Here’s what stood out in the opening round of IHSA football playoffs

Thoughts on the first round of the IHSA football playoffs?

I have a few of my own after 26 of the area’s 46 qualifiers advanced to this weekend’s second round of action. There were disappointments and surprises, but overall a solid showing.

Friday night’s games are coming up fast, so let’s jump right in.

Mid-Suburban show

One of the state’s biggest surprises from last weekend was No. 27 Warren beating No. 6 Palatine 31-24 in a Class 8A opener. It served as a reminder that while the Mid-Suburban League is tracking for one of its most successful postseasons in recent memory, the North Suburban Conference remains a power.

Despite the loss by Palatine — the champion of the Mid-Suburban West, where five of the six teams qualified — the MSL is still positioned to be a player in 8A and 7A.

Three MSL West teams remain, including No. 11 Barrington (8-2), which plays the Blue Devils (6-4). No. 10 Fremd (10-1) faces a tough matchup at No. 7 Naperville Central (10-1), while No. 25 Hoffman Estates (7-3) plays No. 24 Lincoln-Way Central (7-3) in 7A.

Prospect (8-2), the lone survivor of three MSL East qualifiers, plays No. 6 Normal (9-1) as an 11th seed in 7A.

Quarterback frenzy

The playoffs are a time when the top players step up to lead their teams through the bracket. That being said, I didn’t expect the quarterback play from the first round.

Maine South sophomore Jameson Purcell had the area’s top performance by completing 39 of 52 passes for 513 yards and 6 touchdowns. St. Charles North’s Ethan Plumb, Barrington’s Nick Peipert, Downers Grove North’s Owen Lansu, Burlington Central’s Jackson Alcorn, Fremd’s Johnny O’Brien, Stevenson’s Aidan Crawley, Libertyville’s Quinn Schambow … the list goes on and on for the area quarterbacks who shined last week.

The theory in Illinois is you must be able to run the ball to have success as the playoff weather worsens. We’ll see if it turns out that way as the rounds tick by, and if the weather has an impact on quarterback play.

We’ll also see if running backs such as Warren’s Aaron Stewart, Antioch’s Martin Cohen, Prospect’s Noah Easter, Batavia’s Nathan Whitwell, Naperville Central’s Aiden Clark and others can carry their respective teams.

On the flip side, how will defending Class 6A champion Cary-Grove respond to the loss of fullback Logan Abrams to injury? The top-seeded Trojans (10-0) eased past Senn, but they have an interesting second-rounder against No. 8 Antioch (8-2).

One step beyond

West Aurora (10-0) never has won a second-round playoff game. In fact, the Blackhawks are in the second round for only the third time.

As the No. 4 seed in 8A, West Aurora’s second-round challenge is No. 20 Maine South (7-3). The Hawks are the polar opposite in terms of playoff experience with 32 straight appearances, six state titles and four runner-up finishes.

Maine South failed to reach the quarterfinals only six times since 2000.

Conference wrap

Here’s how some of the area’s top conferences performed in the opening round.

North Suburban 4-0

CCL/ESCC 12-2

West Suburban 5-1

DuKane 3-1

Fox Valley 3-2

Southwest Valley 5-4

Mid-Suburban 4-4

Chicagoland Christian 2-2

Northern Lake County 2-2

Upstate Eight 2-4

Central Suburban 1-4