By Bobby Narang
The historic first weekend of the Illinois High School Association football playoffs is over, but not without some memorable moments.
The expanded playoffs allowed many average, and below average, teams to experience late October football for the first time in years, if not decades.
All the traditional powerhouse teams earned victories in the opening round, but without the five-win standard to make the playoffs, the extra week allowed many teams to play tougher non-conference schedules to prepare themselves for fall playoff football.
The first weekend of the playoffs was a success for many factors, but also featured some big moments for programs.
In the Aurora area, West Aurora rode a big game from Travis Brown to a 40-21 win over Leyden in a Class 8A opening round playoff game. Brown had a breakout game after a slow regular season in which he caught four passes for 40 yards. Against Leyden, he exploded for 111 yards receiving on four receptions to lead the Blackhawks (7-3) to a first-round playoff game at St. Ignatius.
West Aurora senior quarterback Tyler Fecht looked in Brown’s direction early and often, finishing 9 of 13 passing for 200 yards and two touchdowns, including a touchdown pass to Brown.
A basketball standout, Brown said he was happy to make some noise on the football field.
“You have to play your role and that’s what I did,” Brown said. “I catch the ball, get up the field, do my job, block if I have to and do what I have to do.”
Brown, who has committed to play basketball for Winona State, adds a new element to the offense with his late-season emergence.
“He is learning to play and getting better every week,” West Aurora coach Nate Eimer said. “He’s very coachable.”