Class 7A Sleeper Teams to Watch
Class 7A sure seems to be a pretty cut and dry when it comes to higher seeds and paths. However, keep an eye on these sleeper teams, all of whom have the potential to upset more than a few favorites starting this weekend in Round 1.
#25 seed St. Rita- Sure it's been an up and down season for the Mustangs. Yes they barely made it to the state playoff field. Yes they won some big games and had some bad losses. Yet in the end? No one wants to see St. Rita coming to town. The Mustangs have a big, strong and very physical offensive line and are no question battle tested. If St. Rita can get the running game going, beware.
#24 seed Carmel- The Corsairs also just barely got into the state playoff field and Carmel needed to win more than a few close games. What makes Carmel a dangerous team? The Corsairs service academy style veer option game. If you haven't seen it much or haven't had to defend it much....look out.
#26 seed Jacobs- The Golden Eagles were expected to challenge for the Fox Valley Conference crown and came up a bit short, yet here they are in the 7A state playoffs. Gimme an All State D1 veteran quarterback (Chris Katrenick) and a Hall of Fame veteran head coach (Bill Mitz) and I'll take my chances here.
#26 Simeon- The Wolverines, much like the rest of the 20 something seeds had an up and down season and at times looked great and at other times not so much. All I know is that Simeon has one of the state's most dangerous offensive weapons in junior Jayshon Jackson along with plenty of talent. Now if the Wolverines can avoid the penalty and turnover bug, they can make a really decent run here.
#30 Thornwood- Most everyone not living in Cal City/South Holland area didn't really see the Thunderbirds coming on as a program. Thornwood has been able to cash in on an experienced team that took it's lumps a season ago and who are now delivering a few lumps themselves. Taking on Rolling Meadows in Rolling Meadows is a huge step up, but Thornwood can also provide some tough match-ups here for the Mustangs.
Class 7A Sleeper Who Could Make a Deep Run?
For me it's a case of flip a coin to be honest.
St. Rita will open up against who I feel is the best overall team out of the Rockford area in Rockford Auburn. The Knights have a physically huge offensive and defensive line and a ton of skills as well. Yet the biggest question is how well can the Knights match-up agains the Mustangs and how strong was the NIC-10? Or the Chicago Catholic League Blue for that matter? If the Mustangs can get past this game they could make a decent run.
Simeon also has the potential to make a decent run in 7A. The Wolverines will open up at Glenbrook North who is always a good team but who also hasn't faced the same competition level this season as Simeon.
Class 7A's Most Dangerous Opening Round game?
#25 seed St. Rita at #8 Rockford Auburn Friday 7:30PM- Again this is just a terrific opening Round game and I feel a telling game for both teams and football in two separate parts of the state. Regardless of the outcome I fully expect a terrific opener in Rockford on Friday night.
Tomorrow? Playmakers on each team along with Top 5 Impact players in Class 7A.
