Week 9 scoreboard watching: The race to the seizing a playoff spot is in full effect

Nearly 70 4-win teams still await their fate

Maine South’s Michael Dellumo cuts the corner against Prospect in a Thursday night football game in Park Ridge on September 15, 2022.

140 teams are already assured of spots in the Illinois High School Association’s football playoff bracket.

Another 50 or so, on the basis of already achieving five victories as well as a more than substantial amount of playoff points brings that list to close to 200.

But then, we’re down to sifting through the remaining teams to see who gets those last 50 or so available spots and what classifications they land in once they get the ticket to the postseason.

First, let’s take a look at a state wide overview of where we stand right now.

Win LevelTeams
8 wins34
7 wins49
6 wins57
5 wins79
4 wins69
3 wins61
2 wins or less142

Looking at this chart leads to the following observations:

• We started this season with 491 playoff eligible teams.

• If you take out the teams that have both five, six and seven losses you are left with just 288 teams that can even manage to get five wins on the season if everything goes right. On top of that there are 16 4-4 teams playing one another, leaving 280 teams with the opportunity to reach five victories. 29 of the remaining 4-4 teams are playing teams with better than .500 records.

• There is still a path for 256 teams (or more) in the state of Illinois reach the five win standard, but it seems like once again it will come down to a handful of Week 9 games to decide whether that will be the case.

Here’s a look at how each classification breaks down at this time with a few games that will likely have the biggest effect on how the field is put together.

Class 8A

Projected enrollment range: 2316.5 and up

Schools that fall in that enrollment range: 56

Projected schools closest to 8A line (closest to farthest): Plainfield North, Edwardsville, Conant.

Schools in that range that have already clinched playoff berths: 17

Schools in that range that are playoff eligible (including clinched berths): 26

Schools in that range that already have six, seven or eight losses: 14

Games to monitor this week in Class 8A:

Joliet West (4-4) at Plainfield South (5-3): Joliet West is trying to make a late rush to a playoff berth but may not be able to dig out of a 1-3 record during the nonconference portion of its schedule. Plainfield South doesn’t have to have this win, but would certain like to maintain its momentum, particularly on defense, that has it rolling through Southwest Prairie East divisional play.

Barrington (3-5) at Fremd (1-7): Why is a 3-5 team included on this list? That’s because Barrington has a truckload of playoff points. If they can get past Fremd and get to 4-5 they would be very near the top of of potential adds to the field as 4-5 squads.

New Trier (4-4) at Maine South (6-2): New Trier has played a tough schedule, putting them on the fringe of the list of teams that might still get a bid if 4-win teams were to make the field. But the only way to truly secure its place would come with a heavy lift in trying to topple Maine South.

Class 7A

Projected enrollment range: 1807 to 2264

Schools that fall in that enrollment range: 61

Projected schools closest to 8A line (closest to farthest): Glenbard East, Andrew, Brother Rice

Projected schools closest to 6A line (closest to farthest): DeKalb, Guilford, Libertyville

Schools in that range that have already clinched playoff berths: 19

Schools in that range that are playoff eligible (including clinched berths): 29

Schools in that range that already have six, seven or eight losses: 17

Games to monitor this week in Class 7A:

Highland Park (4-4) at Maine West (4-4): Early on in the season it looked like Highland Park was going to earn its place in the playoffs rather easily, but a slump has forced them into a win and get in scenario against another team in the same situation. Maine West has quietly surged in the second half of the season.

Schaumburg (3-5) at Conant (4-4): Conant’s playoff fortunes took a hit with a loss to Barrington in Week 8 and the Cougars less than taxing schedule in the nonconference portion of the schedule should have given some pause on how much faith should have been placed in them easily securing a playoff berth. Schaumburg’s only trying to play spoiler here, but it is a roll it might relish.

Buffalo Grove (4-4) at Hersey (8-0): Buffalo Grove finds itself in an odd position having survived a gauntlet of a schedule that has just one team with a below .500 record on the season. The reward for surviving that is just a Week 9 matchup with an undefeated team. Buffalo Grove needs the fifth win to insure they are in the playoffs, but if 4-win teams are granted entrance into the field the Bison are on top of that list and second place isn’t particularly close.

