Phillips relishes ‘tough road’ in 6A
Phillips was the hot topic of conversation two weeks ago in Crystal Lake when Prairie Ridge and Cary-Grove faced off, which sounds a bit strange.
Both Fox Valley programs have an excellent chance to win the Class 6A title and are intrigued with the Public League powerhouse that has chosen to jump up two classes in the playoffs to play better competition.
The Wildcats need to take care of business in the first round against Lake Forest before there is any chance of facing a Fox Valley opponent. Phillips, the No. 4 seed in the North bracket of Class 6A, likely will face the Scouts on Saturday at Gately.
“This is what we’ve asked for,” Phillips coach Troy McAllister. “In terms of what we want to do with our program, this is the next step. It is a tough road. We knew going up to Class 6A meant there wouldn’t be a round or two of weaker opponents, so to speak. This is what we wanted.”
The Wildcats could face Prairie Ridge in the second round and Cary-Grove in the quarterfinals. Both teams run a triple-option offense.
“I know it is coach-speak, but I’m not going to be looking past Lake Forest at all,” McAllister said. “That is a real tough team.”
Simeon top seed in Class 7A
Earlier this season, it seemed likely that Simeon would wind up in Class 8A. A number of factors, including a significant amount of large schools finishing the regular season unbeaten, dropped the Wolverines to Class 7A.
“That didn’t really matter to us,” Simeon coach Dante Culbreath said. “We know we can play, and we know that any team that makes the playoffs in 8A or 7A can play. If we play the way we are capable of playing, we aren’t afraid of anyone.”
Simeon has dominated opponents, scoring 336 points, allowing 54 and playing several running-clock games.
“The only kind of close game we’ve had all season was against Phillips [a 21-8 win],” Culbreath said. “And we left a lot of points on the table in that one.”
Griffins only a No. 2 Seed
Lincoln-Way East has been the top-ranked team in the Super 25 and in the Associated Press Class 8A state poll all season. But the Griffins are the No. 2 seed in the state playoffs.
Brother Rice, which also finished undefeated, wound up with 45 playoff points (number of opponents’ wins), and LincolnWay East has 44. So the Crusaders earned the top seed.
The one-spot difference doesn’t figure to have much of an effect. The teams will face opponents of similar quality all the way through the bracket. It does set up the possibility of an exciting pair of games in the semifinal round.
Brother Rice could face rival Marist in a massive Battle of Pulaski that would send one team to the title game. The other semi could feature Lincoln-Way East against Maine South. The powerhouse programs met in the semifinals last season and in the quarterfinals in the 2016-17 season. Want the latest information and analysis on high school football? Our team of Michael O’Brien, Beth Long and Annie Costabile will share the latest news, insights and weekly Super 25 rankings in a livestream show called ‘‘Sun-Times Game Week’’ at 4:30 p.m. every Monday. Like and follow our high school sports Facebook page and watch the show on Facebook Live. You also can ask questions using #suntimesgameweek.