Crystal ball says Fox Valley will have 7 playoff teams

It's that time. Week 7. Conference championships on the line. Playoff berths to be secured or lost.

And, time for the annual look into the crystal ball at how the football postseason is shaping up for Fox Valley area schools.

And the crystal ball says…

Elgin: The Maroons are in a great position to secure the program's first playoff berth since 2001, but they will most likely need wins in 2 of their last 3 games; they host Batavia tonight, play at St. Charles East next week then finish the regular season at home against Metea Valley. Can you say 7-2? It's certainly possible, but so is 4-5. One thing abundantly clear is that Elgin won't get in at 5-4. The Maroons only have 18 playoff points right now and considering the cut last year was 38, it's not likely there will be a postseason bid with a 5-4 record. Prediction: Maroons fall to Batavia but win out and head to the playoffs 6-3.Larkin: The playoffs are now for the 2-4 Royals and even if they win out, a berth at 5-4 will be iffy. Larkin does have 24 points right now but will be on or under the bubble if it does win out. The Royals are at St. Charles North tonight, host Streamwood next week and finish at Geneva. Prediction: Royals get disappointed when they go to Geneva 4-4 and have their playoff hopes dashed by the Vikings, who will also claim the Upstate Eight River title..Bartlett: Beating South Elgin last week not only rekindled the Hawks' iffy playoff chances but kept alive a slim hope of winning the Upstate Eight Valley title. More importantly, that 42-23 victory over the Storm put the Hawks at 4-2 for the season and they now stand a good chance of being at least 6-3, if not 7-2. Bartlett is at Metea Valley tonight, then there's a big one at Millennium Field next Friday with Neuqua Valley, and then it's a trip to Roy E. Davis Field and East Aurora to close out the regular season. Prediction: On a 6-game roll, Bartlett wins out and heads to the postseason 7-2..South Elgin: Last week was a setback for the Storm, but not a great one as they still have a shot at 8-1 and the conference championship. A breather at East Aurora tonight sets South Elgin up for the final two weeks of the season, in which it plays at Geneva in a crossover, and then hosts Waubonsie Valley in what will likely be a game for the UEC Valley marbles and the better seed in the playoffs. The Storm can clinch a playoff berth win a win tonight but then the question will be Class 7A or 8A. As of today, the Storm would in 8A. But South Elgin's enrollment is 19 above the current cut for 7A, so coach Dale Schabert and his staff have to spread their scouting between the two classes, and they may not know which class they'll be in until Pairings Night Oct. 23. Prediction: The Storm Nation will cheer its team onto the UEC Valley title and 8-1 South Elgin will host a first-round playoff game..St. Edward: The Green Wave can punch their second straight ticket to The Dance with a win at Aurora Central Catholic, but coach Mike Rolando and his crew want more #8211; they want to finish 8-1 and get that home game in the postseason. St. Edward also still has a shot at the Suburban Christian Gold title. The Wave will have to be road warriors to get it done though. After tonight's trip to Aurora, they head to Woodstock next week to face Marian Central in a crossover, and then they finish at Wheaton Academy in what is shaping up to be the SCC Gold title game. Like South Elgin, St. Edward could be on the class bubble. There's a 43-student difference in the Green Wave staying in Class 3A, as they are today, or bumping up to Class 4A. Prediction: Aurora Christian was a bump in the road. Rolando and his kids have worked too hard to let this opportunity slip away. There will be at least one more game at Greg True Field this season as the Wave win out, go 8-1, and host a playoff game for the first time in school history..Crystal Lake South and Cary-Grove: The Gators are on a roll, the only undefeated team left in the Fox Valley, and it will all come to a head next week against steamrolling Cary-Grove, which has won 4 straight after an 0-2 start. If South and Cary-Grove take care of business tonight against Huntley and McHenry respectively, the Clash of the Fox Valley Conference Valley Division Titans next week at South's Ken Bruhn Field should be a humdinger. Cary-Grove closes with Dundee-Crown and South finishes with McHenry so both should be seeing postseason action again. Prediction: No way. South-Cary games are too unpredictable to predict. Ain't gonna go on a limb on this one..Huntley and Jacobs: Neither wants to lose again but their Week 9 matchup could be a playoff night for each. Jacobs has Dundee-Crown and McHenry on the road next week and should go into the Huntley game 5-3. Huntley, also 3-3 right now, will need an upset of CL South and then a win over Dundee-Crown to make it a 5-3 vs. 5-3 game in Week 9. The Red Raiders are in a worse position than Jacobs point-wise as the Golden Eagles have 27 and Huntley 23. Prediction: Jacobs wins out and goes to the postseason under new coach Bill Mitz for the first time since 2006..The spoilers: That would be teams like Streamwood, Dundee-Crown, Burlington Central and Hampshire #8211; squads that have had tough years but could walk away with some pride by upsetting a potential playoff team..Yes, when it comes to high school football, Rocktober is most definitely here.