'Awesome' local matchups possible in 7A
More than half of the football teams in the Tri-Cities area qualified for the playoffs Saturday, with four teams placed in the lower bracket in Class 7A.
If all goes well, St. Charles East, St. Charles North, Geneva and Batavia may all be playing in the second round of the playoffs. The Saints may end up against the Vikings and the Bulldogs and North Stars may battle it out.
All each team has to do is beat its first-round opponent.
"That would be awesome," St. Charles East coach Ted Monken said of an all-Tri-Cities second round. "That would be the best thing ever."
All times and dates of the games will be determined Monday around 3 p.m. according to the IHSA website.
The No. 1 seed in Class 7A, Geneva (9-0), hosts No. 8 Bradley-Bourbonnais (5-4).
"It's very, very cool we are playing someone we don't know anything about," Geneva coach Rob Wicinski said. "It will be fun to compete with someone not in our backyard."
St. Charles East (7-2) was granted the No. 4 seed and will host No. 5 Granite City (6-3).
"I'm just happy we are at home," Monken said.
A St. Charles East/Geneva second-round matchup would be huge, according to both coaches.
"That would be a great game," Monken said.
"It would be a madhouse," added Wicinski.
Batavia (5-4) was seeded No. 6 and will travel farther than any other team in the area, as the Bulldogs are playing at No. 3 East St. Louis (8-1).
"The neat thing about it is that it is someone we haven't played, so that's exciting," Batavia coach Mike Gaspari said. "It's going to be a great opportunity."
No. 7 seed St. Charles North (5-4) goes to No. 2 Moline (8-1) for the second consecutive year. Last year, the North Stars went there and beat the Maroons for their first-ever playoff win.
If Batavia and St. Charles both win, the teams will play against one another in the second round.
In 6A, the third 5-4 team in the area, Marmion, was seeded No. 15. The Cadets will play No. 2 seed Prairie Ridge (9-0) in Crystal Lake.
Last year, the Cadets were 5-4 but were a point short of qualifying for the playoffs. Eleven teams that finished 5-4 did not make it this year.
"This is our second season," Marmion coach Dan Thorpe said on his cell phone, en route to exchanging tape with Prairie Ridge coaches. "Everyone is good when you make the playoffs. We are going to show up and lay it on the line."
In Class 5A, Burlington Central (6-3) was a No. 12 seed and will play at No. 5 Morris (7-2).
In Class 3A, No. 3 seed Aurora Christian (9-0) will play No. 14 Rockford Christian (5-4). Since the Eagles do not have a field, there is a good chance the game will be played at Aurora Central Catholic.
"We don't know anything about them," Aurora Christian coach Don Beebe said. "We'll see what happens. We'll be prepared."
In Class 1A, No. 5 Mooseheart (7-2) will travel to No. 4 Milledgeville (7-2).