(WAND) - Six games in the third round of the IHSA football playoffs will pit central Illinois programs in a fight for survival as they continue a hopeful run to the state championship game.
Four quarterfinal matchups will feature programs from central Illinois on both sidelines, at a stage of the season where every snap holds potential to make a game-deciding play.
Here are the the teams and matchups to look forward to in the next stage Saturday, Nov. 15!
1A: (4) Casey-Westfield vs. (1) Calhoun - 2pm
Casey-Westfield has returned to the postseason for the third consecutive season and have held a competitive advantage on both sides of the ball through the first two rounds. Coach Jeff Fritchtnitch leads a potent offense who have scored a combined 83 points in the postseason. Defensively, the Warriors shutout West Central in the opening round, continuing to hold their ground against #12 Nokomis by only allowing two touchdowns. Calhoun will visit Casey following a narrow 22-14 victory over #8 Greenfield-Northwestern.
2A: (9) Maroa-Forsyth vs. (4) Flora - 2pm
Following a dominant victory over top-seeded Johnston City in the second round, Maroa-Forsyth keeps home field advantage against a Flora team in the midst of a historic season for the program. Despite experiencing back-to-back losses late in the regular season, the Trojans responded in a big way in the playoffs as they chase a repeat trip to the state championship game. Flora ended their regular season 8-1 and won their first ever playoff game against Nashville in the opening round. The Wolves travel to Maroa following a late field goal to lift them to a 17-14 win over Pana.
2A: (2) Westville vs. (3) ALAH - 2pm
A battle of unbeatens sits on the other side of the 2A South region, with Westville hosting its third straight game this postseason. Experienced and efficient offenses reside on both sides of the ball. The Tigers scored 49 points in back-to-back games over Shelbyville and DuQuoin, while ALAH poured on 41 points over Cumberland in the second round. Each program has worked hard to stay undefeated until this stage. Their players will fight tooth and nail to preserve their hopes of a title run.
3A: (1) Williamsville vs. (4) Tolono Unity - 2pm
Williamsville continues to roll their way through the postseason, remaining undefeated posting 53-points on the scoreboard in each of their first two playoff games. Their opponent, Unity, was able to hold off Illini Prairie rival Monticello in the second round by intercepting a last second 2-point-conversion attempt that would have possibly flipped the result. The Rockets lone loss of the season came in week 3 to conference champion Bloomington Central Catholic. In the quarterfinals, first-year head coach Tony Reetz will try and best Aaron Kunz, who has led the Bullets to three state title game appearances in 23 years, including a title in 2019.
3A: (14) St. Joseph-Ogden vs. (2) Vandalia - 1pm
Some might say St. Joseph-Ogden is the "Cinderella" of the 3A bracket. After narrowly qualifying for the playoffs with a week 9 win over Pontiac to make them postseason eligible, the Spartans have toppled two higher seeds in #3 Benton (17-14) and #11 Roxana (42-32). In their first road game of the postseason, the Spartans host Vandalia who roll into town with an 11-0 record. In 2025, the Vandals have scored 40-points or more in all but one game (Oct. 3 @ Greenville - 28-18).
4A: (3) Rochester vs. (10) Sacred Heart-Griffin - 4pm
A CS8 conference rematch when it matters most. Both programs are more than familiar with one another. While the "Leonard Bowl" between Father/Son coaching duo Ken and Derek is no longer around, the rivalry between the Rockets and Cyclones is very-much alive. SHG and the Rochester squared off only weeks ago in the final game of the regular season, where the Rockets edged out the win 31-28. The contest gave SHG back-to-back losses to close out the season and dropped them to the #10 seed when brackets were revealed. Since then, they've reemerged on a mission, topping #7 Quincy Notre Dame and #2 Carterville through two rounds of play. Meanwhile, the Rockets handled #14 Taylorville and #11 Waterloo with ease, scoring 111-points entering the quarterfinals.
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