Business as usual, as Libertyville hosts Normal Community
CLASS 7A QUARTERFINALSNo. 6 Normal Community Ironmen (10-1) at No. 3 Libertyville Wildcats (11-0)When: 1 p.m., today
Radio: WRLR 98.3 FM or WRLR.FM; pregame show begins at 12:30 p.m.
Last week: Normal Community def. Maine South, 42-21; Libertyville def. Lincoln-Way East, 27-17.
Playoff history: Normal Community is making its 20th consecutive playoff appearance. The Ironmen won the Class 6A state championship in 2006 and placed second in 2005 and 1974. Last year, Normal was eliminated in the second round by Wheaton Warrenville South, 31-9…Libertyville is making its second straight playoff appearance and its fourth in five years. The Wildcats won the Class 7A title in 2004. Last year, Libertyville was eliminated in the Class 7A semifinals by Cary-Grove, 41-7.
Head coaches: Wes Temples, Normal; Mike Jones, Libertyville
Skinny: Turns out the road to the Class 7A state finals really does go through Libertyville. And not just because Libertyville has been one of the best teams in the state all season. The Wildcats are now hosting their third straight playoff game. They haven't been on the road since Oct. 16 and have played only one road game since Oct. 2. "It's been really nice to be playing (playoff games) at home," Libertyville coach Mike Jones said. "And to not have to go all the way to Normal this week was nice. We're glad we didn't have to plan that out. You hope (playing at home) can be an advantage."… Both the Libertyville and Normal offenses can put a ton of points on the scoreboard. Libertyville averages 42.5 points per game while Normal is right behind at 41.7 points per game. Normal's only loss came in Week 6. The Ironmen managed only 21 points in a 41-21 loss to Peoria, a fellow Big Twelve Conference team that won the league and is facing Lincoln-Way West in the Class 5A quarterfinals today. "Offensively, Normal is similar to Stevenson and to us a bit," Jones said. "They've got some of the same jet motion stuff that we run. They run counters like Stevenson does and they've got a quarterback who can run like we do."… Normal quarterback Grant Price has 747 rushing yards (on 115 carries) and 11 rushing touchdowns. He's passed for 2,056 yards on 142 of 216 attempts. He's rolled up 25 passing touchdowns to just 6 interceptions … Libertyville quarterback Riley Lees has rushed for 1,842 yards (on 152 carries) and 26 touchdowns. He's passed for 1,525 yards on 99 of 168 attempts. He has passed for 22 touchdowns and just 4 interceptions … Normal also has another 1,000-yard rusher in Alec Bozarth, who has rolled up exactly 1,000 yards and 18 touchdowns on 169 carries. Price has connected with four receivers who have at least 350 receiving yards apiece: Steven Towns, Dakota Cremeens, Christian Wey and Riley Rahuba. Towns leads the way with 610 receiving yards while Rahuba has caught a team-high 10 touchdown passes … Libertyville's other top rushing option is sturdy fullback Noah Moderwell, who has 641 yards and 11 touchdowns on 105 carries. Lees has connected with three receivers who have at least 350 receiving yards: Henry Schmidt, Tim Calamari and Cam Shaffer. Schmidt leads the way with 711 yards and 11 touchdowns. Calamari is coming off a game in which he caught 6 passes for 191 yards and 2 touchdowns. "Tim has great hands. We see that every day in practice," Jones said. "It makes him even more difficult to defend because we've got a few guys who can catch the ball like that. It's really nice." … Just as Libertyville is balanced and deep, so is Normal. Jones is hoping his defense, which is allowing just 12.5 points per game, has 2 shutouts and has allowed 7 or fewer points in six games, is up for the challenge. "Normal has a very good offense and can score a lot of points," Jones said. "Slowing that down is obviously a priority."
Up next: Winner advances to the semifinals and will face the winner of No. 31 Niles North (7-4) at No. 23 Bradley Bourbonnais (8-3).
Down the road: The other four teams still alive in the Class 7A bracket are: No. 1 Glenbard West (11-0) at No. 9 Rockford Auburn (10-1) and No. 5 Cary-Grove (10-1) at No. 4 Batavia (10-1).