The first round of the IHSA football playoffs take place around the state this weekend following last weekend’s inaugural opening round games.
Six TRAC teams remain alive with each class now trimmed to 32 participants. Rockridge, Riverdale, and Erie-Prophetstown are all coming off opening round byes, while Newman, Orion, and Princeton each picked up wins last week to extend their seasons.
WRMJ’s Ty Taylor and Jim Taylor are joined by View from the West Podcast co-hosts Greg Armstrong and Mitch Stoermer, Matt Randazzo, and Brian Stocking to preview and predict this week’s action.
Standings after Opening Round
| Place | Picker | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ty | 46-10 |
| 2 | Dazzo | 44-12 |
| T3 | Mitch | 43-13 |
| T3 | Greg | 43-13 |
| 5 | Jim | 42-14 |
| 6 | Stocking | 40-16 |
Class 1A: No. 14 Newman (6-4) @ No. 3 Rockridge (8-1) – Saturday 1 p.m.
Rockridge opens its first-ever 1A playoff run with a rematch from Week 8 with Newman on Saturday.
Rockridge closed the regular season 8-1 with its lone loss coming to Riverdale in Week 5. In Week 8, the Rockets defeated Newman 46-30 and rushed for 333 yards in the game. Rockridge has been led all season by its senior backfield duo of quarterback Cullen Schwigen and running back Thomas Sowards. Schwigen has passed for 1,065 yards, rushed for 669 yards, and accounted for 24 total TDs, while Sowards has rushed for 1,117 yards and nine TDs. This is the second time Rockridge is coming off a bye week this season. The Rockets struggled after a week off in a 21-12 win over Mercer County in Week 4.
Newman began its 25th consecutive playoff appearance with a dominant 46-6 win over Tremont last week. The Comets raced out to an early 16-0 lead and never trailed in the rout. Rylan Alvarado rushed for 126 yards and two TDs to surpass the 1,000-yard milestone for the season. Sophomore quarterback Blaine Sprague threw three TDs in the win, while the Comets defense forced three turnovers against Tremont. Rockridge is the only team to score more than four TDs in a game against Newman this year.
Picks
Ty: Rockridge
Jim: Rockridge
Greg: Rockridge
Mitch: Rockridge
Dazzo: Rockridge
Stocking: Rockridge
Class 1A: No. 18 Orion (5-5) @ No. 2 Stockton (8-1) – Saturday 1 p.m.
Orion hits the road to challenge the back-to-back NUIC champion Stockton Blackhawks on Saturday afternoon.
Orion picked up its first postseason win since 2018 in a thrilling 21-20 comeback win over LeRoy last week. Trailing 20-7 with 10:36 left in the game, the Chargers scored on their final two possessions of the game to complete the rally. Aidan Leingang tied the game on a 7-yard TD run with 0:36 left, and Griffin Whitcomb connected on the ensuing PAT kick to give Orion its first lead of the day. The Chargers have won three games in a row after a 2-5 start to the season.
Stockton is coming off an opening-round bye week and won its final eight games of the regular season, including a perfect 7-0 run in the Northwest Upstate Illini Conference (NUIC) to claim its second straight league title. Stockton, ranked No. 2 in the final 1A IHSA Football Illinois Media State Rankings, hasn’t lost since a 41-20 defeat to 2A No. 1 El Paso Gridley in Week 1, 41-20. The Blackhawks hold impressive wins over Lena-Winslow (28-14), Forreston (28-14), and Fulton (44-14) this season.
Picks
Ty: Stockton
Jim: Stockton
Greg: Stockton
Mitch: Stockton
Dazzo: Stockton
Stocking: Stockton
Class 2A: No. 17 Eastland-Pearl City (5-5) @ No. 1 Riverdale (9-0) – Saturday 1 p.m.
Riverdale will host its first home playoff game since 2001 in the second TRAC-NUIC first-round crossover on Saturday afternoon.
