Oct. 25--Last season: Stevenson defeated Homewood-Flossmoor 31-25.
Favorite: Loyola.
Darkhorse: Bolingbrook.
Best first-round game: Neuqua Valley at Hinsdale Central. They're seeded 19th and 14th, following Week 9 losses to quality opponents, but these are both Top 20-caliber teams who spent most of the season in the rankings.
Toughest road to DeKalb: Loyola may not feel like the top seed, what with defending champion Stevenson possibly looming in the second round and the state's top-ranked team almost all season, Homewood-Flossmoor, the likely quarterfinal draw.
Don't forget about: Naperville Central, the 2013 champion, looks like the team to beat in the bottom half of the bracket. Huntley, 9-0 and seeded second, may not agree. Oak Park looked like a world-beater in its 39-7 victory over Hinsdale Central on Friday night.
Difference-makers: Tray Banks, Evanston; Tuf Borland, Bolingbrook; Johnny Davidson, Barrington; Ben LeRoy, Loyola; Cam Miller, Brother Rice; Kendric Pryor, Homewood-Flossmoor; Isaiah Robertson, Neuqua Valley; Tim Simon, Notre Dame; Jack Sorenson, Stevenson; Allen Stallings, Oak Park.
FYI: Notre Dame, the co-East Suburban Catholic Conference champion, was 8-1. Its lone loss was to Marist (5-4), its first-round opponent.
Mike Helfgot is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.
