Scouting Cook County playoff football quarterfinals
Class 8A
No. 2 Barrington (10-1) at No. 23 Lockport (8-3)
When: Saturday, 6 p.m.
Last week: Barrington 38, Glenbrook South 20; Lockport 21, Homewood-Flossmoor 20
Previous meeting: 1st meeting
Advancement: Winner plays winner of No. 3 Maine South vs. No. 11 Oswego
Outlook: Barrington is back in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2023. It will be their ninth appearance and sixth under head coach Joe Sanchez. The Broncos offense continues to stampede, averaging 41 points per game for the season and 55 points for the playoffs. Luke Tepas has stepped in very nicely this season to run the Barrington offense. The senior has thrown for 2,181 yards with 24 touchdown passes with a completion rate of 64%. He has also run for five touchdowns. Sophomore running back Lamar Osterhues has also taken a huge step forward this season. Running behind an offensive line anchored by Owen Fors, who has been credited with 31 pancake blocks, Osterhues has run for 1,103 yards and 20 touchdowns. Cameron Massillo has also tallied 431 yards and 9 touchdowns. Barrington’s defense, which has been overlooked much of the season, has also played well in the Broncos’ last seven games. Led by Charlie Ploder, Jackson Taylor, Brooks Howard, Jeff Kohanzo, Jaxson Werner and Duke Matiyow, the Broncos have allowed under two touchdowns per game. Lockport began the season 1-3 and has now won seven in a row. That includes its win last week when the Porters broke up a two-point conversion pass in the final seconds to advance to the quarterfinals for the fifth time. Lockport has been a run-first team all season with running back Chris Miller coming off a 141-yard performance last week. He has run for 1,020 yards and 12 touchdowns this season. Quarterback Brendan Mecher has rushed for 729 yards and 9 touchdowns while throwing for just over 1,200 yards with 7 touchdowns. Mecher completed just two passes last week.
No.11 Oswego (9-2) at No. 3 Maine South (10-1)
When: Saturday, 1 p.m.
Last week: Oswego 45, Lane 7; Maine South 33, Hinsdale Central 29
Previous meeting: 1st meeting
Advancement: Winner plays winner of No. 2 Barrington vs. No. 23 Lockport
Outlook: This game could be the unstoppable force against the immovable object. Maine South showed how that unstoppable force worked last week when the Hawks rallied from a 19-point halftime deficit. The Hawks, who average 40 points per game, flew together in the second half, led by Jameson Purcell, who finished with 273 passing yards and three touchdowns on 17-of-24 passing. Niko Kokosioulis also had a huge day, running for 129 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile the Maine South defense, led by Matthew Schlenhardt, Santino Bernabei, Nick Hachigan, Tommy Leach and Dean Arvanitis, will be looking to stymie the Oswego offense that has been up and down at times this season. Oswego has won four in a row. The Panthers’ strength comes from their defense, which has allowed just over 10 points per game and has not allowed more than 21 points to an opponent all season. Oswego, which beat quarterfinalist Bolingbrook in Week 3, will lean on two-way player Mariano Velasco, junior quarterback Drew Kleinhans, and running back Ammar Baine, who is a sophomore.
No. 4 Fremd (10-1) at No. 20 Bolingbrook (9-2)
When: Saturday, 7 p.m.
Last week: Fremd 45, Lyons 21; Bolingbrook 20, Warren 14
Previous meeting: 1st meeting
Advancement: Winner plays winner of No. 1 Mt. Carmel vs. No. 9 Lincoln-Way East
Outlook: Fremd is looking to go where no Viking football team has ever been — the state semifinals. Fremd has been to the quarterfinals four times but never won. Johnny O’Brien showed last Friday that he is all the way back from the foot injury that kept him out of the loss to Barrington in Week 8. O’Brien is coming off a 306-yard, three-touchdown passing performance last week. On the season, O’Brien has thrown for 2,391 yards and 30 touchdowns while completing 68% of his passes. He has also run for 205 yards and four touchdowns. Marquan Brewster (1,042 yards, 13 touchdowns), Ben Riddle (662 yards, 9 touchdowns), Carter MacDonald (351 yards, two touchdowns) and Jay Box (291 yards, 5 touchdowns) are the top wide receivers. Jayden Faulkner, who rushed for 525 yards and 8 touchdowns, also has 244 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Troy Pepe, along with George Kalkounos, Jason Hardy, Michael Perez, Owen Jakubczak and Matt Klimas, combined to hold Lyons to zero rushing yards last week and just an average of 74 yards per game for the season. They will be looking for another big night against Bolingbrook. The Raiders lean heavily on their running game with 6-foot, 215-pound running back TJ Lewis and quarterback Tyson Ward. Lewis, who has six D-1 offers including Wisconsin, along with Ward, each had rushing touchdowns last week in their upset win over Warren. Bolingbrook, which starts 17 underclassmen, has won its last eight games.
Class 7A
No. 25 St. Rita (8-3) at No. 16 Hersey (9-2)
When: Saturday, 3 p.m.
Last week: St. Rita 31, Lincoln-Way Central 28; Hersey 42, Richards 21
Previous meeting: 1st meeting
Advancement: Winner plays winner of No. 13 Batavia vs. No. 21 Glenbard North
Outlook: Hersey is back to the quarterfinals for the first time since its state title run in 1987. Hersey has been on a roll since dropping their its first two games to Warren and Barrington, winning its last 9 games. The Huskies appeared to have shifted from pass first to run first in the playoffs. And they have had great success doing it. Brandon Jenkins has rushed for 488 yards in the playoffs and the Huskies have piled up 650 yards on the ground. Jenkins now has gained 1,320 yards on the season while scoring 16 touchdowns. In the meantime, Jake Nawrot has thrown for 2,464 yards and 35 touchdowns. The Huskies offense has accounted for a staggering 4,531 yards this season while averaging 47.2 points per game. The Hersey defense has also continued to shine behind Ben Martin, Cheydon Georgacakis, Ryne Sather, Luke Casey, Jenkins, Nick Jelaca, Josh Riggs, Tillman Mulder, Johnny Lamonica and Spiro Zarafonitis. St. Rita could have played in 6A, but the Mustangs opted to move up to 7A. St. Rita has rushed as a team for 1,690 yards this season. Brandon Johnson is the Mustangs’ top running back with 790 yards and 17 touchdowns. Rita comes into the game winning its last five games with the final four of those wins over playoff teams.