give it everything they've got on the field, but BR should take care of the business.
Batavia's defense is extremely well-coached, and they have a defensive tackle and running back that could start for any club.
Their offensive line, on the other hand, does not compare to that of Loyola, JCA, MC, or Marist.
I see the MC Batavia game as a toss-up, but I'll give MC the edge because they're at home. Lynch and his staff do an excellent job of establishing a home field advantage.
Thornwood could be beaten by MC sophomores. Unless Nate Thomas is held out for a super senior season that one is over early.
If I had to pinpoint the biggest difference it would be this. I will say one of those years Prospect beat MC, they were tremendously outsized and came up with a scheme to neutralize the size disadvantage.
That was my reasoning in stating that Batavia will be a difficult opponent for MC or BR. Multiple looks, blitzes, and zone tactics are all used to create havoc at the front of the defense. Very impressive. On both sides of the ball, MC and BR have greater talent and size.
That'd be nice. I'd written him off for the rest of the year, plus Coroneos has been phenomenal in Bostick's abscence.
That group of South Elgin, Marist and Hinsdale Central will be fun to watch. The competitive backgrounds of the teams are so different it is hard to know what to expect. South Elgin plays in a poor conference but has thoroughly dominated it. No team has come closer than 28 points and they have won their nine games by an average of 45 points. Marist is just the opposite. They finished in last place in the toughest conference in the state, but won all of their non-conference games. Hinsdale Central is in the middle. They play in a solid, but not great, conference. They are the conference champion after beating York by 4 points and Glenbard West by 6 points, but lost a non-conference game to (6-3) Naperville Central. I don't know what to expect but will root for South Elgin to break through and make the semifinals. It would be good for the Upstate Eight. Marist has already been there three times in the last five playoffs. Still, if Marist does make it to another semifinal, it would be nice to see them finally win a championship.
Willowbrook is capable of beating Moline in the second round, and even has a reasonable chance of pulling off a quarterfinal upset to make the final four.
Batavia and Mt. Carmel were dealt a difficult hand having to play each other in round two; and similarly Lena- Winslow and Forreston (two 1A powerhouses) will likely meet in the second round.
Batavia and Mt. Carmel were dealt a difficult hand having to play each other in round two; and similarly Lena- Winslow and Forreston (two 1A powerhouses) will likely meet in the second round.
great job on above...very informative. I do like the Caravan over Batavia in a close game, just think MC pulls away at the end
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