DuPage soccer playoffs look like instant replay

Benet coach Henry Wind has seen this so often before, it's like a syndicated sitcom that keeps popping up on his TV.

"It doesn't change and never will, as long as you're in this area," Wind said with a shrug.

His Redwings have had a good season, but they know they're staring at an uphill battle to get out of the regional this week, not to mention the Downers Grove South sectional. This sectional is routinely one of the most difficult in the state, if not the most difficult.

"It's going to be tough," Wind said. "I thought one of the best teams we played, and it was a 1-1 tie, was West Chicago, and they're the 18th seed, so figure out where our seeds are. I mean it's a crazy (sectional), it really is."

Added Wheaton Warrenville South coach Guy Callipari, "It's going to be a bear to get through."

Naperville North, Naperville Central and upstart West Aurora also are in the Downers South sectional.

"Naperville Central is finding their way and getting into a groove late in the year," Callipari said. "They moved some people around and have a nice combination now, couple guys up top really reading each other and playing off each other."

WW South faltered at the end of the regular season but goes into the postseason with a No. 3 seed.

"We are banged up a little bit, but everyone is going through that. Getting off to a slow start lately and other teams have found their way now and I think we got out of the gate early because of our experience," Callipari said. "Teams are rising and I think we took advantage of teams coming out of the gate. Teams weren't finishing as much against us and we need to work our way out of a hole, but we're still learning.

"No excuses now. They'll be prepared. I won't need to motivate them, I think they'll come to play."

Wind and Callipari never even mentioned Neuqua Valley. They didn't have to. The nationally ranked and undefeated Wildcats are the gorilla in the sectional, the team nobody wants to meet.

You can never take anything for granted in soccer. Upsets do happen, especially when a lesser team chooses to play for a tie and a shootout. But Neuqua Valley clearly is the favorite to graduate out of this sectional. Neuqua opens with West Chicago on Tuesday, then could play District 204 rival Waubonsie Valley in Saturday's regional final.

DuPage County has two contenders in Class 2A. Wheaton Academy is typically strong, but Glenbard South is having its best season in years.

"We feel good about how we're playing right now," Warriors coach Jeff Brooke said. "There are some good teams even in our regional with Oswego and Hampshire, so we're going into it with a lot of respect for our opponents and confident in who we are and who we've become over the year. These guys have grown up a lot since Day One, that's for sure, and we're excited about it."

Wheaton Academy's schedule has been loaded with Class 3A powers like WW South, Geneva and Benet, so the Warriors should be prepared for whatever Class 2A brings.

"That's the hope," Brooke said. "The 3A teams, especially earlier in the year, exposed some things, and we made some changes."

While the 3A schools will see a lot of familiar faces in the early rounds, the 2A schools will have to travel farther to play teams unfamiliar to them. Wheaton Academy is being sent to the Grayslake Central regional, where it opens today against the home team. A win Tuesday means the top-seeded Warriors will meet either Oswego, which eliminated them last year in the sectional final, or Hampshire.

Glenbard South, the second seed, opens at University High on the south side of Chicago. If it can survive the regional, Glenbard South can stay close to home for the St. Francis sectional semifinals.

Chris Walker contributed to this story.