IHSA football playoffs 2018: Scores, highlights and more from the quarterfinals

Anthony Anderson (44) of Phillips leaps over Cary-Grove’s Luke Eletheriou. | Worsom Robinson/For the Sun-Times

We’re down to the final four in each bracket for the 2018 IHSA football playoffs after an exciting round of quarterfinal games this weekend. The next two weeks will decide which teams come away victorious with state championships and which teams look back to wonder what could’ve been with a few different bounces.

The Class 8A bracket saw some big names go down in the quarterfinals, including Homewood-Flossmoor and Maine South, but the remaining teams shouldn’t be surprising to anyone. Brother Rice and Lincoln-Way East, the top two seeds, each survived to reach the semifinals, just as Beth Long predicted before the playoffs began. And while Marist and Loyola stumbled in the regular season, the past couple weeks have hammered home that they’re dangerous in their own right.

The same goes in the Class 7A playoffs, where Nazareth, Batavia, Mount Carmel and St. Charles North all advanced. Only one of those teams, Batavia, was among the top six seeds in the bracket, but they’ve done the hard work.

Here’s a rundown of the action from the second round of the 2018 IHSA state football playoffs. For more analysis and coverage, make sure to tune into “Sun-Times Game Week” at 4:30 p.m. Monday afternoon on the Chicago Sun-Times High School Sports Facebook page.

Top games of the week

Mount Carmel slows East St. Louis

For most of the season, East St. Louis ran circles around its opponents. The appropriately named Flyers were simply faster than anyone else, and nobody figured out a way to slow them. That is, until Mount Carmel, which rode its defense to a 29-19 victory over East St. Louis at Gately Stadium in the Class 7A quarterfinals. “Take away the big play,” Caravan coach Jordan Lynch said of how his team managed to keep the Flyers in check. Mount Carmel had several big plays of its own, too, including an 84-yard kick return touchdown by Eddie McGee.

Simeon’s flawless record, title hopes end against Nazareth

Simeon’s unbeaten run came to an end in the quarterfinals with a 34-27 loss to Nazareth. The Wolverines jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter but had already blown the lead by halftime. Roadrunners playmaker Michael Love proved unstoppable once again with three touchdowns, including the game-winner on an 18-yard scamper with 1:45 remaining in the game.

Cary-Grove contains Jahleel Billingsley, Phillips

For weeks, Phillips looked like a vulnerable team, only to be carried to victory by do-it-all star Jahleel Billingsley. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, the Alabama commit couldn’t pull off that off again against the No. 1 seed in the Class 6A bracket. Cary-Grove rode a strong running game and defense to knock out Phillips with a 34-24 victory. Trojans running back Danny Daigle ran for 115 yards and three touchdowns off nine carries and quarterback Ben McDonald added 75 yards on 19 carries to lead the team into the semifinals.

Brackets and full results for all classes

Photo gallery

Cary-Grove’s Jason Petko (63) runs off the field. Worsom Robinson/For the Sun-Times.

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Phillips’ Jahleel Billingsley (9) stiff arms Cary-Grove’s Dymitri Kanellakis. Worsom Robinson/For the Sun-Times.

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Phillips’ Leonard Smith (5) stays in the pocket. Worsom Robinson/For the Sun-Times.

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Cary-Grove’s Blake Skol (20) gets a touchdown. Worsom Robinson/For the Sun-Times.

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Blake Skol (9) of Cary-Grove celebrates. Worsom Robinson/For the Sun-Times.

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Cary-Grove’s Ben McDonald (17) hands the ball off. Worsom Robinson/For the Sun-Times.

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Ben McDonald (17) of Cary-Grove fakes a hand off. Worsom Robinson/For the Sun-Times.

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Phillips’ Ronald Pledger (4) brings down Cary-Grove’s Blake Skol (20). Worsom Robinson/For the Sun-Times.

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Phillips’ Jahleel Billingsley (9) gets a first down. Worsom Robinson/For the Sun-Times.

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Jahleel Billingsley (9) of Phillips gets taken down. Worsom Robinson/For the Sun-Times.

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Blake Skol (20) of Cary-Grove gave Phillips’ defense a hard time. Worsom Robinson/For the Sun-Times.

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Blake Skol (20) of Cary-Grove heads straight for the end zone. Worsom Robinson/For the Sun-Times.

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Cary-Grove’s Ben McDonald (17) gets tripped up. Worsom Robinson/For the Sun-Times.

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Phillips’ Anthony Anderson (44) gets pulled down. Worsom Robinson/For the Sun-Times.

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Anthony Anderson (44) of Phillips escapes. Worsom Robinson/For the Sun-Times.

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Blake Skol (20) of Cary-Grove fights for a first down. Worsom Robinson/For the Sun-Times.

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Cary-Grove’s Ben McDonald (17) runs out of the backfield. Worsom Robinson/For the Sun-Times.

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Phillips’ Byron Lewis (3) catches a touchdown pass. Worsom Robinson/For the Sun-Times.

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Phillips’ Leonard Smith (5) fires a ball down field. Worsom Robinson/For the Sun-Times.

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Anthony Anderson (44) of Phillips leaps over Cary-Grove’s Luke Eletheriou. | Worsom Robinson/For the Sun-Times

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Phillips’ Anthony Anderson (44) runs up field. Worsom Robinson/For the Sun-Times.

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Cary-Grove’s Dymitri Kanellakis (37) celebrates the win. Worsom Robinson/For the Sun-Times.

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Cary-Grove’s Danny Daigle (21) tries to break free. Worsom Robinson/For the Sun-Times.

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Phillips’ Davion Jordan (23) pops the ball away from Blake Skol (20) of Cary-Grove. Worsom Robinson/For the Sun-Times.

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Blake Skol (20) of Cary-Grove gets picked up by Phillips’ defense. Worsom Robinson/For the Sun-Times.

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Coming up next

The new Super 25 and “Player of the Week” will be unveiled on Sun-Times Game Week on Facebook Live with Michael O’Brien, Annie Costabile and Beth Long at 4:30 p.m. CT Monday.

Top semifinal matchups include: