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Here are the first-round matchups for each Record Newspapers area playoff team.
Class 8A
No. 31 Oswego East (5-4) at No. 2 York (9-0)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
About Oswego East: The Wolves are making their seventh consecutive playoff appearance under head coach Tyson LeBlanc, and will be looking for the program’s first postseason win since 2016. Senior QB Tre Jones, a Navy recruit, has thrown for 578 yards with six touchdowns and five interceptions through eight games, and is also the team’s leading rusher with 792 yards rushing at an 8.8 yard per carry average with 10 TDs. Jones ran for a school record 253 yards and four TDs in a Week 8 win over rival Oswego that all but sealed a playoff bid. The Wolves received a big boost in that Week 8 game with the return of 244-pound running back Oshobi Odior, who missed six games with an ankle injury. LB Juny Almeida and DB Mike Polubinski are among the leaders of a fairly stout Wolves’ defense.
About York: The Dukes, after making the playoffs for the first time in a decade in 2021, proved they were no one-hit wonder with a historic season. York won the West Suburban Silver championship outright for the first time since 2006 and posted the first perfect regular season in the 102-year history of the program. Senior Matt Vezza is one of the better dual-threat QBs around and pilots a balanced attack that features RB Kelly Watson and WRs Charlie Specht and Luke Mailander. Junior LB Cole Ostendorf is among the leaders of a York defense that has allowed just 66 points this season with three shutouts. Next on the to-do list? Collecting York’s first playoff win since 2010. This is the second consecutive season the Dukes have drawn a Southwest Prairie West team in the first round, having lost to Minooka last year.
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Class 7A
No. 26 Libertyville (5-4) at Yorkville (8-1)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
About Libertyville: The Wildcats took second in the North Suburban Conference behind Stevenson, who they lost to 43-8 in Week 9. Libertyville’s losses are to quality programs – unbeaten Lemont, Warren, Lake Zurich and Stevenson. Trenton VanBoening, a 6-foot-6, 295-pound offensive tackle, is committed to Eastern Michigan. Libertyville is making its third straight playoff appearance. Libertyville was the 2015 Class 7A state runner-up.
About Yorkville: The Foxes are making their fourth straight playoff appearance for only the second time in school history; they reached the postseason’s second round in their last three appearances. Yorkville won eight regular-season games for the first time since 1999, its lone loss to unbeaten Plainfield North. The Foxes have leaned heavily on a fierce front seven and one of the best defensive lines around led by Colorado State recruit Andrew Laurich and Wyoming commit Jake Davies. Senior LB Blake Kersting, like Laurich a three-year varsity starter, has emerged as a pass-catching threat with six TD catches. Senior Gio Zeman is the bellcow running back of a Yorkville offense that is at its best as a ball control complement of the team’s defense.