High school football: Cary-Grove (9-0) vs Niles North (5-4)

No. 1 Cary-Grove (9-0) vs. No. 16 Niles North (5-4)

When: 1 p.m. Saturday

Class: 7A

Record: 9-0, 5-0 in the Fox Valley Conference Valley Division

The number: This is the Trojans' 11th straight playoff appearance.

How they got here: Cary-Grove earned an automatic bid after winning the FVC Valley Division.

The skinny: Entering the season, the Trojans were lauded as a team poised to make a run at a state title. Nine games later, they’ve done little to dispel that notion, finishing with a perfect regular season mark. One large reason? The offensive line. Led by Trevor Ruhland and Michael Gomez, Cary-Grove has run for an average of 358 yards per game. Sophomore fullback Tyler Pennington has been at the heart of that attack, totaling 1,138 rushing yards on the season. The defense has, perhaps, been as equally as impressive, holding opposing offenses to an average of 11 points per game. Only twice have teams even reached the 20-point mark.

Know thy foe: Niles North finished in the middle of the pack of the Central Suburban League North Division at 3-2. The Vikings topped Deerfield in a wild finish 56-49 in their regular season finale, but had been previously riding a two-game losing streak. They have had little trouble scoring, averaging 37 points per contest. But, they've also had issues stopping other offenses, giving up an average of 33 points per game.

First Round

Game 1 — #16 Skokie (Niles North) (5-4) at #1 Cary (C.-Grove) (9-0), TBA

Game 2 — #9 St. Charles (North) (7-2) at #8 Rolling Meadows (7-2), TBA

Game 3 — #13 Arlington Heights (Hersey) (6-3) at #4 Geneva (8-1), TBA

Game 4 — #12 Rockford (Auburn) (6-3) at #5 Rockton (Hononegah) (8-1), TBA

Game 5 — #15 Oak Park (Fenwick) (5-4) at #2 Highland Park (9-0), TBA

Game 6 — #10 Mundelein (Carmel) (6-3) at #7 Machesney Park (Harlem) (7-2), TBA

Game 7 — #14 Lake Zurich (5-4) at #3 Addison (A. Trail) (8-1), TBA

Game 8 — #11 Libertyville (6-3) at #6 Chicago (Lincoln Park) (7-2), TBA

Game 9 — #16 Quincy (Sr.) (5-4) at #1 New Lenox (Providence Catholic) (8-1), TBA

Game 10 — #9 Chicago (St. Rita) (6-3) at #8 Plainfield (East) (7-2), TBA

Game 11 — #13 Wheaton (W. Warrenville South) (5-4) at #4 Frankfort (Lincoln-Way North) (8-1), TBA