Oct. 01--There's a long way to go on the road to the IHSA football finals in DeKalb, with four more weeks of the regular season and four rounds of the playoffs before the state final pairings are set.
But it's not too soon to start wondering where and when some dream matchups might happen.
One of those would be Round 2 of Rochester vs. Phillips, who met in the Class 4A championship last fall. Rochester won that one 49-28 and is rolling along again this season, opening 5-0 and averaging 60 points per game.
Phillips is also 5-0 and equally dominant, with signature wins over Simeon, Carmel and Fenwick.
The Wildcats have made no secret of their desire for another shot at Rochester. While there are other teams with good resumes (Rockford Lutheran and Belleville Althoff among them), it's hard to see anyone else in 4A giving either team much of a test between now and Thanksgiving.
But there's a twist: Phillips may wind up in a different class.
Steve Soucie of the Kankakee Daily Journal, the state's foremost football bracketologist, has the Wildcats as the second-largest school in Class 3A in his current playoff projections.
"I wouldn't lock it in," Soucie said. "But it looks like it could happen. Their enrollment number is a little bit lower than it was last year. A lot of the schools that you (usually) consider to be small 4s are now big 3s."
What does this mean for Phillips coach Troy McAllister and his team going forward? Not a lot, really.
One of the things McAllister has noticed in the Wildcats' previous Class 4A playoff runs is the prevalence of Wing-T offenses run by their opponents. He doesn't expect that to change with a drop in class.
And he notes that there are traditional powers in 3A, too, including St. Joseph-Ogden and Wilmington, to name two.
"The only thing we'd look at are some unknown opponents, some different road trips," McAllister said.
But this is not like the past few seasons for Phillips, in one respect.
"We're used to being the underdog team," McAllister said. "We're used to giving that 'rah-rah, no respect' (speech). This year, we have to prove we're (deserving of being) the favorite."
So far so good in that regard. The Wildcats will be expected to win every week for the foreseeable future, though this week's homecoming game at Mandrake Park against King is definitely one they're not overlooking.
The 4-1 Jaguars, coached by Public League legend Lonnie Williams, have a history of getting better as the season goes on. And two years ago, they spoiled Phillips' homecoming, winning 28-26. The Wildcats returned the favor last year, winning 35-0 in King's homecoming game.
McAllister and his assistants aren't the only people making sure the Wildcats stay focused. Senior Quayvon Skanes, who moved from receiver to quarterback this year, is on that as well.
"The best thing I've seen from Quayvon, he's taken on a more vocal role this year," McAllister said. "He's embraced the leadership role of playing quarterback. It's been a huge step for him as a young man."
"Huge" also describes what is looking like the matchup of the top two teams in Class 8A: Homewood-Flossmoor and Loyola. A game between the consensus 1-2 schools in that class, as well as in the Chicago area, would be a nightmare for defensive coordinators and a dream come true for those who appreciate high-flying offenses.
But Soucie projects that game, assuming both teams run the table the regular season, would happen not in the 8A final. Instead, it would be in the semifinals, which would be a shame.
The odd thing about 8A field, though, is this: a loss by either power -- maybe by Loyola to Mount Carmel in Week 9? -- would put them in on opposite sides of the bracket and make that dream final matchup a reality.
How will it all play out? We'll find out in a month or so. Till then, enjoy the game of guessing which teams will wind up where.
mclark@tribpub.com
