Only the strong have survived to play in the high school football post season. Thirty-two Class 5A schools will begin the chase for a state championship on Friday night, and we’ll feature an intriguing Big Twelve – Mid Illini matchup in our Illinois National Bank Red Zone Game of the Week Presented by OSF Healthcare.

Tune in Friday at 7 pm for the Red Zone pregame show with longtime Peoria Pirates head coach Bruce Cowdrey and me. Our playoff opener is 5-4 Dunlap at 8-1 Peoria High from Peoria Stadium. Dunlap started 2-4, then rattled off three straight wins to reach the playoffs, including upsets over Metamora and Canton in that streak. Peoria High’s been #1 in Class 5A about the entire season, but slipped at Galesburg last week and failed to record its first 9-0 regular season in 33 years.

Tom Meredith will be in Wyoming, where the Stark County Rebels will play post season football for the 21st straight year. The Rebels started slowly – they got routed by Elmwood-Brimfield on the Red Zone main game of week 1 – and were 1-3 before ripping off five consecutive W’s. Stark County hosts 6-3 Elgin Friday night.

Thanks to great supporting sponsors like: Starcrest Cleaners, Rocket Tire Service and Heartland Apartments for making this a great 2016 season thusfar. Join us Friday night for the kickoff of playoff football on the Illinios National Bank Red Zone presented by OSF Healthcare on Peoria’s home for classic rock and football, 95.5, GLO.

Doc Watson