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The Class 4A field is chock full of teams that have made their marks in the past in the postseason. Some of those teams have made those marks in different classifications, but nonetheless, success has been had.
Nearly all of those teams survived the first round and also sprinkled in a few teams without nearly the postseason pedigree. That makes for some very interesting second-round clashes.
First round picks: 14-2
Second-round matchups
Dyett vs. Sandwich: Dyett was just one of two Chicago Public League teams to win in the first round and that win came over another CPL opponent. Sandwich has had possibly the most surprising season of anyone going from not playing varsity football last season to being on the cusp of making the school’s first appearance in the quarterfinals since 2011 and for only the third time in school history.
Pick: Sandwich
Wheaton Academy vs. St. Viator: It looked like Wheaton Academy might have to endure a transition year after losing key components to the program’s recent success. But the Warriors jelled quickly and have now already surpassed what they did last season. St. Viator’s rigorous schedule prepped the Lions well as its already ousted playoff stalwart Richmond-Burton and it is looking for more.
Pick: St. Viator
Boylan vs. IC Catholic: Boylan has dropped down in classification, while IC Catholic has gone up. They will meet in the middle as a pair of teams that have had a fair share of postseason success. IC Catholic blended nicely into the fray of the CCL/ESCC this season and definitely comes into this game as more of a known commodity than Boylan whose closed schedule in the NIC-10 doesn’t expose them to a lot of team variety.
Pick: IC Catholic
Dixon vs. St. Laurence: Dixon’s only misstep this season was a loss to powerhouse Byron and the question of whether of not the Dukes have been appropriately prepared for the rigors of the 4A classification by its schedule. No such claim can be made about St. Laurence whose losses came to St. Francis, Montini and St. Rita.
Pick: St. Laurence
Rochester vs. Coal City: Rochester has an impressive blend of explosive offense and fiesty defense and to top it all off they’ve gotten fully healthy which is a dangerous combination for foes. Coal City also has a steady defense and offense that is keyed by a strong running attack and while the Coalers do have a very solid defense they haven’t seen an offensive challenge from an opponent remotely as difficult as the one it faces now.
Pick: Rochester
Breese Central vs. Mount Zion: Breese Central took a different path in Round 1 than usual with moderate offense and a stellar defensive effort that held Cahokia to no offensive points in a 19-2 win. Mount Zion avenged a regular season loss to Effingham and appears to have its high octane offensive attack back on track.
Pick: Mount Zion
Murphysboro vs. Charleston: Aside from a rather large misstep in the road with a Week 9 loss to DuQuoin, Murphysboro’s offense has been on point all season. It’s defense also seemed to be capable of matching the offensive side’s effort but has allowed 78 of the 115 points they’ve allowed this season in the last three weeks. Charleston has had a very nice bounce back season but its defense will be put to the test this week.
Pick: Murphysboro
Peoria Notre Dame vs. Harrisburg: Peoria Notre Dame limped into the playoffs on a three-game losing streak but playing quality larger school opponents all season seemed to pay some dividends in the opening round. Harrisburg has been a very hard team to figure this season but it definitely had Carterville’s number beatingthem both in Week 6 and again in the opening round of the playoffs.
Pick: Peoria Notre Dame