My sleepers by class

[King MJ_rivals]

Teams I don't necessarily think will win state but can go 1 or 2 games farther than their seed would indicate

8A: Glenbard West. Finally got it going late, I think they will give Loyola everything they want in the semis
7A; LWW: The top half of 7A is really weak and I think they can get all the way to semis or finals
6A: Lake Zurich: I actually think they can win the whole thing. Can control the clock and don't make mistakes.
5A: Provi: Another solid team that doesn't beat itself from a tough conference. Great draw for them and semis wouldn't be a surprise

 

[mchsalumni]

Incoming angry ESL Posse in 3…2…1…

 

[USD24]

Teams I don't necessarily think will win state but can go 1 or 2 games farther than their seed would indicate

8A: Glenbard West. Finally got it going late, I think they will give Loyola everything they want in the semis
7A; LWW: The top half of 7A is really weak and I think they can get all the way to semis or finals
6A: Lake Zurich: I actually think they can win the whole thing. Can control the clock and don't make mistakes.
5A: Provi: Another solid team that doesn't beat itself from a tough conference. Great draw for them and semis wouldn't be a surprise

I think GW will have a real hard time going down south and beating Edwardsville. In 6A, I don't know if I would call the #1 seed a sleeper. I like the Providence pick. If they can beat Morton, I think they advance to the semi's.

 

[ODirty1]

I'll be a homer... 1a Althoff very talented 8a Edwardsville Plays playoff type of football regularly 6a Geneva a good team with a stud wr

 

[flyerforlife]

Incoming angry ESL Posse in 3…2…1…

Nope Agree with 6A , But I think Geneva will give LZ a run for its money. Eddieville in 8A and Bat in 7A

 

[RoaminCatholic]

I'll be a homer... 1a Althoff very talented 8a Edwardsville Plays playoff type of football regularly 6a Geneva a good team with a stud wr

Althoff isn't a sleeper, imo. A 1A sleeper, imo, would be CPC, Aurora Christian, or Hope

 

[SilverHelmet]

8A: Glenbard West. Finally got it going late, I think they will give Loyola everything they want in the semis

GW got one of the most difficult draws of any team in the playoffs. NN is a toss-up in the first round. Definitely not a lucky matchup. Then traveling to Edwardsville to play the Tigers who just stomped a team that beat you earlier in the season. If somehow you survive, a revenge matchup with York or LT.

I think St Iggy can make a run to the QF in their first 8A appearance. Does that qualify as a dark horse? Otherwise 8A seems like it could be a lot of the same with LA, LWE, Warren, Maine South, Barrington

 

[crusader_of_90]

GW got one of the most difficult draws of any team in the playoffs. NN is a toss-up in the first round. Definitely not a lucky matchup. Then traveling to Edwardsville to play the Tigers who just stomped a team that beat you earlier in the season. If somehow you survive, a revenge matchup with York or LT.

I think St Iggy can make a run to the QF in their first 8A appearance. Does that qualify as a dark horse? Otherwise 8A seems like it could be a lot of the same with LA, LWE, Warren, Maine South, Barrington

I am rooting for Iggy as the dark horse Cinderella!

 

[micahjones]

My sleeper is Warren. They are being over looked. There is something to be said about momentum.

 

[SilverHelmet]

My sleeper is Warren. They are being over looked. There is something to be said about momentum.

By who? I would bet everyone is picking them to win their first two games. They don’t challenge LWE. There is no shame in that. Only LA and Barrington maybe Edwardsville look like they would have a chance Vs the Griffins.

 

[micahjones]

In general Warren is always picked to get bounced early ... get moved down in polls, etc. for what ever reason. Warren is not going away anytime soon because the talent level and coaching are consistetly really. I caanot speak for LA or Edwardsville. But, Barrington barely beat Warren (by a last minute TD on a sophmore docminated secondary) early in the season. Barrington has not been close (blowouts) to Warren in a few years. They play every year in non conference. LA & LWE are key challengers every year (well coached teams) then comes down to MS or Warrem + a 1 ro 2 other large 8A teams. Anyway enogh talking lets what this year playoffs brings. I am a big fan of Warren & NSC because they never really get hyped. Just giving them some love.

