The phrase “It comes from the north” is often associated with impending disaster.

And it sure seems like that can be applied to the Class 3A bracket in this year’s playoffs.

A number of titans in the classification both past and present have landed in that mix, and while the south side has some good teams as well, it will be the north side of the bracket where some serious fireworks seem to be taking place.

First-round matchups

Richmond-Burton vs. North Boone: This is Richmond-Burton’s 18th consecutive playoff appearance, but its first of the 18 where it won’t be competing in Class 4A. The Rockets have done plenty of damage in 4A, but are now looking to potentially flourish in a lower classification. North Boone has both a three-game winning streak and a three-game losing streak this season and has been outscored substantially by opponents this season.

Pick: Richmond-Burton

Noble/Rauner vs. Aurora Central Catholic: Rauner had a five-game winning streak snapped by Crane in Week 9, the only time all season that the Wildcats had played an opponent with more than five wins on the season. Aurora Central Catholic hasn’t exactly played a daunting schedule either, playing just one playoff bound foe (a 41-20 loss to Alton Marquette) while the remaining eight opponents on the ACC schedule combined for just 14 wins.

Pick: Aurora Central Catholic

Bloomington Central Catholic vs. Princeton: Bloomington Central Catholic has been pushed just twice this season as the Saints have scored points in bunches. RB Valshun Powe is as dynamic a player as you will find in the 3A ranks and he’s likely to give Princeton lots of problems. Princeton had an out of character season as back-to-back losses to start the season put the Tigers in a strange hole they aren’t used to have to climb out of it. The Tigers did so by winning their last four games and six of their last seven, but their defense seems certain to see a difficult test here.

Pick: Bloomington Central Catholic

Monmouth-Roseville vs. Manteno: Monmouth-Roseville rolled through the first seven games before hitting the proverbial brick wall in a loss to Rockridge in Week 8. The Titans look like the kind of team that might be able to make a run, considering that other than the Rockridge loss the defense has been sturdy. Manteno is making its second consecutive playoff appearance, but it hopes to do a little damage this time around as it hasn’t bagged a playoff win since 2016.

Pick: Monmouth-Roseville

Byron vs. Oregon: Byron has won two of the last four state titles in Class 3A and its major recent deterrent to adding more hardware, Montini, has been moved up a classification to 4A. That doesn’t mean Byron can breathe easy in a loaded bracket, but the Tigers should at the very least have enough to move along against an opponent they beat 35-7 back in Week 3.

Pick: Byron

Johnsburg vs. Durand-Pecatonica: Johnsburg’s two losses are to quality foes in Richmond-Burton and Woodstock North, but the Skyhawks wins are rather eclectic too. Johnsburg holds victories over teams that qualified for the 4A (Marengo), 6A (Thornwood) and 7A (Addison Trail) playoff fields. It’s cooperative status raises Du-Pec up from playing mostly 1A competition to Class 3A for the postseason but there’s no doubting the Indians are battle tested with their three losses coming at the hands of Stockton, Lena-Winslow and a nonconference tilt with Byron.

Pick: Durand-Pecatonica

Bishop McNamara vs. Herscher: A long-standing rivalry that was only recently renewed on the gridiron will get two chapters in the book in 2025 as the Fightin’ Irish ran away in the second half for a 45-28 win back in Week 2. Bishop McNamara’s resurgence has been notable as the team went undefeated in the regular season for the first time since 1998. Herscher also snapped a bit of a drought with its playoff qualification, its first since 2018.

Pick: Bishop McNamara

Hope Academy vs. IC Catholic: Hope Academy has been pretty electric on offense this season, but there’s legitimate questions that can be directed to its schedule. The Eagles have beaten just one team with a winning record this season. No 3A team can boast a schedule as imposing as IC Catholic’s as it owns a feather in its cap win over Wheaton St. Francis, as well as a narrow loss to powerhouse Nazareth. The core of IC Catholic’s lineup is pretty young so the Knights likely aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Pick: IC Catholic

Williamsville vs. Hillsboro: Williamsville has been one of the more dynamic 3A programs over the last decade and nothing has been done this year to dissuade that opinion. Williamsville has had just one opponent come within 14 points beating them and they scored 40 plus points in all but two of its games. Hillsboro rebounded from a 1-3 start, but doesn’t own a win over a playoff bound opponent.

Pick: Williamsville

PORTA vs. Fairfield: PORTA’s schedule was frontloaded with quality opponents so it wasn’t surprising to see them start the season with a 1-3 mark. But by getting those tougher foes out of the way the Bluejays have been able to build momentum finished the season on a five-game winning streak. Fairfield has made the last 12 playoff fields, but the Mules have only made it past the first round (and never past the second round) in four of those 12 trips.

Pick: Fairfield

Tolono Unity vs. Mt. Carmel: Both of these two programs have made a 3A title game appearance in the last five seasons. Tolono looks primed to possibly make another run at a title game, with its lone loss coming at the hands of Bloomington Central Catholic (34-27) back in Week 3. The Rockets have not been pushed in any other game. Mt. Carmel found itself in 0-2 hole to start the season, but have regrouped fairly well collecting wins over two playoff-bound programs and was edged out by one-point in a loss to a good Casey-Westfield team.

Pick: Tolono Unity

Monticello vs. Paris: Monticello is on a little bit of a momentum wave, concluding the season with a four-game winning streak. The Sages’ defense has been pretty consistent having breakdowns against two conference front-runners in Tolono Unity and Bloomington Central Catholic. Paris removed itself from the playoff qualifier fence by stunning Casey-Westfield in Week 9, its only win over a playoff-caliber opponent all season.

Pick: Monticello

Vandalia vs. Christopher: Vandalia has been keeping scoreboard operators busy all season as the Vandals have scored at least 40 points in all but one of its games. Vandalia isn’t simply trying to outscore you, though the defense has answered the bell well also. Christopher’s amazing turnaround to playoff qualifier comes from a program that has posted a combined 9-45 over the last six fully contested seasons.

Pick: Vandalia

Olympia vs. Greenville: Olympia raised some eyebrows with a regular-season win over Maroa-Forsyth in Week 7 but the Spartans have established a pattern this season where they will simply try to outscore opponents in their path, its worked more than it hasn’t but not enough to avoid a three-game losing streak in the middle of the season. Greenville struggled against the upper-tier programs in the South Central Conference having defeated just one team that qualified for the playoffs.

Pick: Olympia

Benton vs. St. Joseph Ogden: Benton’s biggest dilemma on playoff pairings night was which class would it find itself in. The Rangers had the exact same enrollment with South Shore and the two schools found themselves exactly on the border of Class 3A and Class 4A, Benton “won” the coin flip and was placed in the smaller of the two bordering classifications. They’ve had very few dilemmas on field, allowing just 59 points all year. The second half of St. Joe Ogden’s season hasn’t gone to plan as the Spartans dropped four of their last six contests.

Pick: Benton

West Frankfort vs. Roxana: Heading into playoff pairings weekend, West Frankfort’s playoff status was assured but its ability to play in it wasn’t as a looming teacher’s strike threatened to squelch the season. But the issue was resolved and West Frankfort will be hitting the field against a sneaky Roxana squad whose three losses were by 2, 5 and 11 points to teams that combined for a 22-5 record.

Pick: Roxana