Prep football playoff
pairings announcedBy Steve
Tappa, and Terry Duckett Staff sports writers
October 26, 2002, 11:46 PM
The IHSA did no favors for Moline in Saturday's announcement of the state football
playoff pairings.
Ditto for Orion, Aledo, Erie-Prophetstown and Galesburg.
Moline (5-4) drew one of the toughest first-round matchups in the state in travelling
to defending Class 8A champ Downers Grove South (9-0).
Orion (7-2) faces a defending champ, too, hosting Class 3A's Spring Valley Hall (7-2).
Erie-Prophetstown (6-3) meets a former state champ -- and 2001 3A semifinalist -- in
Stillman Valley (6-3).
Galesburg (5-4) got last year's Class 6A runner-up -- Oak Lawn Richards (9-0) -- while
defending 2A champ Aledo (9-0) is rematched with a semifinal foe from last year in
Forreston (6-3).
Meanwhile, among the area's 15 playoff qualifiers, Geneseo (6-3) was pleasantly
surprised to earn a first-round home game despite falling in Friday's regular-season
finale. The Leafs draw Yorkville (6-3).
Fulton (7-2) hosts Pearl City-Eastland (6-3) in 3A; Yorkwood-Roseville (9-0) draws
Dakota (5-4) in 2A; and, in 1A, Monmouth Warren (7-2) hosts Hamilton (5-4). Sherrard,
Cambridge and AlWood also learned their foes (see sidebar).
Not that the IHSA did poorly in its first attempt to divide each 32-team class in four
geographic quadrants, said longtime Rock Island coach Vic Boblett.
``Actually, they did a really nice job,'' said Boblett, whose 8-1 team hosts a tough
first-rounder itself in fellow state power Woodstock (6-3).
Rocky and Woodstock met in the playoffs in 1996 (quarterfinals) and 1997 (producing a
memorable 5A title game).
``I think if you look at it, every quadrant is going to be tough to get out of,'' said
Boblett. ``There was a concern when they first talked about the quadrants, that the
competition could be unbalanced, but they're not. You're still going to have to play great
football to move on.''
Moline in particular.
Despite having more playoff points (48) than all but seven of the 254 postseason
qualifiers, the Maroons face a team that outscored foes 272-16 this season.
Moline hoped to drop down into Class 7A, but wound up the second smallest school in the
largest division.
The other top seeds in 8A were also 9-0 -- Chicago Lane, Wheaton North and Hinsdale
Central. All had more playoff points than Downers Grove South, so perhaps it makes sense
the champs open their defense against the toughest of five 5-4 qualifiers in 8A.
``We've got nothing to complain about,'' said Moline coach Joel Ryser. ``They get to
draw it up any way they want, it's our job to go play the games. We're just glad to have
the opportunity.''
Moline made six straight postseason appearances before missing the playoffs last
season. The Maroons won their regular-season finale to clinch a berth.
Moline is seeded eighth in the bottom of the 8A bracket. The others in their quadrant
are No. 2 Lockport (8-1), No. 3 Naperville North (8-1), No. 4 Plainfield (7-2), No. 5
Downers Grove North (6-3), No. 6 Alton (6-3) and No. 7 Naperville Neuqua Valley (6-3).
``We're looking at it as a great opportunity for our kids,'' said Ryser, who expects to
play Friday. Game times are announced Monday.
``Not often do you get a chance to play a team of this caliber. To do great things, you
have to be put in that position. Well, we're in position.''
Galesburg is in a similar position, seeded eighth and facing Richards in the bottom
half of the 6A bracket.
Also in that quadrant are No. 2 Thornton Fractional South (8-1), No. 3 Thornton
Fractional North (6-3), No. 4 Minooka (6-3), No. 5 Ottawa (6-3), No. 6 Oak Forest (6-3)
and No. 7 Hillcrest (5-4).
Rocky's seeded second in a quadrant on the other side of the bracket; Woodstock is
seventh. A Saturday night press release from Rock Island indicated that game will be
played at 1 p.m. next Saturday.
Others in that quadrant are No. 1 Freeport (8-1), No. 3 Rockford Boylan (7-2), No. 4
Sterling (6-3), No. 5 Crystal Lake South (6-3), No. 6 Crystal Lake Prairie Ridge (6-3) and
No. 8 Fox Lake Grant (5-4).
The other top-seeds in 6A also are 9-0 -- Mundelein Carmel (top half of the bracket)
and Bloomington (bottom half of the bracket).
``We have quite a history with Woodstock,'' said Boblett. ``They were the first
opponent I faced my first year at Rock Island, and we've played them twice in the
playoffs.
``They have the same coach, which means they're well-coached and mix the run and pass
well. It'll be a tough game.
