Copyright Chicago Tribune
We did it. Nine weeks down. The regular season is over and the stage is set for the playoffs. Week 9 saw many area teams put their postseason lives on the line. Several came through. A few fell short. The result was 25 Southland teams in the playoffs, with a few interesting all-local matchups on tap for Round 1. Let’s break it down with my Week 9 takeaways. Six teams fight their way in and extend their seasons Last week, we looked at 10 area teams that went into Week 9 needing wins to either secure their playoff spot or give themselves a chance to get in at 4-5. Six of them did what they needed to do to get in the playoffs. Let’s start with St. Rita, which could be the most dangerous 5-4 team in the state. The Mustangs took down IC Catholic 38-21 behind three TD runs from Brandon Johnson Jr. St. Rita, which coincidentally drew Rockford Guilford in the first round for the second straight season, is good enough to make a deep run in Class 7A. Assuming the Mustangs handle the trip to Rockford, a second-round showdown with Lincoln-Way Central could await. The winner of that game then might run into Richards in the quarterfinals. Talk about some exciting local battles. Homewood-Flossmoor, Thornwood and Hillcrest were all 4-4 teams who were big favorites in Week 9, and all took care of business to get in. Extra kudos to the Thunderbirds, who started 1-4 and won out. Joliet Catholic, Shepard and Marist won to get to 4-5. The Hilltoppers and Astros both snuck into the playoff field, while Marist was the first team out, losing a tiebreaker to Urban Prep-Bronzeville. That’s a gut punch for the RedHawks. But if they had made the postseason, they would have drawn Mount Carmel in the first round. So maybe it’s better to just look ahead to 2026. Intriguing local matchups are ahead of us There are three all-Southland games in the first round after only one last season. Sandburg hosts Lockport on Saturday in a rematch of a Week 7 game, which the Porters dominated 28-7. The Eagles lost junior quarterback Sean Ruisz to injury in that regular-season meeting. It’s tough to adjust to that kind of loss mid-game, as shown by the final score. With Ruisz back and Sandburg gaining confidence from a Week 9 win over Lincoln-Way East, I expect a barnburner this time around. On Friday night, Oak Lawn hosts St. Laurence and Lincoln-Way Central welcomes Reavis in a pair of matchups between unfamiliar foes. And how about the potential second-round showdowns? The aforementioned possibility of Lincoln-Way Central vs. St. Rita tops the list. The winner of the Sandburg-Lockport rematch will likely have another conference foe, Homewood-Flossmoor. And if Providence and Lemont advance — which admittedly would take an upset for Lemont over Kankakee — that’s certainly a fun one for 5A. Cinderella watch Last season, 24th-seeded Lincoln-Way Central surprised on its way to the Class 7A semifinals, something I predicted before the playoffs based on the way the Knights were playing and the favorable draw they received. St. Rita, as the 25th seed in 7A, could make a similar run this season. In fact, I’ll predict the Mustangs to make the semifinals, although the potential path through Southland foes won’t be easy. Seeding aside, you can’t really call St. Rita a Cinderella, though. So who could really surprise us this year? In 5A, Ag Science is lumped into a group of four Chicago Public League schools. If the Cyclones can find a way past big, physical King in the first round, I’d like their chances to get by the winner of Corliss and Lake View in Round 2 and make the quarterfinals. King will certainly be a challenge, though. I’m also intrigued by what Hillcrest, with its size and talent, could do in 4A. It’s tough right away for the Hawks, with a long trip to take on a good Macomb team. But are there many 4A teams that can contain Hillcrest’s defensive front? I could see the Hawks making a run. Most eye-opening score Crete-Monee 27, Kankakee 14. I was high on the Warriors during the preseason, but it was easy to jump off the bandwagon after their 51-41 loss to Richards in Week 1 and then — even more so — a blowout 41-6 defeat to Bradley-Bourbonnais the following week. But I’m back on it now. There was really no knowledge to be gained from the Warriors’ six straight wins against inferior opponents in Weeks 3-8. This one, though, is the epitome of an eye-opening result.
