64 teams, 64 facts: 1 thing to know about each program still in the IHSA football playoffs
With 64 teams remaining, the high school football playoffs truly feel like March Madness.
The Illinois High School Association football quarterfinals are scheduled for this weekend across the state — from the north suburbs of Chicago to cities deep in the southern part of the state.
The winners this week advance to the semifinals — and those winners to the eight state championship games, set for Thanksgiving weekend at Hancock Stadium in Normal, on the campus of Illinois State University.
Before games kick off, here is one fact about each of the remaining 64 teams, listed by class and in bracket order.
IHSA football playoffs: Every game, every score for the Illinois football playoffs in 2023
Class 1A
The Annawan/Wethersfield (10-1) football mascot is Titans. The program is a cooperative between the Annawan Braves and the Kewanee-based Wethersfield Flying Geese.
No. 1-ranked Lena-Winslow (11-0) has a field-best six state titles including four of the last five. The defending 1A champ is one of 17 unbeaten teams remaining statewide.
Chicago Hope Academy (10-1) was previously 0-5 in second-round games before breaking through to make its first quarterfinals.
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Oneida ROWVA/Williamsfield (9-2) is in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2005, when ROWVA was called A&R, a cooperative with Woodhull AlWood. This is its first quarterfinal since joining 89-student Williamsfield for a co-op.
Belleville Althoff (10-1) has played in five state championship games overall, winning titles in 1980 (4A), 1989 (3A) and 1990 (3A). It made the 2A quarterfinals last season.
Camp Point Central (11-0) is in its sixth state quarterfinal under coach Brad Dixon, who took over in 2011.
Greenfield/Palmyra Northwestern (11-0) is one of four cooperative programs remaining in the 1A field, meaning that the team includes athletes from two or more schools. There are five co-ops in the quarterfinals statewide.
Sesser-Valier/Waltonville (11-0) is back in the quarterfinals for the first time since 1991.
Class 2A
Wilmington (10-1), the 2021 state champ, opened this season with a 27-21 loss to Seneca, its quarterfinal opponent.
Seneca (11-0) has scored more than 70 twice this season and scored 92 combined in its two playoff wins.
Bloomington Central Catholic (11-0), making its 14th quarterfinal appearance, is allowing a field-low 8.8 points per game.
No. 1-ranked Maroa Forsyth (11-0) has played in eight state championship games since coach Josh Jostes took over in 2004, winning titles in 2006 and 2012. It was a semifinalist last season.
More: What you need to know ahead of the IHSA football playoffs selections for 2023
Athens (9-2) is making its sixth quarterfinal appearance since 2014 under coach Ryan Knox.
Nashville (8-3) has two state runner-up finishes in the last three postseasons.
Breese Mater Dei (8-3) is making its 11th quarterfinal appearance after not making the playoffs last season.
Shelbyville (10-1) is 3-0 all-time in state quarterfinal games.
Class 3A
Durand/Pecatonica (9-2) is in the quarterfinals for the first time as a program. Predecessor Durand made the quarters in 1985 and 1990.
No. 1-ranked Byron (11-0) has scored more points (665) than any other team in the state and has given up fewer (52) than any other.
Lombard Montini (8-3) lost to New Lenox Providence (5A quarterfinalist), Arlington Heights St. Viator (4A second-round team) and Chicago Brother Rice (7A playoff team)
Princeton (10-1) is in its fourth consecutive quarterfinals under former Canton coach Ryan Pearson.
Mount Carmel (10-1) is a 41-time playoff qualifier and has made the quarterfinals at least once in every decade since the playoffs started in 1974.
Tolono Unity (9-2) has six state runner-up finishes and no state championships.
Roxana (11-0) had its first unbeaten regular season since 2003 and is in the quarterfinals for the first time since 1987.
Stanford Olympia (9-2) has two losses by a combined 17 points to Class 2A quarterfinalists Maroa-Forsyth and Athens — all three members of the Sangamo Conference.
Class 4A
Sandwich (8-3) is in the quarterfinals one year removed from canceling its varsity season because of low participation numbers.
West Chicago Wheaton Academy (10-1) is making its first quarterfinal appearance.
Burbank St. Laurence (8-3) lost its final two games of the regular season, to Chicago St. Rita (7A playoff team) and Lombard Montini (3A quarterfinalist).
Elmhurst IC Catholic (9-2) is in its eighth consecutive quarterfinals, which includes a three-year run of state championships in 2016, '17 and '18.
Breese Central (9-2) has been eliminated twice in the last five years by Rochester, its quarterfinal opponent.
No. 1-ranked Rochester (11-0) is averaging 53 points per game and has scored 31 or more in every game.
Murphysboro (10-1) has the second-largest margin of victory in the 4A field and has allowed more than two touchdowns just twice.
