More from the Times-area’s sidelines from Week 11 (the second round of the IHSA playoffs) of the football season.

Seneca’s tradition ‘a tough but good moment’

Following Seneca’s season-ending second-round Class 2A playoff loss to Wilmington on Saturday night, a tradition continued as the team’s 19 seniors huddled at midfield, left their helmets on the ground and walked off arm-in-arm one last time.

Seneca head coach Terry Maxwell said the idea was carried over from previous Fighting Irish head coach and current athletic director Ted O’Boyle.

“Ted started it here. I assume it was something he had done before [at Flanagan-Cornell/Woodland]. I really liked it and continued the tradition of it,” Maxwell said. “I think it’s good for a lot of reasons. We tell our seniors that they came in together and stuck together; we want them to walk off the field one last time together. It’s a tough but good moment.

“They’ve spent a lot of time together over four years and have gotten close with one another. There’s a special bond with a football team. The amount of time they spend in the weight room together, the physicality they have to use on one another to prepare for a game, and the discussions they get into in our leadership sessions have an impact bringing them together.

“All of those things really bond people together.”

Maxwell feels the seniors walking off as one group helps begin the closure to the chapter that is now over.

“I like the symbolism of them walking off together, and it also gives our fans and parents a moment to cheer for our seniors one last time as a group, which I like,” Maxwell said. “Our parents put a lot into our kids throughout the four years, it’s good for them to see them all one last time together and cheer them on.

“Lastly, it gives me a chance to talk to the underclassmen for the first time and turn their attention to next year, talk to them about the impact our seniors have had on our program, talk to them about the dedication it takes in the weight room to turn into an impact varsity player and encourage them to play their winter and spring sports to their best ability and learn how to compete.

“Really challenge them to put in the work to keep our program moving in the right direction. Remind them that whatever next season looks like is now on them, and their work, because a lot of talent just walked off the field, and they have big shoes to fill.”

Dwight continues to embrace underdog role

For the second postseason in a row, a No. 12 seed from Dwight is in the quarterfinals.

The Trojans (7-3) dismantled No. 4 Clifton Central 43-14 in Saturday’s IHSA Class 1A second-round playoff game to get back to the quarterfinals for the second season in a row after a Class 2A quarterfinal run last season, also as a No. 12 seed.

It is the first time in program history that Dwight has reached the quarterfinals in consecutive seasons.

Even after the ending of a co-op with Gardner-South Wilmington led to a drop in numbers for the Dwight program, the team has not missed a beat, going down from 2A to 1A.

Junior quarterback/safety Collin Bachand, who had a pick-six and a forced fumble/touchdown return in Saturday’s win over Clifton Central, said the Trojans have carried over their underdog mentality into the new classification.

“It’s our teamwork and our coaching,” he said. “Even if we’re a No. 16 seed, it doesn’t mean we can’t beat the No. 1 seed. No matter what seed we are, we can play with anybody, any 1A team. Moving down to 1A helped us out a lot to play our real level.”

The Trojans will be underdogs once again this coming Saturday at 6 p.m. when they face perhaps their biggest test of the year – an unbeaten No. 1 Stockton team in the quarterfinals.

Head coach Luke Standiford, who has led the Trojans to three straight winning regular seasons for the first time since the mid-1980s, said it is hardly unfamiliar territory.

“I think we just like being the Cinderella story,” he said. “I tell the kids not to look too much into the newspaper clippings and the media, but the last five games no one has picked us to win, and we won every one of them.”

Second-round results

4A: Coal Coty 49, Dixon 42

4A: Morris 64, Metamora 50

2A: Wilmington 42, Seneca 0

2A: El Paso-Gridley 31, Sterling Newman 0

1A: Dwight 43, Clifton Central 14

Quarterfinal matchups around the area

SATURDAY

4A: Morris at Geneseo, 2 p.m.

4A: Coal City at Montini, 1 p.m.

2A: Tri-Valley at Wilmington, 5 p.m.

2A: Farmington at El Paso-Gridley, 5 p.m.

1A: Dwight at Stockton, 6 p.m.