Both of the teams that played in the state championship in Class 5A last season are no longer eligible to participate in that classification.

Nazareth and Joliet Catholic were pushed up into the Class 6A draw because of being subjected to the IHSA success formula, and their departure makes the 5A field more wide open than ever before.

Just two 5A teams (Belvidere North and Prairie Ridge) got through the regular season unscathed, which leaves both brackets with a lot of hopefuls and not a lot of favorites, particularly on the south side of the bracket.

First-round matchups

Prairie Ridge vs. Vernon Hills : Prairie Ridge won the top seed via tiebreaker with Belvidere North and the Wolves are likely the 5A team that most teams in the northern bracket have their eye on anyway. The

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