Scouting Fox first round playoff football games

Class 8A

No. 26 Lane Tech (6-3) at No. 7 South Elgin (8-1)

When: 1 p.m. Saturday.

About the Champions: Lane Tech is making its second straight postseason trip after a lengthy dry spell dating back to 2013. Last year, the Champions suffered a 37-0 first-round loss to Neuqua Valley. The Champions escaped with a 7-3 victory over Amundsen last week, as interceptions from Nolan Reynolds, Jacobi Thurmond, and Wesley Nunez paved the way. Junior quarterback Noah Mayra, who also serves as the Champions’ kicker, can hurt you with his arm and legs. “We don’t have any common opponents, so it is difficult to gauge them, but they have size, athleticism, and come from a conference filled with great athletes,” said South Elgin coach Dragan Teonic. “It will be a challenge to play on a Saturday against a new opponent.”

About the Storm: The playoffs are nothing new for South Elgin, which is making its sixth consecutive postseason appearance. The Storm is young but talented, led by junior tight end Ishmael George, junior linebacker London Leflore, junior linebacker Brandon Berrios, sophomore defensive lineman Frankie Macaluso, and senior linebacker Mikey Urso. Offensively, junior quarterback Kevon Brooks, Jr., has filled in admirably for injured junior starter Jack Ginnan. Senior tailback Ari Kravis has bounced back from an early season injury to lead the ground game. “All of these kids were up with us in the playoffs last year, so that experience has really helped,” said Teonic. “We’re going to have to be extremely physical because in 8A there is nowhere to hide. Our skill players must make plays in crucial situations.” Teonic has enjoyed his team’s determination on the way to its fifth straight Upstate Eight Conference title. “I love this team and its character, work ethic, and grit,” said the coach. “They’re a fun team to work with, and our small group of seniors have done a great job growing into leaders this season.” The winner will face either No. 10 Warren or No. 23 Oswego in the second round.

No. 29 West Aurora (5-4) at No. 4 Edwardsville (8-1)

When: 2 p.m. Saturday.

About the Blackhawks: West Aurora football is one of the top turnaround stories in the state this season. Following a 1-win campaign last year, the Blackhawks posted a winning record and reached the playoffs for the first time since 2018. “We were 1-8 last year and not very competitive in a lot of games to close out the season,” said Blackhawks coach Nate Eimer. “We just went 5-4 in a very tough conference and competed all year. I’m so proud of these coaches and kids for what they accomplished in just one year.” Many of the Blackhawks’ skilled players are young, including sophomore quarterback Mason Atkins and junior receivers Reece Powers and Terrence Smith. While Edwardsville is making its 12th consecutive playoff appearance, West Aurora players will be experiencing postseason play for the first time. What will Eimer tell his players? “Enjoy it,” said the coach. “I think it’s something like 46% of the teams in the state get to the point we are at. The intensity level will be high, but the SPC West has prepared us for this, so I don’t think that will be as much of an issue this time around.” The winner will advance to second-round action against either No. 13 Glenbard West or No. 20 Naperville North.

About the Tigers: Edwardsville can put points on the board. Led by senior quarterback Jake Curry, who has thrown for 19 touchdowns and completed 63% of his pass attempts, the Tigers average 40 points per game. They have topped the 40-point mark 6 times. Curry has plenty of help from receivers Kaylon Bursey, Michael Hedge, and junior 2-way standout Iose Epenesa. The 6-foot-4, 255-pound Epenesa, whose older brother, AJ, plays for the Buffalo Bills, is the team’s sacks leader from his defensive end spot while also playing tight end. The lone blemish on Edwardsville’s schedule was a 27-15 Week 8 loss to Southwestern Conference champion East St. Louis. “Edwardsville is one of the top teams in 8A,” said Eimer. “They are going to be explosive and play fast. We need to match that intensity.”

Class 7A

No. 26 Brother Rice (5-4) at No. 7 Batavia (8-1)

When: 7 p.m., Friday

About the Crusaders: Brother Rice is back in the postseason for a fifth straight season and second under coach Casey Quedenfeld. The Crusaders reached the Class 8A state title game in 2018, the state semifinals the following two playoffs and the quarterfinals last year. Brother Rice qualified for the playoffs after winning its last two games against Montini and St. Rita to reach five wins. Two of Brother Rice’s losses came against Loyola and Mount Carmel, the top-ranked teams in the 8A and 7A Associated Press polls, respectively. Nazareth, another team the Crusaders lost to, received votes in the latest 5A poll. Navy commit Randall Nauden is an explosive running back who can burst for a long run or pick up critical yards. His pass-catching abilities also are hard to stop. Brother Rice had to revamp its defense without junior linebacker Christian Pierce, who is out for the season with an injury and holds offers from Ohio State, Michigan, Texas and Illinois. The Crusaders also have been without two defensive line starters and have a young secondary.

