Saturday playoff pairings show on Comcast
The IHSA Football Playoff Pairing Show will return to Comcast SportsNet Chicago again when it airs from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday.
The show, which will reveal the brackets and first round matchups of all 256 playoff qualifiers across eight classes, can also be viewed via live interactive stream on the Internet at IHSA.tv and CSNChicago.com.
“The IHSA Football Playoff Pairing Show continues to be one of the most highly-anticipated events in the state of Illinois and we couldn’t be prouder to showcase two-straight hours of live, interactive coverage to our on-air and online viewers on Saturday night,” said Phil Bedella, VP/GM of Comcast SportsNet Chicago.
Woodstock Marian Central alum and CSN anchor Jen Lada will host the show and be joined by a panel of experts on-set, including longtime IHSA TV announcer Dave Bernhard and Kankakee Daily Journal sports writer and Illinois high school football bracketologist Steve Soucie.
The Daily Herald’s Kevin Schmit will also appear on the show as part of a panel discussing the pairings in classes 5-8A.
IHSA TV veteran and Rockford WTVO reporter Matt Rodewald will manage the interactive desk, chatting with fans via social media and taking their questions to the air. CSN prep football expert “Edgy” Tim O’Halloran will also join the show in-studio for the first time. Fans who want to interact with the show are encouraged to use the hashtag #IHSA.
The program will once again feature coach and media guests from around the state, while CSN camera crews will be roaming the Land of Lincoln catching live reactions from school parties.
In addition, for the first-time ever, fans will get to choose one of the coaches who will be interviewed on the show via voting online at CSNChicago.com/Preps and Twitter. Each of the coaches below can be voted for via poll on the Comcast SportsNet Chicago website (CSNChicago.com/Preps) or by accessing @IHSAState on Twitter and “retweeting” and “favoriting” the tweet for their favorite team’s coach.
1A: Matt Leng, Fisher; 2A: Mike McElroy, Elverado-Trico Co-op; 3A: Tim Nolen, Robinson; 4A Anthony Faltin, Walter Payton College Prep; 5A: Darin Driscoll, Bartonville Limestone; 6A: Rick Little, Quincy; 7A: Joe Wardynski, Wheaton North; 8A: Craig Buzea, Homewood-Flossmoor.
“This is one of the most exciting nights of the year,” said IHSA Executive Director Marty Hickman. “It is a great opportunity for teams and communities to come together and celebrate their accomplishments from the regular-season. This show has become an IHSA tradition and we are proud to partner with Comcast SportsNet Chicago, who does so much to enhance the experience for viewers across the state and country.”
The pairings show will be distributed to Comcast SportsNet Chicago’s entire viewing territory. Viewers are urged to visit CSNChicago.com to find the exact channel locations in their area or the IHSA’s channel finder by market.