First round playoff predictions for high school football games in the Springfield area
Here are the high school football playoff predictions for the first round in the Springfield area after going 19-3 last week.
CLASS 6A
No. 11 Bloomington (5-4) at No. 6 Chatham Glenwood (6-3), Saturday, 1 p.m.: Glenwood picks up its second Big 12 opponent of the season. The Titans opened the regular season with a 14-12 victory over Danville that was cemented by Jack Dettro’s game-saving pass breakup on a two-point conversion attempt. Sophomore QB Colten Knoedler threw three TD passes to fellow sophomore Blake Lehnen in a 42-14 Central State Eight Conference win over Lincoln in Week 9. Knoedler went 13 of 16 for 302 yards and four scores while Lehnen had five receptions for 172 yards. Bloomington was throttled by Decatur MacArthur 54-10 to end the regular season. Glenwood 35, Bloomington 14
Playoff pairings: Welcome to the postseason Lincoln, Litchfield
CLASS 5A
No. 9 Sacred Heart-Griffin (6-3) at No. 8 Calumet City Thornton Fractional North (7-2), Saturday, 1 p.m.: Jamarion Bardwell’s 90-yard kickoff return and Ethan Hagele’s touchdown run put the Cyclones in striking distance against 4A top-ranked Rochester before stalling in a 31-21 loss at Ken Leonard Field. It’s an encouraging sign for the Cyclones, who have been riddled by injuries this season, including Bardwell and Hagele. Thornton Fractional North hails from the Chicago area and has heralded a remarkable turnaround under first-year coach Anthony Pignatiello and senior QB/DB Dominic Gradford. The Meteors reached the playoffs despite just three consecutive 1-win seasons prior to this year. They dropped to Lemont 19-18 in Week 9 after failing to convert their two-point conversion attempt with 18.8 seconds remaining. TF North 28, SHG 21
Soccer regional champs, 300-yard rushers: Vote for the SJ-R's athlete of the week
CLASS 4A
No. 16 Lincoln (5-4) at No. 1 Rochester (9-0), Friday, 7 p.m.: The Rockets previously decimated Lincoln 55-0 at Handlin Field in Week 7 after jumping out to a 34-0 lead by the end of the first quarter. In that meeting, junior QB Bryan Zulauf went 8 of 12 for 146 yards and two scores while senior running back Nolan Mrozowski ran for 88 yards and a score on just five attempts. Lincoln still has something to celebrate. It is making its first playoff appearance since 1984. Rochester 56, Lincoln 6
No. 15 Taylorville (5-4) at No. 2 Murphysboro (8-1), Saturday, 3 p.m.: Taylorville is making its first playoff appearance since 2019 following a 35-9 nonconference win over Bethalto Civic Memorial. The Tornadoes generated just five wins combined over the previous three seasons. Junior linebacker Cash Foraker leads a stingy defense and set a school season record with 139 total tackles. He also has five forced fumbles. 3A No. 4 DuQuoin ended 4A No. 6 Murphysboro’s eight-game win streak with a 39-7 drubbing. Murphysboro 30, Taylorville 14
'God's plan': SHG, Springfield, were meant to be in the cards for RB Christian Pollard
CLASS 3A
No. 9 Tolono Unity (7-2) at No. 8 Williamsville (7-2), Saturday, 2 p.m.: Here we go again. 3A No. 7 Williamsville meets Tolono Unity for a third consecutive postseason. Williamsville’s Josh Cates, now at QB, preserved last year’s semifinal win, 12-7, with a pass breakup in the end zone. Both teams bristle with new names at key positions. Sophomore QB Dane Eisenmenger leads the Rockets. He has thrown for 1,736 yards and 23 TDs with just two picks on 69.1% passing. Cates has thrown for 1,184 yards and 17 TDs with six picks for Williamsville. Cates’ brother, Braddock, has 1,300 rushing yards and 16 scores. Williamsville 28, Tolono Unity 26
No. 10 Litchfield (6-3) at No. 7 Stanford Olympia (7-2), Saturday, 1 p.m.: The Purple Panthers jumped from a tie in last place last year to a tie for second place in the South Central Conference. Litchfield tied with three other teams — Carlinville, Vandalia and Pana — after recording its fifth straight win with a 38-34 triumph over Vandalia. A.J. Sypherd ran for 196 yards and a score in another stunning SCC win. Olympia also tied for second in the Sangamo with Williamsville and Athens. Its only losses include 14-6 to 2A No. 7 Athens and 35-26 against 2A top-ranked and league champion Maroa-Forsyth. Olympia 33, Litchfield 22
