Providence atop list of area title hopefuls

The Joliet area has nine teams remaining in the state high school football playoff hunt, with second-round games on tap this weekend.

And so far, we still have the potential to send a team to the championship game in any of the six classes from 3A through 8A.

Remarkable as that seems, it is not far-fetched.

Bolingbrook in 8A, if the Raiders can find the magic that they had that night when they walloped Lincoln-Way East.

Lincoln-Way East in 7A, unless Minooka knocks off East St. Louis on Saturday and goes to Lincoln-Way East next week and pulls another stunner. The Indians keep surprising.

Providence Catholic in 6A, the state finals being a rightful place for anyone who can go through the Catholic Blue schedule unscathed.

Lemont in 6A, after finishing second each of the last two years and trotting out a shutdown defense week after week.

Joliet Catholic Academy in 5A, just because the Hilltoppers always are a threat. They may be young in the skill positions, but they are talented.

Morris in 4A, since that is where they fell. We would not have the Redskins on the potential state champion list had they been in 5A. But 4A? They have a shot.

Wilmington in 3A, since the Wildcats appear to be that good. Coach Jeff Reents and the town of Wilmington deserve a state title, and this may be the team that delivers.

When people ask me which of our teams is most likely to go all the way, I give two -- Wilmington and Providence, in either order.

That's not to say any of the others will not happen. But it will take an awfully good 3A team to derail Wilmington, and in 6A, Providence is not a team anyone will want to see coming their way.

Back in Week 1, Providence was dominated by Lincoln-Way East. The final was 28-7, but the game was not that close.

That raised questions about the Celtics. How were they going to survive against a schedule where all nine opponents were playoff teams a year ago? How were they going to survive the Chicago Catholic Blue?

Well, in Week 2, Providence trailed JCA 7-6 in the fourth quarter but rallied to win 21-7. Since then, the Celtics have been golden.

They will ride a nine-game winning streak into tonight's game at Oswego, which is our only game tonight in this general area, in case you are debating about where to go.

Oswego can be a tough out. But when you consider seven of Providence's nine regular-season opponents were in the playoffs, and you consider the Celtics led the state in playoff points (opponent victories) with 56, you get the feeling they are ready for anything.

They had injuries along the way. Their receiving corps was bruised at battered for a while. But they continued to slug it out in the trenches with physical opponents, and they continued to make big plays.

That's where Pete Houlihan comes in. Touchdown returns, interception returns for scores, long TD receptions, blocking kicks, the kid is a master at game-changing moments.

He is one of the leaders on a defense that has found a way to succeed regardless of the opponent. A week after St. Rita trumped Mount Carmel 54-18, Providence blanked St. Rita 10-0. That does not happen by accident.

Coach Mark Coglianese and his staff have had a superb season. That figures to continue as the Celtics move along the playoff trail.

They do not have the luxury of looking ahead, of course, so we will do that for them.

Next week, they will be home against Crete-Monee or Normal Community. Both quality teams, but how much will either score against this Providence defense?

The semifinal opponent may be Lemont. If that happens, two great Joliet area defenses will be on the same field.

And then, Champaign, for one or the other.

You never know what might happen in the playoffs. Some results historically have not made much sense. But make no mistake, this Providence team is capable of annexing the school's 10th state championship.