It’s hard not to look at the Class 6A bracket and start envisioning a potential championship game between East St. Louis and Nazareth.

That’s not to discount the other hopefuls in the field. It is just that past history seems to indicate that these two programs are almost predestined to play on Thanksgiving weekend.

East St. Louis has played in the last five 6A state championship games, winning three, while Nazareth has won the last three state championships in 5A before the IHSA success formula pushed the Roadrunners up a classification to 6A.

First-round matchups

Nazareth vs. Hononegah: Nazareth has had to struggle just to qualify for the postseason in its loaded schedule in years past so it is probably a concerning sign to the rest of the 6A field the ease in which the Roadrunners got in this season. Hononegah typically finds itself at or near the top of the NIC-10 standings but a two-game slide to cap the regular season made sure that didn’t happen.

Pick: Nazareth

Highland Park vs. Wheaton Warrenville South: A Central Suburban North Conference title is a nice feather in the cap for Highland Park, but there’s very little to know about whether or not that success is transferrable to the postseason. Highland Park played just one winning team all season and has one of the lowest playoff point totals in the state. The same can’t be said for Wheaton Warrenville South as the Tigers play in the rigorous DuKane Conference and hold impressive wins over St. Charles North, Glenbard North and Glenbard South.

Pick: Wheaton Warrenville South

Lake Zurich vs. Grant: The roar of the Lake Zurich defense has definitely returned this season as the Bears have held opponents to single-digit scoring in seven of its matchups this season. That element might make for an interesting contrast with Grant, a team that has scored at least 30 points in all but one of its games.

Pick: Lake Zurich

Antioch vs. Glenbard South: A pairing of two teams that are voluntarily playing up to Class 6A as both are 5A teams by their natural enrollments. Antioch is doing what it tends to do with the Sequoits stacking up points at a rapid rate and playing games with a shootout frame of mind seems to suit their mentality. Glenbard South bounced back quickly from a drubbing at the hands of Wheaton Warrenville South and were less than a touchdown away from reversing two losses down the down the stretch to Glenbard East and Riverside-Brookfield.

Pick: Antioch

Burlington Central vs. Libertyville: Burlington Central has clearly entered the upper rung of the Fox Valley and is now hoping to translate that into some serious postseason success. Although the Rockets have several playoff qualifications in their past they haven’t made a quarterfinal appearance in any class since 2006. Libertyville had a four-game winning streak rudely snapped by Warren in Week 9, but despite that setback Libertyville’s defense has played a lot better in the second half of the season.

Pick: Burlington Central

Harlem vs. Mather: Harlem put together separate winning streaks of four and three games, but had significant trouble competing with the class of the conference. The Huskies should be able to make some noise in the postseason, though, as its defense has done a pretty good job of reining in most of its opponents. Mather faced six playoff opponents and seemingly befitting of its just above .500 record, they won three and lost three of those contests.

Pick: Harlem

Riverside-Brookfield vs. Rolling Meadows: Riverside-Brookfield was denied an undefeated season by a last-second 48-yard field goal in Week 9, but that shouldn’t overshadow how much progress the Bulldogs made this season. They did not qualify for the playoffs last season. Rolling Meadows had a four-game stretch early in the season where it outscored opponents 219-8 but the Mustangs don’t have a win over an opponent with a winning record this season.

Pick: Riverside-Brookfield

Kennedy vs. Fenwick: Kennedy is the higher seed in this matchup, but the gap in quality of competition is about as wide as you might find in the first round. Kennedy plays in a lower division of the Chicago Public League, while Fenwick locked horns with two undefeated teams in the CCL/ESCC and also played and defeated two other playoff bound CCL squads.

Pick: Fenwick

Glenwood vs. Joliet Catholic: Glenwood spent most of the season teetering between the Class 5A and Class 6A draws and now faces the prospect of playing two of the most decorated programs in the state if they are able to get past Joliet Catholic in Round 1. The Hilltoppers showed a lot of guile and determination in getting into the field after dropping to 2-5 at one point in the season.

Pick: Glenwood

East St. Louis vs. Plainfield East: East St. Louis’ record against in-state opponents is spotless this season and Illinois squads haven’t been particularly close to knocking them off either. The Flyers are the odds-on favorite to repeat as Class 6A champs. Plainfield East has never won a playoff game in school history and it will be a substantial uphill climb for the Bengals to try to get that elusive win here.

Pick: East St. Louis

Normal West vs. Thornwood: Normal West started a second half surge with an impressive win over Peoria that sparked a five-game winning streak heading into the playoffs. The Wildcats don’t seem to be hurting for an avenue for scoring points and that’s probably going to be a big problem for Thornwood, who gave up lots of points to three of the four playoff bound opponents on its regular season schedule.

Pick: Normal West

Goode vs. Simeon: Goode was one of the last remaining Chicago Public League schools that did not have a loss after starting 6-0, but the final third of the season has delivered some pratfalls to the ledger of the Knights. Simeon is still widely regarded as being one of the more marquee CPL programs, but the Wolverines do not possess a win over a team with a winning record this season.

Pick: Simeon

Bradley-Bourbonnais vs. Shepard: Bradley-Bourbonnais has had a spectacular season and finished with a flourish, putting up well over 600 yards of total offense (300-plus passing, 300-plus rushing) in a Week 9 win over Andrew. Shepard was an unexpected add to the playoff field having started the season 1-5 before catching fire at the end of the season, upending 4-4 Blue Island Eisenhower to effectively steal their playoff bid when the Astros cache of playoff points came into focus.

Pick: Bradley-Bourbonnais

Oak Lawn vs. St. Laurence: Oak Lawn is in the midst of one of the program’s best-ever seasons. The Spartans need one more win to produce what might be the best year in school history. IHSA seasonal records go back to 1953 and no Oak Lawn Community team has won more than seven games. St. Laurence bore the brunt of a brutal CCL/ESCC schedule and doesn’t exactly go into the postseason feeling great about themselves, back-to-back losses to talented Brother Rice and Montini squads will do that to you.

Pick: St. Laurence

Crete-Monee vs. Quincy: Crete-Monee reclaimed Southland Conference hardware with a surprising win over Kankakee in Week 9, but the Warriors have very quietly went about their business after starting the season 0-2. Life hasn’t been as easy for Quincy on offense post spectacular record breaking quarterback Brayden Little’s graduation, but the Blue Devils have still found a way to give opponents some problems.

Pick: Crete-Monee

Dunlap vs. Pekin: Dunlap edged out Pekin 28-27 in Week back in Week 3, easily the closest of the games that are be rekindled from regular season matchups. Dunlap was dangerously close to having a much better fate in Mid-Illini conference play than it did losing its two league games by eight and one point. Pekin had a much more trying path to the playoffs at one point sitting a 2-4 and needing to defeat another 4-4 team in Week 9 (East Peoria) just to lock up its spot in the field.

Pick: Dunlap