The road to a state championship begins next weekend for 15 area high school football teams who made the IHSA playoffs when the pairings were released on Saturday night.
In Class 5A, Mahomet-Seymour (7-2) is the lone area team, and the third-seeded Bulldogs will host 14th-seeded Sacred Heart-Griffin (5-4) in a first-round game at Frank Dutton Field in Mahomet. M-S has won its last six games after a 1-2 start, and will host the Cyclones at 7 p.m. Friday.
Six area teams are in the 3A playoff bracket, with St. Joseph-Ogden (9-0) receiving a No. 1 seed. The Spartans will host No. 16 West Frankfort (5-4) in a first-round game at Dick Duval Field in St. Joseph.
Should SJ-O avoid a first-round upset, the Spartans could see a longtime rival in the second round. Unity (6-3) travels to play at Roxana (7-2) in a first-round game, but if the ninth-seeded Rockets beat the eighth-seeded Shells — Unity’s Hall of Fame coach Scott Hamilton is a Roxana graduate — then Unity would host SJ-O in a second-round game. Unity will kick off at Roxana at 2:30 p.m. next Saturday.
Sullivan/Okaw Valley (9-0) will host Mt. Carmel (5-4) in the first round as the unbeaten and second-seeded Redskins are back in the playoffs for the second straight season.
Monticello (7-2) received a sixth seed and will host No. 11 DuQoin (6-3) at 2 p.m. next Saturday in the first round as the Sages are in the playoffs for the 15th straight season, with SJ-O, Unity, Sullivan/Okaw Valley and Monticello all in the southern half of the 3A bracket.
In the northern half of the 3A bracket, Prairie Central (5-4) earned its playoff berth with a Friday night win against Bloomington Central Catholic. The reward for the 16th-seeded Hawks? A first-round game at reigning state champion and undefeated Byron (9-0).
Paxton-Buckley-Loda (6-3) is also in the northern part of the 3A bracket, and the 11th-seeded Panthers will play travel across the state to play at sixth-seeded Monmouth-Roseville (8-1) at 4 p.m. next Saturday.
Four area programs are in the 2A field, with a trio of Vermilion Valley Conference teams in the bracket. Unbeaten Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin (9-0) is in the playoffs for the 15th consecutive season, and the second-seeded Blue Devils will host 15th-seeded Erie-Prophetstown (5-4) in the first round at 2 p.m. next Saturday.
Oakwood (5-4) joins BHRA in the northern half of the 2A bracket and received the 13th seed, with the Comets playing at fourth-seeded Elmwood-Brimfield (8-1).
In the southern half of the 2A bracket, Westville (6-3) is the No. 10 seed as the Tigers have rattled off six straight wins. The Tigers will head south to play at seventh-seeded Chester (8-1) in a game that will kick off at 3 p.m. next Saturday.
Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond (8-1) sustained its first loss on Friday night in a setback to Sullivan/Okaw Valley, but the Knights earned a sixth seed and a first-round home game against 11th seed North Mac (6-3).
LeRoy leads the field of four 1A area playoff qualifiers, with the undefeated Panthers (9-0) receiving a No. 1 seed. LeRoy will host 16th-seeded Aurora Christian (5-4) in the first round at L.A. McKean Field.
Two area teams will square off in the first round when 14th-seeded Salt Fork (5-4) heads to play at third-seeded Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley (8-1). The game is set to kick off at 1 p.m. next Saturday in Gibson City.
Tuscola (5-4) is a No. 11 seed, and the Warriors will travel to Toledo to play sixth-seeded Cumberland (7-2) in the first round. That game will kick off at 7 p.m. this upcoming Friday.
