IHSA's dividing line goes directly through Palatine

Cross-town rivals Fremd and Palatine are separated by about 5 miles.

They couldn't have been farther apart Saturday night when the IHSA announced the first-round pairings for the state football playoffs.

It appears as if Northwest Highway was used as the dividing line by the IHSA to split the Class 8A brackets.

So, after meeting in last year's playoff opener, the only way a Mid-Suburban West rematch could happen this time would be the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend in Champaign.

"The thing that's nice is we're not playing somebody from our conference," said Fremd coach Mike Donatucci. "That's the part the IHSA really screwed up the last couple of years, matching up teams 'boom, boom, boom' from our conference.

"That part's good."

Here's what looks even better for Fremd.

Since the IHSA went with an east-west instead of a north-south split of the brackets this year, Fremd is the top seed and only unbeaten team in the western half. Unbeatens Maine South, the defending 8A champs, and Stevenson are the top two seeds in the east half of the bracket.

Three unbeaten teams have been in the same half of a big-school bracket. Just two years ago Fremd was in with Mt. Carmel and Whitney Young while Downers Grove South was the only unbeaten team in the other bracket.

Not that Fremd has an easy home opener with perennial DuPage Valley power Naperville North (5-4), which Donatucci said would be at 7 p.m. Friday. The official days and times of the games will be released by the IHSA on Monday afternoon.

What also surprised Palatine was it's staying home as well to face ninth-seeded Leyden. The winner then would likely meet Maine South.

"We're happy with it," said Palatine coach Tyler Donnelly. "A home game was a huge uplift because none of us were counting on that (after a 31-13 loss to Fremd on Friday)."

A matchup that looks as if it will be played Saturday night is also a homecoming of sorts for Leyden coach Tom Cerasani. He was a Palatine ballboy in the fourth and fifth grade when his dad Tom Sr. coached there (1981-82) and he played against the Pirates as a Schaumburg quarterback (1988-89).

"I'm just excited to play somebody new and for me, obviously I'm very familiar with the MSL," Tom Cerasani Jr. said. "I always remember I really wanted to beat those guys and we never did."

For Schaumburg, the bracket change means an unexpected trip to Chicago's South Side to face Marist.

"We don't know a whole lot about them yet," said Schaumburg coach Mark Stilling.

But Rolling Meadows, which saw its win over Prospect turn into a 7A home opener possibly on Friday night, is familiar with Lake Zurich. Two years ago the Bears won a 7A second-round meeting 10-7.

"Jimmy (Garoppolo) texted me and said, 'It's payback time,'" said Meadows coach Doug Millsaps of his quarterback who was a sophomore starting linebacker then. "The kids who were up remember. They want to win and just want to continue playing."

The loss put Prospect on the road at 7 p.m. Friday to face Carmel's tricky triple option offense. But after five weeks of mud, at least the Knights get to play on artificial turf.

Saturday night was a big celebration for first-year coach Brian Doll and Elk Grove , which made the playoffs for the first time since 2004. Players and coaches had a pizza party and watched Friday's 14-7 win which knocked out Buffalo Grove - one of 22 teams at 5-4 which didn't have enough playoff points to make the 256-team field.

Then they watched the live TV pairings show and got set for a trip just north of Rockford to Machesney Park Harlem.

"We made a big deal out of it and it was a nice time for the kids," Doll said. "When it ended up, the kids all looked at us and said, 'Who are they?'

"We said, 'They're about an hour-and-a-half bus drive boys and they play in a really neat stadium.'"

St. Viator was the 251st team to make the field and will also travel up Northwest Highway for a 6A opener with undefeated Cary-Grove.

"We got No. 1 and we've got to play 'em sometime," said Viator coach Chris Kirkpatrick. "We're just happy to be in and it's the start of a new season."

mmaciaszek@dailyherald.com