Brother Rice back in the mix

It's quarterfinals week.

Several outstanding matchups are on the docket this weekend in IHSA football state playoff quarterfinal action. Here's a look at a few outstanding games to keep an eye on outside of the Daily Herald readership area.

Brother Rice (9-2) at Homewood-Flossmoor (7-4):ŒThe Brother Rice Crusaders for some reason always seem to fall a bit under the rankings radar, yet here they are back in the Class 8A quarterfinals under coach Steve Nye. Homewood-Flossmoor has finally begun to play as a team this season and Vikings have as much raw talent as anyone in the Class 8A bracket.

Oak Forest (10-1) at Richards (11-0):ŒThis is the second matchup between these two south suburban football powers. Richards defeated Oak Forest 21-0 way back in Week 3 of the regular season. Oak Forest has improved its offense since the first showdown behind senior quarterback Ron Czarnecki and a host of speedy underclassmen in the backfield. Both schools play hard-nosed defense, and Richards is led on offense by senior Division-I prospect quarterback Tommie Thomas. Thomas has several scholarship offers and is being recruited as a safety prospect at the college level.

Metamora (11-0) at Pontiac (9-2):ŒThese two traditional power programs in Class 5A will once again hook up in the state playoffs. Metamora has scored an amazing 557 points in 11 games so far this season. The Redbirds boast two Division-I prospects this fall in senior quarterback Caleb TerBush (Purdue) and senior tight end-linebacker Brad Herman (Iowa). Pontiac has also been on a roll behind junior quarterback Michael Panno and a quick and athletic defense.