‘Edgy’ Tim: Who are the area’s sleeper teams heading into the IHSA football playoffs?

On Saturday night the IHSA released its 2026 football playoff pairings. A new era welcomes in 384 teams, or 48 teams in each of the eight classes.

The Daily Herald area is filled with sleeper teams to watch starting this weekend with the opening round. Let’s look at a handful.

Barrington (5-4)

Barrington, the No. 24 seed in Class 8A, earned a home game after the Broncos got off to an uncharacteristically bad start to the season with an 0-4 record. The Broncos have since put together a five-game winning streak and won its second straight Mid-Suburban League West title. Why the turnaround? Barrington was dealing with the injury bug since Week 1 and this is a younger, less-experienced team that started to gain experience and confidence. The Broncos’ main weapon is junior running back Lamar Osterhues, who has been carrying the load while the Broncos’ defense has been getting better and better each week.

Cary Grove (7-2)

The Trojans (7-2) are the sixth seed in the Class 5A north bracket and will have a bye this week. Cary Grove, which lost to Jacobs and Huntley earlier this season, is another team that has seen a young and inexperienced starting lineup get better each week. The Trojans and veteran head coach Brad Seaburg are a traditional power with a staff loaded with playoff experience. Cary Grove still runs the power run game/option attack, which is an offense built for the postseason and the always-changing weather in October and November. Cary Grove senior quarterback Jackson Berndt is a team leader operating the Trojans' option run game and is also a threat throwing the football when needed. The Trojans' remaining backfield is led by sophomore fullback Luke Cerasa along with sophomore running back Ty Tenopir. They go four or five deep with quality backs.

Fremd (6-3)

The Vikings are the 20th seed in Class 8A and will play in the opening round this weekend at home against No. 45 Taft. Fremd struggled a bit toward the end of the regular season, losing two of its last three games, but got a nice bounce-back 28-7 win over rival Palatine on Friday. Fremd junior quarterback Will Clark has had a terrific season so far. Senior running back Jayden Faulkner is another player to watch with big-play capabilities.

St. Francis (4-5)

The Spartans are the defending Class 5A state champions, but it's been an up and down season so far. St. Francis is the 18th seed and is coming off 28-24 loss to Montini. So why should Spartan fans be encouraged? This team has been as battle-tested in the regular season as any team in the state. Four of its five losses have come against a who's who in IHSA football (Brother Rice/Montini/Fenwick/St. Rita). The overall field in 5A just doesn't present the challenges the Spartans faced almost every week. St. Francis junior quarterback Jadon Wilson has been strong. Also keep an eye on junior receiver Noah Turner along with senior defensive back James McGrath and sophomore defensive tackle AJ Redmon. Do not overlook this team.