York senior wide receiver Simon Kodosky is looking to take the next step in his high school career.

A two-year starter, Kodosky immediately made his mark on the program in his junior season. For each of the past two seasons, Kodosky is leading the team in receiving yards and touchdown catches.

But Kodosky – and the rest of the seniors – are aiming to leave a permanent mark on the Elmhurst program in the form of the first state championship in school history.

The Dukes, who lost to Loyola in the Class 8A state title game last season, start their playoff journey on Friday against a familiar foe in West Suburban Silver Division member Lyons.

The two teams squared off in Week 9, with the Lions earning the division title with a 34-26 victory. The Dukes (6-3, 4-2) hope for a reversal in their rematch against the Lions (7-2, 4-2). It’s one of 14 rematches statewide in the first round of the playoffs.

“We made some silly mistakes last week that we have to overcome,” Kodosky said. “We’ve had some tough losses, obviously. Being a senior, I’m trying to do everything I can to help us. It’s about the team and the school and everything is dependent on the football team’s success. Being a captain, you are more aware of how the town and school revolves around football and how much people care for you.

“It’s weird to be playing Lyons again. On Monday, we go over the scouting report, but we just played them. We’ve played them since third grade, so it will come down to who will do the little things right and who can adapt to the game in a short time.”

York coach Don Gelsomino admitted playing Lyons in consecutive weeks is not the ideal first-round playoff scenario.

“It’s tough,” Gelsomino said. “Our conference is very difficult, so to see each other back-to-back weeks is different. In high school football, you don’t see that every often. It was a tight game last week, a lot of back and forth. It should be another interesting game. We had the same situation a couple of years ago in the second round of the playoffs. It’s a different feeling.

“Lyons is a really good football team. In Class 8A, after the first round every team is extremely good, but maybe sometimes in the first round, you draw a good team but one you should win and then the second round is an incredible team. But we drew Lyons in the first round.”

In their Week 9 meeting, Lyons running back EJ Kuhlman was an unstoppable force, rushing for a single-game, school-record 246 yards to spark the Lions.

Kodosky, who also plays lacrosse, is a player to watch in the rematch game after finishing with 31 receptions for 542 yards and four touchdowns.

“Simon is an incredible worker and a huge part of our program,” Gelsomino said. “He’s really developed and shown our younger wide receivers how it’s done the right way. We’ve moved him around more this year, not just in one spot. He knows our whole offense, which is huge for us.

“He’s an all-around wide receiver, a speed kid who can catch the ball in traffic and deep balls. He runs great routes and knows the game really well.”

Lemont gearing up for the playoffs

Lemont opens up the Class 6A playoffs at 3 p.m. Saturday at Kankakee. Lemont (5-4) has had an up-and-down season, losing two straight games, winning five in a row and dropping the last two games of the regular season.

Lemont coach Willie Hayes said his team fought hard throughout a trying nine-game regular season.

“I’m incredibly proud of the grit and resilience our team showed this season,” Hayes said. “We faced a lot of adversity along the way, but our guys never stopped believing and never stopped working. They stayed together, trusted the process and earned the right to keep playing football in the postseason. That says a lot about their character and the culture we’ve built here.”

Hayes said the Kays (6-3) are a formidable first-round opponent for his team. Two of the Kays’ three losses – Lincoln-Way East and Nazareth – came against potential state title teams. Kankakee senior wide receiver Cedric Terrell III has scored a team-best 14 touchdowns and quarterback Phillip Turner is an elite threat with 1,316 yards passing and 19 touchdowns to go with 357 yards rushing and two TDs. Turner was injured in Week 9 and his status in the playoffs is in question. With him out, Terrell could play quarterback.

“Kankakee has a physical defense that runs to the ball and plays gap sound,” Hayes said. “We need to make sure we get ahead of the sticks on first down and keep drives going by converting on third down. Offensively, they are explosive and have a dual-threat quarterback and their skill players are very talented. We need to limit big plays and get off the field on third down.”

Hayes said two players have been unsung standouts for his team in the regular season. Hayes noted the steady play of defensive linemen Sam Sulzberger and Enzo LoCoco and senior center Ethan Katauskas.

“Sam is a linebacker who we decided to put his hand in the dirt after a couple of injuries to our defensive line,” Hayes said. “He’s doing what is best for the team and has been playing well. Enzo continues to get better each week. Ethan is two-year starter. He continues to be a vocal leader and been playing well in the run game and in pass protection.”

Nazareth 4-peat?

Nazareth is trending in new territory starting this weekend. The Roadrunners have won six state titles, all under the direction of Tim Racki, since 2014. Nazareth enters the playoffs with three consecutive titles under their belt.

Racki understands the difficulties of winning a state title, especially after winning four in a row at Driscoll. The Class 6A No. 1 seed Roadrunners host No. 16 seed Hononegah at 1 p.m. on Saturday in their playoff opener.

“There’s literally zero thought to it, because you know, I do a good job of keeping the kids focused and me focused and not going there because all of it is out of my control,” Racki said. “I want to get through this round and the next round. I get fixated and obsessed staying in the moment, in the bracket and in the round that we are in.”

Racki said the 2025 Roadrunners, full of new faces and starters, are a completely different team than his past three state title winners.

“What I love about this team is that after so many veterans left last year that were a huge part of the first three titles, it took these kids a while for them to develop own identity,” Racki said. “In the first few weeks of the season, nobody was talking about last year. This team is good, so they’ve earned their own identity and own style of play. It’s been so fun to watch them steadily improving each week, which makes it cool.

“Each team is so different, like having different kids and more than one. Every kid is different. It’s not a cookie cutter receipt I go by. Each team has their own identity and strengths and weaknesses.”