We pick IHSA second-round playoff football games for Peoria-area schools
Here are the predictions for the second round of the high school football playoffs around the Peoria area.
All games are scheduled for Saturday. Last week, the picks in this space went 11-6 (.647) and are 133-42 (.760) for the season.
Class 6A
(7) Crete-Monee (7-3) at (2) Washington (9-1), 3 p.m. Saturday: Washington rides an eight-game win streak, including a 45-point first-round win. The Panthers' defense and special teams scored three touchdowns highlighted by a 92-yard kickoff return. Washington's Kainon McQueary rushed for 100 yards with three TDs on eight carries. The Warriors started 0-2, then won six in a row before a 42-point loss to No. 1 Kankakee. In 2021, Crete-Monee beat Washington, 53-24 in the Class 6A quarterfinals. Washington 28, Crete-Monee 6
IHSA playoffs: Statewide scores | Peoria scores | First round: Recap | Top performers | Takeaways
Class 5A
(6) Metamora (8-2) at (3) Highland (9-1), 2 p.m. Saturday: Metamora is in back-to-back second-round games for the first time since the 2009 and 2010 seasons. The Redbirds turned out a near 500-yard rushing effort in the first round. Quarterback Nick Rhoades (202 yards), running back Jaiduan Cranford (188 yards) and Evan Kiel (93 yards) led the ground attack. Highland rides an eight-game win streak, allowing over 20 points twice in that span. In 2016, Metamora beat Highland, 28-7, in the Class 5A second round. Metamora 34, Highland 15
Class 4A
(14) Peoria Notre Dame (6-4) at (11) Harrisburg (7-3), 5 p.m. Saturday: PND snapped a three-game losing streak in a first-round upset over No. 3 seed Kewanee. Irish RB Ben Mullens rushed for 176 yards and two TDs in scoring 28 unanswered points in PND's first playoff win since 2015. Harrisburg faced four playoff teams in the regular season, going 2-2 including a first-round rematch win over Carterville. This is the first playoff meeting between these two programs. Peoria Notre Dame 21, Harrisburg 20
Class 3A
(2) Princeton (9-1) at (10) Monmouth-Roseville (6-4), 5 p.m. Saturday: Princeton beat M-R, 40-0, in Week 1. The Tigers, who have made the quarterfinals the last three playoffs, have given up 27 total points on their eight-game win streak. M-R's four losses all came to playoff teams. Princeton 42, Monmouth-Roseville 6
(7) Olympia (8-2) at (2) Greenville (10-0), 3 p.m. Saturday: Oly RB Nic Olson rushed seven carries for 107 yards and two TDs in the first-round win. Greenville has scored less than 27 points just once this season. In 1990, Greenville beat Olympia, 27-7, in the Class 3A second round. Greenville 35, Olympia 27
Class 2A
(6) Farmington (9-1) at (3) Bloomington Central Catholic (10-0), 1 p.m. Saturday: Farmington is averaging 36.1 points a game, while BCC is giving up 7.9 points a game. The Farmers are in the second round for the fourth consecutive playoffs. In 1997, BCC beat Farmington, 27-13, in the Class 3A first round. BCC 41, Farmington 40
Class 1A
(5) Morrison (9-1) at (4) Annawan/Wethersfield (9-1), 1 p.m. Saturday: This game will be played at Wethersfield. The Titans used Zeb Rashid's 306 total yards and five TDs in the first round. Morrison holds a win over Princeton. In 2019, Wethersfield beat Morrison, 20-13 in the Class 1A quarterfinals. A/W 28, Morrison 14
(2) Stark County (10-0) at (10) ROWVA/Williamsfield, 2 p.m. Saturday: Stark County beat ROWVA, 24-14 in Week 6. The Tigers' two losses came to Annawan/Wethersfield and Stark County. SC QB Luke Rewerts went for three TDs and 221 total yards in the first round. In 2022, ROWVA beat Stark County, 28-14 in the Class 1A first round. Stark County 42, ROWVA 18
Adam Duvall is a Journal Star sports reporter. Email him at aduvall@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @AdamDuvall.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: IHSA football playoffs: Expert predictions for second-round games
