Its’s déjà vu for Eureka as it travels to face Wilmington in 2nd round of playoffs
EUREKA — On the second Saturday of November in 2019, Eureka went to Becker Field to take on homestanding Wilmington.
Five years later, that will be the case again, as the Hornets (9-1) travel to southwestern Will County to meet the Wildcats (10-0) in a second-round Class 3A playoff game that will have a 5 p.m. kickoff.
According to Eureka coach Jason Bachman, familiarity should be helpful for his squad in terms of the surroundings as well as whom they battled in round one.
"I think that will play to our advantage," said Bachman of the '19 encounter. "It's hard to believe it's been five years. The greater benefit is to see a team (Peotone) that's similar and the physicality."
Wilmington brings in a 23-game win streak, as it began the postseason with a 42-7 rout of guest Stillman Valley this past weekend. They did not attempt a single pass, as the Wildcats rolled up 411 yards on the ground and averaged 9.3 per carry. Junior wingback Ryan Kettman had 15 rushes for 182 yards and three touchdowns, while senior wingback Kyle Farrell checked with 19 carries for 103 yards and two scores.
Like Peotone, Wilmington is a member of the Illinois Central Eight Conference and also uses the double wing-T offense.
"They're really good at what they do," Bachman pointed out. "We're going to a 5-3 look with three defensive backs. They come right at you with those two wingbacks. You have to come out and match up with their men on the line of scrimmage."
Senior Hunter Osipavicius is the fullback, while senior Spencer Parrish is the left tackle. Three juniors start up front in right tackle Jack Cutter, left guard Zach Ohlund (225 pounds) and right guard Logan Van Duyne. Center William Wilson is a sophomore. The Wildcats have scored 432 points with a single game high of 56.
They, like Peotone, operate out of a 3-3-5 defensive scheme and held SV to just 152 yards of total offense. Farrell, Kettman and Osipavicius are in the secondary, while Ohlund and senior Ryan Nelson are linebackers. Van Duyne is one of the three down linemen along with Wilson. Wilmington has permitted 106 points with the most of 18 in a game.
Eureka may be going up against the best defense it has seen all season.
"We're going to have to be very good upfront," offered Bachman. "They're d-line and linebackers get off the ball quick and into a flow. We'll continue to try to be multiple with the run and pass."
While the Wildcats have the ability to keep possession of the ball upwards of six to seven minutes at a time due to their vaunted run attack, the Hornets might have to revert to a quick-scoring type of offense.
"Coal City only ran eight plays the whole first half," Bachman said. "Being able to score and execute on offense is key because you do not have too many opportunities."
According to Bachman, senior Jason Aikman (finger) should be available, while senior Caleb Haynes (hand) is listed as questionable.
Jeff Reents is in his 30th season at Wilmington and sports a record of 283-64. After a season-opening defeat to Seneca, the Wildcats rolled the rest of the way to capture the 2A crown in 2023 with a 28-3 victory over Athens. This is their 31st playoff appearance and 28th consecutive (51-27 record). The Wildcats won the 3A title in '17.
Besides the '19 meeting, which Wilmington prevailed 28-7 in the second round, it also beat Eureka 42-0 in the only other meeting between the programs in round one of the 3A playoffs in '03. Since 1999, Wilmington is 141-18 at Becker Field and has won 13 straight there.
The winner moves onto the quarterfinals with Durand/Pecatonica as the likely opponent.
Notes: The only time the Wildcats have trailed this season was 14-7 at home to league foe CC in week seven but came back for a 21-14 victory ... This will be the first time the Hornets have lined up against a reigning champion in the postseason ... Farrell rushed for 2,248 yards and 30 TDs a season ago. He, along with Kettman, Nelson, Ohlund, Osipavicius and Van Duyne, all played in the 2A title game ... Wilmington was last in the 3A field in '19 and lost 32-0 in the quarterfinals at Byron ... Reents, a Morris native, is 12th all-time in Illinois prep gridiron victories. The leader is Chenoa native Ken Leonard, who won 419 games in 43 seasons at Gridley (four) and Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin (39). Reents was inducted into the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in the spring of '19 ... The stadium the Wildcats play in is named after him: Becker Field at Jeff Reents Stadium.
