Hawks have plenty to prove

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COMMENTARY

At first glance, undefeated Bartlett's opening-round opponent in the state football playoffs figures to be a small hurdle.

Niles Notre Dame, sporting a 5-4 record, barely made the Class 8A postseason field and visits the Hawks at Millennium Field at 7 Friday night.

But Notre Dame's regular-season schedule surely has it ready for playoff action. The Dons were one of six East Suburban Catholic Conference teams to qualify for the postseason. Notre Dame has allowed only 96 points in nine games and went 3-4 in a league that also includes Joliet Catholic, Carmel, Marist, Nazareth and St. Patrick -- all playoff participants.

Bartlett (9-0) enters the postseason as the Upstate Eight Conference champion and fresh off its first undefeated regular season in school history. And while running the table is a significant feat for any program, the Hawks' league title isn't going to strike much fear into other teams throughout the suburbs.

How many years has the UEC been down? Many.

And Bartlett didn't even face (through no fault of its own) the conference's second-best team -- St. Charles East.

While I'm not questioning the Hawks' potential to make a lengthy postseason run, it just might not be as easy as some might think.

Sure, they've dominated league foes and scored an impressive Week 8 win over previously unbeaten Thornton. And this Bartlett senior class is loaded with talent.

But the Hawks' postseason history is spotty. Bartlett is making its ninth consecutive trip to the IHSA's playoff party. A 2-8 mark in the postseason has hardly allowed the program to mingle with the elite.

Six times Bartlett has bowed out in the opening round of the postseason and the Hawks have never advanced beyond the second round. Lack of offensive balance and tough draws in the brackets have been major reasons for that lack of success.

But a team ranked fourth in the final 8A state poll, as Bartlett is, should be expecting a deep postseason stay.

First, though, the Hawks need to dispatch a game Notre Dame squad. The Dons won't be intimidated Friday. They've got a decent playoff history themselves under longtime coach Mike Hennessey. But this will be their first venture into 8A.

Quick hits -- Besides Bartlett's spot at No. 4 in the 8A poll, St. Charles East enters the postseason as a state-ranked squad.

The Saints bring their No. 10 ranking into Saturday night's matchup with defending 7A state champion Lake Zurich. The Bears, who finished second in 7A in 2006, received votes in the poll.

• Huntley, making its second playoff appearance in school history, received votes in the final 6A poll.

The Red Raiders welcome Batavia at 7 Friday night in the opening round.

• Neither Hampshire nor Genoa-Kingston drew any mention in the state rankings, but that won't diminish from the atmosphere when the neighbors hook up Friday night for a Class 4A playoff battle.

The Whip-Purs had won 10 consecutive games against the Cogs before getting ripped by G-K last season.

Surprisingly, the teams have met just once before in the playoffs. The Whips dispatched the Cogs 20-7 in the opening round of the 1979 1A postseason on their way to the state championship under coach Ron Ellett.