As outstanding as Cary-Grove was in the regular season last fall, there were two reasons it was not favored to win the Class 6A state title heading into the postseason.
The Trojans overcame history — the Fox Valley Conference had not won a state championship since Woodstock in 1997 — and the presence of a powerful Providence team from the tradition-rich Catholic League Blue to win it all for the first time.
A year later, rival Crystal Lake South is 9-0 for the first time and unburdened by either hurdle cleared by Cary-Grove last season.
Led by dual-threat quarterback Drew Ormseth, No. 9 Crystal Lake South is the highest-ranked team in what appears to be a wide-open 6A field.
Like Cary-Grove, Crystal Lake South has been knocking on the state-finals door in recent years. The Gators reached the 7A semifinals in 2008 and the 6A semis in ’05, beating Cary-Grove in the quarterfinals both times.
The schools could meet for the second time this season if they both advance to the semifinals. Strangely enough, Cary-Grove may have the easier road despite having already lost to the Gators (28-14) and being seeded 11th in the upper bracket.
While top-seeded Crystal Lake South has potentially tough matchups with Lake Forest and Prairie Ridge in the second and third rounds, Cary-Grove’s path to the quarterfinals consists of two Public League teams not named Simeon or Morgan Park.
More Bibbs: If Colorado State had any concerns about the 5-foot-10, 195-pound Kapri Bibbs’ ability to take a pounding, 282 carries in eight games should have alleviated them.
Plainfield North’s Bibbs carried the ball a staggering 56 times Friday night, rushing for 395 yards and five touchdowns in a 43-35 victory over previously unbeaten Plainfield South.
Colorado State may be giddy about the 2,560 yards and 37 touchdowns he’s produced, but there could be some concern about the physical toll such a workload could take.
Only seven running backs in the NFL had as many as 282 carries in the 2009 regular season — and that’s in twice as many games as Bibbs has played this season.
TOP PERFORMERS
Kurt Becker, Palatine: The junior linebacker’s three interceptions, one of which was returned 48 yards for a touchdown, keyed a 21-10 upset of Barrington that allowed the Pirates to sneak into the 8A playoffs at 5-4. Becker did not record an interception in the first eight games.
Rendell Massie, Evanston: Held to 34 first-half yards as his team went into halftime trailing Glenbrook South 31-0, Massie ran for 173 and three touchdowns in the final 24 minutes to rally the Wildkits to a 34-31 victory.
Drew Ormseth, Crystal Lake South: A possible All-State candidate if he can lead the Gators deep into the playoffs, Ormseth capped a fantastic regular season by throwing for 198 yards and two touchdowns, and rushing for 147 and two TDs as No. 9 Crystal Lake South improved to 9-0 with a 47-21 victory over McHenry. Ormseth finished the regular season with 1,093 yards and 17 TDs passing, and 707 and 10 rushing.
CAN’T-MISS GAMES
Schaumburg at Elk Grove (6 p.m. Saturday): The Mid-Suburban staged a 36-34 thriller in Week 4 that Elk Grove won by stopping Schaumburg’s Shepard Little on a failed two-point conversion run. Both offenses continue to put up big numbers. Elk Grove quarterback Nick Meyer, who accounted for 373 yards and five touchdowns in the first meeting, is one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the state. Schaumburg has two terrific offensive options in Little and quarterback Mark Iannotti. The winner of the 7A matchup will likely face No. 2-ranked Simeon in the second round.
Plainfield North at Glenbard West (1 p.m. Saturday): Is Plainfield North running back Kapri Bibbs (2,560 yards, 37 TDs) really this good? The answer could come in the 7A matchup against an angry Glenbard West defense that had an uncharacteristically poor performance Saturday in the Hilltoppers’ first regular-season loss since 2007. Before the 31-13 loss to Lyons, Glenbard West, the 7A runner-up last year, had been allowing less than 10 points a game.
Thornridge at Thornton Fractional South (6 p.m. Saturday): For the second week in a row, Thornridge is facing the possibility of playing the final game in school history. Thornridge, which will become a freshman-only school next year, qualified for the playoffs at 5-4 Saturday thanks to a 31-25, triple-overtime upset of Thornton. With Michigan State-bound running back Mika’il McCall on its side, one more week of Thornridge football is a possibility.
