Class 7A football playoff preview
Bogan earns top seed in bracket
Upper Bracket
No. 8 Marian Catholic (6-3) at No. 1 Bogan (9-0)
Bogan earned the top seed by going undefeated, but the Bengals will need to prove themselves in the playoffs. They will be the underdog even heading into the first round. Only one of their opponents -- Julian -- also made the playoffs. Quarterback Kareem Adewole has been the key to the Bengals' offense this season. He can run and pass.
After going 1-8 last season, Marian Catholic completely turned itself around this year. The Spartans started off 6-0, which included wins over Carmel and Notre Dame, before dropping their finals three games of the season. Marian Catholic will need its offense and defense to pick up their play again, as the Spartans were outscored 102-6 in the final three weeks. They have a variety of running backs who have had success this year.
No. 5 Plainfield North (7-2) at No. 4 St. Rita (7-2)
St. Rita was on a roll before star running back Jahwon Akui got hurt in Week 7. The Mustangs had been perfect, which included a blowout win over rival Mount Carmel -- and Akui had already scored 25 touchdowns Since then, St. Rita has lost to Loyola and Providence -- and Akui has yet to play again. St. Rita is hopeful he'll be back on the field for the playoffs. He is a special one.
Here's a Q&A with St. Rita coach Todd Kuska from earlier in the season.
For the first time in the school's four-year history, Plainfield North earned a trip to the playoffs and finished over .500. The Tigers had their fair share of tight games as they played in four contests that were decided by seven points or fewer. Three of those they won. Devonta Davis is multidimensional player who is a threat to run with the ball or catch passes.
Wheaton Warrenville South was one of the state's most dominant teams all season. The Tigers were perfect except for their Week 2 loss to Maine South. They played as tough of a schedule as anyone and proved themselves week after week. Junior quarterback Reilly O'Toole has been consistent all season. Nick Immekus is one of the top kickers in the country.
Here's also a Q&A with coach Ron Muhitch from early in the season.
St. Laurence does have experience against some of the area's top teams. The Vikings met Mount Carmel and Providence in Catholic League crossover games this year. Against Providence, St. Laurence more than held its own. Against Mount Carmel, the game got away from the Vikings early. They'll need to have a more positive start against Wheaton Warrenville South, and they need to get their star running back Steve Fiorella going.
No. 6 Shepard (7-2) at No. 3 Geneva (8-1)
Geneva isn't the overpowering team of a year ago, when the Vikings took second place in Class 7A. This year's team has had to scrap for wins. Seven of their nine games were decided by 11 points or fewer. Running back Michael Santacaterina has been leading the way offensively.
Shepard is in the playoffs for the first time since 2001. The Astros won a total of nine games over the past five seasons. Junior quarterback Dante McCoy has been a major factor in the team's success with his dual-threat ability.
No. 8 Belleville West (5-4) at No. 1 Lincoln-Way East (8-1)
Aside from a blunder in Week 7 against Bolingbrook, Lincoln-Way East was one of the premier teams in the area during the regular season. The Griffins are solid offensively and defensively. Lincoln-Way East has a couple of talented running backs. Quarterback Ryne Van Gennep is versatile. Alex Evans can make plays on both sides of the ball.
Aside from a 20-point loss to East St. Louis, Belleville West was right with everyone it played this season. Its three other losses were decided by five points or fewer. The Maroons are a running team, and they run with a variety of backs.
An unkind schedule forced Lincoln-Way Central to end its regular season with back-to-back losses to Bolingbrook and Lincoln-Way East. If anything, the Knights now are prepared for big-time games. Lincoln-Way Central's offense looks to get back on track after scoring 12 and 13 points the last two weeks. As quarterback Bryan Hennessy and the offense showed early in the season, they are capable of putting up points.
O'Fallon was one of the top teams in its area. The Panthers played a difficult schedule and, other than a 44-0 loss to East St. Louis, were in every game. O'Fallon likes to run and pass the ball.
No. 7 Bradley-Bourbonnais (5-4) at No. 2 East St. Louis (7-2)
East St. Louis, the defending 7A champs, look to be as good as last year. The Flyers' two losses this season came to two out-of-state teams in the opening two weeks. Since then, they've demolished their in-state opponents. They've scored more than 60 points three times, and no one has come closer than 20 points. Running back Courtney Molton and quarterback Detchauz Wray are both big-time talents.
Bradley-Bourbonnais finished 5-4 for the third consecutive season. As in the Boilermakers' last two seasons, they'll have a hard time getting past the first round. Running back Austin Ringo is a key to their offensive attack.
No. 6 Edwardsville (6-3) at No. 3 Minooka (7-2)
Minooka is back in the playoffs for the first time since 2003. The Indians have been able to put up points this season. They had five games of scoring 30 or more. Junior quarterback Mitch Brozovich overcame offseason shoulder surgery and has been leading the offense.
Edwardsville had a rocky season. The Tigers beat just one team with a record over .500 (Belleville West 5-4). Running backs Rodney Coe and Reggie Box have keyed the offense.
