Week 2 playoffs, North Suburban: A Stevenson-Loyola rematch

CLASS 8ANo. 16 Stevenson Patriots (7-3) at No. 1 Loyola Ramblers (10-0)When: noon, Saturday

Last week: Stevenson def. Conant, 43-35; Loyola def. West Aurora, 31-0.

Playoff history: Stevenson is making its 27th straight playoff appearance. The Patriots posted their best finish in school history last season by winning the Class 8A state championship, 35-21 over Homewood-Flossmoor…Loyola is making its 13th straight playoff appearance. The Ramblers won the state title in 1993 and took second place in 1992, 2011 and 2013. Last year, Loyola lost in the second round to Stevenson, 24-21.

Skinny: This is a rematch of a second-round game from last year. The Patriots defeated Loyola by 3 points en route to the Class 8A state championship…Stevenson is coming off a crazy finish last week. The Patriots had to erase a 16-point, third-quarter deficit and kick a 27-yard field goal with 3:49 left to finally overcome a pesky Conant team. Stevenson got a huge game out of quarterback Jack Sorenson, who completed 22-of-35 passes for 329 yards and a touchdown. Sorenson also rushed for 2 touchdowns. The Marchese brothers were Sorenson's most frequent targets. Henry Marchese caught 10 passes for 140 yards while Michael Marchese caught 7 passes for 79 yards…Loyola, which is allowing only 7.3 points per game, held West Aurora to just 75 yards of offense in last week's shutout victory. The Ramblers have posted 4 shutouts this season and have allowed eight or fewer points in seven games. Loyola had a nice balance of offense last week. Running back Dara Laja had 159 yards and 2 touchdowns on 22 carries while quarterback Emmett Clifford completed 11-of-24 passes for 112 yards.

Up next: Winner advances to the quarterfinals and will face the winner of No. 9 New Trier (9-1) at No. 6 Homewood-Flossmoor (9-1).

CLASS 8ANo. 6 Naperville Central Redhawks (9-1) at No. 22 Warren Blue Devils (6-4) When: 7 p.m., Friday

Last week: Naperville Central def. Bolingbrook, 14-7; Warren def. Chicago Curie, 42-41 OT.

Playoff history: Naperville Central is making its third straight playoff appearance. The Redhawks won state titles in 1999 and 2013 and placed second in 1995 and 2001. Naperville Central lost in the quarterfinals last year to Chicago Simeon, 34-20.…Warren is making its 14th playoff appearance in the last 16 years, and its fourth straight. Last year, Warren lost to Loyola Academy in the first round, 37-20.

Skinny: Warren rallied from deficits multiple times last week and then connected on a PAT in overtime to pull out a thrilling win over Chicago Curie. It was Warren's second overtime win this season…Jalen Powe, normally a safety and kick returner, got spot duty at quarterback during crunch time to lead the Blue Devils on their winning drive. He scored on a 7-yard run. Powe led Warren in rushing with 118 yards on 12 carries. Darrius Crump added 93 yards on 19 carries. Quarterback Kyle Debevec got nearly half of his 104 passing yards on a 50-yard touchdown pass to Jalin Tolbert…Down 7-0 at halftime last week, Naperville Central rallied in the second half with 2 rushing touchdowns from Luke Brady. Quarterback Conor Joyce completed 13-of-21 passes for 175 yards. He also rushed for 100 yards on 22 carries.

Up next: Winner advances to the quarterfinals and will face the winner of No. 30 Waubonsie Valley (6-4) at No. 19 Neuqua Valley (7-3).

CLASS 7ANo. 14 Lincoln-Way East Griffins (8-2) at No. 3 Libertyville Wildcats (10-0)When: 1 p.m., Saturday

Radio: WRLR 98.3 FM or WRLR.FM (pregame at 12:30 p.m.).

Last week: Lincoln-Way East def. Jacobs, 40-6; Libertyville def. Downers Grove North, 56-24.

Playoff history: Lincoln-Way East is making its 15th straight playoff appearance. The Griffins won a state title in 2005 and placed second in 2012. Last year, Lincoln-Way East lost in the quarterfinals to Mt. Carmel, 20-7…Libertyville is making its second straight playoff appearance and its fourth in five years. The Wildcats won the Class 7A title in 2004. Last year, Libertyville was eliminated in the Class 7A semifinals by Cary-Grove, 41-7.

Skinny: Lincoln-Way East forced its will on Jacobs last week, forcing 4 turnovers in the process. The Griffins also didn't allow Jacobs to get a single rushing yard (on 22 carries). Meanwhile, Lincoln-Way East quarterback Brandon Bauer completed 18-of-29 passes for 190 yards…Libertyville's high-scoring offense, powered by versatile and dangerous quarterback Riley Lees, keeps rolling. The Wildcats have scored more than 40 points in eight of 10 games this season. Last week's 56-point outburst against Downers Grove North was a season-high. The Wildcats also rolled up 539 yards of offense. Lees alone rushed for 278 yards on 17 carries while Noah Moderwell added 118 yards on 15 carries. Lees also completed 9-of-10 passes for 126 yards, 80 of which went to Henry Schmidt.

Up next: Winner advances to the quarterfinals and will face the winner of No. 11 Maine South (8-2) at No. 6 Normal Community (9-1).