By Bobby Narang
The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) football playoffs are finally here.
For the second straight season, the playoffs are a welcome return to normality in the Fall. The IHSA released the eight-class football pairings Saturday evening, with Lincoln-Way East, 9-0, as the No. 1 seed in largest Class 8A, followed by York, 9-0.
In 7A, Mt. Carmel, 9-0, and Hersey, 9-0, were the top two seeds.
With a playoff round each week, starting with the first round Friday, Oct. 28, the State championship games will be played at Memorial Stadium in Champaign. The first four classes will be November 25, with the final four classes, Class 5A, 6A, 7A and 8A, Saturday, Nov. 26.
One of the teams happy to make a return to the playoffs is Wheaton Academy. The Warriors were awarded the No. 4 seed in Class 4A, where they will begin their playoff march against No. 13 Providence Catholic, 7:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 28 at Wheaton Academy. The Warriors, 8-1, enter the playoffs riding a big wave following a 24-3 victory over Aurora Christian in week nine. By beating the Eagles, in a Metro Suburban crossover game, the Warriors set a program record for most victories, eight, in the regular season.
“At the end of the day, you’re looking at two consecutive successful seasons for us,” Wheaton Academy head coach Jim Johanik said. “You look at the progression of a program in years, not just in a season. We’ve seen in the last three years since COVID a dramatic progression in our program, in the way we play, the coaching, and results on the field. We’re feeling pretty good about things.”
The Warriors have a tough task seeking to defeat Providence Catholic, a big-time program known for success in playoffs over several decades. The Celtics are battle-tested, with losses to defending State champion in Wheaton North (7A) and Joliet Catholic (4A), Loyola Academy, and St. Rita. The Warriors’ lone loss came in a 42-20 defeat to IC Catholic Prep in week six. Joliet Catholic defeated the Warriors 48-14 last season in a Class 4A second-round playoff game on the way to a State championship.
“The way the draw works, when success is a factor, you get a lot of powerhouse teams spread out among the top five classes,” Johanik said. “We look at this match up at how we looked at our game against IC Catholic (this season). They are two very comparable programs, in terms they have a lot of size, good team speed. We played IC Catholic tough, but gave up the big play. We know we can play and compete at that level. We have to play with confidence and realize every play counts.
“There’s a place for us here. It will take time and years developing players and identifying opportunities to attract talent in the program. These things take time, but we felt last year this could work, and now we’ve put together a good season this year.”
If the Warriors are to pull off victories, they will have to move the ball to keep offenses off the field. Wheaton Academy senior quarterback, Belay Brummell, is a top signal-callers in the State, having passed for 1,850 yards with 24 touchdowns and four interceptions. He’s attracting interest from a wide range of colleges due to his strong arm.
“Belay is having a great season,” Johanik said. “His ability to stand in the pocket and deliver the ball is special. His footwork in the pocket is really good. He’s able to stay poised and look downfield and get the ball down the field. He has great arm strength.”