If you were to take one week off...

Will Aaron Bailey be ready for the playoffs?

...during the Illinois high school football season, this weekend would be the best one.

Round One of the playoffs is loaded with mismatches in all classes, and teams that -- let's face it -- really don't belong in the postseason at all.

(I did concede to my son a couple of years ago, though, that 5-4 teams could advance after all. "Dad," he said, "It's all about kids playing football and their parents getting to watch them. Lighten up." As usual, he was right.)

So if you have something better to do this weekend (like me), don't worry, because the second season doesn't really begin until the following week anyway. Now, having said all that, let's get to it, shall we?

In 8A I picked Bolingbrook to defeat Loyola in the championship (again). That's all conditional on quarterback Aaron Bailey; if he isn't healthy enough to play against Sandburg this Friday I'll have to revise my call. But if Bailey plays here's how I see it all shaking out: Loyola beats Maine South and Bolingbrook defeats Mount Carmel in the semifinals.

But first, Maine South has to get past Glenbard North or Stevenson; Loyola only has to beat Palatine. Bolingbrook has the toughest road ahead with Neuqua and Waubonsie in their way. Mount Carmel only has to get past Marist.

(Again, if Bailey doesn't play this Friday all bets are off.)

In 7A, I look for Lincoln-Way East to beat Glenbard West. Lincoln-Way East should get to the final game after beating Batavia in the semis and making light work of Providence in Round Two. Glenbard West has to get past Wheaton North and possibly dark horse Glenbrook North (I want to see that kid Grant Rushing play) before facing either Boylan or Lake Zurich in the semis. 7A is really stacked!

6A is the trickiest class of all for me. I have Cary-Grove defeating Lemont in the finals, but there are so many potential land mines in the way: Grant, Lakes and Grayslake North for Cary-Grove, and Oak Forest, Crete-Monee and Ottawa for Lemont.

5A should be a great bracket with Montini repeating, this time over Morris. But first, the Broncos have to get past Kaneland or Joliet Catholic, and Marian Central. Wow!

Morris has a much easier go of it; I don't see anyone out there who could upend the Redskins.

So there you have it. Blogging, by the way, should be light to non-existent for the next two days.