Tough schedule doesn't slow Storm

There's no question that South Elgin is plenty battle tested going into its first-ever playoff appearance this weekend.

Of the Storm's nine opponents this year, seven finished with winning records, six reached the playoffs and four won conference titles. The two opponents that finished below .500 -- Bartlett and Neuqua Valley -- weren't exactly pushovers.

South Elgin finished the regular season with 52 playoff points, giving it the third toughest schedule in the state among playoff qualifiers. The only teams to play tougher schedules in terms of opponents records were state powerhouses Providence and Mount Carmel, which finished with 56 and 55 playoff points, respectively.

"We sure have been tested," South Elgin coach Dale Schabert said. "We've played in a lot of close ballgames with good teams, and a lot of them have come down to the fourth quarter. Even the two games we lost we had a chance to tie or win in the fourth quarter."

Playoff times announced -- The IHSA announced the dates and times of the state's postseason football games Monday.

South Elgin will host St. Charles North in the Class 7A playoffs at 1 p.m. on Saturday, marking the second time in three weeks that the Upstate Eight Conference foes will meet at Millennium Field.

St. Edward and St. Charles East will also be in action Saturday. The Green Wave travels to play at Mendota at 1 p.m. in Class 4A while the Saints host Rockton Hononegah at 1 p.m. in Class 7A.

Huntley's Class 6A playoff game at Marmion will be played at 7 p.m. on Friday.

Postseason fun facts -- According to the IHSA, the two miles that separate South Elgin and St. Charles North represents the shortest distance between any first-round opponents in the entire state.

It should be noted that both teams will have to travel a few extra miles to play at Millennium Field in Streamwood, which is home to the Storm and fellow District U-46 schools Bartlett and Streamwood.

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

The Red Raiders can thank East St. Louis for not moving up to 7A. The Flyers won the Class 7A title last year but would have been a Class 6A contestant this year based on their current enrollment. However, the school successfully petitioned to return to Class 7A.

• St. Edward ended the longest playoff drought among all Class 4A contestants by picking up its sixth win last Friday against Wheaton Academy. The Green Wave is in the postseason for the first time since 2003 and third time in school history.

• South Elgin is one of eight schools making its first playoff appearance this year.

Pretty in pink -- Normally not a color associated with football, pink has found its way onto gloves, shoes and even jerseys of area teams in recent weeks.

A number of local squads have incorporated pink into their equipment as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Among the participants were South Elgin and Bartlett, which had a number of players on both sides wear pink gloves and socks when they squared off in Week 6. Elgin's players donned pink socks in Week 8 against Streamwood.

St. Charles North went to the greatest length to raise awareness as the entire team wore pink jerseys for last Saturday's game against rival St. Charles East. North's players had to purchase the jerseys, and the proceeds will go to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.