MINOOKA (8-2) AT EAST ST. LOUIS (8-2)
When — 3 p.m.
What you need to know — The winner of this Class 7A second-round upper bracket game faces O'Fallon next weekend at a place, day and time to be announced. ... The third-seeded Indians, who are making the 260-mile trek south, are in the postseason for the first time under coach Bert Kooi, who has been the head coach since the 2004 season. Minooka, which beat Edwardsville 44-25 in the first round last Friday, runs the ball 85 percent of the time. The Indians have gained 2,968 rushing yards and 3,481 overall. Their leading rusher is Kyle Banks with 890 yards and nine touchdowns. Also running are QB Mitchell Brozovich (827, 9), Brandon Collofello (359, 8), Blake Montella (218, 1) and Steven Pullara (205, 2). Brozovich has thrown for 477 yards and five touchdowns and his primary receiver is Cody Carter (227, 4). ... The defending Class 7A champion Flyers survived a 50-43 first-round scare last Saturday with Bradley-Bourbonnais that saw leading rusher Courtney Molton (1,988 yards, 25 TDs) suffer a left-foot sprain. He is questionable for today. QB Detchauz Wray has thrown for 1,593 yards and 15 TDs and has picked up 379 rushing yards with five scores. His key receivers are Keante Minor (583, 6), Jylon Spraggins (457, 5), Molton (283, 4) and Chris Murphy (218, 1). Defensively, Isaiah Gray is the leading tackler with 91 and five sacks and Duke Robinson has six interceptions and two fumble recoveries, which were returned for touchdowns.
If you go — From downtown St. Louis: Take the Poplar Street Bridge to Interstate 64 east to the Kingshighway-Route 111 exit (6). Go right at the top of the exit on Route 111 to the stoplight. Right at the light for about one-half mile to N. 47th St. Go left on N. 47th St., and the stadium is on the left.
JOLIET CATHOLIC (8-2) AT CAHOKIA (9-1)
When — 2 p.m.
What you need to know — The winner of this Class 5A second-round upper-bracket game faces the winner of the Sterling-Washington matchup next weekend at a place and time to be announced. ...The sixth-seeded Hilltoppers, in the playoffs for the 12th straight season and coached by Dan Sharp, are traveling 260 miles south to play the third-seeded Comanches. JCA has a storied playoff tradition with 13 state titles and two second-place finishes. Six of the titles have come under Sharp, with the last one in 2007. ... In 10 games this season, including last Saturday's 48-7 triumph over Triad in a first-round game, the Hilltoppers have amassed 3,977 offensive yards, including 3,155 on the ground while outscoring their opponents 344-152. Josh Ferguson is the leading rusher with 1,144 yards and 16 touchdowns, followed by Malin Jones (812, 11), Jordan Lyles (680, 4) and Ty Issac (493, 4). QB Anthony Maddie has thrown for 757 yards and six touchdowns. Alex Kolodziej (18 receptions, 461 yards, 4 TDs) and Ferguson (10, 75, 1) are his favorite targets. Defensively, the Hilltoppers allow 110 yards rushing and 112 yards passing per game. ... The Comanches defeated East Peoria 30-0 in their first-round game last Saturday and will rely this weekend on the strong arm of QB Patrick Ivy. Ivy has completed 108 of 199 passes for 1,796 yards and 20 touchdowns with only two interceptions. His favorite targets are Missouri recruit Jimmie Hunt (34, 629, 10), Donald Collier (16, 416, 3), Khyree Beckley (25, 398, 3) and Brad Schmid (12, 212, 3). When Cahokia runs, Joe Grinston has collected 508 yards with five touchdowns, while Rodney Scott has picked up 340 yards and two scores and Ivy had 302 yards with two TDs. Defensively, the Comanches have given just 64 points and Hunt is the leading tackler with 87 overall takedowns with one sack, two fumble recoveries and two interceptions. Morris Hobson has 10 sacks and Collier has four interceptions.
If you go — From downtown St. Louis: Take the Poplar Street Bridge to Route 3 south (Sauget/Cahokia) to Jerome Lane. Go left onto Jerome Lane to Range Lane, and the stadium is on the right.
