After Week 6 came and went, two thirds of the IHSA football regular season has been completed. Here are where the Daily Journal area teams stand in the postseason hunt ahead of Week 7.

Locked in

Bishop McNamara (6-0)

A 49-13 win against Marian Central Saturday officially secured Bishop McNamara’s playoff bid, making it the first area school to clinch a spot. It will be the Fightin’ Irish’s first postseason appearance since five-time state champion coach Rich Zinanni’s final season in 2021, snapping the longest drought in school history. The Irish are 4-0 in the Chicagoland Christian Conference, with tests coming at Wheaton Academy (3-3, 3-1) and Hope Academy (6-0, 4-0) the next two weeks.

Sitting comfortably

Bradley-Bourbonnais (5-1)

The Boilermakers dropped their first game of the season by a 28-20 final at Lincoln-Way Central last Friday, but Bradley-Bourbonnais has all but clinched its fourth straight postseason appearance with five wins and 27 playoff points (opponents’ wins). The Boilers end their regular season with three Southwest Valley Red games – their final home game Friday against DeKalb (2-4, 1-2), a trip to conference leader Lincoln-Way West (6-0, 4-0) and trip to longtime rival Andrew left on the schedule.

Clifton Central (5-1)

Like the Boilers, Clifton Central’s bid for a perfect 2025 ended in Week 6, a 37-14 loss at undefeated Westville that could potentially decide the Vermilion Valley Conference champion. In a locked VVC, the Comets know that they’ll earn four playoff points in weeks that they win and five in weeks that they lose. They currently sit at 25 playoff points, well above the cut line, and need just one win in their final three games – Hoopeston (0-6), Iroquois West (1-5) and Salt Fork (4-2) to clinch a spot.

Coal City (5-1)

Not many teams are as hot as Coal City, which won its fourth straight game, all by running clock, with a convincing 55-0 win at Manteno last week. The Coalers are tied atop the Illinois Central Eight Conference with Wilmington, both currently 4-0 in the ICE. The two teams will meet at Wilmington in Week 9, and Coal City will look to have secured its 14th straight postseason appearance by then.

Wilmington (5-1)

Speaking of the Wildcats, Wilmington has also been cruising along, joining Coal City as the only local teams to record all of its victories by a running clock thus far. The Wildcats own the area’s – and one of the state’s – longest postseason streaks at 28 years and counting. There’s still a third of the regular season left, and the Wildcats will spend that time riding the line between Class 2A and Class 3A, but if the first six weeks are any indication, Wilmington has to be considered a state title favorite.

Milford/Cissna Park (5-1)

In the Illinois 8-Man Football Association, Milford/Cissna Park looks comfortable as the Bearcats look to make it 7 for 7 as far as I8FA postseason appearances are concerned. With 32 I8FA teams this fall and 16 postseason spots up for grabs, the Bearcats essentially clinched a playoff spot with their 52-30 win over Meridian last Saturday, but have a chance to make it official and play for better seeding with games at Blue Ridge (1-4), at St. Anne (5-1) and against Unity Christian/Mt. Pulaski (2-4).

St. Anne (5-1)

How quickly things can change. After the school’s football program was dormant for almost 50 years, St. Anne’s 8-Man program launched four years ago, and after the program’s first-ever postseason appearance last fall, the Cardinals are on their way to becoming one of the state’s most feared teams. They’ve outscored their opponents 195-78, and save for a forfeit win over Schlarman, have scored at least 26 points in every game and allowed two touchdowns or less four times.

On the threshold

Kankakee (4-2)

The Kays fell behind 12-6 early on in last Friday’s game at Rich Township, but stormed back behind five total touchdowns from Phillip Turner (four passing, one rushing) to win their fourth straight game, 64-24. Kankakee has a chance to secure a program-record sixth straight playoff appearance over the next two weeks, when the Kays, who are 3-0 in the Southland Athletic Conference, host Bloom (3-3, 1-2) and visit Thornton (2-4, 1-2) the next two weeks. They welcome Southland rival Crete-Monee (4-2, 3-0) in the regular season finale in a game that’s likely to decide the Southland.

Herscher (4-2)

After holding off Streator for a pivotal 28-14 win last week, Herscher is now likely just one win away and definitely two wins away from snapping a five-season playoff drought, the longest such streak in the area. Despite losing out on a couple extra potential playoff points by taking a forfeit win over replacing ICE foe Lisle, who forfeited the season, with a nonconference game, the Tigers own 26 playoff points and are almost certainly in with a win in their last three games – Reed-Custer, at Coal City and Peotone.

Work to do

Manteno (3-3)

After winning three of their first four games, the Panthers are reeling back to .500 after losses to fellow ICE juggernauts Wilmington and Coal City the past two weeks. Injuries have mounted for Manteno, which owns 28 playoff points. The Panthers always got a shot with three-year quarterback Connor Harrod under center, and they’ll lean on their senior signal-caller to lead them two at least two victories at Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley, at Peotone and against Streator down the stretch.

Reed-Custer (3-3)

With a forfeit win over Lisle still looming ahead in Week 9, Reed-Custer is already essentially 4-3 with two weeks to go. Thanks to Tristan Randall’s walk-off field goal to give them a 31-28 win over Peotone last week, the Comets will either need to win at Herscher this week or upset Wilmington at home in Week 9 to get to the five-win mark in coach Joe Turek’s rookie season. They currently possess 27 playoff points.

Peotone (3-3)

On the other side of last week’s ICE nail-biter is Peotone, whose program-best streak of five straight playoff trips is in sudden jeopardy. They own 26 playoff points and will now look to finish strong by taking at least two wins against Coal City, Manteno and at Herscher.

Hail Mary time

Momence (2-4)

After getting back in gear with a pair of wins in Weeks 4 and 5, Momence’s playoff hopes took a huge hit when Salt Fork bested them for a 16-14 win last week. With 28 playoff points in the VVC, they know that a 4-5 final record would result in 41 playoff points, which likely won’t be enough as a four-win team to make the field of 256. That means they almost certainly have to win out with trips to Bismarck-Henning (4-2), Watseka (1-5) and Georgetown-Ridge Farm (3-3).

Likely out

Iroquois West (1-5), Watseka (1-5)

Like a potential 4-5 Momence team, both Iroquois West and Watseka are looking at a maximum of 41 playoff points if either can manage a three-game winning streak down the stretch, essentially dashing their postseason hopes.