No. 11 Carlinville (6-3) at No. 6 St. Joseph-Ogden (7-2), Saturday, 2 p.m.: Carlinville has won five of its last six games and is making its 16th straight playoff appearance. Senior running back Jack Rouse suffered a broken arm earlier this season but has returned in time for the playoffs. He returned in Week 8 against Hillsboro and ran for 145 yards and two scores against the Hiltoppers. 3A No. 9 St. Joseph-Ogden settled for second place in the Illini Prairie behind only unbeaten 2A No. 2 Bloomington Central Catholic. Senior QB Logan Smith has piled up gaudy numbers for the Spartans. He has thrown for 2,085 yards and 22 TDs with two picks on 76.4% passing. He has also rushed for 490 yards and 18 scores. SJO 35, Carlinville 20
Top performers from Week 9 of high school football in the Springfield area
CLASS 2A
No. 9 Pana (6-3) at No. 8 Nashville (6-3), Saturday, 1 p.m.: Pana ended a bumpy stretch with a 19-13 win over Staunton without starting running back/linebacker Isaiah Harbert due to injury. He is a game-time decision, according to coach Trevor Higgins. Junior QB Wyatt Kile completed 9 of 17 passes for 176 yards and two touchdowns. Kile has thrown for 1,120 yards and 15 TDs with three picks on top of 468 rushing yards and another score. Nashville previously defeated Pana in the 2021 quarterfinals before earning second place in 2A. Nashville 40, Pana 28
No. 13 Piasa Southwestern (5-4) at No. 4 Athens (7-2), Saturday, 1 p.m.: Athens had a real shot at a share of the Sangamo title before a turnover and subsequent Kaiden Maurer TD run dashed the Warriors in Maroa-Forsyth's 28-21 victory at Walter Boyd Field. The only way those two teams could meet again is in the state finals, with Maroa slotted as the No. 2 seed in the North bracket. Both Camren Bigard (1,168) and Cory Craig Jr. (1,129) finished with more than 1,000 rushing yards this season out of the Athens backfield. Piasa Southwestern is back in the playoffs after missing out last season. Athens 42, Piasa 14
No. 14 Auburn (5-4) at No. 3 Johnston City (8-1), Saturday, 2 p.m.: Auburn junior QB Jack Jones filled in for senior Talin Kern and debuted with 353 yards and two touchdowns while completing 32 of 47 passes in a 51-22 Sangamo Conference loss to Williamsville. Kern was out due to a hand injury. Auburn senior receiver Sawyer Smith set a new school record with 138 career receptions in the loss. Johnston City is making its third straight playoff appearance and reached as far as the 2A semifinals last season before falling to eventual state champion Decatur St. Teresa. Johnston City 42, Auburn 22
Rochester tight ends have NIU in their sights — but first, state football pursuits
CLASS 1A
No. 14 Nokomis (5-4) at No. 3 Greenfield-Northwestern (9-0), Saturday, 2 p.m.: Sophomore running back Nolan Herpstreith powered Nokomis to the playoffs with 341 rushing yards and three TDs in a 41-23 win over Niantic Sangamon Valley. He has 1,593 yards and 20 scores on 211 rushing attempts this season. Greenfield/Northwestern, ranked No. 4 in 1A, has won by an average margin of 32.2 points per game. The Tigers have also limited opponents to just 10 points per game. Greenfield 26, Nokomis 12
Playoff bubble, conference champs lead Week 9 takeaways from around Springfield
8-MAN
No. 9 Cambridge Ridgewood (7-2) at No. 8 Kincaid South Fork (7-2), Friday, 7 p.m.: The Ponies will host its first playoff game at Jack Hanlon Stadium since a 44-6 loss to Cerro Gordo in 1994. They are also off to their best mark since that season behind a formidable front that includes linemen Connor Henley and brothers, Collin and Carter Elder. They will seek their first playoff win since a 7-0 triumph over Hardin Calhoun in 1988. South Fork previously fell to Cambridge Ridgewood in last year’s first-round playoff game, 58-24. South Fork 36, Ridgewood 34
No. 13 Pawnee (5-4) at No. 4 Milford (7-2), Saturday, 2 p.m.: Pawnee draws perennial contender Milford, which won the I8FA state title in 2018 and was runner-up in 2019. The Bearcats have dropped out in the second round the past two seasons by a combined 12 points, including 2021 state champion Polo and 2022 state runner-up Amboy. Milford 56, Pawnee 15
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: First round predictions for every football game in the Springfield area
