The brackets are out and it is prediction time. I feel less prepared than usual because I haven’t had the chance to cover Naperville Central or Lyons yet, so keep that in mind when going over these picks. I’ve seen all of the other contenders.
Class 8A pairings
#32 Niles West (5-4) at #1 Lincoln-Way East (9-0)
#17 Minooka (7-2) at #16 Taft (7-2)
#25 Curie (5-4) at #8 Glenbard East (8-1)
#24 Sandburg (5-4) at #9 Stevenson (8-1)
#29 Huntley (5-4) at #4 West Aurora (9-0)
#20 Maine South (6-3) at #13 Naperville North (7-2)
#28 Glenbrook South (5-4) at #5 Marist (8-1)
#21 Belleville East (6-3) at #12 Loyola (7-2)
#31 Joliet West (5-4) at #2 Lyons (9-0)
#18 Plainfield South (7-2) at #15 Downers Grove South (7-2)
#26 Schaumburg (5-4) at #7 Naperville Central (8-1)
#23 Andrew (6-3) at #10 Fremd (8-1)
#30 Waubonsie Valley (5-4) at #3 Oswego (9-0)
#19 Edwardsville (6-3) at #14 York (7-2)
#27 Warren (5-4) at #6 Palatine (8-1)
#22 South Elgin (6-3) at #11 Barrington (7-2)
Class 8A Preview
Favorite: Lincoln-Way East
Top Contender: Loyola
Darkhorse/Bracket Buster: Palatine
Best first round game: Maine South at Naperville North
Toughest path to title game: Loyola
Class 8A predictions
Second Round
Lincoln-Way East beats Minooka
Stevenson beats Glenbard East
Naperville North beats West Aurora
Loyola beats Marist
Lyons beats Downers Grove South
Naperville Central beats Fremd
Oswego beats Edwardsville
Palatine beats Barrington
Quarterfinals
Lincoln-Way East beats Stevenson
Loyola beats Naperville North
Naperville Central beats Lyons
Oswego beats Palatine
Semifinals
Lincoln-Way East beats Loyola
Naperville Central beats Oswego
Title game
Lincoln-Way East beats Naperville Central