Here is a look at Week 10 football playoff matchups across The Times area.

Class 2A

No. 13 Port Byron Riverdale (6-3) at No. 4 Seneca (9-0)

When: 1 p.m. Saturday

About the Rams: Riverdale earned the program’s fifth trip to the playoffs and first since 2011 with a six-win season. The Rams went 4-5 last season and 0-9 the year before. Riverdale took advantage of a relatively soft first five weeks of schedule (playing 2-7 Mendota, 0-9 Kewanee, 9-0 Rockridge, 2-7 Mercer County and 3-6 Orion) to start the year 4-1, but from there went 2-2 and finished Three Rivers Rock action 2-3. The Rams’ three losses – to Rockridge, Erie-Prophetstown and Sterling Newman – were to teams that combined to finish the season 22-5. Riverdale comes in scoring an average of 33.1 points per game and allowing 22.6. The Rams have shown the ability to hang with run-heavy, successful teams, losing to Newman just 24-14 in a contest Riverdale trailed only 8-0 at halftime.

About the Fighting Irish: Seneca will be making its fourth consecutive playoff appearance after wrapping up the sixth unbeaten regular season in program history in Week 9 with a 48-13 win over Carlyle at Maroa-Forsyth. Last season, the Irish fell in the second round at Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin. Seneca’s power-T running attack has averaged over 400 yards a game and has led to 44.9 points per outing, while the defense has allowed just 16.6. The Irish ground game is led by 1,000-yard rusher Cam Shriey, Ethan Othon, Liam Knoebel, Brayden Simek and quarterback Gunner Varland. Against Carlyle, the Irish averaged 11.5 yards per rushing attempt, led by Othon’s three carries for 88 yards and two touchdowns, and put some passing plays on video for its postseason opponents to think about with Varland going 2-for-3 for 88 yards and two more TDs.

Advancement: Winner plays Wilmington or West Hancock in the second round.

Friday Night Drive pick: Seneca

Class 1A

No. 11 Marquette (6-3) at No. 6 Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley (7-2)

When: 1 p.m. Saturday

About the Crusaders: Marquette will be making its 13th straight trip to the postseason. The Crusaders lost in the second round to Galena last season. Marquette finished the regular season with three straight wins, including a dominant 66-23 win at Morrison in Week 9 led by QB Anthony Couch’s 8-of-9 passing for 195 yards/14 rushes for 101 yards, along with RB Grant Dose’s 28 carries for 185 yards. The Crusaders’ three losses have come to teams that finished the season a combined 25-2. Marquette is averaging 42 points a game and allowing 18.9. The Crusaders are led offensively by Couch, Dose and fellow RB Jaxsen Higgins, as well as receivers Blayden Cassel, Marcus Baker and Connor Baker. This doesn’t look to be a great draw for either team, as all five of the teams’ combined losses have come to perennial playoff powerhouses and/or significantly larger schools, but it looks to make for a very intriguing first-round matchup that could go either way.

About the Falcons: GCMS – a member of the Heart of Central Illinois superconference – will be making the program’s 22nd march into the playoffs and third straight. Last season, the Falcons reached the 2A quarterfinals before falling to eventual state runner-up Lena-Winslow. The two losses for GCMS came in Week 4 to unbeaten El Paso Gridley (52-14) and Week 7 to 6-3 Manteno (35-13). The Falcons, who went undefeated in the Heart of Central Illinois’ Medium Division, closed the season with wins over Fieldcrest (34-6) and Ridgeview/Lexington (55-27). GCMS scored an average of 31.4 points per contest while giving up 19.9. Jacob Chase – who ran for 136 yards on 24 carries in the win over fellow HOCI playoff entrant Ridgeview/Lexington – has proven to be a workhorse for the Falcons, who historically have bounced between Class 1A and 2A and have won two 2A state championships (2017 and 2018).

Advancement: Winner plays Lena-Winslow or Forreston in the second round.

Friday Night Drive pick: Marquette

No. 12 Dwight (6-3) at No. 5 Rushville-Industry (7-2)

When: 2 p.m. Saturday

About the Trojans: The Trojans beat Oregon in Week 9 – their fourth straight win to overcome a three-game losing streak that put them behind the proverbial 8-ball – to lock up a playoff berth for the third straight season, a school record. They will be looking to find the magic that led them to a Cinderella Class 2A quarterfinal appearance in 2024. Dwight’s three losses (Week 2 to Shelbyville, Week 3 to Marquette, Week 4 to Seneca) came at the hands of playoff teams that finished the regular season a combined 20-7. Led by QB Collin Bachand, RBs Ayden Collom and Evan Cox, complemented by strong-legged K Erdi Gashi, the Trojans have proven capable of putting up points in bunches, and the defense has come together after allowing 50-plus points in its three losses, surrendering just 8.8 points per contest in Weeks 5-9.

About the Rockets: Rushville-Industry’s two losses are to 8-1 Macomb and 9-0 Kewanee Weathersfield, the No. 2 seed in Class 1A North. The Rockets have also beaten playoff qualifiers Princeville (7-2) and Stark County (5-4), going 7-1 in the Lincoln Trail-Prairieland (Small) Conference to take second to Weathersfield. The Rockets – in the playoffs for the fourth straight season – scored an average of 29.3 points per outing this season while allowing 19.3, relying on a strong running game led by 1,400-yard rusher Rylan Reimolds and Sebastian Bertoux, who is closing in on a 1,000-yard season himself. They have thrown for less than 500 yards so far this season.

Advancement: Winner plays Clifton Central or Knoxville in the second round.

Friday Night Drive pick: Rushville-Industry

8-Man Football Alliance

No. 13 Flanagan-Cornell/Woodland (6-3) at No. 4 Pawnee/Lincolnwood (8-1)

When: 6 p.m. Friday

About Falcons: Flanagan-Cornell/Woodland will be making its third consecutive trip into the Illinois 8-man Football Association playoffs, its longest such run since joining the eight-man ranks. The Falcons ended the regular season winning four of their last five contests, including Friday’s 64-20 dismissal of visiting Bushnell-Prairie City. FCW averaged 37.4 points per game in the regular season while allowing 26.3. The Falcons’ three losses came to teams with a combined record of 23-4. FCW is led offensively by running backs Logan Ruddy, Leelynd Durbin and Jack Flahaut, as well as dual-threat quarterback/hard-nosed defensive lineman Brezdyn Simons. They, along with Jaxon Torrez and Oliver Weber, lead a hard-hitting defense. Ruddy has been nigh-unstoppable in recent weeks, including Week 9’s five-TD performance against Bushnell-Prairie City, and the return of Durbin after missing games late in the year makes the Falcons a much more physical and explosive team on both sides of the ball.

About the Indians: Pawnee/Lincolnwood has now qualified for the playoffs for five straight seasons. Last season, the Indians reached the I8FA semifinals before falling to eventual state champion Amboy/LaMoille/Ohio. Pawnee began the season with six straight wins and then suffered its only loss to No. 2-seeded South Fork in Week 7. The Indians are putting up 36.1 points per game while allowing 17.1, and enter the playoffs off a de facto bye week after taking a Week 9 forfeit from Hutsonville/Palestine. RB Jaiden Adomako is the centerpiece of an explosive Indians attack. It is a 120-mile one-way trip from Flanagan to Pawnee, which sits just south of Springfield.

Advancement: Winner plays Amboy or Milford/Cissna Park in the second round.

Friday Night Drive pick: Pawnee