Theme for quarterfinal Saturday: Slap on the 'D'

The common theme is defense.

More specifically, our defenses stepping up to meet one of their most difficult challenges yet.

When I looked for a common theme for the four state high school football quarterfinal games today that involve area teams, I kept returning to one thought. Yes, our teams better play defense, or it could be all over.

Not that Providence Catholic, Lemont, Joliet Catholic Academy and Morris can't put 30-40 points apiece on the board today. That may happen. But in most instances you can't count on that happening, not at this time of year.

Meanwhile, the opponents for all four of our teams are strong offensively. They boast skill players who can flat-out fly.

Let's take a closer look.

At 1 p.m., Providence (7-4) will entertain Normal Community (11-0). The Ironmen are the defending Class 6A state champions and have been ranked No. 1 all year. They are a No. 1 seed in the playoffs.

Normal is averaging more than 39 points per game. The same Bloomington outfit that Providence beat 24-13 last week was a 47-35 victim of the Ironmen in Week 2.

You might think, ah, Normal doesn't play much defense. Well, other than that game, no opponent has scored more than 14 points against the Ironmen.

Meanwhile, there is the matter of stopping that explosive offense led by running back Dan Moore and fullback Austin Davis. And if the Celtics kick the ball to Kennedy Freeman, Normal's version of Devin Hester, the coverage teams better be on their toes.

Can Providence win today? For sure. With a big defensive effort. A well-timed takeaway or two would not hurt, either.

On to Lemont (9-2), which hosts 6A foe Crystal Lake Prairie Ridge (11-0) at 6 p.m. How's this for scary? The Wolves average 41.8 points overall and have averaged just about 50 in their last three games, all against playoff opponents.

I see the Indians moving the ball and breaking a few big plays against the Prairie Ridge defense. But to win this game, Lemont's defense must slow down an offense that by now has forgotten all about what it means to struggle.

JCA (10-1) has been so dominant that the tendency is to pencil in the Hilltoppers as a winner just by showing up. Not so fast.

Rock Island (10-1) visits Memorial Stadium at 6 p.m. for a 6A clash. The Rocks come out of the Western Big 6, which generally plays pretty good football. In Week 2, Rock Island beat Andrew 21-20, and Andrew proved to be a good 8A team.

The scary part for the Hilltoppers is ultra-quick running back Richard Lewis in tandem with outstanding fullback D'Angelo Lewis. The JCA defense will need to force the Rocks into third downs, and make some stops on third down, in order to take control. Rock Island not only has the skill players to break the big play, but also the ability to drive the ball and keep the Hilltoppers' potent offense off the field.

We have come to expect JCA to score a touchdown on a majority of its offensive possessions. But Rock Island is not Normal West or Crete-Monee when it comes to defense. The points may be more difficult to come by tonight, so the defense, Nick Clancy and Co., must step up more than ever.

Finally, there's Morris (9-2), which entertains Belvidere (9-2) at 6 p.m. in a rematch of the 1994 Class 4A state championship game. Belvidere won that one 28-0.

This time, the Morris defense will contend with a dynamite fullback, Patrick O'Brien. He has helped the Bucs average more than 36 points per game. Over the last five weeks, they are averaging almost 46, including last week's 42-20 win over Chicago Robeson, one of the legitimate Public League programs.

We can be safe in saying the Bucs have not faced a defense the caliber of Morris' the last several weeks. But the fact remains, the Redskins' defense will make things much more comfortable tonight if they can shut down O'Brien and the Belvidere offense.

As with our other playoff games today, we will need defense, including a couple of takeaways, or it will be "game on". Then, who knows?

Dick Goss can be reached at dgoss@scn1.com