About the Bulldogs: Batavia ran through the DuKane Conference with an undefeated 7-0 record. Their lone loss was a one point nail-biter to Lincoln-Way East back in Week 2. This Bulldogs team has plenty of firepower on both sides of the ball to make a run to Normal. Senior quarterback Ryan Boe put a bow on a phenomenal regular season with a six-touchdown effort against Glenbard North on Oct. 20. The Bulldogs have depth at running back with Charlie Whelpley (516 yards, 7 TDs), Nathan Whitwell (349 yards, 7 TDs) and Zach Granberg (434 yards). Pat McNamara, Luke Alwin, CJ Valente and Isaiah Brown also are capable of explosive plays. Defensively, the Bulldogs’ front seven is arguably the best in the conference with Jordan Buckley, Cody Heeringa and Malachi Smith anchoring the defensive line and SIU commit Ben Fiegel (67 tackles), RJ Bohr (41 tackles) and Ben Brown (36 tackles) headlining the linebacker corps. Add in a secondary that is led by Kyle Porter (49 tackles) and Chase Osborne (61 tackles) and the Bulldogs are primed for a deep run.

Up next: The winner plays either Lincoln-Way Central (8-1) or Jacobs (6-3) in the second round.

Class 6A

No. 9 Kaneland (6-3) at No. 8 Riverside-Brookfield (7-2)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

About Riverside-Brookfield: The Bulldogs as an independent played an unusual schedule this season, its last seven games against teams from the Southland Conference before R-B joins the Upstate Eight Conference next year. R-B won its last four games, including a Week 9 35-20 win over Rich Township. This is the Bulldogs’ fourth straight playoff appearance and the program’s eighth since 2014 but they seek their first playoff win since reaching the 2015 Class 6A quarterfinals. Senior QB Diego Gutierrez is a three-year starter, but injured an ankle in a Week 7 win over Thornridge. R-B has scored 298 points in its seven wins, just 13 combined in losses to Kankakee and Crete-Monee — the only teams with winning records the Bulldogs have played. The teams met in last season’s playoffs, with Kaneland winning 35-14 before losing to Prairie Ridge in the second round.

About Kaneland: Kaneland’s three losses this year have come to three teams that are a combined 25-2 heading into the postseason. They led in the fourth quarter in each of those games against Washington, Morris and Sycamore. The Knights have qualified for six straight postseason and have only missed the playoffs three times since 1995. The Knights have proved explosive on offense even against the best defenses. Sycamore gave up more than seven points this year twice — once was to the Knights. Morris gave up more than 20 points once — it was in a 43-33 win over Kaneland.

Up next: The winner faces No. 16 Crystal Lake Central (5-4) or No. 1 Lake Zurich (8-1).

No. 10 Chicago Senn (6-3) at No. 7 Geneva (7-2)

When: 7:30 p.m., Friday

About the Bulldogs: This is the second consecutive postseason appearance for Senn of the Chicago Public League. The Bulldogs ended the regular season on a two-game winning streak after a three-game skid. Junior quarterback Thijs Fosco is their standout on offense, but the program has apparently struggled with maintaining numbers for their varsity roster.

About the Vikings: Geneva was a handful of plays from possibly being 8-1, if not undefeated. The Vikings’ two losses to Wheaton North and Batavia were by a combined four points. Offensively, quarterback Nate Stempowski has been extremely reliable and effective as both a passer and a runner. Standout wide receiver Talyn Taylor apparently has been hobbled by an injury and has missed the last few weeks and his availability moving forward is uncertain. Troy Velez (348 yards) and Michael Rumoro (392 yards) have found success in the rushing attack and tight end Michael Loberg has been productive. Defensively, Rocco DiLeonardi (34 tackles, three sacks) headlines the group up front. Standout linebacker Tommy Diamond (42 tackles), when healthy, has gotten the job done. Senior defensive back Charlie Winterhalter (65 tackles) led the defense in tackles during the regular season.

