Chicago/East Suburban Catholic conference teams went 11-0 this weekend in the first round of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) football playoffs, outscoring their opponents 467 to 82.
On the flip side, football teams from Chicago Public Schools (CPS) went 3-21 in the first round and were outscored 1,039 to 255, for an average score of 43 to 10.
In 2019, the last time the IHSA has hosted a state football tournament, the Chicago/East Suburban Catholic qualified 15 teams for the playoffs and went 11-4 in Round One; in 2018, it qualified 11 and went 8-3.
CPS qualified 20 and went 3-17 in 2019; in 2018, it qualified 23 and went 4-19 in Round One, with one of the wins (and losses) being from a head-to-head matchup between two CPS schools.
All told, teams from 22 private high schools are among the 128 who advance to Round 2.
All told, 256 teams qualified for the postseason tournaments, 32 in each of eight classes, organized by enrollment. 1A is the smallest and 8A is the largest.
Other top-performing conferences in Round One this year: the DuKane, Illini Prairie and Northwest Upstate Illini, which each saw four teams advance.
The DuKane had four teams advance, including Carol Stream Glenbard North (7-3) in 8A and Batavia (10-0), Wheaton North (9-1) and Geneva (6-4) in 7A.
In 3A, undefeated Illini Prairie power Tolono Unity (10-0) from Champaign County, will play conference rival Paxton-Buckley-Loda (7-3) in the second round. Unity beat PBL 35-0 in Week 8.
Illini Prairie member Monticello (8-2) plays undefeated Benton (10-0) in a 3A Second Round match-up. Prairie Central plays at 9-1 Princeton.
Du-Pec Co-op (8-1), the Northwest Upstate Illini Conference champion, hosts DuPage County power IC Catholic in Round 2 in 3A.
In 1A, Northwest Upstate Illini Conference rivals Forreston (8-2) and Lena-Winslow (8-2 are matched up in Round 2; Forreston won their regular season game in Week 9, 22-20.
IHSA Football Playoffs- Round One Performance by Conference
| Conference | W | L | PCT | PF | PA |
| Chicago/East Suburban Catholic | 11 | 0 | 1.000 | 467 | 82 |
| DuKane | 4 | 1 | 0.800 | 167 | 77 |
| Illini Prairie | 4 | 1 | 0.800 | 181 | 65 |
| Northwest Upstate Illini | 4 | 1 | 0.800 | 176 | 43 |
| Mississippi Valley | 3 | 1 | 0.750 | 101 | 112 |
| Sangamo | 3 | 1 | 0.750 | 124 | 86 |
| Fox Valley | 4 | 2 | 0.667 | 275 | 154 |
| Heart of Illinois | 4 | 2 | 0.667 | 149 | 128 |
| Metro Suburban | 4 | 2 | 0.667 | 174 | 168 |
| Southern Illinois River-to-River | 4 | 2 | 0.667 | 213 | 136 |
| DuPage Valley | 2 | 1 | 0.667 | 104 | 39 |
| Southland | 2 | 1 | 0.667 | 89 | 28 |
| Three Rivers | 5 | 3 | 0.625 | 225 | 230 |
| Big Northern | 3 | 2 | 0.600 | 219 | 111 |
| Black Diamond | 3 | 2 | 0.600 | 127 | 135 |
| Central State Eight | 3 | 2 | 0.600 | 199 | 186 |
| Illinois Central Eight | 3 | 2 | 0.600 | 133 | 62 |
| Mid-Illini | 3 | 2 | 0.600 | 126 | 123 |
