Lane Tech, Marist and DePaul Prep Advance in IHSA Football Playoffs

CHICAGO — Lane Tech, Marist and DePaul College Prep have advanced through the opening round of the IHSA football playoffs, earning another week in a postseason that separates an expanded opening round from the first round still to come.

Lane Tech beat Joliet Central 56–0 in Class 8A. Marist defeated Neuqua Valley 49–28 in the same bracket. In Class 7A, DePaul College Prep survived Hampshire 37–34 in overtime. Those finals are listed in the Illinois High School Association’s official brackets, which now identify the next opponents and kickoff times for all three Chicago programs.

Lane’s shutout sends the Champions to South Elgin on Friday, October 30, at 7 p.m. The IHSA lists Lane as the No. 18 seed at 7–3 and South Elgin as the No. 15 seed at 7–2. Lane has already won an elimination game; South Elgin enters after an opening-round bye. The difference makes the next matchup a meeting between a team with a postseason result behind it and one beginning its playoff run.

Marist’s next assignment is at Mount Carmel on Friday, October 30, at 6:30 p.m. Marist is listed as the No. 25 seed at 6–4, while Mount Carmel is No. 8 at 7–2. The 49-point performance against Neuqua Valley kept Marist’s season alive. It also confirmed the opponent waiting along the bracket path: another Chicago program with a higher seed and an opening-round bye.

DePaul College Prep’s advance came by the narrowest margin of the three. Its overtime victory keeps the Rams in the Class 7A field and sends them to Prospect in Mount Prospect on Friday, October 30, at 7 p.m. The IHSA lists DePaul Prep as the No. 37 seed with a 4–6 record and Prospect as the No. 5 seed at 8–1. The Rams’ record reflects the broader opening-round field, but their continued participation rests on a completed playoff win.

Other Chicago-area results changed the next round as well. St. Patrick defeated Collinsville 54–37 in Class 7A and will face Westinghouse College Prep at Hanson Stadium on October 30 at 7 p.m. In Class 8A, Glenbrook South beat Whitney Young 42–0 and will visit New Trier on October 30 at 6:30 p.m.

The distinction between the opening round and the first round matters when following these results. Lane, Marist and DePaul Prep have advanced, but each now faces a seeded opponent that did not play in the opening round. The official brackets supply the results, records and upcoming assignments; they do not establish individual touchdown scorers or explain the sequence of plays behind the final margins.

For the three featured schools, the immediate task is clear: Lane heads to South Elgin, Marist travels to Mount Carmel and DePaul Prep visits Prospect. All three games are scheduled for Friday night. Kickoff times reflect the IHSA’s October 26 bracket update and should be checked against the association’s current listings before travel.