Here are highlights and notes from second-round playoff results around the Chicago Catholic League/East Suburban Catholic Conference.

Mount Carmel, Lincoln-Way East to collide in massive Class 8A matchup

Saturday’s Class 8A quarterfinal game between No. 1 seed Mount Carmel and No. 9 seed Lincoln-Way East won’t be an ordinary playoff matchup.

The Caravan (11-0), a private-school powerhouse with 16 championships to their name, have won the last three 7A titles and show no signs of slowing down after bumping up a class this year. One of only two CCL/ESCC teams still unbeaten, Mount Carmel ran the table in the regular season and beat three-time defending 8A champion Loyola twice, including in the playoffs.

Enter Lincoln-Way East, a public-school powerhouse that has reached the state finals six times and earned three championships since 2005. While injuries to key players, including senior quarterback and USC commit Jonas Williams, factored into the team’s two losses, the Griffins have dominated when healthy, winning two playoff games by a combined score of 100-13.

“This has been one of the top teams in 8A over the last several years,” Mount Carmel coach Jordan Lynch said. “This will be a great matchup and it would be a great victory for us if we’ll able to pull this off. That’s why we schedule tough games throughout the year. We’re ready for this and we’re built for this. A lot of our games have been four-quarter games.”

Williams, who broke the IHSA’s career passing touchdowns record earlier this year, stands 24 yards from the association’s all-time career passing yards record. With Williams at the helm and Navy recruit Brody Gish carrying the rock, Lincoln-Way East dominated Palatine 55-13 to reach the quarterfinals. The Griffins (9-2) shut out Stevenson 45-0 to start their playoff run.

“They’re a fun team to watch,” Lynch said. “It starts with the quarterback and they do a good job of protecting him. He gets the ball out on time, he’s accurate and there isn’t a throw on the field the kid can’t make. We have to stay fundamentally sound on defense and take our shots when we can.”

Lincoln-Way East made a massive statement in Week 1, blowing out another state power, Maine South, 40-0. While the Griffins have scored 40 or more points nine times, Lincoln-Way East’s defense has been just as dominant, opening the season with back-to-back shutouts. The Griffins, who hadn’t allowed over 20 points until Week 9, give up just 9.6 points per game.

“They’re one of the top defenses in the state,” Lynch said. “All around the board, from the defensive line through the secondary, they’re pretty solid. The name of the game is protecting the ball. We have to protect the ball and the defense they run is predicated on not giving up the big play and making the offense go on 10 or 12-play drives. They do a really good job.”

Brother Rice blanks Jefferson, Jacobs to reach Class 7A quarterfinals

Opposing teams have shied away from running the football against Brother Rice over the last few weeks. With defensive linemen like Illinois recruit King Liggins, four-star junior Brayden Parks and five-star end Kameron McGee controlling the line of scrimmage, it’s no wonder teams have attemped to attack the Crusader defense through the air instead of on the ground.

That hasn’t worked either, however, as Brother Rice is cruising into the 7A quarterfinals after blowing away Rockford Jefferson 57-0 and Jacobs 46-0 over the first two rounds. Currently on a five-game winning streak, Brother Rice (10-1) will welcome St. Charles North to its campus Saturday night. The Crusaders are seeking their first semifinal bid since going 8-5 in 2019.

“Usually, teams have an identity and know what their identity is,” Brother Rice coach Casey Quedenfeld said. “This year, all but one or two teams have had different game plans coming in. Jefferson threw the ball 80% of the time against us. Jacobs was a 78% running team and even in rainy conditions, they still passed the ball more than the 22% they normally do... We do our best to plan accordingly on what teams possibly could do.”

Running back Jaylin Green shredded the Jacobs defense on Saturday, going for a team-high 188 yards and five touchdowns. Senior linebacker Charlie Barkmeier totaled six tackles and sophomore Jack Badke added five tackles for the Brother Rice defense, which has allowed 14 points or fewer in every game during the team’s 5-0 stretch. A balanced offensive attack and a smothering defense have the Crusaders ranked by the AP as the No. 1 team in their class.

“Being able to run the football allows us to be multiple in a variety of ways,” Quedenfeld said. “Using several different people running the football has worked for us and being able to open up the pass. That’s been the biggest thing for us offensively... Defensively, it’s a collection of really good football players. Some of them were born to be really good football players, but other guys in that group who worked extremely hard and came a long way.”

St. Charles North arrives in the quarterfinals after knocking off Carmel and Nebraska quarterback recruit Trae Taylor 26-23 at home Saturday night. The North Stars (10-1) have displayed an ability to win close games, edging out Geneva 10-7 and rallying over Batavia 43-42 earlier this season. Turnovers, field position and running the football will be paramount for both teams.

“They’ve been a really good program over the last 10 years,” Quedenfeld said. “If you look at all of their games, they know how to win, whether it’s a comeback win or being in a close game and understanding you have to keep being yourself. North was able to force several turnovers and when you get to the playoffs, it’s about knowing how to win and protecting the football.”

Jake Thies leads Fenwick to Class 6A victory against Rolling Meadows

Jake Thies may have played limited snaps on defense during Fenwick’s 6A second-round playoff game against Rolling Meadows, but the junior running back and defensive back fully capitalized on his increased offensive snaps.

Thies totaled four touchdowns as the Friars cruised over the Mustangs 45-7 to reach the quarterfinals. The junior, who holds multiple Division 1 offers and whose older brother Tommy is committed to Miami (Ohio), ran for 151 yards on 15 carries for Fenwick (8-3), which is in the quarterfinals for the first time since winning the Class 5A state championship four years ago.

“They’re both special players,” Fenwick coach Matt Battaglia said. “They barely left the field during the regular season and as coaches, we wanted to evaluate how we were using their workloads after the regular season. Jake didn’t get nearly as many defensive snaps and I don’t think Tommy got an offensive touch. Jake wasn’t too happy, so I think we saw him take some of that anger out in the ground game and become an even better runner.”

Quarterback Jamen Williams threw for 219 yards and accounted for two scores to aid the Fenwick offense, which is getting healthier at the wide receiver position. Raphiel Stewart, who reeled in a 23-yard touchdown pass from Williams, headlines the Friar pass catchers. Fenwick will look to keep its offense humming during Saturday’s quarterfinal against Burlington Central.

“We’re getting healthy at the position,” Battaglia said. “We had a lot of soft tissue things and hamstring issues, which limited us in what we could do on offense personnel-wise... Having four or five guys at wide receiver who we really trust and who know the offense allows us to be really multiple with our offense. It also allows us to be more strategic with our two-way players.”

Northwestern recruit Noah Sur booted a 32-yard field goal and linebacker Michael Murphy recovered a fumble to help the Friars in their second-round win over the Mustangs. Fenwick will now turn its attention to Burlington Central (10-1), which leaned heavily on quarterback Landon Arnold and the ground game during a 24-14 victory against Harlem on Saturday night.

“We’ve seen a lot of improvement from the defensive line and especially in the playoffs, we have to win on the O-line and the D-line in order to keep winning playoff games,” Battaglia said. “We’re seeing a team that’s really exceptional on the ground... They play in a tough conference and we don’t get too much exposure to these schools until the playoffs. They’re really stout up front and their quarterback looks like a special player.”