Four Riverbender-area football teams are set to play their second-round games as the IHSA resumes the 2021 football playoffs this weekend.
The games, all scheduled for Saturday, finds Carrolton taking on fellow Western Illinois Valley Conference school Greenfield-Northwestern at home, with the kickoff coming at 1 p.m., Civic Memorial going on the road to play Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin Catholic in a Class 4A game starting at 5 p.m., Triad hitting the road to play at Mahomet-Seymour.
In a Class 5A game that kicks off at 5 p.m., and East St. Louis hosting Oak Lawn Richards in a Class 6A meeting, with the kickoff set for 3 p.m.
The Hawks go into the game at 9-1, having defeated Shelbyville 47-7 in the first round last Saturday, while the Tigers are 8-2, having won over Catlin Salt Fork 30-6 in their opener, also last Saturday. The Hawks have running back Harley Angel leading the way, coming off a record-setting performance against the Rams, rushing for 224 yards and four touchdowns, his longest run being 82 yards. Quarterback Grant Pohlman also will be a key factor against Northwestern.
CM who is 7-3 going into Saturday’s game, advanced to the second round with a 20-17 win at Quincy Notre Dame Catholic on a 16-yard touchdown pass from Bryer Arview to Luke Parmentier with 1:11 left in regulation on a fourth-down play.
The Cyclones, currently 9-1, went through with a 49-13 win over Columbia, and are considered one of the top teams in the Springfield area.
Collin Eldedge and Logan Turbyfill also made major contributions against the Raiders, and will be counted on to make big contributions offensively, along with Arview and Parmentier.
Triad, who went to 8-2 with their 20-19 win over Country Club Hills Hillcrest last Saturday, used a big goal-line stand to keep the Hawks out of the end zone in the dying seconds, stopping the Hillcrest quarterback on what turned out to be the last play of the game.
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs are 10-0, advancing with a 50-6 win over Jacksonville.
The Knights use a powerful rushing game and ball control to keep their opponents at bay, having run as a team for over 2,200 yards and 33 touchdowns.
In Class 6A, East Side, now 8-2, scored early and often in going on to a 66-0 win over Riverside-Brookfield, while the Bulldogs also went to 8-2 with a 28-10 win over Chicago Simeon.
Sophomore quarterback Robert “Pops” Battle has emerged as a premier player for the Flyers, and he has many weapons at his disposal, such as running backs Ali Wells and Tyrone Martin, and receiver Luther Burden III, along with running back Jesse Watson, reserve quarterback Carson Boyd and receiver Peter Baxton, Jr.
The winners advance to the quarterfinals, which are set for the weekend of Nov. 12-13. Sites, dates and kickoff times will be announced by the IHSA office on Monday afternoon.