Class 6A

Projected enrollment range: 1335 to 1802.5

Schools that fall in that enrollment range: 55

Projected schools closest to 7A line (closest to farthest): Lake Zurich, Pekin, Blue Island Eisenhower

Projected schools closest to 5A line (closest to farthest): Amundsen/Antioch (same enrollment), Simeon

Schools in that range that have already clinched playoff berths: 18

Schools in that range that are playoff eligible (including clinched berths): 31

Schools in that range that already have six, seven or eight losses: 15

Games to monitor this week in Class 6A

• Morton (4-4) at Washington (5-3): Other than Pekin, there’s very little to identify the separation in the middle of the Mid-Illini Conference. Morton obviously needs the win to keep its hopes alive, but Washington would certainly like to keep the momentum going from a strong second half of the season.

• Rock Island (4-4) at Quincy (6-2): Rock Island took what could potentially be a devastating loss to Geneseo in Week 8 putting them in a must-win situation for a playoff spot. Quincy has the opportunity to send the Rocks to the list of teams on the outside looking in, which the Blue Devils would like relish the chance to do.

• Hillcrest (4-4) at Oak Forest (5-3): The South Suburban Conference, outside of Lemont, has been extremely hard to figure this season. Hillcrest has been a playoff staple the past few years and its hard to envision a field without the Hawks. Oak Forest, however, has a chance to oust them from the fray. Comparative results don’t tell us much here as both have played about the same against shared opponents.

Class 5A

Projected enrollment range: 920.5 to 1325.5

Schools that fall in that enrollment range: 58

Projected schools closest to 6A line (closest to farthest): Perspectives/Leadership, Kaneland, Dunlap

Projected schools closest to 4A line (closest to farthest): Goode, Jacksonville, Mahomet-Seymour

Schools in that range that have already clinched playoff berths: 14

Schools in that range that are playoff eligible (including clinched berths): 24

Schools in that range that already have six, seven or eight losses: 19

Games to monitor this week in Class 5A

• Noble/Pritzker (4-4) vs. Rowe/Clark (4-4): Rowe/Clark is one of the more confusing teams in the state to try to get a read on. The Masai Lions have both a forfeit win and a forfeit loss on its ledger this year and trying to figure out how they might fare against Pritzker in this win and get in game is hard to decipher. If Rowe-Clark wins the game, it would move into the 2A field and create a vacancy in the 5A that would be filled by a larger school in the Class 4A field.

Carmel (5-3) vs. Marian Catholic (4-4): Two programs that have felt the sting of a rigorous CCL/ESCC schedules, Marian Catholic enters this game needing a win to make the field. Carmel’s season started with a flourish, but the Corsairs are only 1-3 over their last four games and don’t appear to have much momentum heading into the postseason.

Burlington Central (4-4) at McHenry (3-5): Burlington Central has been very solid over the second half of the season, but its work isn’t done in regard to playoff qualification. In a Fox Valley Conference season where it seems very little is totally assured, McHenry could play spoiler here and the league would only end up sending four teams to the postseason with three others finishing one win short.

Class 4A

Projected enrollment range: 606 to 886

Schools that fall in that enrollment range: 64

Projected schools closest to 5A line (closest to farthest): Highland, Centralia, Morris

Projected schools closest to 3A line (closest to farthest): Macomb, Sacred Heart Griffin, Breese Central

Schools in that range that have already clinched playoff berths: 18

Schools in that range that are playoff eligible (including clinched berths): 28

Schools in that range that already have six, seven or eight losses: 19

Games to monitor this week in Class 4A:

• Quincy Notre Dame (4-4) at John Burroughs (Missouri) (4-4): Quincy Notre Dame will be forced to travel out of state to earn its playoff berth as the independent Raiders typically travel far and wide to fill its nine-game schedule. Burroughs lost its only other game against an Illinois opponent this season to Belleville Althoff.

• Cahokia (4-4) at O’Fallon (7-1): Cahokia wasn’t able to take advantage of being involved in a four-way tie at top of the South Seven Conference and won’t get the automatic bid there. So now they face an arduous challenge of trying to topple a Class 8A stronghold to earn an at-large berth.

• Lincoln (4-4) at Triad (6-2): Lincoln made a push over the second half of the season to get in the mix but now needs one more win over a solid Triad team in a nonconference matchup to earn its place.

