5 Best: 1st Round Playoff Matchups

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What games do we have our eyes on during the first weekend of playoffs?&nbsp; Here are our <strong>5 Best: 1^st Round Playoff Matchups</strong>!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>8A</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Maine South (7-2) @ Naperville North (6-3)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prospects to Watch on Maine South:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>OL [player_tooltip player_id='830244' first='Zak' last='Stoilov'] (2025 – Army)<br>RB [player_tooltip player_id='833296' first='Michael' last='Dellumo'] (2025)<br>OL [player_tooltip player_id='1120482' first='Petar' last='Strbac'] (2025)<br>DL [player_tooltip player_id='503737' first='Tyler' last='Fortis'] (2025 – Eastern Illinois)<br>RB [player_tooltip player_id='345784' first='Nikolas' last='Kokosioulis'] (2026)<br>QB [player_tooltip player_id='342339' first='Jameson' last='Purcell'] (2027)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prospects to Watch on Naperville North:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>WR [player_tooltip player_id='278886' first='Quinn' last='Morris'] (2025)<br>WR [player_tooltip player_id='331561' first='Brock' last='Pettaway'] (2025)<br>QB [player_tooltip player_id='288435' first='Jacob' last='Bell'] (2025 – Ball State)<br>DB [player_tooltip player_id='830850' first='Kaiser' last='Williams'] (2025 – Northern Iowa)<br>OL Austin Rousch (2025)<br>WR [player_tooltip player_id='833302' first='Nick' last='Manzardo'] (2025)<br>DL [player_tooltip player_id='1399927' first='Gabriel' last='Hill'] (2026)<br>OL [player_tooltip player_id='1400865' first='Jovani' last='Dones'] (2026)<br><br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Edwardsville (6-3) @ York (7-2)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prospects to Watch on Edwardsville:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>DL [player_tooltip player_id='830235' first='Iose' last='Epenesa'] (2025 – Iowa)<br>DB [player_tooltip player_id='1292245' first='Clayton' last='Lakatos'] (2025)<br>LB [player_tooltip player_id='1564069' first='Javion' last='Smith'] (2025)<br>RB [player_tooltip player_id='1564673' first='Steven' last='Moore'] (2025)<br>WR [player_tooltip player_id='1404803' first='Devyon' last='Hill-Lomax'] (2026)<br><br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prospects to Watch on York:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>DL [player_tooltip player_id='163858' first='Joseph' last='Reiff'] (2025 – Notre Dame)<br>QB [player_tooltip player_id='832150' first='Bruno' last='Massel'] (2025)<br><br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Andrew (6-3) @ Fremd (8-1)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prospects to Watch on Andrew:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>OL [player_tooltip player_id='830843' first='Michael' last='McDonough'] (2025 – Illini)<br>DB [player_tooltip player_id='1235648' first='Amani' last='Akins'] (2025)<br>LB TJ Burke (2025)<br>DB [player_tooltip player_id='801889' first='Josh' last='Burke'] (2026)<br>OL [player_tooltip player_id='1067031' first='Jake' last='Palucki'] (2026)<br><br><br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prospects to Watch on Fremd:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>WR [player_tooltip player_id='299479' first='Brennan' last='Saxe'] (2025)<br>OL [player_tooltip player_id='1292780' first='Mikey' last='Varon'] (2025)<br>QB [player_tooltip player_id='499431' first='Johnny' last='O'Brien'] (2026 – Northwestern)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>7A</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Brother Rice (6-3) @ Fenwick (7-2)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prospects to Watch on Brother Rice:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>LB [player_tooltip player_id='299634' first='Christian' last='Pierce'] (2025)<br>DB [player_tooltip player_id='890063' first='Donovan' last='Brown'] (2025)<br>DL [player_tooltip player_id='831103' first='Charlie' last='Stec'] (2025)<br>OL [player_tooltip player_id='714442' first='Dylaan' last='Richmond'] (2025)<br>DL [player_tooltip player_id='208769' first='King' last='Liggins'] (2026)<br>DB [player_tooltip player_id='401612' first='Jovan' last='Green'] (2026)<br>QB [player_tooltip player_id='801994' first='CJ' last='Gray'] (2026)<br>DB [player_tooltip player_id='401594' first='Austin' last='Mrskos'] (2026)<br>OL [player_tooltip player_id='401625' first='QwaMaine' last='Spivery'] (2026)<br>WR [player_tooltip player_id='401601' first='Darrion' last='Clinton'] (2026)<br>DL [player_tooltip player_id='1334133' first='Brayden' last='Parks'] (2027)<br><br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prospects to Watch on Fenwick:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>DL [player_tooltip player_id='330445' first='Nathaniel' last='Marshall'] (2025 – Auburn)<br>LB [player_tooltip player_id='1291996' first='Jack' last='Paris'] (2025)<br>DB [player_tooltip player_id='279386' first='Tommy' last='Thies'] (2026)<br><br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>6A</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Glenbard South (6-3) @ Kankakee (8-1)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prospects to Watch on Glenbard South:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>DL [player_tooltip player_id='1129798' first='Saif' last='Kokoszka'] (2025)<br>LB [player_tooltip player_id='1256724' first='Joey' last='Villa'] (2025)<br>RB Vonte Clark (2025)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prospects to Watch on Kankakee:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>LB [player_tooltip player_id='471479' first='Kennyan' last='Chandler'] (2025 – Eastern Illinois)<br>DB [player_tooltip player_id='1292174' first='Zyon' last='Turner'] (2025)<br>DL [player_tooltip player_id='1292196' first='Elijah' last='Faulkner'] (2025)<br>DL [player_tooltip player_id='1334164' first='Jyheir' last='Sutton'] (2027)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->