Five games to watch in the quarterfinals of IHSA state high school playoffs
Here are five games to keep an eye on in the quarterfinals of high school football playoffs with Friday Night Lights now a thing of the past and all the action moving to Saturdays.
We're down to 32 teams in the state who are all two wins away from playing for a state championship Thanksgiving weekend in Champaign.
No. 8 Warren (10-1) at No. 1 Lincoln-Way East (11-0), 1 p.m.
Neuqua Valley had its chance last week against the Griffins, ranked behind only Loyola in the Class 8A AP state poll. The Wildcats lost a close one, 17-14, and Warren will try to get over the hump behind senior running back Charley Thompson, who rushed for 224 yards last week in a 41-7 win at Andrew.
No. 5 Glenbard West (10-1) at No. 13 Maine South (9-2), 6 p.m.
Two tradition-rich programs meet Saturday night in Park Ridge. The Hilltoppers have only lost to undefeated York by four points; Maine South's two losses are by a combined three points to Warren and Prospect. And speaking of York, the Dukes try to keep their undefeated 11-0 season going against 10-1 Palatine.
No. 11 Lake Zurich (10-1) at No. 3 Pekin (11-0), 2:30 p.m.
The Bears get the longest road trip of the weekend, a 140-mile trek south to play the Dragons, who are undefeated but not as battled tested as Lake Zurich whose schedule has included St. Charles North, Warren and last year's 7A state champs Wheaton North.
No. 12 St. Rita (9-2) at No. 4 St. Charles North (10-1), 1 p.m.
No. 7 Yorkville (10-1) at No. 18 Batavia (8-3), 1 p.m.
St. Charles North beat Batavia in a double overtime thriller in Week 9 of the regular season, and both these DuKane Conference teams remain alive in the Class 7A playoffs with home games Saturday. The North Stars draw last year's Class 7A runners-up while Batavia gets a Yorkville team with two Division I starters on its defensive line.
No. 3 St. Francis (10-1) at No. 7 Rochelle (9-2), 2 p.m.
No. 4 IC Catholic Prep (10-1) at No. 1 Princeton (11-0), 1 p.m.
Two DuPage County private schools have rolled through the first two rounds, St. Francis in 4A and IC Catholic Prep in 3A. They won their second round games by 42 and 28 points, respectively, and history says both are going to be tough for their opponents to match up with this weekend.