Class 3A

Projected enrollment range: 445.5 to 595.5

Schools that fall in that enrollment range: 56

Projected schools closest to 4A line (closest to farthest): Johnsburg, Wood River-East Alton, Urban Prep/Bronzeville

Projected schools closest to 2A line (closest to farthest): Beardstown, St. Joseph Ogden, Winnebago

Schools in that range that have already clinched playoff berths: 14

Schools in that range that are playoff eligible (including clinched berths): 26

Schools in that range that already have six, seven or eight losses: 11

Games to monitor this week in Class 3A

• Rockford Lutheran (4-4) at Winnebago (5-3): A Rockford Lutheran win here would create an odd anomaly where a locked conference would produce six playoff qualifiers. Teams in the middle of the pack have done a pretty good job of picking off one another and creating a log jam in the middle of the league. Winnebago could assure a much better draw for itself with a win though in whatever class they end up landing in (2A or 3A).

• Lisle (4-4) at Peotone (5-3): Lisle will have to take out a playoff bound Peotone squad in Week 9 to get themselves into the playoff fray and it would be something that would be savored considering a brutal scheduling quirk that had them playing league powerhouse Wilmington twice in the same year. Peotone on the other hand needs this win to make sure they aren’t slated to play one of numerous expected undefeated teams in the top half of the 3A bracket.

• Vandalia (6-2) at Greenville (4-4): Greenville put a serious cramp in its playoff prospects with a loss to Carlinville last week. They have a chance at redemption here but there’s no chance Vandalia makes it easy on them.

Class 2A

Projected enrollment range: 319 to 438

Schools that fall in that enrollment range: 74

Projected schools closest to 3A line (closest to farthest): Durand-Pecatonica, Seneca, Elmwood

Projected schools closest to 1A line (closest to farthest): Shelbyville, Bloomington Central Catholic, Arthur

Schools in that range that have already clinched playoff berths: 23

Schools in that range that are playoff eligible (including clinched berths): 30

Schools in that range that already have six, seven or eight losses: 29

Games to monitor this week in Class 2A:

• Chicago Christian (4-4) at Ridgewood (5-3): Chicago Christian has made a late rush for a playoff berth winning three straight games. But those opponents have amassed just two total wins between them making it difficult to take a lot of stock in that run. Ridgewood is also sort of in the same boat in its five victories (one by forfeit), defeated opponents have combined for just nine wins.

• Mount Zion (5-3) at Breese Mater Dei (4-4): Mount Zion took a perplexing loss to Charleston in Week 8 as Charleston entered the game with just one win on the season. Was it a blip or are they reeling enough to leave the door open for Breese Mater Dei to crash the playoff party with its fifth win?

Erie (4-4) at Morrison (4-4): A classic coin flip game here and its fitting that a playoff berth rides on the outcome. Morrison has defeated two opponents that Erie lost to during the regular season, but supplying that sort of logic to a game in the Three Rivers Conference this season isn’t always the best way to go.

Class 1A

Projected enrollment range: Up to 316

Schools that fall in that enrollment range: 65

Projected schools closest to 2A line (closest to farthest): Athens, Iroquois West, Ridgeview

Schools in that range that have already clinched playoff berths: 17

Schools in that range that are playoff eligible (including clinched berths): 25

Schools in that range that already have six, seven or eight losses: 17

Games to monitor this week in Class 1A:

• Arcola (4-4) at Villa Grove (5-3): So many similarities abound between these two teams. Both are 4-2 in league play, losing games to the same opponents. Arcola got knocked around pretty good in nonconference play against some very strong opponents, while Villa Grove also lost one nonconference game giving Ridgeview arguably the best game of the season.

• Chicago Richards (4-4) vs. Agricultural Science (4-4): The Saturday placement of this game insures it will be one of the last pieces put into the playoff puzzle. The winner goes into the field and where it goes in is notable. If Richards wins it is in the Class 1A field, Agricultural Science will be a Class 4A qualifier if it is victorious. Richards is projected as the winner almost solely on the fact that it played more competitively against conference front runners in a league where both teams lost four divisional games coming in.

• Olney East Richland (6-2) at Casey-Westfield (4-4): Few conferences have more contradictory results than the Little Illini did this season and its why there’s certainly reason to believe Casey could pull out a win over East Richland despite the division of records between the two teams.