Five high school football quarterfinal playoff games to watch
Fremd (10-1) at Bolingbrook (9-2)
What a showing for the MSL in the playoffs so far with Barrington, Fremd and Hersey all through to the quarterfinals. The Vikings have a chance to do something in this game Saturday that’s never been done at Fremd before — advance to the semifinals. QB Johnny O’Brien will try to lead them there, already with 2,400 passing yards and 30 TDs after throwing for 306 yards last week in an impressive 45-21 win over Lyons. Bolingbrook also looked good last week knocking off Warren behind highly recruited RB TJ Lewis.
Lake Zurich (9-2) at Nazareth (10-1)
The last team standing in Lake County, the Bears have their hands full this week taking on the three-time defending state champion Roadrunners. Nazareth’s only loss is to the No. 1 team in Class 8A, Mt. Carmel. Lake Zurich’s defense has been dominant most of the season with five shutouts, and that unit will have to be at its best against a Nazareth squad equally dangerous on the ground or through the air. LZ’s Kaden Abrantes ran for 177 yards last week against Antioch.
IC Catholic Prep (8-3) at Byron (11-0)
There’s also some interesting matchups in the smaller classes, and this one could go a long way to deciding the Class 3A champ. They have met four times recently in the playoffs, and three of those games the winner went on to win the state championship. IC’s Nate Long has thrown for 2,383 yards while also leading the team in rushing.
St. Rita (8-3) at Hersey (9-2)
The Huskies stayed hot last week, winning their ninth straight game since an 0-2 start, this time dispatching No. 1 seed Richards in impressive fashion, 42-21. Their reward is a Saturday afternoon home game in their first quarterfinal appearance since winning state in 1987. Like every CCL/ESCC opponent, St. Rita is going to present quite a challenge, but Hersey has plenty of its own firepower led by quarterback Jake Nawrot (2,465 yards, 35 TDs) and running back Brandon Jenkins (1,320 yards, 16 TDs).
Glenbard North (8-3) at Batavia (9-2)
We’ve got a DuKane Conference rematch here. Batavia has owned this series since the conference began, winning all seven meetings. That includes a 41-13 victory in Week 3, the only time all season that standout Panthers RB Donato Gatses didn’t reach 100 yards. He’s been sensational every other game, including the 235 yards he gained last week vs. Moline, putting him at 2,138 this year. Batavia QB Michael Vander Luitgaren’s 254 passing yards last week went to eight different receivers.