With just two weeks of the regular season remaining, seven of the Daily Journal area’s football teams have clinched postseason opportunities. Ten teams have winning records and with two games to play, there are just two local teams whose postseason chances are officially over.

Here is where teams stand heading into Week 8.

Locked in

Bishop McNamara (7-0, 28 playoff points)

It’s been a banner comeback season for the Fightin’ Irish, who have already secured their winningest season since their 2021 trip to the Class 2A quarterfinals. Bishop McNamara meets fellow Chicagoland Christian Conference unbeaten Hope Academy on the road Friday to essentially decide the conference title. The Irish will spend the next two weeks walking the line between the Class 3A and Class 4A fields.

Bradley-Bourbonnais (6-1, 34 playoff points

Bradley-Bourbonnais had a quick rebound from a Week 6 loss at Lincoln-Way Central, bouncing back to defeat DeKalb 48-19 on senior night last Friday. That clinched the Boilermakers’ fourth straight playoff trip ahead of trips to undefeated Lincoln-Way West and Andrew to finish the regular season. They’re another class bubble team, teetering between Class 6A and Class 7A.

Coal City (6-1, 34 playoff points)

One of the programs most commonly found in the Class 4A playoff field, Coal City clinched its 14th straight playoff appearance with a 49-7 win over Peotone last week. The Coalers will look to keep pace atop the Illinois Central Eight Conference with a win over Herscher this week before traveling to Wilmington to likely decide the conference in Week 9.

Wilmington (6-1, 33 playoff points)

The only area team with a longer playoff streak than the Coalers, Wilmington officially made it 29 straight postseason trips with a 45-0 win over Streator in Week 7. As they seemingly always do, the Wildcats are right on the bubble between Class 2A and 3A with two weeks to go as they look to earn their third state championship in five years and fourth in school history.

Clifton Central (6-1, 29 playoff points)

The fourth 11-Man team in the area to officially qualify last week, the Comets clinched their berth with a 54-0 win over Hoopeston last week. First-year head coach Jeff Perzee is just the second coach in the school’s storied history to earn a playoff spot in his first year in charge, joining the man he replaced, Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Famer Brian Spooner. The Comets will likely play in the Class 1A bracket.

Milford/Cissna Park (6-1)

The Illinois 8-Man Football Association bracket has almost all 16 of its spots spoken for, as the Bearcats are one of 13 teams to clinch a spot. That makes Milford/Cissna Park a perfect 7 for 7 as far as I8FA playoff qualification goes, with the inaugural I8FA State champions looking to get back to the championship game for the first time since 2019.

St. Anne (6-1)

A year after their first-ever football playoff appearance, the Cardinals are officially playoff-bound again after creaming St. Thomas More 57-14 last week. They hit the road this week to face Milford/Cissna Park Thursday night to determine which team in the I8FA East will stay perfect in divisional play, a matchup that will also have a huge impact on both teams’ playoff seeds.

Looking good

Kankakee (5-2, 35 playoff points)

Anyone who thought Kankakee would find itself in any sort of trouble following the Kays’ two-game losing streak to Nazareth and Lincoln-Way East to open the season have been proven wrong lately, as the Kankakee winning streak reached a handful with a 48-0 win over Bloom, the Kays’ third straight win by at least 30 points. The extra playoff points that come with two defending state champions in the first two weeks have the Kays in great position amongst current five-win teams. They also appear to be relatively comfortable in Class 5A.

Herscher (5-2, 30 playoff points)

Fourth-year Herscher coach Mike Mosier knew when he took the head football coach job that he was inheriting a freshman class that oozed potential, and with that class now seniors, the Tigers are on the doorstep of ending an area-long five-year playoff drought after a walk-off 19-13 overtime win over Reed-Custer in Week 6. An upset win at Coal City and/or a Week 9 win over Peotone would help them feel more secure, but five wins should get the job done for the Tigers, who are likely to wind up in Class 3A but could move up to Class 4A by the time the dust settles.

On the threshold

Manteno (4-3, 31 playoff points)

With their backs up against the wall, the Panthers earned a potentially season-saving win at Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley, making a bit of a statement with a dominant 35-13 win in Week 7. They still need one more win to qualify and need to win out to clinch a postseason spot, but the Panthers feel good about a win at Peotone in Week 8 and/or a Week 9 win over Streator to find a spot in either Class 3A or Class 4A.

Work to do

Reed-Custer (3-4, 32 playoff points)

With a Week 9 forfeit win against Lisle coming its way, Reed-Custer already knows that last week’s overtime loss to Herscher could wind up being quite detrimental to its playoff hopes. At an unofficial 4-4, the Comets will most likely have their postseason fate determined when they host undefeated Wilmington this week. Should they score the upset against the state title contending Wildcats, not only would the Comets be comfortable in the field, but they’d become a team no top seed would want to see in the first round.

Peotone (3-4, 31 playoff points)

The final team in the four-school logjam between three and five wins in the Illinois Central Eight, Peotone is in must-win mode with a pair of games that figure to be mightily competitive. A bitter rivalry that needs no extra motivation, the Blue Devils host Manteno for the Rumble on Route 50 this week and then head to Herscher for Week 9. They’re both winnable games for Peotone, who’s looking for a Class 3A spot, as the Blue Devils are a combined 9-1 against the Panthers and Tigers since 2020.

Hail Mary time

Momence (2-5, 33 playoff points)

Each year, there’s always at least a team or two that ends up a win shy of the playoffs, having a loss or two come by a point or two, and it’s usually a team that could have made a deep postseason push. Momence, who lost 27-26 in overtime to Oakwood in Week 1 and 16-14 to Salt Fork in Week 6, might be one of those teams this year. Momence has a best-case scenario of a 4-5 record with 41 playoff points, and while the trend of four-win teams in the 256-team field looks to continue this year, Momence will probably lack the playoff points to be one of those teams.

Eliminated

Iroquois West (1-6) and Watseka (1-6)

Both Iroquois West and Watseka saw its outside chances to get in as four-win teams end with losses in Week 7.