Hampshire, Genoa-Kingston meet again
Hampshire and Genoa-Kingston don’t need any introductions.
The two schools are separated by only nine miles and have a long history on the football field. And the two programs will renew their rivalry this weekend when the 11th-seeded Whip-Purs (6-3) and sixth-seeded Cogs (7-2) hook up in Genoa in the first round of the Class 4A state playoffs.
“We’re right down the road,” said Hampshire coach Dan Cavanaugh. “We weren’t too surprised we drew them. We had them on our radar and it should be a good matchup.”
While it hasn’t been confirmed, G-K and Hampshire will probably be in action on Friday night, but that decision still needs to be finalized by IHSA officials.
Hampshire enters the playoffs winners of six in a row and capped off a perfect run through the Big Northern Conference East Division with a 34-7 win over Marengo on Friday. The Whips were denied a playoff berth last year despite a 5-4 record and are making their fourth postseason appearance in the past five years.
“Hopefully (winning six in a row) will pay dividends,” Cavanaugh said. “It’s nice to be on a streak, but the playoffs are a whole new season and we’ll go from there.”
The Cogs, who compete in the BNC West Division, earned their first playoff berth since 1993 last year when they advanced to the second round and finished with an 8-3 record.
The Whips and Cogs didn’t play this year, but the Cogs ended a 10-game drought against the Whips last year when they broke through for a 37-8 win in Genoa.
“We are certainly familiar with them even though we didn’t play them this year,” Cavanaugh said. “(G-K) is very athletic and they spread the field. They present a lot of problems on both sides of the ball.”
The Cogs started out this year at 6-0 but lost two in a row to undefeated Oregon and 8-1 Stillman Valley before ending their regular season with a 15-13 win over Byron on Friday to finish at 3-2 in the stronger BNC West.
“We won’t approach the playoffs any different than the past nine weeks,” G-K coach Bill McCarty said. “We’ll take it one game at a time and our focus will be on Hampshire.”
The winner of G-K/Hampshire advances to the second round to play the winner of No. 3 seed Reed-Custer and No. 14 seed Richmond-Burton.
Class 8A — Undefeated Bartlett earned the top seed in the top bracket of the Class 8A pairings. The Upstate Eight Conference champion Hawks welcome eighth-seeded Niles Notre Dame (5-4).
“We’ve been looking towards the playoffs as our main focus all season,” said Bartlett receiver Cory Brown. “The undefeated season is nice and everything, but right now it doesn’t mean anything. We just need to keep looking forward and get ready for the playoffs.”
Niles Notre Dame finished sixth in the East Suburban Catholic Conference. The league sent six teams to the postseason, including perennial powers Joliet Catholic and Carmel.
Class 7A — St. Charles (7-2) earned the No. 7 seed in the upper bracket and will welcome 10th-seeded Lake Zurich (6-3) — the defending state champion in 7A. The Bears placed second in the state in 2006.
Lake Zurich, which finished tied for second in the North Suburban Conference’s Lake Division, is making its seventh straight trip to the playoffs.
“I’m just glad we don’t have to drove to (downstate) Belleville or East St. Louis,” said East coach Ted Monken. “To be in the northern bracket is just fine with us.”
The Saints are making their fourth consecutive trip to the postseason. Senior running back Wes Allen surely will be the focus for Lake Zurich. Allen has rushed for 26 touchdowns this season.
St. Charles North (6-3) earned the No. 11 seed in the upper bracket of 7A and visits No. 6 Crystal Lake South (7-2).
The North Stars scored an impressive victory in their regular-season finale, blanking host Neuqua Valley 20-0. North will make its seventh straight trip to the postseason.
Crystal Lake South placed second in the Fox Valley Conference Valley Division and is making its eighth consecutive playoff appearance.
“We know them a little bit about them just because we’ve played teams in their conference,” said Gould, who also was relieved that no trips to the St. Louis area were in store. “Whoever you play at this time of year is going to be a good team.”
Class 6A — Huntley (8-1) is making its second playoff appearance in school history after earning a share of the Fox Valley Conference Fox Division championship.
The Red Raiders are seeded fifth in the upper bracket in 6A. They will welcome 12th-seeded Batavia (6-3). The Bulldogs are making their sixth consecutive playoff showing.
Joel Reuter contributed to this report.
