Playoff football capsule: Minooka at East St. Louis

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Kickoff: 3 p.m. Saturday

Up next: Minooka would travel to Lincoln-Way East or host O'Fallon.

Playoff history: Minooka is in the playoffs for the 12th time and is 10-11 in playoff games. East St. Louis is in for the 30th time, including 10th in succession, and is 72-22 in playoff games. The Flyers have won 7 state titles and finished second 3 times.

The rundown: East St. Louis, which lost only its first two games against national-caliber powers from Ohio, received a scare last week when Bradley-Bourbonnais made the long trip south and led in the second half before falling 50-43. Flyers all-state running back Courtney Molton suffered a sprained ankle in the first quarter, but sophomore Jeremy Nicholson stepped in and rushed for 168 yards. Molton will play against Minooka, and quarterback Detchauz Wray is another weapon. The Indians are peaking, finishing the regular season with a 34-14 win over playoff-bound Oswego and a 21-13 victory over Plainfield Central that eliminated the Wildcats from playoff contention. Then they opened the playoffs with a 44-25 win over Edwardsville. Led by junior running back Kyle Banks and junior quarterback Mitch Brozovich, Minooka is averaging nearly 300 rushing yards per game. If that can be approximated, thus sidelining the East St. Louis offense, the Indians' chances of an upset will increase. East St. Louis is quick and athletic overall, but also big in the trenches on both sides of the ball.