As the smiles on the faces of Jacobs’ players Saturday will attest, nothing is better for a high school football team than a November win.

November losses produce tears that smear eye black.

Jacobs’ seniors had never experienced November smiles after a playoff game.

“It means a lot. I love it,” senior running back Michael Cannady said after the 22nd-seeded Golden Eagles beat No. 11 Addison Trail 36-27 in a Class 7A postseason opener in sunny Addison. “I’ve been wishing for this. This has been one of my goals in my high school career to win at least one playoff game.”

Heading into its playoff game, Jacobs counted a hefty 27 wins since the start of the 2022 season. All 27 were accomplished during the regular season.

The playoff win was only the eighth in Jacobs’ history and first since Nov. 5, 2021, when the Eagles beat Normal Community 17-7 at home, before losing to host Prospect 35-21 the following week in the Class 7A quarterfinals.

“We haven’t gotten a lot of playoff wins in the history of the school, so to get one means a lot to our kids,” said coach Brian Zimmerman, whose Eagles are playing postseason ball for a school-record fifth year in a row.

The playoff victory was the third under Zimmerman, who now has the most of any Jacobs football coach in school history. Bill Mitz and Dean Schlueter each have two. Bob Bejcek coached the Eagles to their first playoff win in 1979.

Jacobs lost at home to Bradley-Bourbonnais 34-27 in the team’s playoff opener last year after a 7-2 regular season. Lincoln-Way Central ousted the Eagles 23-14 in 2023. The previous year, Jacobs lost to Brother Rice 27-0 after going 8-1 during the regular season.

Jacobs’ senior offensive guard/defensive tackle Lucas Retzler is well aware of his team’s recent playoff history.

“I was up there for the Brother Rice one, a tough loss,” said Retzler, a three-year varsity starter. “The Lincoln-Way Central loss stung because it was a game we could have had. Last year, against Bradley, that was unbearable. We had the game in our grip. That was a heartbreaker.”

So, the focus ever since that season-ending loss Nov. 1 last year has been on figuring out how to get a November win. Losing to visiting Cary-Grove in Week 9 this season cost the Eagles a potential home game in Round 1.

“All through the offseason, all through summer camp, [winning a playoff game] was the reminder from all the coaches, in the weight room and every practice,” Retzler said. “We finally came out with the victory.”

Running backs Cannady and Caden DuMelle carried the load, as sophomore QB Austin Stennett threw only eight passes, completing six, for 33 yards. Cannady had 155 rushing yards on 21 carries, DuMelle rushed 19 times for 137 yards, and Justin Gonzalez added 40 yards on only four carries. Cannady (one), DuMelle (two) and Gonzalez (two) accounted for all five of Jacobs’ TDs.

“I’m really proud to be able to make it to the second round,” said Cannady, a two-year starter and three-year varsity player who also contributes on defense and special teams. “The key was just to come together as a team and play our best.”

The win earned Jacobs a November home game. The Eagles (7-3) host No. 6 Brother Rice (10-1) at 6 p.m. Saturday.

“I’m just proud of our kids,” Zimmerman said. “They persevered today.”

Rockets air it out: Burlington Central quarterback Landon Arnold, after throwing six passes in the first three quarters, led the second-seeded Rockets to a thrilling 21-17 Class 6A first-round win over No. 15 Libertyville on Saturday at Rocket Hill.

The Rockets’ senior threw eight straight passes on the game-winning drive, tossing a 34-yard TD to junior Sam Ames with 1:04 left. The drive started on Central’s 27-yard line with 2:24 to go.

The Rockets (9-1) now get another playoff home game when they host No. 7 Harlem (8-2) at 6 p.m. Saturday in the second round. Central, after ending an 18-year playoff drought in 2024, lost its second-round game to Geneva 42-28 after the Rockets led in the third quarter.

Not that close: At first glance, top-seeded Prairie Ridge’s 46-30 Class 5A first-round win over No. 16 Vernon Hills may appear close. But the Wolves, who won the Fox Valley Conference championship with a 9-0 record, pretty much had their way with the Cougars.

Prairie Ridge scored on all five of its offensive possessions in the first half, adding two-point conversions on all five, and led 40-0 at the break. The Wolves then took out their starters with a running clock, at which point Vernon Hills started to find the end zone.

After Vernon Hills cut the lead to 40-22 with 11:50 left, Prairie Ridge put back in its starters and scored again on sophomore fullback Vincent Byk’s third TD of the game.

The 10-0 Wolves travel to St. Francis (7-3) for a second-round game at 1 p.m. Saturday. It’s a rematch of last year’s second round, won by St. Francis 30-21.

Cary-Grove has winning history vs. private schools: Cary-Grove’s long history of playoff success includes many wins against private schools.

The Trojans (8-2), seeded sixth in Class 5A, get the chance to add another victory when they play No. 14 St. Patrick (6-4) at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Triton College in River Grove.

C-G has fared well against CCL/ESCC schools. In their playoff history, the Trojans are 8-4 against schools currently in the combined conferences. That includes a 28-21 win over Niles Notre Dame in a 2018 Class 6A semifinal and a 31-28 loss to Providence in the 2014 Class 7A title game.

First-round playoff scores

Class 8A

No. 4 Fremd 41, No. 29 Huntley 14

Class 7A

No. 22 Jacobs 36, No. 11 Addison Trail 27

Class 6A

No. 2 Burlington Central 21, No. 15 Libertyville 17

Class 5A

No. 1 Prairie Ridge 46, No. 16 Vernon Hills 30

No. 6 Cary-Grove 42, No. 11 Sycamore 14

Class 4A

No. 9 Peoria Notre Dame 35, No. 8 Marengo 21

No. 4 Dixon 45, No. 13 Woodstock North 0

No. 2 Morris 54, No. 15 Woodstock 7

Class 3A

No. 1 Richmond-Burton 49, No. 16 North Boone 0

No. 10 Du-Pec co-op 18, No. 7 Johnsburg 13

Illinois 8-Man Football Association

No. 8 South Beloit 37, No. 9 Alden-Hebron 6

• Northwest Herald sports editor Alex Kantecki and correspondent Andy Tavegia contributed to this report.