Elk Grove, Schaumburg to get reacquainted

The Elk Grove and Schaumburg football coaching staffs spent part of their Saturday afternoon together watching Glenbard West play Lyons Township.

And the discussion invariably turned to their belief they'd be seeing each other again real soon.

So, when the IHSA released the playoff pairings Saturday night, a rematch of one of the Mid-Suburban League's best games of the year was set. This time it will be eighth-seeded Elk Grove (7-2) hosting ninth-seeded Schaumburg (7-2).

"It will be a crazy atmosphere for this game," said Elk Grove coach Brian Doll, who would like to play on Saturday. "The main thing was seeing our kids reaction and they were pretty excited about it."

Elk Grove won 36-34 at Schaumburg in Week 4 as quarterback Nick Meyer had 368 total yards and 5 touchdowns.

Schaumburg running back Shepard Little rushed for 132 yards but played sparingly in the second half with a hip injury. Mark Iannotti threw for 196 yards and 4 touchdowns and ran for another score.

"We're excited about it," said Schaumburg coach Mark Stilling. "It was a great high school football game the first time around and we're looking forward to part two.

"It's exciting for our kids but it feels like it was forever ago. We have a little bit of an idea that Nick Meyer can play and I'm sure they think the same about Iannotti and Shepard."

The only way the Saxons or Grenadiers would face Glenbard West would be on Thanksgiving weekend in Champaign. And the Hilltoppers ended up in the same southern quadrant with defending 7A champion Wheaton Warrenville South while unbeaten East St. Louis is in the far southern quadrant.

The Schaumburg-Elk Grove winner gets a probable second-round meeting with unbeaten Simeon, the top seed in the northern bracket. Fourth-seeded Prospect (8-1) opens with Rockford Guilford (6-3) and could see Lake Zurich in the second round.

"It's kind of a weird bracket but it's not bad at all," said Prospect coach Brent Pearlman, who would like to play his opener Friday but thinks it may be Saturday.

Palatine coach Tyler Donnelly couldn't plan on hosting a fourth straight playoff party until Friday night when it beat Barrington to get into the 8A field.

And in the northern half of the bracket, the 14th-seeded Pirates (5-4) will travel to No. 3 Glenbard North (8-1). Donnelly said the game will be Friday night.

"It will be fun because some of our guys know each other," said Donnelly, who has Glenbard North alum Brian Richter as his linebackers coach. "We're happy we're playing."

So is No. 10 Fremd (5-4), which won its last four games to earn its 16th straight berth and set up a Saturday afternoon game at No. 7 Evanston (6-3).

"I believe we are (dangerous)," Fremd senior defensive lineman Jeff Parham said after Friday's 31-10 win over Conant. "Just because we're 5-4 doesn't mean anything."

Especially since seven of the 16 teams in the northern 8A bracket come in at 5-4. The only unbeaten 8A team is northern top-seed Stevenson.

So despite losing its last two games, sixth-seeded Barrington (7-2) got a Saturday night home game with No. 11 Glenbrook South (5-4).

"I'm happy because I didn't know what was going to happen," said Barrington coach Joe Sanchez. "I thought we might get Fremd - but this is like the playoffs are supposed to be, where you play somebody new from a different league."

Loyola (8-1) got the northern second seed in 8A and two-time defending 8A champion Maine South (7-2) got the fourth seed.

York (8-1) and Lyons (8-1), which won the regular season finale with Glenbard West, got the top two seeds in the southern bracket of 8A.

Seventeen teams finished 5-4 but didn't make the field of 256 teams. Jacksonville and Lockport were the last two in with 39 playoff points, the highest total since the IHSA expanded to eight classes in 2001.