Illinois football playoffs reach final four

The state championship race in Illinois' largest class has turned into a battle of Chicagoland. Two of the three schools that shared the Chicago Catholic League Blue title, Mount Carmel (Chicago) (10-2) and Loyola Academy (Wilmette) (11-1), have advanced to the final four. Still standing tall is two-time Class 8A champ Maine South (Park Ridge), which has won 10 in a row. And then, there's Homewood-Flossmoor (Flossmoor) (10-2), which knocked off DuPage Valley Conference power Naperville North and Aurora Waubonsie Valley the last two weeks.

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The Maine South football machine appeared to be stopped following the 2010 graduation of running back Matt Perez, a redshirt freshman at Indiana University, and an 0-2 start this year. But after losses to Schaumburg and defending 7A champion Wheaton-Warrenville South, the Hawks ripped off 10 consecutive wins with an average of more than 44 points a game. Sophomore quarterback Matt Alviti, following in the footsteps of 2009 graduate Charlie Goro (now at Vanderbilt) and 2010 graduate Tyler Benz (now at Eastern Michigan), has thrown for eight touchdowns in three playoff games.

Mount Carmel, which ranks second in the state with 10 state championships, is the last team to defeat Maine South in the playoffs. That win came in the quarterfinals of the 2007 tournament. The Caravan and Hawks could meet up in next week's state title game in Champaign, should Mount Carmel defeat Homewood-Flossmoor in the semifinals and if Maine South tops Loyola.

Chicago-area teams have won the last six championships in Class 8A, and Maine South played in four of those title games.

TOP PERFORMERS
* Loyola Academy running back Addison Perry rushed for 121 yards and two touchdowns in a 14-0 Class 8A quarterfinal win over Palatine.

* Wheaten-Warrenville South quarterback Reilly O'Toole, an Illinois recruit, passed for 239 yards and a touchdown in a 40-20 Class 7A win over Glenbard West. The Tigers are 12-0.

* Chris Rantis of Lake Zurich had an interception, helping to lead a strong defensive effort in a 17-14 win over previously unbeaten Chicago Simeon in a Class 7A quarterfinal.

* Homewood-Flossmoor running back Malik Norman ran for 176 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-28 Class 8A win over Naperville North.

3 TO WATCH …
* Maine South (10-2) at Loyola Academy (11-1), Wilmette, 1 p.m. Saturday: Maine South has won its last 10 games and is focused on a Class 8A three-peat championship. But as a No. 4 seed, the Hawks are on the road at always-tough Loyola, which shared the Catholic League Blue title with Mount Carmel and St. Rita.

* Wheaton-Warrenville South (12-0) at East (Belleville) (10-2), 5 p.m. Saturday: This would have been the WW South vs. East St. Louis matchup had East St. Louis not been tossed out of the playoffs because of an ineligible player. The Tigers have not lost since Week 2 of the 2009 season. Belleville East has knocked off a higher seed each of the last three weeks.

* Montini (Lombard) (10-2) at Kaneland (Maple Park) (12-0), 5 p.m. Saturday: Here's the classic defending champion versus unbeaten matchup. Northern Illinois Big 12 East Kaneland has rolled through its season. Montini has won 10 straight after losing to Joliet Catholic, the team it beat in last year's title game, and Class 8A power Loyola.

STORYLINES AROUND CHICAGOLAND
* Morgan Park (Chicago) (10-2) will play Curie (Chicago) (8-5) in the Chicago Public League championship game at 4 p.m. Saturday at Gately Stadium. Morgan Park quarterback Dae' Shaun Hurley rushed for 126 yards and scored two touchdowns in a 46-28 semifinal-round win over Dunbar. Curie forced seven turnovers in a 34-6 win over Robeson.

* Notre Dame recruit Davaris Daniels of Vernon Hills had two interceptions, rushed for 104 yards and had 69 yards receiving in a Class 5A playoff game against Kaneland. However, Vernon Hills lost to unbeaten Kaneland, 27-21. Vernon Hills' 10 wins, led by Daniels and Ohio State recruit Evan Spencer, were a school record.

RECRUITING: LINCOLN-WAY EAST'S MEEHAN COMMITS
Patrick Meehan, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound linebacker at Lincoln-Way East, verbaled his commitment to Illinois State. He also had interest from Wisconsin, UCLA and several Mid-American Conference schools, but no scholarship offers.

Paul Bowker, an online and newspaper sports journalist for 25 years and the author of two Major League Baseball books, covers the Chicago area for MaxPreps. He may be reached at bowkerpaul1@aol.com.