Daily Chronicle Quarterfinal Football Previews

Sycamore's Elijah Meier puts a move on a Glenbard South defender Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021, during their IHSA Class 5A playoff game at Sycamore High School.

Class 5A

No. 13 St. Patrick (7-4) at No. 9 Sycamore (8-3)

When: 2 p.m. Saturday

Last matchup: First meeting since at least 1995

About the Spartans: Sycamore is in the quarterfinals for the fifth time under coach Joe Ryan in his 18 years with the program. They reached this round two years ago, falling, 19-16, to Boylan in a game they outgained the Titans by 200 yards in the second half and ran the final 35 plays of the game but had two fumbles returned for scores.

Nathaniel Altepeter leads the ground attack for the Spartans with 848 yards and 15 touchdowns, including a 71-yard run on the first play from scrimmage against Glenbard South in the second round, a 34-0 win. He’s averaging 7.6 yards a carry. Sam Carlson has 1,217 yards of total offense, including 413 receiving yards. Eli Meier hads thrown for almost 1,500 yards, 16 TDs and five interceptions this year.

Dawson Alexander leads Sycamore with three interceptions, while Brody Armstong has 13 pass breakups. Linebackers Kiefer Tarnoki (16 tackles for loss), Ethan Bode (14) and Jackson Funderburg (11) have been ballhawks for the Spartans.

About the Shamrocks: St. Patrick is in the quarterfinals for the first time in school history, thanks to a 21-14 win at Rochelle in the second round.

The offense is led by running back Adan Goworowski and quarterback Jermaine Young, who has the ability to turn a broken play into a big gain with his legs. Goworowski had 155 rushing yards and all three of the Shamrocks’ TDs. Young leads the team in rushing and, through 10 games, had thrown for 1,017 yards with 11 TDs and five interceptions.

Kevin Ward and Jayden Griffin are disruptive forces on the defensive line for the Shamrocks. Goworowski also is the team’s leading tackler and has 11.5 sacks. Griffin has missed most of the season but returned in time for the playoffs. Isiah Smith has three interceptions.

Friday Night Drive pick: Sycamore

Genoa-Kingston's Brody Engel celebrates after intercepting a St. Francis' pass Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021, during their IHSA Class 4A playoff game at Genoa-Kingston High School.

Class 4A

No. 4 Genoa-Kingston (10-1) at No. 1 Joliet Catholic (11-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Last matchup: First meeting since at least 1995

About the Cogs: Genoa-Kingston earned its quarterfinal berth with a 27-3 win over St. Francis to get into the quarterfinals in Cam Davekos’ first season as G-K’s coach.

The defense has given up only one field goal in the postseason so far and hasn’t allowed more than three points in a game since Oct. 8. The Cogs surrender an average of 4.8 points a game this year. Colin Nesler has swarmed to the ball all year, leading the team with 95 tackles. He also has three sacks and 11 tackles for a loss. Connor Grimm leads the way with 7.5 sacks, and Nolan Perry has a team-best 12 tackles for loss. Brody Engel has a team-best three interceptions.

Chase Engel has led a balanced Genoa ground attack with 728 yards, eight scores and 7.3 yards a carry. Ethan Wilnau gains 12.3 yards a carry and has nine scores, while Brody Engel leads the team with 10 touchdowns and averages more than 10 yards a touch.

About the Hilltoppers: Joliet Catholic’s offense is close to having a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in Vinny Iannantone and Jordan Anderson. Iannantone is well past the barrier, while injuries have limited Anderson’s workload a bit, as he’s averaging more than 10 yards a carry and has scored 22 touchdowns in limited work. JCA has scored 53 touchdowns on the ground this season. Often overshadowed by the offense is the impressive work done by the defense. The group doesn’t rely on one of two individuals to lead the way and has done a nice job filling the void left with defensive end Robby Purchase’s season-ending injury. Linebacker Jeremy Johnson and Dillon Johnson have combined for 16 quarterback sacks, leading the way for a defense that has 31 of them on the year.

FND pick: Joliet Catholic