Playoff Primer: High School Football Hot Picks for Round 2

Class 8A

No. 13 Lockport (7-3) at No. 11 Homewood-Flossmoor (7-3), 7 p.m. Friday

Quick take: H-F’s offense, led by quarterback Tim Williams and running back Anfernee Roberts, looked unstoppable during much of last week's 48-28 thrashing of Marist. Lockport barely survived an 18-15 scare against Simeon last week. H-F dominated Lockport 35-0 on Sept. 30 at Lockport. Pick: Homewood-Flossmoor

No. 6 Brother Rice (7-3) at No 3 Downers Grove South (9-1), 7 p.m. Friday

Quick take: Brother Rice running backs Andrew Walker and Martez Walker rushed for a combined 330 yards and four touchdowns in the Crusaders’ 35-14 rout of Sandburg last week, and they will surely test the DGS defense. Downers Grove South has a monster back of its own in Josh Williams (over 2,000 yards this season) and a standout quarterback in A.J. Simoncelli. Pick: Brother Rice

Class 7A

No. 8 Wheaton Warrenville South (7-3) at No. 1 Lincoln-Way East (10-0), 7:30 p.m. Friday

Quick take: The visiting Tigers have hit their stride in recent weeks after a shaky start to the season. Northwestern-bound running back Dan Vitale is the go-to guy. He rushed for 223 yards and three touchdowns in the Tigers’ 23-16 win over Providence last week. Vitale will have to earn everything he gets against a tenacious Griffins defense. The Griffins, coming off a 35-7 rout of Plainfield South, figure to continue their run of dominating performances. Pick: Lincoln-Way East

No. 3 St. Rita (8-2) at No. 11 Andrew (7-3), 7 p.m. Friday

Quick take: Andrew’s bid for its sixth straight win will be tested by St. Rita’s stout defense and an offense led by running back Tim Lombard, who rushed for 225 yards and four TDs in the Mustangs’ 35-10 rout of Shepard last week. Andrew, which blanked Eisenhower 14-0 last week in Round 1, would go a long way in converting the skeptics with a win over Rita. Pick: St. Rita

Class 6A

No. 1 Lemont (10-0) at No. 5 Oak Forest (7-3) 7 p.m. Friday

Quick take: Oak Forest has painful first-hand knowledge of Lemont’s firepower, as the Bengals were routed by the Indians, 47-13, just two weeks ago in the regular-season closer. The Bengals scored their two touchdowns late in the game, after the outcome had been decided. Bengals RB Matt Barry had some success running the ball (94 yards, 1 TD) against Lemont, but Oak Forest will need many more contributors to have any hope of an upset. Pick: Lemont

No. 3 Hubbard (8-2) at No. 7 Richards (6-4) 7 p.m. Saturday

Quick take: Richards gained some momentum with last week’s 28-14 win over Hyde Park in Round 1. Bulldogs RB Marcus Smith (201 yards last week) will surely have Hubbard’s full attention. Hubbard looked sloppy at times in its 17-7 win over Bremen last week, committing 17 penalties in a game that wasn’t decided until late in the fourth quarter, but Greyhounds RB Anthony Johnson is the real deal. Pick: Richards

Class 5A

No. 7 Tinley Park (8-2) at No. 2 Marian Central Catholic (10-0), 5 p.m. Saturday

Quick take: By the time they got to Woodstock, Tinley’s Titans were well aware of what they are up against. Marian Central Catholic has scored 42 points or more in six of its 10 wins, including last week’s 42-20 rout of Robeson. But did you know that Tinley Park has scored 40 or more points in six of its victories? This could be quite the treat for fans of offensive fireworks. Pick: Marian Central Catholic

Class 4A

No. 5 Alleman (9-1) at No. 13 Evergreen Park (7-3) 7 pm. Friday

Quick take: The Mustangs barely survived their first-round game against Marshall, winning 10-6, and they’ll need to step it up in front of the home crowd. Alleman makes the trek from Rock Island packing plenty of momentum from last week’s 49-0 pasting of Phillips. Alleman has scored no less than 33 points in eight of its nine wins. Pick: Alleman

Ron Kramer Last Week: 10-1 (.909). Season-to-date: 28-17 (.678).