Illinois High School Football Playoffs: York, Barrington and Lyons Pull Off Class 8A Upsets

Lincoln-Way East, Huntley, Loyola Academy and Mount Carmel advance comfortably, but three lower-seeded teams shake up the Class 8A bracket.

The Loyola Academy Ramblers blank Minooka 41-0 in the First round of the IHSA playoffs | Ricky Slaughter

The Illinois Class 8A football playoffs opened with several of the state's top contenders taking care of business, while a handful of lower seeds making their names heard with opening-round upsets.

The top three seeds and No. 8 Mount Carmel all advanced with convincing victories Friday night. Meanwhile, York, Barrington and Lyons highlighted the underdog performances.

Class 8A Favorites Pick Up Where They Left Off

No. 1 Lincoln-Way East opened its postseason with a 31-7 victory over Oak Park-River Forest. The Griffins continued their dominance stretch over the last two months, with a 32.1-point winning margin dating back to September 4th.

No. 2 Huntley also advanced comfortably, defeating Oswego East 48-17. The Red Raiders entered the postseason unbeaten, averaging more than 48 points per game while allowing fewer than eight. The opening-round bye did little to slow them down as they continued to dominate on both sides of the ball.

Mount Carmel handled Marist 55-21. Mt. Carmels offense is firing on all cylinders, averaging 46 points a game since their loss against Brother Rice in week six.

No. 3 Loyola Academy shut out Minooka 41-0, bouncing back after falling to Mt. Carmel 38-21 in week 9.

Other notable results included No. 4 Oswego's 27-6 victory over Naperville Central and No. 13 Naperville's 38-31 win over No. 20 Fremd.

York, Barrington and Lyons Lead the Upsets

Three lower seeds delivered some of the night's most notable performances, showing that playoff seeding does not always tell the full story.

No. 19 York defeated No. 14 Downers Grove South 42-14, while No. 21 Lyons dominated Chicago Perspectives/Leadership 55-14. Both teams advanced with convincing victories against higher-seeded opponents.

No. 24 Barrington also pulled off an upset, knocking off No. 9 Sandburg 24-17. The Broncos sealed the victory by forcing an incomplete pass on fourth-and-2 with 45 seconds remaining.

Barrington had taken the lead late in the third quarter when senior Vince Costa kept the ball on a read option and broke free for a 29-yard touchdown with 2:36 remaining in the period.

Looking Ahead: Second-Round Matchups Take Shape

The first-round results have set up several intriguing second-round matchups in Class 8A.

No. 1 Lincoln-Way East will face the winner of Saturday's matchup between No. 16 Von Steuben and No. 17 Hinsdale Central. That game is scheduled for noon.

No. 7 New Trier will host No. 10 Homewood-Flossmoor

No. 13 Naperville North will travel to No. 4 Oswego.

The Favorites vs. the Dark Horses:

York, Barrington and Lyons will look to keep their postseason momentum going after pulling off first-round upsets as lower seeds.

No. 19 York faces No. 3 Loyola Academy, while No. 24 Barrington takes on No. 8 Mount Carmel. No. 21 Lyons will travel to face No. 5 Bolingbrook.

As these three teams advance, the competition will ramp up in the second round. York, Barrington and Lyons will have a chance to make a statement, prove they belong among Illinois' top programs and show the state they are not ready for their postseason runs to end.

As the bracket narrows, the second round will clarify which teams are legitimate contenders for a run at the Class 8A state championship.