As the second round gets underway in Class 7A, a very intriguing matchup shows up as the 10-0 Glenbard West Hilltoppers hit the road to face the 8-2 Libertyville Wildcats on Saturday at 3 p.m. in the Class 6A Game of the Week with a berth in the quarterfinals on the line.
The top-seeded Hilltoppers cruised to a 49-21 win over Elk Grove in the first round. Henry Haeffner threw for over 180 yards and two touchdowns to pace West in the victory. Scott Andrews added over 100 yards rushing and two touchdowns for the Hilltoppers, who came into the second round last season undefeated before losing and don’t want to suffer the same fate again this season. West is averaging just over 40 points a game and has clamped down on defense, giving up just under nine points per contest.
The ninth-seeded Wildcats are on a four-game winning streak after a 48-28 win at Machesney Park Harlem in the first round. Libertyville rolled to a 35-6 halftime advantage before cruising to victory. Conor Simpson had three touchdowns to lead Libertyville, who host their first playoff game since 2006. Jack Deichl threw three touchdown passes in throwing for over 225 yards. The Wildcats are averaging just under 30 points a game while giving up about 16 points each week.
This is definitely a game that could go down to the final minutes with two very talented teams facing off in the second round. Glenbard West has a chip on their shoulder after losing early in last year’s playoffs while Libertyville is enjoying a rebound from past years. I have went back and forth on this game all week after seeing the matchup but I think that the Hilltoppers will avoid the upset on the road and move on. I’ll take Glenbard West 21-20.
