Area teams ready for more football

Familiarity won't be an issue for South Elgin going into its first-ever playoff game.

The Storm will host Upstate Eight Conference rival St. Charles North later this week in the first round of the Class 7A playoffs. The showdown represents a rematch of the Week 8 meeting between the teams, which South Elgin won 10-7 in overtime.

The time and date of all state playoff games will be announced Monday.

"It's sure going to make prep easier for both teams," South Elgin coach Dale Schabert said. "We've seen each other and we've both played some pretty tough ball games down the stretch. It's going to be intense and it's going to be a good battle."

Elsewhere, St. Edward learned Saturday that its first playoff appearance since 2003 will come at Mendota in the Class 4A playoffs.

Fresh off its second Upstate Eight Conference title in three years, St. Charles East will host Rockton Hononegah in the Class 7A playoffs. Huntley, which earned an at-large bid in Class 6A, will travel to play at Marmion in the first round.

While those five area teams prepare for their next test, Larkin will be staying at home. The Royals were one of 22 teams in the state that finished 5-4 but didn't qualify for the postseason.

For South Elgin, the reward of a home game in the first round was well deserved. The Storm enjoyed the finest season in the four-year history of its varsity program, finishing 7-2 despite playing the third toughest schedule in the state among playoff qualifiers.

Five of South Elgin's victories included second-half comebacks, including its overtime win against North. The Storm trailed 7-0 in the fourth quarter of that contest before rallying with an 80-yard touchdown pass from quarterback John Menken to receiver Domico Failla and a game-winning field goal by David Reisner in extra time.

North followed that defeat with a 14-13 double-overtime setback against rival St. Charles East on Saturday. The chance to avenge one of those heartbreaking losses is welcome, according to North coach Mark Gould, whose program is making its area-best eighth straight postseason appearance.

"I think everybody will look forward to getting a chance to play South Elgin again," Gould said. "They're good, but I think our kids wanted another shot at them and the state gave us that chance."

St. Edward is in the playoffs for only the third time in its history, and the Green Wave needed a wild, last-minute win against Wheaton Academy on Friday to clinch its berth.

Now the Wave will try to claim its first-ever postseason victory.

"The goal all along was to get six wins," St. Edward coach Mike Rolando said. "We did that and now it's time to re-evaluate the goals, move on and maybe set some records here at St. Edward."

St. Edward travels to take on a Mendota team that finished 7-2 and is making its third straight playoff appearance.

The Wave and Trojans shared one common opponent this year. Mendota beat Suburban Christian Conference Gold Division champion Aurora Christian 37-36 in Week 2, while St. Edward lost to Aurora Christian 23-18 in Week 7.

St. Charles East's clash against Rockton Hononegah will feature a pair of 7-2 squads.

Winners of seven straight, the Saints are red-hot going into their fifth straight playoff appearance. They claimed the outright UEC title with their win against North.

"We're excited about the opportunity," East coach Mike Fields said. "We're enjoying the Upstate Eight championship and we're looking forward to getting the second season started."

Hononegah is back in the playoffs for the third straight year. The Indians finished third in the NIC-10.

Huntley is back in the postseason for the second straight year, marking the first time in school history that the Red Raiders will appear in the playoffs in consecutive seasons.

The Raiders will have their work cut out against a Cadets team that finished 8-1 and won the ultra-competitive SCC Blue Division title.

With an enrollment of 1,967, Huntley is the largest school in Class 6A.

CLASS 4A
(Lower Bracket)

No. 12 St. Edward (6-3) at No. 5 Mendota (7-2)

CLASS 6A
(Lower Bracket)

No. 15 Huntley (5-4) at No. 2 Marmion Academy (8-1)

CLASS 7A
(Lower Bracket)

No. 12 St. Charles North (6-3) at No. 5 South Elgin (7-2)
No. 9 Hononegah (7-2) at No. 8 St. Charles East (7-2)

The IHSA will announce the dates and times for first-round games at 3 p.m. Monday. For a complete look at all the brackets, visit IHSA.org