Chester heads to Vandalia for Class 2A playoffs

Some southern Illinois football teams stormed through the regular season, while others limped toward the finish line. Chester was a stormer, and is heading to Vandalia for the first round of the 2A playoffs, to face a team that in the brackets, anyway, looks like an even match.

Four area teams are in the lower bracket of Class 2A, highlighted by No. 5 Johnston City (8-1). The Indians will host No. 12 Lawrenceville (6-3) in the first round. A win will pit JC against the winner of No. 4 Breese Mater Dei (9-0) or Carmi-White County (6-3) in the second round.

Chester, the No. 9 seed at 5-2, will visit No. 8 Vandalia (7-2) for a 2 p.m. game on Saturday, Oct. 30.

No. 6 Nashville (8-1) will host No. 11 Unity-Payson (6-3) at 2 p.m.

In Class 3A, Benton (9-0) got the No. 3 seed and will host Piasa Southwestern (5-4) at Tabor Field, starting at 2 p.m. Saturday. Du Quoin (5-4) got the No. 10 seed and will travel to No. 7 Carlinville (7-2). Du Quoin knocked off Murphysboro Friday for that all-important fifth win.

"We stressed we can't worry about the win or the loss and for them to play for and have fun with their teammates," said Du Quoin coach Derek Beard. "Our kids were just looking forward to doing that and letting everything else take care of itself."

"I don't know a lot about Carlinville," Beard added. "I know the South Central is a pretty solid conference. We're going to play a good football team and we're going to be on the road, so we just have to get a week better."

Benton Head Coach Justin Groves is looking forward to a matchup that he feels is a mirror image of his ballclub.

"I bet if we sat down with Piasa Southwestern and talked shop, the words might be different, but the scheme and the formations are really almost identical," Groves said. "We are excited about our bracket and being in 3A. We're also looking forward to seeing a team we haven't played this year. It's new and it's exciting."

Also in 3A, Fairfield (8-1) got the No. 5 seed and will host No. 12 Hoopeston Area (5-4).

In Class 4A, a rematch of Friday night's regular season finale will see No. 5 Carterville (7-2) host No. 12 Harrisburg (5-4) at 1 p.m. Saturday. Also in 4A, No. 7 seed Murphysboro (6-3) will host No. 10 Macomb, beginning at 1 p.m.

In Class 5A, Marion (8-1), the No. 5 seed, will host No. 12 Metamora (5-4), while Carbondale (5-4) received the No. 16 seed and will travel to No. 1 seeded Kankakee (9-0).

Marion athletic director Ryan Godisky confirmed that Saturday's game will be played at 1:30 p.m. at Wildcat Stadium,

Marion coach Kerry Martin said his team has some unfinished business to attend to. After a 6-0 season last spring and a quality regular season this past fall, the longtime Wildcat head coach feels his team has a lot of good football left to play.

"We're excited to start part II," Martin noted. "I think our guys know we have to play at a level that when we pull back or let our foot off the gas, if our preparation lacks, we can get ordinary real fast. When we have that sense of urgency, we are pretty good. Sure, we have little things to get better at, but that's why we'll have a good week of preparation and elevate our game to play at a higher level."

Sesser-Valier, the lone southern Illinois team in Class 1A, received the No. 6 seed and will host No. 11 Casey-Westfield (6-3), starting at 2 p.m.

• Spyder Dann covers prep and college sports for the Southern Illinois LOCAL Media Group. Follow him on Twitter: @spydieshooter.