The road to a state championship begins next weekend for the 15 area high school football teams who advanced to the IHSA playoffs, with brackets announced Saturday night.
In Class 5A, Mahomet Seymour (7-2) is the only area team, with the third-seeded Bulldogs hosting No. 14 seed Sacred Heart Griffin in the first round at Frank Dutton Field in Mahomet. (5 wins, 4 losses). . After starting 1-2, MS has won its past six games and will host the Cyclones this Friday at 7 p.m.
Six area teams are in the 3A playoff bracket, with St. Joseph Ogden (9-0) earning the No. 1 seed. The Spartans will host No. 16 West Frankfort (5-4) in the first round at Dick Duvall Field in St. Joseph.
If SJ-O can avoid an upset in the first round, the Spartans could face their longtime rival in the second round. Unity (6-3) will travel to face Roxana (7-2) in a first-round game, but if the ninth-seeded Rockets defeat the eighth-seeded Shells (Unity Hall of Famer Coach Scott Hamilton is a Roxana alum), Unity will host SJ-O in a second round match. Unity kicks off at Roxana next Saturday at 2:30pm.
Sullivan/Ocoe Valley (9-0) will host Mount Carmel (5-4) in the first round as the undefeated and second-seeded Redskins return to the playoffs for the second consecutive season.
Monticello (7-2) earned the No. 6 seed and the Sages, who have made the playoffs for 15 consecutive seasons, will advance to the first round next Saturday at 2 p.m., to face SJ-O and Unity. They will face No. 11 Duquoin (6 wins, 3 losses). , Sullivan/Ocoe Valley and Monticello are all in the southern half of the 3A bracket.
In the north half of the 3A bracket, Prairie Central (5-4) clinched a playoff berth with a win over Bloomington Central Catholic on Friday night. What is the reward for the 16th seeded Hawks? The first round will be against the reigning state champion and undefeated Byron (9-0).
Paxton-Buckley-Rhoda (6-3) is also in the northern part of the 3A bracket, and the 11th-seeded Panthers will travel across the state to take on sixth-seeded Monmouth-Roseville (8-1) at 4 p.m. ) to play against. Next Saturday.
There are four area programs in the 2A field, with three Vermilion Valley Conference teams in the bracket. Undefeated Bismarck-Hennig/Rossville-Albin (9-0) has reached the playoffs for the 15th consecutive season, and the second-seeded Blue Devils will take on the 15th-seeded Erie Prophets in the first round at 2 p.m. Town (5 wins, 4 losses) will be at home. Next Saturday.
Oakwood (5-4) joins BHRA in the north half of the 2A bracket, earning the No. 13 seed, and the Comets will face No. 4 seed Elmwood Brimfield (8-1).
In the southern half of the 2A bracket, Westville (6-3) is the No. 10 seed as the Tigers have won six straight games. The Tigers head south to take on No. 7 seed Chester (8-1) next Saturday in a game that kicks off at 3 p.m.
Arthur Lovington Atwood-Hammond (8-1) suffered its first loss on Friday night in a setback to Sullivan/Ocoe Valley, but the Knights earned the No. 6 seed and advanced to No. 11 seed North. earned a first-round home game against Mack (6-1). 3).
LeRoy led the way in four 1A area playoff qualifying games, giving the undefeated Panthers (9-0) the No. 1 seed. LeRoy will face No. 16 seed Aurora Christian (5-4) in the first round at McKean Field in Los Angeles.
Two area teams will meet in the first round, with No. 14 seed Salt Fork (5-4) facing No. 3 Gibson City Melvin Sibley (8-1). The game is scheduled to kick off at 1pm next Saturday in Gibson City.
Tuscola (5-4) is the No. 11 seed, and the Warriors will travel to Toledo to face No. 6 seed Cumberland (7-2) in the first round. The game will kick off this coming Friday at 7pm.
