Illinois high school football playoff pairings released. When do metro-east teams play?

With the conclusion of play in week 9 of the Illinois high school football season Saturday, the IHSA released pairings for the 2024 playoffs.

First-round games and locations were part of the announcement, but game times won’t be known before Monday.

Fifteen teams from the metro-east made the playoff cut in all eight classes. They include: Althoff Catholic, Belleville East, Breese Central, Cahokia, Collinsville, Columbia, Dupo, East St. Louis, Edwardsville, Highland, Nashville, Red Bud, Roxana, Triad, and Waterloo.

Althoff, Breese Central, both unbeaten through the regular season, and East St. Louis are top seeds in their brackets.

Althoff (9-0) is No. 1 in Class 1A. The Crusaders will square off at home next weekend against No. 16 Dupo (5-4). The winner of that game will play the winner of No. 8 Winchester and No. 9 Carrollton.

In Class 2A, No. 16-seeded Red Bud (5-4) will travel to Johnston City to face the No. 1 Indians. The winner will next face either No. 8 Warrensburg-Latham (7-2) or No. 9 White County (7-2).

Nashville and Roxana are in the field of 16 in Class 3A. No. 4 Nasvhille (8-1) will play host to No. 13 Olympia (6-3). The winner will next face either No. 5 Greenville (8-1) or No. 12 Fairvfield (6-3). Roxana (7-2), seeded No. 8, will play host to No. 9 Tolono Unity (7-2). The winner will move on to a second-round game against either No. 1 St. Joseph (9-0) or No. 16 West Frankfort (5-4).

Four teams will represent the metro-east in Class 4A, including top-seeded Central.

Central (9-0) will host No. 16 Harrisburg (5-4), the winner of which will move onto a second round game against the winner of No. 8 Macomb (7-2) and No. 9 Murphysboro (7-2).

No. 3 Waterloo (8-1) will play a first-round game against No. 14 Taylorville (5-4). The winner next face the winner of No. 6 Cahokia (7-2) and No. 11 Columbia (6-3).

Mississippi Valley Conference rivals Triad and Highland could be headed for a second-round showdown in Class 5A. But first, No. 4 Triad (7-2) will have to face No. 13 Morris (5-4) and No. 5 Highland (7-2) will square off with No. 12 Marion (6-3).

East St. Louis (8-1), which dropped its only game of the regular season, 14-13, to nationally-ranked IMG Academy Friday, is the top seed in Class 6A. The Flyers will play host to No. 16 Springfield (5-4). The winner faces a second-round game between the winner of No. 8 Normal West (7-2) and No. 9 Chicago Simeon (7-2).

Collinsville (5-4) is a No. 29 seed in Class 7A and will travel to No. 4 Batavia (8-1) for a first-round game. The winner faces either No. 13 Pekin (7-2) or No. 20 Lincoln Way West (6-3).

In Class 8A, No. 21 Belleville East (6-3) will play in Wilmette against No. 12 Loyola Academy (7-2) with the winner advancing to a second-round date with the winner of No. 5 Marist (8-1) and No. 28 Glenbrook South (5-4).

Also in 8A, No. 19 Edwardsville (6-3) will be in Elmurst to play No. 14 York (8-1) in a first-round game. The winner advances to a second-round matchup against the winner of No. 3 Oswego (9-0) and No. 30 Waubonsie Valley (5-4).