Harrisburg (8-3) lost back-to-back games in Weeks 7 and 8, including a 40-0 loss to Murphysboro — its quarterfinal opponent.
Class 5A
Chicago Morgan Park (10-1) and Illinois-bound Tysean Griffin are the final Chicago Public League program remaining of the 24 that began the playoffs.
Wheaton St. Francis (9-2) has won seven in a row including wins over state powers Joliet Catholic, LaGrange Park Nazareth and Chicago St. Rita.
LaGrange Park Nazareth (6-5) was one of a record six 4-5 teams to make the playoffs, and the last one standing. Naz defeated No. 1-ranked Crystal Lake Prairie Ridge in the first round.
Mundelein Carmel (10-1) has won playoff games in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2010 and 2011.
Joliet Catholic (8-3) is making its 32nd state quarterfinal appearance. The Hilltoppers have a state-best 15 IHSA championships.
Morris (11-0) is making its 22nd state quarterfinal appearance. The program has 11 title game appearances and three titles (1980, 1984, 2005).
After its win last week over Metamora, Highland (10-1) is now 3-4 all-time against the Mid-Illini Conference in the playoffs.
New Lenox Providence (7-4) has played six games against state-ranked teams across four different classes.
Class 6A
Belvidere North (9-2) has set a school record for victories in a season.
Lake Zurich (10-1) is below 7A for the first time since the playoffs expanded to eight classes. It reached the 7A state title game five times in 12 years from 2006 to 2017 under three different coaches, winning once.
Geneva (9-2), three years removed from an 0-9 season, is in its first quarterfinal in a decade.
Cary-Grove (9-2) has six championship game appearances in 20 years, including titles in 2021, 2018 and 2009.
East St. Louis (9-2) has lost to only Class 7A No. 1 Chicago Mount Carmel and the 20th-ranked team in Texas' largest class. They have two Purdue-bound players in safety Leontre Bradford and receiver Jesse Watson.
Kankakee (11-0) has Georgia recruit offensive tackle Marques Easley, a former Peorian ranked No. 8 statewide according to Rivals.
Washington (10-1) is in its 13th state quarterfinal and 11th under coach Darrell Crouch, who is retiring after this season.
Chatham Glenwood (8-3) has scored 115 points in two playoff wins.
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Class 7A
Normal Community (11-0) has six shutouts this season and is in its first quarterfinals since 2015.
This is the second quarterfinal appearance and first since 1999 for Lombard Glenbard East (10-1), one of four high schools in 8,000-student Glenbard Township High School District 87 along with two in Glen Ellyn and one in Carol Stream.
Downers Grove North (9-2) has its most wins in a season since 2005 despite this being its fourth quarterfinal appearance since.
New Lenox Lincoln-Way West (9-2) is one of three high schools in the nearly 7,000-student Lincoln-Way Community High School District 210. Frankfort Lincoln-Way East is alive in the Class 8A playoffs.
Batavia's (10-1) only loss is to Class 8A unbeaten and No. 2-ranked Frankfort Lincoln-Way East, 14-13, in Week 2
Rockton Hononegah (11-0) is the highest-scoring team in NIC-10 history at 44.8 points per game and has outscored its two playoff opponents 100-12.
Top-ranked Chicago Mt. Carmel (11-0) has 14 state championships, second all-time to Joliet Catholic's 15.
Quincy (11-0) is in the midst of a historic season. The Blue Devils set a school record with 492 points, went unbeaten in the regular season for the first time and made their first state quarterfinals.
More: Check out the final Illinois high school football state rankings and poll for 2023
Class 8A
Top-ranked defending champion Wilmette Loyola Academy (11-0) has been in seven championship games since 2011, winning titles in 2015, 2018 and 2022. Beau Desherow is in his first season as coach of his alma mater.
Chicago St. Ignatius (8-3) started the season 2-3 before winning six in a row. They boast the state's top recruit, according to Rivals, in Ohio State-bound defensive tackle Justin Scott.
Edwardsville (10-1) is in its 11th consecutive playoffs and sixth quarterfinals appearance in that stretch.
Elmhurst York (10-1) is in back-to-back quarterfinals for the first time in school history.
Frankfort Lincoln-Way East (11-0) has made the playoffs every year since opening in 2001. This is its 15th quarterfinal appearance.
Gurnee Warren (9-2) opened the season with losses to 8A quarterfinalist Park Ridge Maine South and Barrington, but has outscored its last nine opponents 356-72.
Park Ridge Maine South (10-1) made the quarterfinals last season but had to forfeit its season after self-reporting it had used multiple players who did not reside in its attendance area.
Barrington (11-0) is back in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2014. It has one previous semifinal appearance, in 1998.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: IHSA football playoffs: facts about the 2023 Illinois quarterfinal teams
