By Jeff Vorva
Let the playoffs begin…
All three area football teams are in the Illinois High School Association playoffs.
Crete-Monee (6-3) qualified for the Class 6A playoffs and drew the No. 12 seed in the bottom bracket and visits Chatham Glenwood (7-2). The time and date was undetermined by the Vedette’s deadline.
Crete-Monee was cruising along with a seven-game winning streak but was stifled 56-14 by Kankakee to close the regular campaign.
Glenwood is on a three-game winning streak and has scored 45 or more points four times this season.
In Class 4A, Manteno (7-2) drew the seventh seed and will host 10th-seeded Normal University at 7 p.m. on November 1, it was confirmed by the school.
Manteno enters the game with a two-game losing streak and were outscored by a combined score of 90-6 to powerhouses Wilmington and Coal City.
Normal is on a four-game winning streak and outscored its four opponents by a combined 194-37, including a 70-6 victory over Springfield Lanphier to close the regular season.
In Class 3A, Peotone (6-3) drew the 10th seed in the top bracket and visits Eureka (8-1) unofficially at 7 p.m. Friday.
Peotone heads into the postseason with a three-game winning streak with convincing wins over Streator (52-14), Lisle (41-0), and Herscher (35-0).
Eureka has allowed just 88 points and piled up four shutouts.
Running to sectionals
Manteno freshman Klarke Goranson took third place in her varsity postseason debut as the Class 2A Morris Regional on October 26, with a time of 17:28.00 at Morris High School. The Panthers barely qualified for sectional action with a sixth-place finish.
Beecher took fourth place in the Class 1A McNamara Regional at the Kankakee Community College Course, as senior Brookynn Burdick placed fourth with an 18:48.46, while senior Allison Sadus was 11th with a 20:20.83.
Peotone took seventh as junior Celeste Richards was 12th with a 20:27.95.
Crete-Monee sophomore Evelyn Stolzenbach finished fourth in the Class 2A Crete-Monee Regional, with a 21:23.73, and the Warriors finished seventh.
In boys cross country, Beecher took fifth in the Class 1A McNamara Regional, and freshman Jake Papas led with way with a 33rd-place finish of 18:15.31. Peotone senior Romas Jelinek finished 24th with a 17:37.78, and teammate Aidan Siegel was right behind him with a 17:40.18. The Blue Devils did not field a full team and were not in the team standings.
Crete-Monee placed sixth in is own sectional, and senior Jojo Poku finished 14th with an 18:21.94.
Manteno’s boys did not field a full team at the Morris Sectional, but junior Benjamin Froeschle placed 22nd with a 16:53.90 to qualify for sectionals.
Soccer stars
Manteno reached its own Class 1A sectional final with a 5-1 win over Bridgeview Universal on October 24 in the semifinal.
Kash Goranson had two goals for the Panthers, while Eric Eldridge, Justin Foster, and Gio Arrigo added one goal each.
The Panthers (17-3-2) were slated to play Chicago Christian in the title game.