Playoff picture comes into focus for area teams

With one week left in the high school football season, the area's playoff picture is pretty clear.

St. Charles East, South Elgin and St. Charles North have already clinched spots in the postseason with six wins.

Larkin and St. Edward are playoff eligible with five wins, but it appears both teams must earn victories in Week 9 to keep their respective seasons alive.

At 4-4, Huntley and Genoa-Kingston are also on the playoff bubble. Both teams must win next week and hope they've accumulated enough playoff points to qualify for the postseason. At first glance it appears the Red Raiders can get in with five wins while the Cogs face longer odds due to a weaker schedule.

In the two biggest developments of the weekend, St. Charles East clinched at least a share of the Upstate Eight Conference title by beating Neuqua Valley and South Elgin continued to impress with a thrilling overtime win against St. Charles North.

The Saints have now won six in a row and can claim the UEC title outright by beating the rival North Stars next week at Norris Stadium. East is getting the job done with the best defense in the area, which is allowing just under seven points per game in conference action.

The Storm showed once again that its defense isn't too shabby either in a 10-7 overtime triumph against North at Millennium Field.

The victory clinched South Elgin's first-ever trip to the playoffs, but with the toughest schedule in the area this year the Storm was virtually guaranteed a postseason spot with only five wins.

Nonetheless, beating the talented North Stars was significant as South Elgin no doubt improved its seed for the upcoming Class 7A playoffs and also moved a step closer to garnering a home game in the first round of the postseason.

"I tried to explain to the kids that 5-4 with 50-plus playoff points is no big deal," South Elgin coach Dale Schabert said. "This (win) gets us at a point where it changes the group we're going to play in the first round.

"If we get one more it really makes a difference. It would give us a chance at a home game and it would be really good to come and pack this place. Our student body has been fantastic."

All year long I'd pegged the North Stars as the area's best team, but I might have to reassess that evaluation now.

The Storm's defense held North to a season-low for points and came up with a huge stop near the goal line early in the fourth quarter, keeping the deficit at 7-0.

Two plays later the South Elgin offense finally broke through when junior quarterback John Menken connected with junior receiver Domico Failla for an 80-yard touchdown pass down the right sideline to tie the score at 7.

"We had all the momentum and we were trying to score because our defense was playing amazing," Failla said. "They were relentless and they just kept making plays for us, so we knew we had to come back and make a play for them."

For the North Stars it was a bitter defeat that cost the team a shot at the UEC title. But there won't be much time to dwell on the disappointment with the rival Saints up next and the program's eighth straight trip to the playoffs to follow.

"This shows what kind of character you have," North coach Mark Gould said. "You've got to put it back together and play your rival next week. You can't feel sorry for yourself. You've got to go back to work."

Now it's time for a quick look back at Week 8 and a glance ahead to what is shaping up to be an exciting Week 9.

South Elgin and Hampshire both deserve the nod in this spot.

The Storm's overtime win against North speaks for itself. Meanwhile, the Whip-Purs showed a lot of heart with their 12-9 overtime win against rival Burlington Central. The victory knocked the Rockets out of the playoff hunt and marked the first time in 30 years that Hampshire beat Central in back-to-back seasons.

I didn't necessarily think St. Edward would beat Marian Central, but I also didn't think the Green Wave would get whipped 48-7 at home in the losing effort. The ugly defeat was easily the worst outing of the year for St. Edward, which must pull things together in a hurry to salvage the season. South Elgin at Larkin, 7:30 p.m. on Friday -- The first-ever meeting between these neighbors has all the makings of a classic. The Royals need a win to clinch a playoff berth while the Storm can likely earn a home game in the first round of the postseason with a victory. Adding to the drama, Schabert will take on his former team for the first time.

St. Charles North at St. Charles East, 7:30 p.m. on Friday -- The Saints can claim the UEC title outright with a win. A home playoff game in the first round of the postseason is also at stake for the winner as East looks to build on its 5-4 all-time series lead against its fiercest rival.

Wheaton Academy at St. Edward, 7 p.m. on Friday -- Both teams will need a win to clinch a trip to the postseason. Losers of two straight, the Wave will try once again to get off the five-win mark and move to the playoffs for the first time since 2003.