Fearless Forecasts: Our Class 4A Playoff Predictions
May 21, 2012
By Sean Duncan
No one enjoys the state tournament more than I do. I dig the one-and-done, unpredictable nature of the tournament, the pressure and strategy and everything in between.
With that said, I am not vibing this Class 4A state tournament, which begins Monday with play-in games, followed by regional semifinals Wednesday and Thursday. I am almost embarrassed to unveil our Class 4A tournament predictions because, at first glance, you may think we have lost our minds. You actually may be correct about that, but for reasons other than our predictions.
The inequality of sectionals is particularly stark this year, which unfortunately leaves several highly qualified teams as roadkill in the St. Ignatius and Andrew Sectionals, which both funnel into the Crestwood Supersectional. I know it’s like this every year, but there is a much wider divide between the sectionals this year, I believe, chiefly because the Mid-Suburban League, the Fox Valley Conference and the Upstate 8 were all down this year. All three of those conferences feed into the McHenry Sectional and Schaumburg Sectional.
Whatever, teams will need to beat other teams. That’s how tournaments work, I think.
The Guru and I are aligned on several picks, though we are way off in our picks in the Rockford Supersectional 2. The Guru is picking Rockford Boylan to defeat York in the supersectional – which, given Boylan’s recent winning streak, is the more pragmatic pick. I, however, am picking Geneva to advance to the state semifinals after defeating Boylan in the super. Geneva, which never broke the Top 25 rankings this season, is my dark-horse pick because I like its starting pitching, and my wife digs the shopping in Geneva’s “adorable” downtown area. Adorable is her word. Don’t judge, bro. Could happen to you, too.
The Guru and I also differ in the Rockford Supersectional 1 bracket, though we both like teams from the Central Suburban South. The Guru likes Maine South to advance, while I am picking Glenbrook South. Maine South steamrolled through the Central Suburban South, which became one of the toughest conferences in the state this year.
The Crestwood Supersectional is clearly the most difficult. I know everyone outside the Chicago Catholic Blue Conference is sick of hearing about the Chicago Catholic Blue Conference. But this year, at least, there really is no comparison. In addition to all the Catholic League teams, you have Lincoln-Way North, Sandburg, Andrew and Marist. The Guru and I are aligned here: we’re both picking Providence, our preseason No. 1 team, to advance to Joliet for the second straight year.
In the Champaign Supersectional, Plainfield North, O’Fallon, Edwardsville, Hinsdale South and Neuqua Valley are the strongest teams. We both like Plainfield North and O’Fallon to win their respective sectional, with Plainfield North advancing to the semifinals.
So who’s going to hoist the big trophy at Silver Cross Field on June 9? Last year, Providence was the heavy favorite but fell to Lyons Township in the title game. I don’t think there is a prohibitive favorite this year.
Flip a coin. Throw a dart. Break out the Ouija Board. We did all three. A look at our Class 4A state tournament predictions:
Drake "The Guru" Skleba |
Sean Duncan |
Rockford Supersectional 2 |
Rockford Supersectional 2 |
McHenry Sectional | McHenry Sectional |
Rockford Boylan d. Barrington | Rockford Boylan d. Barrington |
Crystal Lake South d. Cary-Grove | Crystal Lake South d. Cary-Grove |
Rockford Boylan d. Crystal Lake South | Rockford Boylan d. Crystal Lake South |
Schaumburg Sectional | Schaumburg Sectional |
Geneva d. Wheaton North | Geneva d. Wheaton North |
York d. St. Charles East | York d. St. Charles East |
York d. Geneva | Geneva d. York |
Supersectional: | Supersectional: |
Rockford Boylan d. York | Geneva d. Rockford Boylan |
Rockford Boylan advances to Joliet | Geneva advances to Joliet |
Rockford Supersectional 1 |
Rockford Supersectional 1 |
Evanston Sectional | Evanston Sectional |
Maine South d. Niles West | Maine South d. Niles West |
New Trier d. Oak Park | Oak Park d. New Trier |
Maine South d. New Trier | Oak Park d. Maine South |
Glenbrook South Sectional | Glenbrook South Sectional |
Mundelein d. Libertyville | Mundelein d. Hersey |
Glenbrook South d. Glenbrook North | Glenbrook South d. Glenbrook North |
Glenbrook South d. Mundelein | Glenbrook South d. Mundelein |
Supersectional: | Supersectional: |
Maine South d. Glenbrook South | Glenbrook South d. Oak Park |
Maine South advances to Joliet | Glenbrook South advances to Joliet |
Crestwood Supersectional |
Crestwood Supersectional |
St. Ignatius Sectional | St. Ignatius Sectional |
St. Laurence d. De La Salle | St. Laurence d. De La Salle |
Mount Carmel d. St. Rita | Mount Carmel d. St. Rita |
St. Laurence d. Mount Carmel | St. Laurence d. Mount Carmel |
Andrew Sectional | Andrew Sectional |
Providence d. Marist | Providence d. Marist |
Lincoln-Way North d. Sandburg | Lincoln-Way North d. Sandburg |
Providence d. Lincoln-Way North | Providence d. Lincoln-Way North |
Supersectional: | Supersectional: |
Providence d. St. Laurence | Providence d. St. Laurence |
Providence advances to Joliet | Providence advances to Joliet |
Champaign Supersectional |
Champaign Supersectional |
Illinois Wesleyan Sectional | Illinois Wesleyan Sectional |
Minooka d. Moline | Joliet West d. Normal |
O'Fallon d. Edwardsville | O'Fallon d. Edwardsville |
O'Fallon d. Minooka | O'Fallon d. Joliet West |
Romeoville Sectional | Romeoville Sectional |
Plainfield North d. Downers Grove S. | Plainfield North d. Downers Grove S. |
Hinsdale South d. Neuqua Valley | Neuqua Valley d. Hinsdale South |
Plainfield North d. Hinsdale South | Plainfield North d. Neuqua Valley |
Supersectional: | Supersectional: |
Plainfield North d. O'Fallon | Plainfield North d. O'Fallon |
Plainfield North advances to Joliet | Plainfield North advances to Joliet |
Class 4A State Semifinals |
Class 4A State Semifinals |
Maine South d. Rockford Boylan | Glenbrook South d. Geneva |
Providence d. Plainfield North | Providence d. Plainfield North |
Third-Place Game | Third-Place Game |
Plainfield North d. Rockford Boylan | Plainfield North d. Geneva |
Class 4A Championship Game |
Class 4A Championship Game |
Providence d. Maine South | Providence d. Glenbrook South |
Providence wins it all | Providence wins it all |