IHSA playoffs: Second round Kane County Chronicle preview capsules

Lincoln-Way Central (9-1) at Batavia (9-1)

When: 1 p.m. Saturday

Last matchup: First meeting

About the Knights: The whatever-it-takes philosophy of Lincoln-Way Central paid dividends again for the Knights in their opening-round win over Jacobs. The Knights were outgained and had to settle for three different promising drives that ended in field goals. But Andrew Schiller is almost automatic from inside 30 yards, and those nine points ultimately accounted for the difference in the game. That was required, as RB Anthony Noto was held under 100 yards for one of the few times all season, which made the contribution of three forced then recovered fumbles absolutely critical to Lincoln-Way Central’s fortunes. The stat sheet wasn’t pretty at the end, but the end result suited the Knights fine.

About the Bulldogs: One would be hard-pressed to find a team playing better football than Batavia, which overwhelmed Brother Rice in the opening round. QB Ryan Boe is in the midst of a spectacular senior season. He’s thrown for over 2,100 yards and 21 touchdowns against just two interceptions. He’s also run for 10 touchdowns. Five different Bulldogs have at least 20 receptions, led by Charlie Whelpley. Defensively, Charlie Osborne and Ben Fiegel lead the way, but this really is a team defense as 10 different players have recorded at least a portion of a quarterback sack, and a whopping 17 of them have recorded at least one tackle for loss. Batavia carries a plus-14 turnover ratio into Week 11.

FND Pick: Batavia

-- Steve Soucie

No. 7 Geneva (8-2) at No. 15 Lake Forest (6-4)

When: 7 p.m., Friday

Last matchup: First known meeting since at least 1996

About the Scouts: Lake Forest is led by quarterback Daniel Van Camp and he’s flanked by some standouts in Martin Hippel and Charlie Markee who appear to be difference-makers. Lake Forest survived a three-game skid in the regular season but beat Mundelein to secure their spot in the playoffs.

About the Vikings: Geneva breezed past Senn High School 50-8 last week. The Vikings, after a strong DuKane Conference slate, only have two losses by a combined four points. Even without the availability of wideout Talyn Taylor for the past several weeks, the offense has hummed along with Nate Stempowski, Finn Weppner, Troy Velez and others along the way. Standout linebacker Tommy Diamond is, well, at the center of their defense and is one of the best linebackers in the DKC.

Up next: The winner plays either Cary-Grove (8-2) or Highland Park (7-3)

FND Pick: Geneva

No. 1 Lake Zurich (9-1) at No. 9 Kaneland (7-3)

When: 4 p.m. Saturday

Last matchup: First meeting

About the Bears: They took to the ground to seal their first-round win, rolling off a 17-play, 72-yard drive that ate more than 9 minutes of the clock in a 21-7 win against Crystal Lake Central. Lucas Lappin threw for 111 yards and ran for 91 and two touchdowns in the win. The Bears’ only loss this year was a 21-17 defeat at the hands of Warren (8-2), which won its first-round game against Oswego. The Bears have two shutouts on the season, both in the past four games. They’ve allowed only 21 points after Week 6. For the season, they allow an average of 10.3 points per game while scoring 27.7 points. With a win, they’ll face either Belvidere North or Wauconda in the quarterfinals.

About the Knights: They picked up an opening-round win for the 10th time in their past 11 trips to the postseason. Now they look to reach the quarterfinals for the first time since 2011 with a win over the Bears. Kaneland opened the playoffs with a 56-20 win at Riverside-Brookfield, keeping the ball on the ground on a wet and windy night. The Knights generally air the ball out behind Troyer Carlson, who has 1,829 passing yards, 20 touchdowns and four interceptions. Aric Johnson is the top receiver with 38 catches, 882 yards and 10 touchdowns. Coach Michael Thorgesen said he feels his defense has been constantly improving all year, and shutting down the Bears’ run game will be a major key. He also said Saturday is a chance for the Knights to finally knock off a top-level team. They’ve led games against Morris (10-0), Washington (9-1) and Sycamore (9-1) in the fourth quarter but lost all three. He said a win Saturday proves that the Knights belong in that group and would do a lot for the team moving forward.

Friday Night Drive pick: Kaneland

-- Eddie Carifio

No. 8 St. Francis (8-2) at No. 16 Sterling (5-5)

When: 5 p.m. Saturday

About St. Francis: The Spartans kept their win streak alive, winning their sixth straight after taking down Rochelle 45-14 in the first round. Ball State commit quarterback Alessio Milovojevic continued his hot senior season by throwing five touchdowns against the Hubs. St. Francis won a share of the CCL/ESCC Orange title and has been dominant during its winning streak, besting playoff teams like Joliet Catholic, IC Catholic, St. Rita and Nazareth. The Spartans have made the playoffs for four straight seasons and are trying to return to the quarterfinal round for the third time during that span. St. Francis lost in the Class 4A semifinals last season.

About Sterling: The Warriors started their Cinderella run after upsetting the top-seeded Payton 50-0 in the first round. Cale Ledergerber led the way for Sterling in the opener by returning two interceptions for a touchdown. Sterling took down Moline 22-17 in overtime in Week 9 to reach the playoffs at 4-5 before taking down Payton. The Warriors have made the playoffs for eight straight seasons and lost in the quarterfinals to Sycamore last year. Sterling has reached as far as the semifinals during that winning streak. The Warriors lost 42-28 to St. Francis in Week 2.

Up next: The winner faces either No. 4 Morgan Park (9-1) or No. 5 Sycamore (9-1).

FND Pick: St. Francis