Once again...

...Boring Old White Guy will go dark this weekend. (I'll be traveling up to Minnesota to visit my parents and check out that new stadium at the University of Minnesota. I'll also be collecting on a bet as the Fighting Illini upset the Golden Gophers.)

But before I go, I wanted to give my readers some last minute guidance on this weekend's Illinois high school football playoffs. And in 8A, I expect Maine South to defeat Leyden and Glenbrook South to beat Proviso West which will set up a rematch of the two Central Suburban Conference powers next week. Also, look for Stevenson to beat Mt. Carmel (sorry, Caravan, it's just not your year) and Loyola to narrowly edge Warren resulting in a showdown between the undefeated Patriots and the Ramblers.

In 7A, I'm calling for Marian Catholic to upset St. Rita. Star running back Jahwon Akui didn't play last week and I'm not convinced that he will be 100% this weekend. Without him, the Mustangs are very beatable. Also, East St. Louis will end Minooka's Cinderella season, and Glenbard West will make it easier to pronounce future combatants after putting away Hononegah.

6A should see Providence treating Oswego as nothing more than a speed bump on its way to the championship and Cary-Grove will defeat Highland Park in a tune-up to its game next week against De La Salle, which will beat Crystal Lake Central. While we're talking about 6A, let's give a shout-out to Marmion, which should advance after beating Prairie Ridge.

5A could feature the Game of the Week, as Joliet Catholic should defeat Cahokia in a shoot-out. These are two of the most underrated teams in the state.

4A is as far down as I will go today. The town of Mt. Carmel will defeat Rochester for the simple reason that it wouldn't be the playoffs without a team called Mt. Carmel. They will meet Effingham (you gotta love that name), who will beat Quincy ND. Coal City should advance over Richmond because the name of that town conjures up images for me of sooty-faced kids playing their hearts out. And finally, how can you not root for Bishop McNamara in its game against Geneseo? The No. 16-seed Irish beat the No. 1-seed Illinois Valley Central last week, 32-0.