Bad luck of the draw?
There's so much to write about concerning the DuPage County playoff football picture, I almost wish this column were called Eyes on Fourteen.
As it is, though, we must play by the rules. This week's Eyes on Five takes a last look at what's sure to be a fascinating postseason.
1. Class Toppers:
For a second there Glenbard West thought it was good news.
When Bolingbrook, a team the Hilltoppers beat in the season opener, shocked Homewood-Flossmoor on Friday, that gave unbeaten Glenbard West an unexpected "playoff point" that propelled it to the No. 1 seed in Class 7A.
Awesome, right? Wrong.
By edging Whitney Young for the top seed in 7A, the Hilltoppers set themselves up for a brutal second-round game. If they beat Moline in the first round they'll face the winner between Glenbard North and Mt. Carmel.
Regardless of who wins that game, it'll be a titanic second-rounder worthy of several rounds down the road.
When the IHSA shifted to a straight 1-32 draw in Classes 7A and 8A - eliminating the dreaded regional quadrants that overcrowded portions of the bracket with powerhouse teams - it was in the hopes of creating bracket equity.
Luck of the draw actually created the opposite, at least for top-seeded Glenbard West and its future opponents.
2. More bad news:
St. Francis, which ended the regular season with a 5-4 record and 34 playoff points, knew it'd be on the postseason qualification bubble. With the cutoff for playoff points settling at 35 points, the odds of qualifying looked dire.
But then arrived a glimmer of hope from an odd place.
Catalyst/Maria played St. Joseph on Saturday, giving the Spartans a chance at a playoff point because they played and beat Catalyst/Maria in Week 5. If Catalyst/Maria beat St. Joseph, St. Francis would get to that magical total of 35 playoff points.
The problem, though, was the Catalyst/Maria-St. Joseph game didn't start until 5:30 p.m. - 15 minutes after the IHSA playoff qualifiers were scheduled to be unveiled.
The IHSA strongly suggests that no Week 9 game start after 1 p.m. to give the organizers plenty of time to determine the qualifiers and create the brackets. Somehow this game slipped through the cracks and started at 5:30 p.m.
Turns out, though, the uncomfortable situation didn't matter.
Even with that 35th playoff point, St. Francis would have missed out on qualifying based on a tiebreaker. And regardless, St. Joseph blanked Catalyst/Maria and denied the Spartans that 35th playoff point.
Drama avoided...
3. Valley strong:
The fallout from the DuPage Valley Conference grind proved costly as only four of the nine teams survived to qualify for the playoffs.
Naperville Central (8-1), Glenbard North (7-2), Neuqua Valley (6-3) and Waubonsie Valley (5-4) all qualified while Lake Park, Metea Valley and Wheaton North just missed with 4-5 records.
None of the four qualifiers caught a break with their draw, meaning one of two things will happen. The DVC will prove it's one of the state's top conferences or it'll fade into a disappointing off-season.
Naperville Central's a No. 6 seed in Class 8A but received no favors by drawing No. 27 Bolingbrook (5-4) - a team that stunned its way into the playoffs with Friday's upset win over previously unbeaten Homewood-Flossmoor.
Neuqua Valley, on the heels of two straight losses, drew a road game at Hinsdale Central (7-2). The Red Devils, despite last week's loss to Oak Park, boast one of the most potent offenses in any class.
Not only does Waubonsie Valley face a four-hour bus ride just to get to its game, but when the Warriors get to southern Illinois they'll be up against an unbeaten Edwardsville squad.
Finally, Glenbard North drew the toughest matchup of any DVC qualifier. The Panthers open against Chicago Catholic League Blue titan Mt. Carmel (7-2) at Gately Stadium.
It's not an ideal situation for the DVC qualifiers, but anything's possible after each of them made it through the brutality of the regular season.
4. On the other hand:
It was a mixed bag for the West Suburban Conference. While five teams from the Silver Division qualified, only Hinsdale South qualified from the Gold as its champion.
Considering the Silver dominated the Gold again - winning 13 of the 14 crossover matchups - the numbers aren't that surprising.
The Silver's Glenbard West (9-0), Oak Park (8-1) and Hinsdale Central (7-2) all have the potential for deep playoff runs while Lyons Twp. (5-4) and Downers Grove North (5-4) have more of an uphill climb.
The Gold Division had a shot at more qualifiers but ended up cannibalizing itself. Addison Trail, Downers Grove South, Leyden and Morton all finished at 3-3 in the league. Willowbrook was playoff eligible at 5-4 but didn't have enough playoff points to qualify.
It's the first time since 1996 the Gold advanced only one team into the playoffs.
5. Stat time:
The one-year crossover agreement between the DuPage Valley Conference and the Upstate Eight Conference finished decisively in the DVC's favor. The DVC won six of the seven crossovers, the lone UEC victory coming in Week 3 when South Elgin edged Lake Park 10-7.
Next season the UEC will cross over with the Fox Valley Conference. Naperville North and Wheaton North will continue their nonconference contracts against Sandburg and Joliet Catholic, respectively, the first two weeks of the season, but most of the DVC's seven other teams are scrambling to find opponents for the final seven weeks.
Metea Valley found a Week 9 game against Lincoln-Way Central and Wheaton Warrenville South will go to Michigan for a Week 8 game against St. Mary's in Orchard Lake.
Any takers for Weeks 3-7?
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