No. 17 St. Charles North (6-3) at No. 16 Bradley Bourbonnais (6-3)

When: 6 p.m., Saturday

About the North Stars: St. Charles North closed the regular season with a 20-10 loss to Geneva on Oct. 20, but the North Stars have shown the ability to put together solid stretches of winning football. Led by junior quarterback Ethan Plumb, the offense can put points up in a hurry with an experienced wideout corps led by Jake Mettetal, Anthony Taormina, Aedan Hayes and tight end Jake Furtney. The rushing attack has been steady with Joell Holloman. Defensively, Furtney is the standout as a linebacker/edge rusher. He is complemented by Jesse Moreno and Angelo Bradley. Julio Sanchez also has flashed in the past few weeks. Jaden Harmon is a reliable and athletic safety on the back end of the defense. Keep an eye on linebacker Aidan McClure, who had three interceptions in Week 8.

About the Boilermakers: Bradley ended the regular season with a tough 42-41 loss to Lincoln-Way Central in overtime. This is the second consecutive season that the Boilermakers have qualified for the postseason. Bradley has scored at least 38 points in all but two of its games.

Up next: The winner faces either Normal (9-0) or Argo (5-4) in the second round.

Libertyville (5-4) at Cary-Grove (7-2)

When: Friday, 6:30 p.m.

Seeds: Libertyville is the No. 14 seed in the top half of the 6A bracket; Cary-Grove is the No. 3 seed

Outlook: The Wildcats have some work to do here on the road against a perennial state power. Libertyville is 2-2 in its last four games, but those losses were by a point to North Suburban runner-up Lake Zurich and by a touchdown to Stevenson. Cary-Grove, coming off an uncharacteristic 3-6 mark last year, finished third in the Fox Valley Conference. Of note with the Trojans, both of their losses came to the teams that finished higher than them in the conference. Cary-Grove lost by a point (21-20) to FVC champion Prairie Ridge and by a point to runner-up Huntley (29-28). The Trojans played all conference games during the regular season.

Up next: Winner gets either No. 11 Highland Park (6-3) or No. 6 Chicago Mather (7-2)

Class 1A

No. 11 Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley (6-3) at No. 6 Aurora Christian (7-2)

When: 7 p.m. Friday.

About the Falcons: A playoff qualifier for the first time since 2019, Falcons coach Mike Allen is no stranger to postseason play. Allen guided the team to back-to-back Class 2A state championships in 2017 and 2018. This year’s squad features junior quarterback Brayden Elliott, senior tailback Aiden Sancken, junior wide receiver Austin Kasper, junior tight end Ryker Grauer, and sophomore wideout Conner Kinzinger. Defensively, the Falcons allow 12 points per game. Class 1A playoff qualifier Forreston scored the most points against the Falcons — 22 during a 1-point victory in Week 7. “Gibson City is a very good team,” said Aurora Christian coach David Beebe. “They are fast to the ball and physical on defense, and they have shown that they can run and throw the ball. It will be a great challenge for us.”

About the Eagles: Aurora Christian is making its fifth consecutive postseason trip but hasn’t won a playoff game since 2018 — a 41-0 second-round victory over Princeville. Three straight postseason appearances were ended by perennial powerhouse Lena-Winslow (2018, 2019, 2021). This year’s group, led by sophomore quarterback Jalen Carter, is battle-tested, having faced Class 4A playoff qualifier Wheaton Academy, 2A qualifier Chicago Christian, and 1A qualifier Hope Academy. Last weekend, the Eagles finished their regular season with a 36-7 win over Chicago Christian. The Eagles have topped the 40-point mark 5 times, while their defense has recorded 3 shutouts. The defense features linebacker Rudy Griffing, Owen Hampton, Donnie Meyer, Jonan Miceli, Sal Delgado, and Brodin Pesek. Sophomore Zach Zappia handles the kicking. “It has been a great year on so many levels,” said Beebe. “I just love this team. They play hard and unselfishly. We’ve all had a lot of fun and grown a lot this year.” Now, the Eagles prepare for their first home playoff game in 6 seasons. “It means a lot to our kids to have a home playoff game,” added the coach. “But we are 0-0 now, and our mindset must be that. To win playoff games, we must play great defense and take care of the ball. We must stay calm and disciplined.” The winner will face either No. 3 Hope Academy or No. 14 Peru St. Bede in next weekend’s second round.