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Jessen, Willowbrook on the rise

DuPage County lost a bunch of good playoff football teams last weekend, but the season marches on.

This week's Eyes on Five edition takes a look at what remains among the shrinking brackets.

1. Release the Jessen!:

Considering the success he had in two previous seasons on varsity, Willowbrook's Jack Jessen was a known talent entering his senior year.

He's more than lived up to the expectations on both sides of the ball, but last week the Warriors (10-1) truly turned loose the 5-foot-11, 199-pound running back and linebacker.

Not that Jessen was held back, but Willowbrook tried to give him a breath throughout the regular season by spelling him on offense with fellow running back Chris Diaz. That changed Saturday with a Class 6A quarterfinal berth on the line.

Jessen carried the ball 48 times for 247 yards and 3 touchdowns in Willowbrook's 29-10 second-round win over DeKalb. That's almost as many carries as he had in the previous four weeks combined.

He's clearly one of the best-conditioned players in the state - after all, he is expected to sign Wednesday to wrestle at Northwestern - and as a senior leader he'll do everything possible to push his team to an upset at top-seeded defending state champion Prairie Ridge (11-0) and quarterback Samson Evans.

A victory sends the Warriors to the semifinals for the first time since 1975 and matches the program record for wins in a season.

It's a safe bet that Jessen won't be getting much rest Saturday afternoon.

2. Class difference:

We talked about this throughout the season ... the difference just a few teams would make in swaying the balance of power between Class 7A and 8A.

The difference started to show last week, and it looks even more stark in this week's quarterfinal brackets.

Class 8A is brutal with Marist playing Loyola, Edwardsville facing Minooka, Lincoln-Way East taking on Oswego and Naperville Central playing Maine South. It's not a knock on 7A, which still has powerhouse teams, but that 8A bracket is really something.

It wasn't long ago that 7A was considered the power class. That was the case in 2012 when Glenbard West beat Lincoln-Way East in the 7A final.

Both those teams have shifted to 8A the last two seasons, and they're not alone. Maine South was 7A in 2015. Edwardsville was 7A until 2014. Oswego competed in 6A or 7A until 2013, and Minooka was in 6A or 7A until 2011.

Those shifts created a bit of a void in 7A. Six of the top 10 seeds in 7A are already eliminated and one of the remaining teams, East St. Louis, is the size of a 5A school but petitioned to play up in 7A.

It could be something that shifts back in a few years but, for now, 7A is definitely preferable to 8A.

3. Proposal clarity:

Last week I wrote about an IHSA bylaw proposal that may be put to a statewide vote among the member schools at the end of November. It's a proposal to double the playoff field from 256 teams to 512, shorten the regular season to eight weeks and start the playoffs in Week 9.

The public reaction wasn't what I expected. Just about everyone I heard from is against expansion, and for various reasons.

Some don't want to water down the field and create more massive blowouts in the early rounds. Some don't want to dilute the prestige of qualifying for the playoffs. Some think it's a way for the IHSA to make more money with more playoff games.

None of those reasons figure into the motivation for the proposal, however.

Basically, the proposal aims to eliminate the obsession to get to five victories and playoff eligibility. It has everything to do with conference integrity and nonconference scheduling.

The conference jumping by schools has become a constant strain in recent years. Most schools in DuPage County have difficulty finding nonconference games because potential opponents don't want to risk a loss that would cost them a playoff berth.

Should teams really have to go to Kentucky and Ohio just to fill out their schedules? It's become ridiculous.

Not that I think the proposal will pass, but it's something that needs to be considered.

4. Grange partnership:

The Daily Herald in DuPage County is pleased to begin a partnership with the Red Grange Award starting this year.

Since 1974 the Grange Award has been an honor given to a Wheaton prep football player, but starting this season the Grange Award will be a countywide achievement. And the Daily Herald will be a proud presenter.

In 1989 the first Daily Herald DuPage County All-Area football captain was Wheaton Central quarterback and Grange Award winner Jeff Thorne. He is now North Central College's football coach, the father of Naperville Central quarterback Payton Thorne and the son of retired hall-of-fame high school and college coach John Thorne.

Six other Daily Herald DuPage County All-Area football captains also were named Grange Award winners: Wheaton Warrenville South's Bobby Nelson (1993), Wheaton North's Steve Havard (1994), WW South's Jon Beutjer and Jon Schweighardt (1998), WW South's Dan Dierking (2006) and WW South's Reilly O'Toole (2010).

It's an amazing list of football players we hope will become even better with the entirety of DuPage County to draw upon.

Look for the Daily Herald DuPage County Red Grange Football Captain to be featured in the Dec. 1 Sports Extra section of the Daily Herald.

He'll also be honored at the Red Grange Bowl at College of DuPage on Dec. 2, an event where all proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to Ronald McDonald House Charities.

5. Stat time:

Four DuPage County teams remain in the statewide field of 64 playoff teams. They're each in different classes.

IC Catholic Prep is continuing to push for a second straight Class 3A title, while Willowbrook is playing in 6A for the first time since the days of the six-class system in 2000. Benet is trying to reach the 7A semifinals for the second straight year, and Naperville Central is in 8A seeking its first semifinal berth since winning the 2013 state title.

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