| Northern Illinois | 3 | 2 | 0.600 | 188 | 145 |
| South Central | 3 | 2 | 0.600 | 120 | 129 |
| Mid-Suburban | 4 | 3 | 0.571 | 162 | 186 |
| Western Illinois Valley | 4 | 3 | 0.571 | 203 | 163 |
| Kishwaukee River/Interstate Eight | 4 | 4 | 0.500 | 210 | 181 |
| Central Suburban | 3 | 3 | 0.500 | 132 | 136 |
| West Suburban | 3 | 3 | 0.500 | 146 | 120 |
| Central Illinois | 2 | 2 | 0.500 | 97 | 102 |
| North Suburban | 2 | 2 | 0.500 | 68 | 80 |
| Northern Lake County | 2 | 2 | 0.500 | 81 | 97 |
| Apollo | 1 | 1 | 0.500 | 56 | 24 |
| Southwest Prairie | 3 | 4 | 0.429 | 132 | 188 |
| Big Twelve | 2 | 3 | 0.400 | 133 | 118 |
| Cahokia | 2 | 3 | 0.400 | 102 | 112 |
| Southwest Suburban | 2 | 3 | 0.400 | 122 | 113 |
| Upstate Eight | 2 | 3 | 0.400 | 72 | 171 |
| Independent Schools | 2 | 4 | 0.333 | 149 | 115 |
| Little Illini | 2 | 4 | 0.333 | 106 | 213 |
| South Seven | 1 | 2 | 0.333 | 48 | 94 |
| Southwestern | 1 | 2 | 0.333 | 85 | 58 |
| Western Big 6 | 1 | 2 | 0.333 | 134 | 180 |
| Vermilion Valley | 2 | 5 | 0.286 | 111 | 193 |
| South Suburban | 2 | 6 | 0.250 | 159 | 222 |
| Lincoln Prairie | 1 | 3 | 0.250 | 78 | 133 |
| Prairieland | 1 | 3 | 0.250 | 86 | 109 |
| Lincoln Trail | 1 | 5 | 0.167 | 93 | 164 |
| Chicago Public Schools | 3 | 21 | 0.125 | 255 | 1,039 |
Teams remaining by conference
| Conference | # | Schools | Class | |
| Apollo | 1 | Mahomet-Seymour | 5A | |
| Big Northern | 3 | Byron | 3A | |
| Genoa-Kingston | 4A | |||
| Stillman Valley | 4A | |||
| Big Twelve | 2 | Champaign Centennial | 6A | |
| Normal Community | 7A | |||
| Black Diamond | 3 | Sesser-Valler Co-op | 1A | |
| Johnston City | 2A | |||
| Fairfield | 3A | |||
| Cahokia | 2 | Freeburg | 4A | |
| Breese Central | 4A | |||
| Chicago/East Sub. Catholic | 11 | Joliet Catholic Academy | * | 4A |
| Nazareth Academy | * | 5A | ||
| St. Patrick | * | 5A | ||
| Fenwick | * | 5A | ||
| Marmion Academy | * | 5A | ||
| St. Ignatius | * | 6A | ||
| Mt. Carmel | * | 7A | ||
| Brother Rice | * | 7A | ||
| St. Rita | * | 7A | ||
| Loyola Academy | * | 8A | ||
| Marist | * | 8A | ||
| Central Illinois | 2 | Moweaqua Central A & M | 1A | |
| Decatur St. Teresa | * | 2A | ||
| Central State Eight | 3 | Springfield | 6A | |
| Rochester | 4A | |||
| Sacred Heart-Griffin | * | 4A | ||
| Central Suburban | 3 | Deerfield | 6A | |
| Glenbrook South | 8A | |||
| Maine South | 8A | |||
| Chicago Public Schools | 3 | Chicago Clark | 3A | |
| Chicago Morgan Park | 5A | |||
| Chicago Phillips | 4A | |||
| DuKane | 4 | Wheaton North | 7A | |
| Glenbard North | 8A | |||
| Batavia | 7A | |||
| Geneva | 7A | |||
| DuPage Valley | 2 | Neuqua Valley | 8A | |
| Naperville Central | 8A | |||
| Fox Valley | 4 | Cary-Grove | 6A | |
| Jacobs | 7A | |||
| Crystal Lake Central | 6A | |||
| Prairie Ridge | 6A | |||
| Heart of Illinois | 4 | Tremont | 2A | |
| Downs Tri-Valley | 2A | |||
| Deer Creek-Mackinaw | 2A | |||
| Ridgeview-Lexington Co-op | 1A | |||
