Another good weekend would make DVC proud

Now that we've had a chance to catch our breath from the flurry of first-round playoff football action, let's take a look at some of the storylines so far.

DVC redo?:You had to wonder about the power of the DuPage Valley Conference following the first two weeks of nonconference play. Combined the eight teams went 8-8, a far cry from the 14-2 nonconference mark in 2010 and the .756 winning percentage over the last 10 years.As the DVC went into conference play, it looked like one of the state's strongest football leagues might be losing its muscle. If the first round of the playoffs was any indication, though, the DVC is alive and well.Five teams qualified for the postseason #8212; a strong number compared to past seasons #8212; and four teams advanced to the second round. Only Naperville North, which played Downers Grove South, fell in the first round.Is it time to get back on the DVC bandwagon? Let's take a look at the breakdown from the first round.Seventh-seeded Wheaton North (8-2), DVC co-champion with Wheaton Warrenville South, blanked No. 10 Jacobs 28-0 in Class 7A. The Golden Eagles, however, only finished tied for third in the Valley Division of the Fox Valley Conference.Eighth-seeded WW South (7-3) edged No. 9 Providence 23-16 in 7A, but the Celtics finished 1-3 in the Chicago Catholic Blue.In 8A ninth-seeded Naperville Central (7-3), third in the DVC, pounded No. 8 Minooka, which finished second in the Southwest Prairie. Eleventh-seeded Glenbard North (7-3), tied for fourth in the DVC, beat No. 6 Barrington, second in the Mid-Suburban West.Because none of the DVC qualifiers opened with a conference champion, skeptics have an argument to remain skeptical.If the DVC survives in bulk this week, however, the conference is definitely for real.Wheaton North takes on No. 2 Boylan (10-0), NIC-10 champion and last year's 6A title winner. WW South plays No. 1 Lincoln-Way East (10-0), the Southwest Suburban Blue champion considered to be a 7A favorite.Glenbard North faces Mid-Suburban West champion Palatine (9-1), the No. 3 seed that's riding a nine-game winning streak. Naperville Central might have the best matchup of the bunch against No. 16 Belleville East (6-4), which knocked off No. 1 Waubonsie Valley last week.By the end of the weekend, the DVC might have made quite a statement.QB-1...with a bullet:Two-time defending Class 5A state champion Montini (8-2) knew it was getting a good one when quarterback John Rhode transferred in from Marian Catholic.Now that he's back in the lineup after fracturing a thumb in the week leading up to the season opener, the Broncos are getting an eyeful of his impact on the offense.Since returning in Week 6, the numbers for the 6-foot, 195-pound senior have been staggering. In five games Rhode has completed 74 percent of his passes for 1,496 yards, 26 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. That's an average of 300 yards and 5 touchdowns per game.Can you imagine Rhode's numbers had he played the whole season? In 10 games, doubling his five-game numbers, it could look something like 3,000 passing yards and 50 touchdowns.And can you imagine what Nebraska-bound receiver Jordan Westerkamp's numbers would look like? As it is now, the 6-1, 200-pound senior boasts 56 catches for 983 yards and 17 touchdowns. Regardless of what might have been stat-wise, though, the goal of a third straight 5A title is entirely realistic with Rhode healthy.Another tough draw:You've got to feel for Addison Trail, which won the outright West Suburban Gold title for the first time since 2006 and entered the Class 7A playoffs as a No. 6 seed.A tough draw found the Blazers matched up last week with Carmel (7-3), a deceiving 11th seed considering its regular season. The Corsairs lost their three games by a total of 8 points, including a 65-63 double-overtime defeat to Marist. It was the latest in a series of tough draws for Addison Trail. Last season, in the 6A bracket, the Blazers opened with unbeaten and eventual state champion Rockford Boylan. In 2006 Addison Trail posted another 8-1 regular-season record in winning the Gold crown. As a fifth seed in 7A, the reward was No. 12 Providence, whose 5-4 record was as deceptive as Carmel's this season.Addison Trail fell in the first round as Providence advanced all the way to the 7A semifinals. Owens out:Hinsdale Central faced a rugged assignment against Mt. Carmel in the opening round of the Class 8A playoffs. The Red Devils held their own in a 28-14 loss at Gately Stadium, a game they played without junior quarterback Brian Owens.Owens missed the game after suffering a concussion in the regular-season finale against York. It was the second time in three years Hinsdale Central lost its starting quarterback to a concussion heading into the playoffs. The same thing happened in 2009 to John Whitelaw, the All-Area Captain that year, to end his high school career.Luckily for Owens, his senior year already is shaping up to be a good one. This season, after seizing the starting job midway through, he completed 67 percent of his passes for 1,843 yards and 12 touchdowns while rushing for 274 yards and 5 scores. kschmit@dailyherald.com