Oct. 16--Oswego's old tricks
Oswego has not found its way back into the Top 20 since a 36-28 opening-night loss to Batavia, but the Panthers have won all six games since and are up to their old tricks in the Southwest Prairie. They'll bring a 33-game conference winning streak to Plainfield North (5-2, 4-1) on Friday night and finish the regular season against Plainfield South (4-3, 4-1). Oswego has been quite consistent in the postseason as well. The Panthers were eliminated in the second round for the sixth time in eight seasons last fall.
Playoff positioning
Several top conferences appear to be decided, making the final two weeks of the regular season more about jockeying for playoff positioning. The West Suburban Silver (Glenbard West), the East Suburban Catholic (Joliet Catholic), the North Suburban Lake (Libertyville) and even the DuPage Valley (Naperville Central) appear to be in steady hands, but playoff implications abound. There are currently 35 Class 8A teams with a winning record, 38 in 7A and 6A and 33 in 5A. Each has a playoff field of 32. That could mean a good number of 5-4 teams won't get in.
On the bubble
The most surprising "bubble" game of the weekend could be Lake Forest (4-3) at Lake Zurich (3-4). Even though they play in the highly competitive North Suburban Lake, both are postseason regulars, with Lake Zurich becoming a state power during its 13 straight appearances in the 7A bracket and Lake Forest advancing to the 6A quarterfinals the past three years and reaching the second round the last five. Lake Zurich has shown some signs while winning three of four following an 0-3 opening stretch that included Fremd, Cary-Grove and Stevenson. The 9-0 and 8-1 teams in 7A will be secretly hoping to avoid the Bears if they beat Lake Forest and Warren the next two weeks.
Phillips biding time
While Phillips could still drop to 3A, it appears more likely the No. 7 Wildcats will be back in 4A in their bid to become the Public League's first state champion -- and just as likely that they'll have to de-throne five-time defending champ Rochester themselves. The Rockets are averaging a mere 58.7 points per game, and while they've yet to be pushed, they'll have the benefit of a postseason tuneup with Sacred Heart-Griffin, the winner of the past two 5A titles, in Week 9. The 4A bracket is split along regional lines, so they wouldn't meet until the final.
Mike Helfgot is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.
