Class 7A: Glenbard West Hilltoppers (13-0) vs. Libertyville Wildcats (13-0)

Glenbard West

Hilltoppers (13-0) vs.

Libertyville Wildcats

(13-0)

Game time: 4 p.m. Saturday

Coaches: Chad Hetlet (101-13 in ninth year with Hilltoppers); Mike Jones (34-12 in fourth season with Wildcats)

Conference: Glenbard West went 6-0 in the West Suburban Silver League. Libertyville was 6-0 in the North Suburban Conference Lake Division.

How they got here: No. 1 Glenbard West opened the playoffs with a 49-10 win against Moline then beat No. 1 Mt. Carmel 7-0 before a 45-14 win against Auburn in the quarterfinals. The Hilltoppers beat No. 5 Cary-Grove 21-6 in the semifinals. ... No. 3 Libertyville opened with a 56-24 win against Downers Grove North. They Wildcats followed with a 27-17 win against Lincoln-Way East and a 41-27 victory over No. 6 Normal, 41-27. They beat No. 23 Bradley-Bourbonnais 22-17 in the semifinals.

State championship appearances: The Hilltoppers have titles in 1983 and 2012 among their four state final appearances. ... The Wildcats appeared in two state title games, coming in 2003-04, winning the second of the two to cap a 14-0 year. They were 13-0 entering the 2003 contest.

Keep an eye on: The Hilltoppers have used a balance attack all season, but against Cary-Grove they relied on Sam Bronder in blizzard-like conditions. He ran 50 times for 292 yards and two scores. ... Libertyville quarterback Riley Lees had a rough game against Bradley-Bourbonnais last week – responsible for all four of the Wildcats’ turnovers. But he still had the winning touchdown and 232 rushing yards – not to mention the Northwestern recruit had 106 passing yards in very snowy conditions.

Fun fact: Jones is just the third coach for the Wildcats since 1971. Dale Christensen coached for 23 years, going 133-87, then was succeeded by Randy Kuceyeski, who was 133-58 with a state title in his tenure.

Why you should watch: It’s a battle between teams that know a thing or two about making the playoffs. The last time neither of these teams was in the postseason was 1996. While there are two other matchups between undefeated teams going on at Huskie Stadium, this is the one in the largest class sporting major college recruits on both sides of the ball. Bronder is committed to Vanderbilt, while Libertyville defensive end Ben Kimpler is committed to Miami (Ohio). Libertyville isn’t used to close games – the semifinal win was its first by single digits this year. Glenbard West has also played in one single-digit game this year, the second-round win against Mt. Carmel.