Hampshire, G-K meet in 1st round
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 -- With its only blemish coming in the form of a 17-7 loss to Johnsburg this past Friday, 8-1 Huntley earned a No. 5 seed in Class 6A and will host No. 12 seed Batavia (6-3).
"We were really disappointed (Friday) and now we really gotta get refocused and be ready to play," said Huntley standout running back Jordan Neukirch. "(Losing on Friday) gives us more motivation. We don't want to be a one and done team."
The Red Raiders are hoping to make history and surpass the 2001 Huntley team that made it to the semifinals in its only other playoff appearance.
The Red Raiders are led by a stout defense and a ground attack that features the duo of senior Neukirch (1,350 rushing yards) and junior Brett Kleckner. The Red Raiders earned co-championship honors in the Fox Valley Conference Fox Division, their first such accomplishment since entering the FVC in 2003.
In Week 8, the Red Raiders scored arguably their best regular-season win since joining the FVC when they scored 24 unanswered points to beat Prairie Ridge 31-28 in overtime.
The Bulldogs finished third in the Western Sun Conference behind Geneva and Glenbard South. Batavia was on a five-game winning streak before dropping its final game of the regular season in a 47-14 loss to Geneva.
"They have a good quarterback (Jordan Coffey) that I know personally and he's a good athlete and pretty experienced," Neukirch said. "Playing Crystal Lake Central, Prairie Ridge and Johnsburg really helps us prepare for these guys."
The winner of Huntley/Batavia moves on to the second round to play the winner of No. 4 seed Vernon Hills (8-1) and 13th-seeded Grant (6-3).
Joel Reuter contributed
