Round 2 Playoff Preview Metro East Illinois

The opening weekend of the IHSA playoffs was exciting.  Many teams that expected wins did so, but now many will face schools they have never encountered, and the competition gets much more challenging. There will be a lot of good games this weekend, and they will look to secure their spot in the Elite 8. <hr /> <h5>Class 6A</h5> (5) Oak Lawn (Richards) (7-2) at (4) <strong>East St. Louis (Sr.) (7-2)</strong> East St. Louis is on a mission, and they are playing with conviction to make a statement across the Midwest that they are the best team. The top offensive line in the state will be led by 2023 All-American OT [player_tooltip player_id="20841" first="Miles" last="McVay"] protecting 2024 QB Robert Battle. 2022 All-American 5 Star Missouri commit [player_tooltip player_id="37529" first="Luther" last="Burden"] III has yet to hoist a state title trophy when he played for Cardinal Ritter, and the plan is a straightforward just win. ALL GAS NO BRAKES! <h5>Class 5A</h5> (5) Marion (H.S.) (8-1) at (4) <strong>Mascoutah (8-1)</strong> Mascoutah will be without All-Conference 2022 QB Chase Hanson for the remainder of the season. The Indians will need to rely on the attack of 2023 WR [player_tooltip player_id="103372" first="Allen" last="Middleton"] and 2023 WR [player_tooltip player_id="141088" first="Quincy" last="Hall Jr"]. who both came in the Top 10 in receiving yards across the state. Just as important is 2022 LB Logan Will compiling an eye-popping 105 tackles (89 Solo) over the season. He finds the ball quickly with his sideline to sideline speed.  Marion and 2022 WR Venson Newsome look to take advantage of the opportunity as they are a completely sound football team top to bottom and extremely well-coached by HS Kerry Martin and his staff. (6) <strong>Troy (Triad) (7-2) at </strong>(3) Mahomet (M.-Seymour) (9-0) 2023 RB Jason Randall will lead the triple-option rushing attack that will face a formidable defensive line in Mahomet. They will face an extremely tough test on the road against a team that is undefeated and will have the crowd advantage. <h5>Class 4A</h5> (3) Springfield (Sacred Heart-Griffin) (9-1) at (11) <strong>Bethalto (Civic Memorial)</strong> <strong>(7-3)</strong> Bethalto pulled off a big upset vs Quincy (Notre Dame) 20-17 in round 1 to advance to the 2nd round with a home playoff game hosting Springfield (Sacred Heart-Griffin). 2023 QB Bryer Arview and 2022 WR Luke Parmentier will be relied upon to score against a stout SHG defense. 2022 LB <a href="https://www.maxpreps.com/local/player/stats.aspx?athleteid=b9de4364-ae2d-4110-9059-fcfebad91cfe&amp;ssid=97e3f828-856d-419e-b94f-7f41319fe3d3">[player_tooltip player_id="155414" first="Colton" last="Carlisle"]</a> will look to lead the defense against an impressive offense. (5) Carterville (8-2)<strong> (4) Freeburg (8-2)</strong> Freeburg team that controls the clock with the run game. Carterville Lions have a young team and strong defense; this will be an interesting matchup.