Thanks to its ability to overcome some early game jitters third-seeded Neuqua Valley (10-1) was able to overcame host Palatine 31-8 at Chic Anderson Stadium in the second round of the Class 8A playoffs Saturday to advance to next weekend’s quarterfinal round versus No. 6 Maine South (10-1), a 21-18 winner over Plainfield North (8-3) in Park Ridge Saturday afternoon.

Not in our house. Not on this night. That was the sentiment senior quarterback Mark Forcucci and his Wheaton North teammates had Friday night and they wanted to convey that message early and often to visiting Hoffman Estates in the Class 7A second round football playoff. The Falcons scored a touchdown on their opening drive and then the defense stood tall with a pair of sacks that halted the Hawks’ opening drive. That early play set the stage for an impressive 38-8 victory by 10-1 Wheaton North which heads onto the round three with a ton of confidence.

Here’s a look at second round football playoff games in the Northwest suburbs, including Hoffman Estates at Wheaton North in Class 7A, as well as Plainfield North at Maine South and Neuqua Valley at Palatine in Class 8A.

It took a little while, but Palatine finally had a Ball. Trailing 17-14 in the third quarter, Palatine began leaning heavily on Dominick Ball. The junior running back didn’t disappoint, running for 124 yards and a touchdown in the period as the Pirates rallied for a 35-17 win over host Taft in the opening round of the Class 8A playoffs.

As Thornton Fractional South conducted its final practice in preparation for its contest versus Hoffman Estates a special guest made an surprise appearance-- a hawk flew in and perched itself just a few yards away from coach Bob Padjen’s team. “I didn’t notice it at first until my players told me,” Padjen said with a laugh. “It’s our playoff hawk who comes over to bring us luck.” Unfortunately for T. F. South, that luck ran out as it saw a mid-third quarter lead go by the wayside as the host Hawks would outscore it 20-6 the rest of the way, eventually holding on for a 34-26 win at Garber Stadium in round one Class 7A action Friday night.

It was all about the finish for Palatine. The Pirates, who came into Friday’s game with Hoffman Estates needing a win to gain a share of the Mid-Suburban West title, put the pedal down and blew past the Hawks 43-13 in Palatine.

The Chicago Bears announced Thursday that quarterback Aiden Cyr of Hoffman Estates was named the Chicago Bears “High School All-Star” for Week 8.

Aiden Cyr threw for 353 yards and 6 TDs and Jashawn Johnson caught 12 passes for 202 yards and 3 touchdowns to help Hoffman Estates to a 49-20 victory over Schaumburg in Mid-Suburban West action Friday. The win clinched a playoff spot for the Hawks and no worse than a share of the conference title.

Big stops on defense, and Dominick Ball running wild on offense. That was the recipe for a Palatine victory Friday night at Fremd. Led by 3 touchdowns and 245 yards rushing from Ball, a sophomore, the Pirates defeated the Vikings 31-16 in the Mid-Suburban West.

Jashawn Johnson racked up 217 receiving yards, scored 2 touchdowns and had 2 interceptions to lead Hoffman Estates to a 47-35 win over Conant in Mid-Suburban West action Friday in Hoffman Estates.