Fox Valley's 'Fab Five' have tough openers
Five football teams from the northern Fox Valley area are playoff bound. Here's how the matchups shook out for the local teams when first-round pairings were released by the IHSA on Saturday night.
Bartlett: Making their ninth straight playoff appearance, the Hawks earned the top seed in the upper bracket of Class 8A. No. 1 Bartlett (9-0) will host No. 16 Niles Notre Dame (5-4) at Millennium Field in Streamwood on Friday at 7 p.m.
The Dons are the last of the six teams from the rugged East Suburban Catholic Conference to make the field of 256. Notre Dame is in the playoffs for the 10th time overall and the third straight year.
"It went pretty much like we thought," Bartlett coach Tom Meaney said. "We figured we'd get either Notre Dame or Stevenson (5-4). Maine South drew Stevenson, so we drew Notre Dame. They have a very tough defense. They've only given up 96 points, so we'll have our hands full."
A member of the Bartlett coaching staff scouted Notre Dame's 12-0 loss to Joliet Catholic on Friday.
If they win, the Hawks would face the winner of the rematch between crosstown rivals Palatine (7-2) and Fremd (7-2).
Crystal Lake South: By beating Woodstock 25-17 Saturday afternoon, the Gators (7-2) earned a home playoff game and the No. 6 seed in the upper bracket of Class 7A. They'll face No. 11 St. Charles North (6-3) at Ken Bruhn Field on Friday at 7 p.m.
The Gators are making their eighth straight playoff appearance. "It's not an easy draw, that's for sure, but not too many in 7A are," Gators coach Jim Stuglis said. "But it's a tough draw for everybody. I didn't anticipate somebody coming from down in that direction (St. Charles). I thought the IHSA would stay in quadrants, but you can never guess what they will do. We're excited about having the home game."
With a win CL South would advance to face the survivor of No. 14 Libertyville (5-4) vs. No. 3 Rockford Boylan (9-0).
Cary-Grove: The Trojans (9-0), making their 15th postseason appearance and fifth in a row, will host Rockford Guilford (5-4) in a first-round game on Saturday at 7 p.m.
This is the 12th playoff appearance for the Vikings and fifth straight.
The Trojans were ranked No. 2 in The Associated Press Class 6A poll for most of the season. One of the largest schools in 6A by enrollment, Cary-Grove was bumped up to Class 7A once the field of 256 was finalized on Saturday.
"We have no control over that, so it is what it is," Trojans coach Bruce Kay said. "We're happy to be playing at home against a team that's geographically nearby, so film exchanges and those things will be relatively painless."
With a win the Trojans would face the winner of No. 10 Lake Zurich (5-4) vs. No. 7 St. Charles East (7-2). Cary-Grove would not face rival Crystal Lake South unless the Valley Division rivals each win 2 games to reach the quarterfinals.
Huntley: The Red Raiders (8-1) will make their first playoff appearance since 2001 and third overall since the IHSA implemented the state series system in 1974.
Huntley, the fifth seed in the upper bracket of Class 6A, will host an unfamiliar opponent in No. 12 Batavia (6-3). The Bulldogs are making their 14th playoff appearance and sixth straight. Batavia lost to East St. Louis in the first round last season, 27-21.
A 17-7 loss to Johnsburg in the regular-season finale cost Huntley a shot at one of the top seeds in Class 6A, but that didn't temper the enthusiasm on selection night.
"Obviously, that left a bad taste in their mouths, but making the playoffs has not been an everyday occurrence around here so everyone is pretty excited," Huntley coach Steve Graves said. "For us it was a pretty big deal that Cary-Grove and Woodstock got bumped up to 7A."
With a victory Huntley would advance to face the winner of No. 13 Grant (6-3) vs. No. 4 Vernon Hills (8-1).
Hampshire: The Whip-Purs (6-3) will make their 14th playoff appearance and fourth in five seasons as the No. 11 seed in the upper bracket of Class 4A. They'll renew a long-standing rivalry against neighboring Genoa-Kingston (7-2), the No. 6 seed.
"We had them on our radar," Hampshire coach Dan Cavanaugh said of the Cogs. "We didn't want to play them, of course, because it's tough to play a team in your conference. But we thought we might get them. They're a good team."
The Cogs use a shotgun-spread formation, which the Whips have seen on film against opponents like Harvard during the course of the season. The teams met in Week 3 last season, when the Cogs prevailed 37-8.
The winner will advance to play the winner of No. 14 Richmond-Burton (5-4) vs. No. 3 Reed-Custer (7-2).