21 area high school football teams headed to IHSA playoffs

Posted on October 28, 2024

*For the second straight season, all five Intercity schools will be in the postseason. (WJBC file photo)*

BLOOMINGTON – The regular season is over, it’s time for postseason football.

Twenty-one area teams will play in the high school football state playoffs, as announced by the Illinois High School Association on Saturday. The 256-team playoff field is set but game dates and times don’t have to be finalized until Monday.

Undefeated LeRoy is a No. 1 seed in the 1A bracket. The Panthers (9-0) will host Aurora Christian.

Two area rivals will also host 1A playoffs games. Fifth-seeded Stark County (8-1) hosts Ottawa Marquette and No. 7 Princeville (7-2) will host Stockton.

Farmington is a top-seed in the 2A bracket. The Farmers (9-0) will host No. 16 Dee-Mack (7-2).

El Paso-Gridley (6-3) will travel to Seneca, third-seeded Tri-Valley (8-1) earns a first-round home game against Bloomington Central Catholic (5-4) and fourth-seeded Elmwood-Brimfield (8-1) will host Oakwood in the 2A playoffs.

In class 3A, Eureka is a 7 seed and the Hornets (8-1) will host Peotone. Prairie Central (5-4), which needed a win in the regular season finale to be playoff eligible, will travel to top-seeded Byron and 13th-seeded Olympia (6-3) will play at Nashville.

The 4A playoff bracket includes a pair of area schools who will open the playoffs on the road. 13th-seeded Notre Dame (5-4) will travel to Rochester while tenth-seeded U-High (7-2) will head to Manteno.

Peoria High is seeded No. 2 in the class 5A playoffs and the Lions (7-2) earn a home playoff opener against Hillcrest. No. 9 Metamora (6-3) heads to Centralia.

In 6A, Bloomington is the highest-seeded area team in the bracket. The sixth-seeded Raiders (7-2) host Lemont.

Also in the 6A playoffs, No. 7 Washington (7-2) hosts Shepard, No. 8 Normal West (7-2) hosts Simeon and No. 15 Dunlap (6-3) travels to Richards.

In the 7A playoff field, sixth-seeded Normal Community (8-1) hosts West Chicago. And No. 13 Pekin (7-2) hosts Lincoln-Way West.

The IHSA football playoff brackets can be found here.

Blogs

Labor Day – Expanding voting rights for all

By Mike Matejka Because of COVID, there is no Labor Day Parade this year. It’s always a great event for our everyday workers to march proudly down the street and enjoys the festive crowd. If there had been a parade, this year’s Labor Day theme was to be “150 years of struggle: your right to vote.” …

Is federal mobilization the answer?

By Mike Matejka As President Donald Trump threatens to send federal marshals into Chicago, over the objections of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, recall another Illinois Governor who protested the incursion of armed federal personnel into the city. Those federal troops, rather than calming, escalated the situation, leading to deaths and violence. Illinois poet Vachel Lindsay…

In these troubled times, to my fellow white Americans

By Mike Matejka Our nation is at a unique watershed in human relations. African-Americans have been killed too many times in the past before George Floyd, but the response to this man’s death is international and all-encompassing. I was a grade-schooler during the Civil Rights 1960s. I watched Birmingham demonstrators hosed and the Selma – Montgomery…

Workers’ Memorial Day – Remember those whose job took their life

Looking around our community, when we say employer, most will respond to State Farm, Country, or Illinois State University. We too often forget those who are building our roads, serving our food, or our public employees. COVID-19 has made us more aware of the risk. Going to work every day for some people means…