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Class 7A is one of two brackets that are not divided by a geographic split.
It doesn’t seem to matter whether of not Class 7A would be actually divided in halves so much because there’s typically a ton of depth in this classification. So much so, that you’d have plenty of quality teams to put on both sides of the bracket if it were actually divided that way.
First-round matchups
Mount Carmel vs. Buffalo Grove: Mount Carmel is the odds-on favorite to capture the Class 7A championship demonstrating their mettle all season long as the only team to get through the CCL/ESCC Conference without a loss. Buffalo Grove is the first team in the history of the IHSA playoffs to make the field as a 4-5 at-large team, but obviously as a 4-5 team they draw an extremely difficult opponent to open the tournament.
Pick: Mt. Carmel
Lincoln Park vs. Downers Grove North: Lincoln Park only lost one game on the field so far this season being forced to forfeit its season opener due to a paperwork snafu, even so the Lions should have their hands full with its opening round opponent. Downers Grove North’s schedule provided a huge challenge seemingly on a week-to-week basis. In its three losses (York, Glenbard West, Lyons), the Trojans were in each and every one of them until succumbing late.
Pick: Downers Grove North
Collinsville vs. Bradley-Bourbonnais: Collinsville is in the midst of an eight-game winning streak but the Kahoks schedule hasn’t provided many opportunities to tell exactly how well they really measure up. No one on Collinsville’s schedule had more than seven wins and also played three teams that netted just one. Bradley-Bourbonnais was a few breaks away from posting a much better record. The Boilermakers losses came by 1, 3, 4 and by 7 in an overtime loss to powerhouse Lincoln-Way East.
Pick: Bradley-Bourbonnais
Jacobs vs. Brother Rice: Whew. Here’s a doozy of a first-round contest. Jacobs earned a share of the Fox Valley Conference title and on a week-to-week basis demonstrated solid skills particularly on the offensive side of the ball. They’ll lock horns here with a Brother Rice squad that has gone through a rapid rebuild after losing a lot from its excellent team from a year ago. In the second half of the season, Rice showed the positive strides it has made.
Pick: Brother Rice
St. Charles North vs. Maine West: St. Charles North dropped its season opener to Palatine but has played precision football since ripping off eight straight victories and taking out all challengers in a very, very deep DuKane Conference race. A pair of those wins were of the narrowest of margins, but wins nonetheless. Maine West didn’t look like a playoff caliber squad after starting 1-3, but the second half has seen a considerably better level of play from it.
Pick: St. Charles North
Elk Grove vs. Hoffman Estates: It’s been a serious breakthrough for Elk Grove this season and now the question is how far can it take it? The road starts with an opponent it already defeated, 24-14 in Week 2. Believing a repeat win is a foregone conclusion is probably a mistake though, because the Hawks have found a pretty solid vibe, particularly on offense since that loss.
Pick: Elk Grove
Prospect vs. Reavis: Prospect is experiencing little to no problems on the offensive side of the ball this season, having surpassed the 50-point mark three times this year and getting close to that in several other games. That’s probably going to be a huge problem for Reavis, who has struggled mightily against playoff caliber competition this year.
Pick: Prospect
St. Rita vs. Geneva: Is St. Rita capable of making another run to the title round in the last year of veteran coach Todd Kuska’s career? It looks like it could happen, but to do so the Mustangs will have to find a way to get through a real minefield of potential opponents starting with this Geneva squad, who has put up some solid wins and competed well in a difficult league, the DuKane.
Pick: St. Rita
Hersey vs. Argo: Hersey has posted giant offensive numbers this season and has only been pushed in one of its contests this season. The defense is playing its part too, having tossed four shutouts. Argo didn’t exactly put together a resume that makes it likely that the Argonauts can keep up in this one. None of Argo’s five wins came over opponents that had more than three victories this season.
Pick: Hersey
Guilford vs. Batavia: Guilford has had an up and down season in the Northern Illinois-10 with some signature wins along the way, but its hard to tell which version of the team will show up from week to week. Batavia looked in dire straights after starting the season 1-2, but have gotten back to their typical form despite a narrow loss to St. Charles North in Week 9.
Pick: Batavia
Yorkville vs. Libertyville: Yorkville has gotten all that and then some out of its defense and hopes to use that to carry it to a postseason run. It’s probably a pretty good blueprint to follow. Libertyville has been fairly steady this season, but has only won the games you’d expect it to and lost all four games it played against playoff bound foes.
Pick: Yorkville
Moline vs. DeKalb: This is a battle of two programs that exceeded expectations this season. Moline captured the Western Big Six Conference title by finally clearing the hurdle of Sterling in league play. DeKalb’s season was a nice turnaround to getting back into the playoff field surviving a rigorous DuPage Valley Conference schedule to do it.
Pick: Moline
Pekin vs. Plainfield Central: Pekin emerged from obscurity to claim the Mid-Illini Conference title with a spotless record. The Dragons didn’t run that many of their opponents off the field, but they achieved the end goal that everybody wants in the end in avoiding any losses. Plainfield Central didn’t follow up last year’s breakout season as well as it would have hoped, but starting a playoff string is always a good thing for a program.
Pick: Pekin
Hononegah vs. Normal Community: Hononegah is either one of the better teams in a deep Northern Illinois 10 Conference or simply one of the better ones in a down year for the loop. Ir’s always hard to tell with a locked conference. Normal Community sat at 1-3 at one point well below the typical standard set by the Ironmen. But they’ve won five straight since the sluggish start and scoring in bunches while doing so.
Pick: Normal Community
Wheaton North vs. Willowbrook: The defending Class 7A champs did their thing once again with the Falcons’ only loss coming at the hands of St. Charles North, and even that was only by one point. Willowbrook’s dominance of the West Suburban Gold finally came to an end as it ceded the title to Downers Grove South, but the Warriors postseason success stories in recent seasons are hard to ignore.
Pick: Wheaton North
Lake Zurich vs. Larkin: Lake Zurich has quietly put together a very strong resume. The Bears fell in Week 2 against St. Charles North, but have won every game since including handing Warren an extremely rare North Suburban Conference loss. Larkin was the only team in the second tier of the Upstate Eight to steer clear of a loss to a non-playoff qualifier in the league but it also managed no wins over any other playoff bound squads.
Pick: Lake Zurich