Playoff Preview

The Varsity Friday regular season is in the books, and the playoff race has delivered its final verdict. Three teams remain in contention for the championship, with the Belvidere County Seaters and Streamwood Sabres meeting in this week's semifinal. The winner will advance to face the top-seeded DeMatha Catholic Stags for the Varsity Friday title.

The Game of the Week features Belvidere County vs. Streamwood. The Seaters finished the regular season at 4–1–1, earning the second seed. They closed their schedule with a 36–36 tie against DeMatha, proving they can go toe-to-toe with the league's best. Now Belvidere must deliver another strong performance to keep its championship hopes alive.

Streamwood enters at 3–2–1 after defeating Addison Trail 33–31 in the regular-season finale. The Sabres earned the third playoff spot by winning the season-points-scored tiebreaker over Highland, which also finished 3–2–1. That makes this postseason opportunity especially valuable for Streamwood: the Sabres survived a tight race just to get here, and now they are one victory away from the championship game.

Highland's season ends with a frustrating near miss. The Bulldogs matched Streamwood's record but came up short on the points-scored tiebreaker. Indian Land also finished strong, defeating Winthrop 36–32, but its 3–3 record wasn't enough to reach the playoff field.

Waiting for the semifinal winner is DeMatha Catholic. The Stags finished the regular season undefeated at 5–0–1 and secured the No. 1 seed. Their 36–36 tie with Belvidere in Week 7 showed that the Seaters can challenge them, setting up an intriguing possibility for the championship.

For Belvidere and Streamwood, however, the immediate task is simple: win or go home. One team will earn a shot at DeMatha and the Varsity Friday championship, while the other's season will end in the semifinal. The playoffs are here, and every pick matters!