 

[Hilltop#1]

In general Warren is always picked to get bounced early ... get moved down in polls, etc. for what ever reason. Warren is not going away anytime soon because the talent level and coaching are consistetly really. I caanot speak for LA or Edwardsville. But, Barrington barely beat Warren (by a last minute TD on a sophmore docminated secondary) early in the season. Barrington has not been close (blowouts) to Warren in a few years. They play every year in non conference. LA & LWE are key challengers every year (well coached teams) then comes down to MS or Warrem + a 1 ro 2 other large 8A teams. Anyway enogh talking lets what this year playoffs brings. I am a big fan of Warren & NSC because they never really get hyped. Just giving them some love.

they usually do get bounced early so…

 

[USD24]

In general Warren is always picked to get bounced early ... get moved down in polls, etc. for what ever reason. Warren is not going away anytime soon because the talent level and coaching are consistetly really. I caanot speak for LA or Edwardsville. But, Barrington barely beat Warren (by a last minute TD on a sophmore docminated secondary) early in the season. Barrington has not been close (blowouts) to Warren in a few years. They play every year in non conference. LA & LWE are key challengers every year (well coached teams) then comes down to MS or Warrem + a 1 ro 2 other large 8A teams. Anyway enogh talking lets what this year playoffs brings. I am a big fan of Warren & NSC because they never really get hyped. Just giving them some love.

If you look at Warren's playoff history, it is usually the case. In Warrens 30 playoff appearances, they have advanced past the second round a grand total of 5 times and have only made the semi-finals once. While they have enjoyed great regular season success, it has not translated to the playoffs. Please do not confuse their success with that of MS, LWE or LA. Their resume clearly shows that they are not in the same league.

 

[colin2229]

Althoff isn't a sleeper, imo. A 1A sleeper, imo, would be CPC, Aurora Christian, or Hope

I think this is Hope’s year.

 

[RameyJacoby]

1A- Hope Academy
2A- Momence
3A- Moninti
4A- St. Joseph- Ogden
5A- Peoria/JCA I love both teams and they are battle tested
6A- Geneva
7A-Willowbrook
8A- Stevenson

Not my picks to win it all But I got these 4 going to the Semi's finals

 

[SouthsideMC]

LWW is my pick. I see them in the quarters at least and perhaps even further. I do not know much about Hoffman Estates but I do know that West is coached well and are super physical on both sides of the ball and that tends do well during the playoffs.

 

[SilverHelmet]

In general Warren is always picked to get bounced early ... get moved down in polls, etc. for what ever reason. Warren is not going away anytime soon because the talent level and coaching are consistetly really. I caanot speak for LA or Edwardsville. But, Barrington barely beat Warren (by a last minute TD on a sophmore docminated secondary) early in the season. Barrington has not been close (blowouts) to Warren in a few years. They play every year in non conference. LA & LWE are key challengers every year (well coached teams) then comes down to MS or Warrem + a 1 ro 2 other large 8A teams. Anyway enogh talking lets what this year playoffs brings. I am a big fan of Warren & NSC because they never really get hyped. Just giving them some love.

Stevenson got plenty of hype when they won state and were a top ten team. Lake Zurich was a top 7A team for years and got plenty of headlines. When Libertyville went to state, they were given lots of ink.
Warren is consistently ranked in the top 10 going back several years. Plenty of posters that are not Warren supporters have sung their praises. You have become an easy target because anytime there is the slightest criticism of them you react. The bottom line is they are a very strong program but cannot be considered the elite in the state until they start filling up their trophy case and are consistently playing the weekend before and after Thanksgiving like LA, MS, LWE, MC, Naz, SHG, Rochester, JCA etc

 

[PowerI66_]

When looking at schedules in 1a and 2a it is incredible how solid the teams seem to be. Lots of parity should make it fun!

 

[Huskie2015]

1A- Hope Academy
2A- Momence
3A- Moninti
4A- St. Joseph- Ogden
5A- Peoria/JCA I love both teams and they are battle tested
6A- Geneva
7A-Willowbrook
8A- Stevenson

Not my picks to win it all But I got these 4 going to the Semi's finals

Montini's road - Round #1 and Round #2, should win by 3+ touchdowns. Quarterfinals against Princeton, tough matchup but win by 1 touchdown. Semi-finals against Byron will determine state champ. Byron is very tough - tossup.

 

[MalleusMaleficarum]

I only have one sleeper: Rip Van Winkle. Oops, wrong kind of sleeper!

 

[Jiggs]

Montini's road - Round #1 and Round #2, should win by 3+ touchdowns. Quarterfinals against Princeton, tough matchup but win by 1 touchdown. Semi-finals against Byron will determine state champ. Byron is very tough - tossup.

I know little about Byron other than they are beating the hell out of every team they play. They played Dixon who ended the season at 8-1 and beat them by a score of 49-6.
Does anyone have any information on this team? They score an average of just over 59 points a game.

Aug 25	7:00	W	77	6		H	Rock Falls	2-7	576.50
Sep 1	7:00	W	64	0		A	Rockford (Lutheran)	5-4	282.00
Sep 8	7:00	W	70	14		H	Rockford (Christian)	0-9	305.00
Sep 15	7:00	W	69	0		H	Poplar Grove (North Boone)	6-3	479.00
Sep 22	7:00	W	51	0		A	Oregon	5-4	417.00
Sep 29	7:00	W	52	12		A	Genoa (G.-Kingston)	4-5	510.50
Oct 6	7:00	W	62	0		H	Winnebago	1-8	403.50
Oct 13	7:00	W	49	6		H	Dixon (H.S.)	8-1	760.50
Oct 20	7:00	W	43	7		A	Stillman Valley	5-4	504.50

 

[RoaminCatholic]

I only have one sleeper: Rip Van Winkle. Oops, wrong kind of sleeper!

This will go over many folks heads...

 

[RoaminCatholic]

I know little about Byron other than they are beating the hell out of every team they play. They played Dixon who ended the season at 8-1 and beat them by a score of 49-6.
Does anyone have any information on this team? They score an average of just over 59 points a game.

Aug 25	7:00	W	77	6		H	Rock Falls	2-7	576.50
Sep 1	7:00	W	64	0		A	Rockford (Lutheran)	5-4	282.00
Sep 8	7:00	W	70	14		H	Rockford (Christian)	0-9	305.00
Sep 15	7:00	W	69	0		H	Poplar Grove (North Boone)	6-3	479.00
Sep 22	7:00	W	51	0		A	Oregon	5-4	417.00
Sep 29	7:00	W	52	12		A	Genoa (G.-Kingston)	4-5	510.50
Oct 6	7:00	W	62	0		H	Winnebago	1-8	403.50
Oct 13	7:00	W	49	6		H	Dixon (H.S.)	8-1	760.50
Oct 20	7:00	W	43	7		A	Stillman Valley	5-4	504.50

I only know that conference is nothing like it used to be. SV, G-K, Dixon, Lutheran all solid programs in the not so distant past. I think they've just gotten hot when the conference got cold. But, to Byron's credit, they have the post season wins to back it all up. I should say consistently, since 2016ish...

 

[dd109]

1A- Hope Academy
2A- Momence
3A- Moninti
4A- St. Joseph- Ogden
5A- Peoria/JCA I love both teams and they are battle tested
6A- Geneva
7A-Willowbrook
8A- Stevenson

Not my picks to win it all But I got these 4 going to the Semi's finals Look for Carme Mund.

 

[dd109]

CL Prarie Ridge and sleeper Carmel in 5A

 

[Hilltop#1]

CL Prarie Ridge and sleeper Carmel in 5A

Carmel’s definitely a sleeper!

 

[FB1976]

1A- Hope Academy
2A- Momence
3A- Moninti
4A- St. Joseph- Ogden
5A- Peoria/JCA I love both teams and they are battle tested
6A- Geneva
7A-Willowbrook
8A- Stevenson

Not my picks to win it all But I got these 4 going to the Semi's finals

St. Joe Ogden is in 3A

 

[mchsalumni]

Carmel’s definitely a sleeper!

But are they? 8-1 isn't exactly a dog.

 

[watkins978]

2A- Quincy Notre Dame. I think the strength of schedule could push them into the finals.
3A- Tolono Unity. I am impressed with their play down the stretch and think the south bracket is very manageable. An upset win over Duquoin in round 2 get spur a deep run.
6A- Geneva/Kaneland. I think both teams are able to navigate the north and the winner will play East St Louis in the finals.
7A- Normal Community- not technically a sleeper as they are the overall #1 seed, but still have a feeling they will get overlooked. The upper bracket of 7A is very manageable.

 

[micahjones]

If you look at Warren's playoff history, it is usually the case. In Warrens 30 playoff appearances, they have advanced past the second round a grand total of 5 times and have only made the semi-finals once. While they have enjoyed great regular season success, it has not translated to the playoffs. Please do not confuse their success with that of MS, LWE or LA. Their resume clearly shows that they are not in the same league.

First of all l, I did not say 30 years, most folks did not know where they were located. Yes, Warren is a top 8A program. MS vs Warren game is a must-see game over the last several seasons (not 30 years). Over the last 5-6 season, Warren does not get bounced quickly. I give kudos to those top 8A teams after that Warren is right there. Also, I really do not care who counters my post about Warren. First of all, this is fun and never taken seriosly. Anyway I wish each poster their team success. Fyi, Iook at schools success by who sends kids to the next level. Warren does it every year !Praying for all kids safety as we start the playoffs. Go Warren

 

[USD24]

First of all l, I did not say 30 years, most folks did not know where they were located. Yes, Warren is a top 8A program. MS vs Warren game is a must-see game over the last several seasons (not 30 years). Over the last 5-6 season, Warren does not get bounced quickly. I give kudos to those top 8A teams after that Warren is right there. Also, I really do not care who counters my post about Warren. First of all, this is fun and never taken seriosly. Anyway I wish each poster their team success. Fyi, Iook at schools success by who sends kids to the next level. Warren does it every year !Praying for all kids safety as we start the playoffs. Go Warren

In the last 6 years, Warren has been bounced in the second round 3 times.

I agree that this is all in fun and I have a lot of respect for the Warren program and how they get kids to the next level. I just enjoy the back and forth. Good Luck to the Blue Devils in the post season.

 

[dcaudle68]

I know little about Byron other than they are beating the hell out of every team they play. They played Dixon who ended the season at 8-1 and beat them by a score of 49-6.
Does anyone have any information on this team? They score an average of just over 59 points a game.

Aug 25	7:00	W	77	6		H	Rock Falls	2-7	576.50
Sep 1	7:00	W	64	0		A	Rockford (Lutheran)	5-4	282.00
Sep 8	7:00	W	70	14		H	Rockford (Christian)	0-9	305.00
Sep 15	7:00	W	69	0		H	Poplar Grove (North Boone)	6-3	479.00
Sep 22	7:00	W	51	0		A	Oregon	5-4	417.00
Sep 29	7:00	W	52	12		A	Genoa (G.-Kingston)	4-5	510.50
Oct 6	7:00	W	62	0		H	Winnebago	1-8	403.50
Oct 13	7:00	W	49	6		H	Dixon (H.S.)	8-1	760.50
Oct 20	7:00	W	43	7		A	Stillman Valley	5-4	504.50

I mean when you beat the Oregon Ducks 51-0 you gotta take notice!