Week 7 games to watch: Top teams begin to focus on securing high playoff seeds

With 45 teams having already clinched playoff berths and another 71 trying to do so with an opportunity to collect win No. 6, the focus on games of the week starts to zero in on teams trying to secure the highest seeds they possibly can.

Wins in many of Week 7′s pivotal games will go a long way and those fortunate enough to pick up that seventh win are almost virtually locking in a home game in the opening round of the playoffs regardless of how they fare in the remaining two weeks of the regular season.

That’s because the majority of the field appears to be on its way to being constructed with teams with more than two losses, thus basically insuring any team that gets to seven victories will be at home to open the playoffs, with the exception of the Class 2A, which has a higher projected winning percentage than any other class.

Let’s look at a few of the Week 7 matchups of interest:

Downers Grove North (5-1) at Glenbard West (5-1), 1:30 p.m. Saturday: Although both of these two teams have now fallen a step behind York for the lead in the West Suburban Silver, neither one wants to be tagged with a second loss. Both still have visions of receiving a relatively high seed and that’s something that probably won’t happen if they don’t run the table over the final three weeks.

Plainfield North (6-0) at Minooka (5-1), 7 p.m. Friday: The expectation for this game in year’s past would likely have been a low-scoring defensive struggle. That may still be the case, but a diverse Plainfield North offense has been making waves all season in the Southwest Prairie Conference, and Minooka, despite the fact that it is riding a five-game winning streak, might have some serious problems trying to slow the Tigers down.

Maroa-Forsyth (6-0) at Williamsville (6-0), 7 p.m. Friday: The Sangamo is one of the strongest small school conferences in the state and these two teams always find themselves in the mix to hoist the league’s crown at the end of the year. This game also serves as an indicator as to how big of a threat each school will pose to earn some statewide hardware. Both Maroa (Class 2A) and Williamsville (Class 3A) usually find themselves deep in their respective playoff draws.

Geneva (5-1) at Batavia (4-2), 7 p.m. Friday: It’s not exceptionally difficult to find a potential marquee game in the DuKane Conference on a week-to-week basis. Although both of these teams are chasing conference front-runner St. Charles North, neither can be discounted in the chase. Batavia, after starting 1-2, has recaptured its mojo, while Geneva can’t be underestimated any more after its strong start.

Brother Rice (3-3) at Joliet Catholic (5-1), 7:30 p.m. Friday: This was one of the more exciting games of last year’s regular season with Joliet Catholic outlasting Brother Rice in a festival of point scoring. Most of the prime reasons for that scoring no longer are in the mix, but both of these teams, with largely new identities, would like to put their own mark on this rivalry series. In the grand scheme of things, Brother Rice needs the win a bit more as it still has to square off with CCL rival Marist in Week 9 and probably can’t afford to have four losses when that game arrives.

Other games of note: Loyola at Providence, 7:30 Friday; Hononegah at Belvidere North, 7 p.m. Friday; Highland at Waterloo, 7 p.m. Friday; St. Bede at Princeton, 7 p.m. Friday; Lena-Winslow at Durand-Pecatonica, 7 p.m. Friday; Prairie Central at Mercer County, 7 p.m. Friday; Ridgeview at Eureka, 7 p.m. Friday; Glenwood at Sacred Heart Griffin, 7 p.m. Friday; Tuscola at St. Teresa, 7 p.m. Friday; Johnston City at Sesser-Valier, 7 p.m. Friday; Lincoln-Way East at Homewood-Flossmoor, 7 p.m. Friday.