Here’s a look at the football matchups in the Fox area for the quarterfinal round, including Jacobs trying to keep its surprise postseason run alive and Cary-Grove putting its 11-0 record on the line.

Underdogs? Jacobs senior running back Ben Ludlum is having none of that.

Marist players responded in the second half, with the defense posting a shutout and the offense more than doubling its points total to help take down South Elgin 30-7 and move the Redhawks to the quarterfinals. “It’s a huge win for us and the program,” senior Jimmy Rolder said. “Just all of our hard work coming to use and putting it on the field. There is no better feeling.”

Here’s a look at the second round of playoffs for Fox area schools, including Batavia heading to Mt. Carmel, Jacobs hosting Normal, South Elgin traveling to Marist, and Geneva welcoming St. Rita, among others.

Here’s a look at some of the top storylines going into the second round of the playoffs, including an all-around excellent effort Cary-Grove’s Toby Splitt and Geneva’s defense coming up big in the second half at Collinsville, among others.

The backfield tandem of Luke Beedle and Walker Owens led Wheaton North to a 42-0 victory over Larkin in the opening round of the Class 7A playoffs. The Falcons, seeded fourth in 7A, will now host 13th-seeded Hoffman Estates (8-2) next week. Beedle and Owens accounted for most the Falcons’ 299 rushing yards and scored all six of the team’s touchdowns. Beedle gained 145 yards on 14 carries while Owens ran 13 times for 116 yards.

Playing in blustery, wet conditions throughout the game, Edwardsville (5-5) fell behind 21-0 at halftime and would never recover during their 24-13 loss to the South Elgin Storm in the opening round of the Class 8A playoffs in South Elgin. After a scoreless first quarter, the 2nd-seeded Storm (10-0) tallied 3 touchdowns during an 8 ½-minute span in the second quarter.

Neuqua Valley running back Jaden McGee knew there was rain in the forecast and he knew that meant the Wildcats coaches might just feed him the ball a little more than usual. He was right, and he took advantage of the opportunities he got against Bartlett in the Class 8A playoff opener in Naperville. McGee gained 109 yards and 2 touchdowns — all in the first half — as the 9-1 Wildcats pounded the visiting Hawks 60-7 to move onto the second round.

Here’s a look at the first round of playoffs for Fox area teams, including three 9-0 teams — Batavia, Cary-Grove and South Elgin — looking to start on the right foot, among others.

Here’s a look at some of the Fox storylines with the regular season coming to an end and the playoffs beginning, including some impressive numbers at Batavia and South Elgin, Larkin back in the postseason for the first time since 2006, and a look back at the seasons at West Aurora, Streamwood and St. Edward.