Lower Bracket
No. 16 Guilford (5-4) at No. 1 Glenbard West (9-0)
Glenbard West was among the state's best all season. Hinsdale Central was the only team to play with the Hilltoppers this year. They won that game 28-25. In the rest of the weeks, Glenbard West held its opponents to 14 points or less and scored 28 points or more. Quarterback Tyler Warden and running back Adam Bruere have been solid all season.
Here's a Q&A with Glenbard West coach Chad Hetlet.
Guilford snuck into the playoffs with wins in its final two weeks. In the Vikings' three losses to Boylan, Harlem and Hononegah, they were outscored 89-10. Guilford's Dontrel Chance and Tim Hill combined for 347 rushing yards and five touchdowns in their last game.
No. 9 Hononegah (7-2) at No. 8 St. Charles East (7-2)
St. Charles East's defense has carried it this season. The Saints' defense held eight of their nine opponents to 14 or less points. They won their last three games by a combined nine points. Quarterback Nolan Possley has been the biggest factor in the offense's success.
Hononegah's two losses came to the top two teams in the NIC-10 -- Boylan and Harlem. Outside of that, the Indians had no trouble as they won all their other games by double digits. Quarterback Chase Robinson and running back Forrest Wiltfang lead their offense.
No. 13 Elk Grove (6-3) at No. 4 Harlem (8-1)
Harlem's only loss came against undefeated Boylan in the opening week of the season. The Huskies were invincible after that as they won all eight of their games by 19 or more points. Against Freeport, they scored 74 points. Quarterback Kennan Kellett and a number of running backs have led the offense.
Elk Grove's record is deceiving. The Grenadiers lost to Rolling Meadows 12-3, Prospect 33-26 and Palatine 21-10. They do tend to play in tight games as two other games were decided by three and seven points. Quarterback Nick Meyer has the capability of running or passing.
No. 12 St. Charles North (6-3) at No. 5 South Elgin (7-2)
This is a rematch of a Week 8 game that South Elgin won 10-7. No team in the state may know more about close games than South Elgin. All nine of their games were decided by 15 points or fewer. Six of those games came down to a touchdown or less. This is the first time in the playoffs for the Storm. They won six games in their first three seasons of the program. Quarterback John Menken has been leading the offense.
St. Charles North lost its last two regular-season games by a total of four points. The North Stars will look to get their offense going; it struggled the last two weeks but was dominant the first seven. Quarterback Jake Bergen has had a couple of big games.
No. 15 Wheaton North (5-4) at No. 2 Boylan (9-0)
Boylan, a traditional powerhouse, was the class of the NIC-10 this season. Only Belvidere North was able to stay within 10 point of the Titans. Boylan relies on its running game and uses a number of backs.
Despite losing Ohio State-bound quarterback Taylor Graham, Wheaton North found a way in the playoffs by defeating Naperville North 10-3 in Week 8 and Glenbard East 20-19 in its final game. Junior quarterback Reece Butler has stepped in and been able to manage the game for the Falcons.
No. 10 Mt. Prospect (Prospect) (7-2) at No. 7 Carmel (7-2)
This could be one of the more intriguing first-round games. Carmel won a share of the East Suburban Catholic and was led by its defense. The Corsairs allowed only one opponent more than 20 points all season. They didn't give up more than eight points in their last three games. Sophomore running back Jordan Kos had a breakout season.
Prospect is one of the state's most explosive offensive teams. The Knights scored no less than 33 points in any of their games this season. Quarterback Miles Osei is one of the state's top dual-threat quarterbacks, and Pete Bonahoom can run or catch the ball. Prospect also has a Division I talent in offensive lineman Matt Huene. If Prospect is to make a run in the playoffs, its defense has to improve. It allowed 26 or more points five times this season.
No. 14 Glenbrook North (6-3) at No. 3 Crystal Lake South (8-1)
Crystal Lake South's only blemish on the year was a loss to undefeated Cary-Grove. The Gators were no match for any of their other inferior competition. They'll now look to prove themselves against a higher level of opponent in the playoffs. Kameron Scott led them in rushing in most games.
Glenbrook North will look to bounce back after losing in its final game 17-0 to Deerfield. The Spartans also lost to Highland Park and New Trier this season. Nick Freund and Paul Jung make for a tough one-two punch at running back for the Spartans.
No. 11 Lake Zurich (6-3) at No. 6 Rolling Meadows (7-2)
Rolling Meadows didn't get the publicity of Fremd or Prospect in the Mid-Suburban League, but the Mustangs were right with them. They lost to Fremd 21-20 and upset Prospect 46-38 in the regular-season finale. Quarterback Jim Garoppolo was 28-of-42 for 339 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 92 yards and two touchdowns against Prospect.
Lake Zurich is the type of team that can pull off an upset or two in the playoffs. The Bears lost to undefeated Fremd 10-7, defeated playoff-bound Wheaton North 35-9, lost to undefeated Stevenson 39-21, defeated highly ranked Warren 38-14 and are riding a four-game winning streak in the playoffs. Jacob Brinlee can score in a variety of ways. Against Lake Forest, he had two touchdown runs and a touchdown catch and he returned a 92-yard kickoff.
Scott Powers covers high school and college sports for ESPNChicago.com and can be reached at preps@espnchicago.com.