Riverdale, fresh off its first 9-0 regular season in program history, is coming off a bye week as the No. 1 seed in the 2A North bracket. Riverdale won the TRAC Rock Division title and won every game in the regular season by at least two scores, outscoring its opponents by an average of 36.7-12.7. Junior running back Lucas Dunbar has racked up 1,506 yards and 19 TDs on the ground, while senior quarterback Abram Krier has rushed for 901 yards, thrown for 424 yards, and accounted for 20 TDs on the season.
Eastland-Pearl City finished the regular season 4-5 after battling through the always-tough NUIC schedule. The Wildcatz rolled Beardstown in the opening round 42-14 last week. EPC jumped out to a 42-0 lead through three quarters. Four of EPC’s five losses in the NUIC came by one possession to Stockton (8-0), Fulton (20-14), Galena (35-34), and Lena-Winslow (42-34).
Picks
Ty: Riverdale
Jim: Riverdale
Greg: Riverdale
Mitch: Riverdale
Dazzo: Riverdale
Stocking: Riverdale
Class 2A: No. 10 Warrensburg-Latham (7-3) @ No. 7 Erie-Prophetstown (7-2) – Saturday 1 p.m.
Erie-Prophetstown starts its postseason run this week with a home match-up against Warrensburg-Latham on Saturday afternoon.
Erie-Prophetstown earned an opening-round bye after defeating Hall in Week 9 to clinch a seven-win season. The Panthers’ two losses both came to state-ranked teams: 2A No. 3 Riverdale (37-6) and 1A No. 7 Rockridge (27-14). Erie-Prophetstown has outscored opponents by an average of 25.3-17.1 this season, and it has won three games by one possession.
Warrensburg-Latham advanced out of the opening round with a decisive 42-19 win over Georgetown Ridge Farm last week. The Cardinals went 5-2 in the Heart of Central Illinois (HOCI) Large Division to finish third behind 2A No. 1 El Paso-Gridley and 2A No. 6 Tri-Valley. Warrensburg-Latham’s three losses were to El Paso-Gridley, Tri-Valley and Tuscola. This is the third game between TRAC and HOCI teams in the playoffs. The TRAC won both crossovers last week with Orion’s victory over LeRoy and Newman’s win over Tremont.
Picks
Ty: Erie-Prophetstown
Jim: Erie-Prophetstown
Greg: Erie-Prophetstown
Mitch: Warrensburg-Latham
Dazzo: Erie-Prophetstown
Stocking: Erie-Prophetstown
Class 3A: No. 17 Princeton (5-5) @ No. 1 Richmond-Burton (9-0) – Saturday 1 p.m.
Princeton takes on the 3A north top-seed Richmond-Burton on the road on Saturday.
Princeton advanced past the 3A Opening Round with a 64-20 rout of South Shore in Chicago last weekend. The Tigers racked up over 400 yards of total offense. Reece Pearson rushed for 148 yards and two TDs in the win, while Brennen Emmett added 100 yards and two TDs on the ground.
Richmond Burton, ranked No. 4 in the final 3A IHSA Football Illinois Media State Rankings of the season, earned an opening-round bye after a perfect regular season that earned the Rockets the top seed in the bracket. Richmond-Burton has outscored its opponents 451-86 this season, an average of 50.1-9.6 per game. The Rockets were the champions of the Kishwaukee River Conference, and their closest game all year was a 56-34 non-conference victory over Marian Catholic in Week 2.
Picks
Ty: Richmond-Burton
Jim: Richmond-Burton
Greg: Richmond-Burton
Mitch: Richmond-Burton
Dazzo: Richmond-Burton
Stocking: Richmond-Burton
WRMJ’s coverage of the TRAC is powered by…
- Midwest Bank, with locations that include Aledo, Andalusia, Monmouth, and Moline
- Local COUNTRY Financial representatives Jason Potter, and John Waugh in Aledo, Brent Bigham in Edgington, and Julie Hessler in Orion.
- Breedlove’s Sporting Goods in Kewanee