'Fab Four' gearing up for run at Elite Eight status
They were the best four football teams in the northern Fox Valley throughout the regular season, so it's no surprise that Bartlett, Cary-Grove, Crystal Lake South and Huntley are still alive and fighting for playoff glory in Round 2.
Of the four teams only Cary-Grove (10-0) enjoyed a comfortable win in its postseason opener by drilling visiting Rockford Guilford 47-0 in Class 7A. The other three teams scratched and clawed their way into the round of 16.
Bartlett (10-0), the top seed in the upper bracket of Class 8A, survived 4 turnovers by countering with 3 interceptions in a 10-7 victory over upset-minded Notre Dame. "When you have 4 turnovers it tends to make things closer, that's for sure," Bartlett coach Tom Meaney said.
It's possible Bartlett got its bad game out of the way in the first round. Many a state champion has survived a close call in the early rounds only to come away more focused as a result. For example: Lake Zurich, which won the Class 7A title last season, eked out at 10-7 victory over Rolling Meadows in the second round.
The Bartlett offense will be out to prove last week's subpar performance was an anomaly, not a trend, when the Hawks square off with No. 8 Fremd (8-2) on Friday night at Millennium Field at 7 p.m. A Bartlett victory would mark a milestone for a program that has not advanced past the second round in eight previous playoff appearances.
Crystal Lake South (8-2) held on to beat St. Charles North 24-21 in a Class 7A opener. The Gators led 24-7 midway through the fourth quarter, but the victory wasn't sealed until fullback Derek Mortensen recovered an onside kick with 2:06 to play.
The Gators have talent, of course, but the players have more going for them at this point than just raw ability.
"They're believing in themselves, and that's the key," CL South coach Jim Stuglis said. "When we first started the season they were concerned about being young and inexperienced. Even though we have quite a few seniors playing, they didn't play last year. Now, all the sudden they're believing in themselves. That sometimes goes a lot further than talent."
No. 6 CL South (8-2) will take that confidence to Rockford, when the Gators face No. 3 Boylan (10-0) on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Anyone who follows high school football was amazed last weekend by Huntley's 70-63 victory over Batavia in Class 6A. The game shaped up as a shootout with Batavia's passing offense matched against Huntley's vulnerable secondary and Huntley's power running game against Batavia's porous run defense. A predictable shootout ensued.
Huntley finally put the game away with 40 seconds left when running back Jordan Neukirch scored his fourth touchdown on a 14-yard run to break a 63-63 tie.
It was the second time in three weeks Huntley has been involved in a game that will remain burned in memory for years to come. The Red Raiders rallied from a 28-7 deficit against Prairie Ridge in Week 8 to win 31-28 in overtime.
But as thrilling as those two victories were, the Red Raiders remain grounded from the sting of a humbling loss they endured in Week 9, a 17-7 defeat at Johnsburg that denied them a perfect regular season and reminded them they can't take a night off.
"That was a reality check that we're not good enough to just step onto the field and win against anybody," Huntley coach Steve Graves said. "Everything we get we'll have to earn it. We're good enough to win these games if we go out and earn it. Against Johnsburg maybe we were starting to think we were good enough to go out and play average football and win, but we can't do that."
No. 5 Huntley (9-1) will try to win a second-round playoff game for the first time since 2001 against No. 13 Grant (7-3) in Fox Lake on Friday at 7 p.m.
As for Cary-Grove, the challenge is far tougher this week as Wes Allen and the St. Charles East Saints (8-2) visit Cary on Saturday at 6 p.m. The Trojans have a combined playoff record of 10-4 over the last five seasons, a span in which they reached the quarterfinals twice (2005, 2006) and a state title game once (2004).
"To win in the playoffs, you have to be healthy, you have to play well and you have to be a little lucky," Cary-Grove coach Bruce Kay said.
Cary-Grove was unlucky last season when officials missed a fumble that was clearly recovered by the Trojans in a 27-26 overtime loss to DeLaSalle. A different call would have likely resulted in a third straight quarterfinal berth.
In 2006, the Trojans were missing two defensive starters in a quarterfinal loss at Batavia that went down to the wire. Kay said Wednesday that his team is as healthy as it has been all season, a fact that bodes well for the Trojans.
Will the area's Fab Four qualify for the state quarterfinals? We'll find out this weekend.
BEGIN_ATTRIBUTIONjfitzpatrick@dailyherald.comEND_ATTRIBUTION