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Central falls at Normal

Posted by: Tony Bleill

Friday, October 24, 2008 11:55 PM

Unfortunately for the Champaign Central football team, Saturday night figures to be too familiar.

When the IHSA reveals playoff pairings at approximately 8 p.m. Saturday, Central is likely to face a first-round opponent with a gaudy ranking. A year ago, the Maroons faced unbeaten Metamora in the first round -- and got walloped, as the host team rolled through to the Class 5A state championship.

Central might not get another game quite like that in its opener, but after losing to Normal Community on Friday and finishing 5-4, you can bet the Maroons will face a really good team in the opener. Speculation? The local teams usually aren't sent south for the first round, but Central could get a team like unbeaten Cahokia or one-loss Sterling. It all depends on how the IHSA elects to seed the teams, using eight-team or 16-team "quadrants" when they seed the qualifiers. I wouldn't be surprised if Central drew 8-1 Washington.

In any event, Central will have to play much better than it did Friday, when the offense squandered several good field-position opportunities in the loss to Normal. What disappointed the Maroons the most, however, was a lack of fight in the second half. The effort wasn't what Jacobs and Co. expect, and it will have to improve for the Maroons to take the next step as a program. Central's biggest obstacle for much of the season has been its inconsistent effort and mental approach.

Most of the Normal Community contingent on Friday was focused on the Bloomington-MacArthur battle, which determined a share of the Big 12. The Purple Raiders defeated MacArthur to earn a share of the crown with Normal Community. I wrote a few weeks ago that I felt the Big 12 title still ran through the Bloomington-Normal schools -- a story that really ticked off the folks in Decatur, in particular -- and it turned it to be correct. Just guessing, but I don't imagine the MacArthur crowd will be noting that I was right.