``Like I've told the kids, when we won the state title at Geneseo in 1982, we won a
double-overtime game with (Rockton) Hononegah in the first round and cruised from there.
So, you never know when that state title game will roll around.''
Geneseo's biggest battle looms in the second round, if the fourth-seeded Leafs can get
past fifth-seeded Yorkville.
The top-seeded team in Geneseo's quadrant is Rochelle (9-0), which edged the Leafs,
28-21, in Friday's regular-season finale. If Rochelle beats No. 8 Sycamore (5-4), the Hubs
draw the Geneseo-Yorkville winner.
Efforts to reach Geneseo coach Denny Diericx for comment were unsuccessful.
However, the geographic picture is better than the one Diericx envisioned before the
season, while discussing the new quadrant system.
Geneseo's quadrant also includes No. 2 Morris (9-0), No. 3 Johnsburg (7-2), No. 6 Maple
Park Kaneland (5-4) and No. 7 Kankakee McNamara (5-4).
Diericx thought his four-time state champs might end up with Rochelle, Morris and
defending state champs New Lenox Providence (6A) and Joliet Catholic (5A).
Instead, No. 1 Providence and No. 2 Joliet Catholic are lumped into the same quadrant
with No. 3 Riverside-Brookfield, which knocked Geneseo out of the playoffs last season.
That quadrant -- also on the top end of the bracket with Geneseo's -- includes No. 4
Rich Central (6-3), No. 5 Bremen (6-3), No. 6 Chicago Robeson (6-3), No. 7 Norridge
Ridgewood (5-4) and No. 8 Chicago Fenger (4-5).
Diericx's fear that rematches from the regular-season would rule the first round didn't
happen for the local teams, either.
In fact, the only head-to-head matches in the area are in Class 1A -- No. 8 Cambridge
(5-4) at No. 1 Annawan (8-1) and No. 7 AlWood (5-4) at Kewanee Wethersfield (8-1).
Annawan (No. 1) has won all four of its postseason meetings with Cambridge (No. 8),
three in the first round. The exception was the teams' last playoff meeting, a 40-0
Braves' victory in the second round of the 1993 playoffs.
``It'll be good for both teams' fans,'' said Annawan coach Jim Frankenreider, whose
team would meet either No. 5 Abingdon (5-4) or No. 4 Stronghurst Southern (7-2) in the
second round, should it get by Cambridge.
``I know Cambridge will be well-prepared for us. They've got the Fritch kid back
(standout halfback Dillon Fritch), and that gives them a lot of quickness in the
backfield. They've had some injury problems, but they should be at full strength.''
Area outlook
Aledo owns a different kind of rematch. Top-ranked all season, the Green Dragons downed
Forreston 35-26 last year in the semis.
The site will be the same as well -- George Pratt Memorial Field in Aledo.
``I'm not sure if (facing Forreston) is a good thing, or bad,'' said Aledo coach Cullen
Welter, whose second-seeded Olympic Conference champions could meet either No. 6 Amboy
(6-3) or No. 3 Stark County (8-1) in the second round in 2A's Quadrant 1.
``We knew we had Forreston in our quadrant, so we picked who our first-round opponent
would be fairly closely and we were able have scouts at Forreston (Friday night), so we
know what to expect.''
Orion and Sherrard are in the same situation, if they survive to the second round.
Orion is seedded fourth; Hall fifth. The teams are in 3A's Quadrant 2, and the winner
will meet either No. 8 Sherrard or No. 1 Wilmington (9-0).
Should both Sherrard and Orion win, it would set up a rematch of the Olympic Conference
rivals' Week 8 meeting, won 28-12 by the Chargers.
``We were shooting down the stretch for (a first-round home game), once we accomplished
the goal of getting in,'' VanHoutte stated. ``We're pretty happy about getting a chance to
play at home; we haven't done that since 1989. It's good for the kids and the community.
``But while we get the positive in terms of playing at home, we have to face probably
one of the toughest 3A teams in the state. What we're looking at is that we play them
early, and if we play well and get a win, that gives us a lot of confidence.''
Also opening on their home turf next weekend in 3A will be Fulton. A Steamers victory
could set up a possible rematch with Big Rivers Mississippi rival Erie-Prophetstown (6-3),
which is seeded fifth in the same quadrant.
``We're excited to be in the playoffs, and to have the opportunity to play one of the
best teams in the state,'' said Erie-Prophetstown coach Chris Lindsey, whose co-op squad
is in its second year of existence.
``It'll be a great test for us, especially after last Friday (a 14-0 setback to 8-1
Bureau Valley). Even though we lost, we played them well. We would've liked to have come
out with a win, but we wanted to have a good showing, and we've gotten the respect we
deserve.''
Copyright 2001, Moline Dispatch
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