| Illini Prairie | 4 | Monticello | 3A | |
| Tolono Unity | 3A | |||
| Paxton Buckley Loda | 3A | |||
| Prairie Central | 3A | |||
| Illinois Central Eight | 3 | Reed-Custer | 3A | |
| Wilmington | 2A | |||
| Lisle | 3A | |||
| Independent Schools | 2 | Ottawa Marquette | * | 1A |
| Breese Mater Dei | * | 2A | ||
| Kishwaukee River/Interstate 8 | 4 | Sycamore | 5A | |
| Morris | 5A | |||
| Richmond-Burton | 4A | |||
| Rochelle | 5A | |||
| Lincoln Prairie | 1 | Arcola | 1A | |
| Lincoln Trail | 1 | Abingdon-Avon | 1A | |
| Little Illini | 2 | Mt. Carmel (Ill.) | 3A | |
| Paris | 4A | |||
| Metro Suburban | 4 | IC Catholic | * | 3A |
| Bishop McNamara | * | 2A | ||
| Wheaton Academy | * | 4A | ||
| Wheaton St. Francis | * | 4A | ||
| Mid-Illini | 3 | Pekin | 7A | |
| Morton | 5A | |||
| Washington | 6A | |||
| Mid-Suburban | 4 | Buffalo Grove | 7A | |
| Prospect | 7A | |||
| Hoffman Estates | 7A | |||
| Palatine | 8A | |||
| Mississippi Valley | 3 | Triad | 5A | |
| Mascoutah | 5A | |||
| Bethalto Civic Memorial | 4A | |||
| North Suburban | 2 | Lake Forest | 6A | |
| Warren | 8A | |||
| Northern Illinois (NIC-10) | 3 | Rockton Hononegah | 7A | |
| Machesney Park Harlem | 6A | |||
| Rockford Boylan | * | 5A | ||
| Northern Lake County | 2 | Wauconda | 6A | |
| Grayslake Central | 6A | |||
| Northwest Upstate Illini | 4 | Pecatonica Du-Pec Coop | 3A | |
| Forreston | 1A | |||
| Lena-Winslow | 1A | |||
| Fulton | 1A | |||
| Prairieland | 1 | Farmington | 2A | |
| Sangamo | 3 | Williamsville | 3A | |
| Maroa-Forsyth | 2A | |||
| Athens | 1A | |||
| South Central | 3 | Carlinville | 3A | |
| Pana | 2A | |||
| Vandalia | 2A | |||
| South Seven | 1 | Marion | 5A | |
| South Suburban | 2 | Lemont | 6A | |
| Richards | 6A | |||
| Southern Illinois River to River | 4 | Carterville | 4A | |
| Murphysboro | 4A | |||
| Nashville | 2A | |||
| Benton | 3A | |||
| Southland | 2 | Kankakee | 5A | |
| Crete-Monee | 6A | |||
| Southwest Prairie | 3 | Plainfield North | 8A | |
| Minooka | 8A | |||
| Yorkville | 7A | |||
| Southwest Suburban | 2 | Lockport | 8A | |
| Lincoln Way East | 8A | |||
| Southwestern | 1 | East St. Louis Senior | 6A | |
| Three Rivers | 5 | Sterling Newman Central Catholic | * | 2A |
| Kewanee | 4A | |||
| Peru St. Bede | * | 1A | ||
| Princeton | 3A | |||
| Erie-Prophetstown Co-op | 2A | |||
| Upstate Eight | 2 | South Elgin | 8A | |
| Glenbard South | 5A | |||
| Vermilion Valley | 2 | Gilman Iroquois West | 1A | |
| Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin | 2A | |||
| West Suburban | 3 | Willowbrook | 7A | |
| Hinsdale Central | 8A | |||
| Glenbard West | 8A | |||
| Western Big 6 | 1 | Moline | 7A | |
| Western Illinois Valley | 4 | Mt. Sterling Brown County | 1A | |
| Camp Point Central | 1A | |||
| Greenfield Northwestern Co-op | 1A | |||
| Carrollton | 1A |
Source: Illinois High School Association
*Denotes a private high school
