No more monkeys jumpin' on the bed, or on the back of North coach Mark Gould now that the North Stars have shown they know how to take off their shoes, kick up their feet and stay a while in the playoffs.

Losing that game late woulda brought North to its knees, and Coach Sly salutes that North defense for making some big-time plays in money time to send Elk Grove home. Making the quarters is a special achievement, and North has done it without a couple of its top guys available. Props to all the North Stars for showin' some grit and beating a couple pretty strong teams to advance.

Geneva is too good a program to feel that great about any loss, but looks to Sly like the Vikings have proven to everyone that their program remains rock solid, knockin' WWS around in the second half.

You can't dig that kinda hole against a great team, though. Shame Geneva didnt give itself a better opportunity to do something special by falling behind so big early.

Still, not many teams woulda had the you-know-what to make that game a fight after falling behind huge against a team that good. The Vikings are a special program.

Crazy to think the next time the Vikings take the field, they'll be an Upstate Eight team.

Speaking of crazy, that Marmion score is a puzzler. Cadets fans, what gives?

Marmion had been playing so well. To get smoked by a three-loss team is a shocker.

One team left. That makes Sly an unhappy camper, but one 5-yard completion from them Grens and it could be none.

The St. Charles North football program has never made it to the state quarterfinals. High time North changes that, and North has a prime chance to do that Friday against Elk Grove Village.

Can anyone tell Sly why North shouldn't be considered a threat to not only beat Elk Grove, but be a bona fide threat against anyone they play? It's a team that doesn't have many weakness, far as Sly can tell. Strong line play, good team speed, dangerous skill position players. It hasn't always been smooth for North this year, but why not think big, North Stars?

Pressure's off Geneva for a change. Sly thinks the Vikings play a very respectable game against Wheaton Warrenville ... might not be enough, but Sly would be surprised if Geneva lets this one get too far outta hand as long as they are sound defensively in their assignments and tackling, like they usually are. Geneva's QB is gonna have to be on his game as well, and a couple of those receivers have to make themselves dangerous. Pounding away all day won't cut it against Wheaton Warrenville.

Sly'd love to hear from some Marmion enthusiasts about the Cadets' chances up in McHenry Co. Any nerves about this game? A lot of people are already thinking about Marmion and Cary-Grove in the semis, but a lot of times the matchups people are most lookin' forward to fail to come about.

Speaking of which, Sly's a little bummed there's no Geneva-STCE volleyball matchup in the sectional final. Good luck to the Saints against York on Thursday, but it's a shame the Vikings couldn't hold up their end, especially with such a senior-heavy group.

Some surprises, some no-brainers in the first round of the playoffs.

Color Sly surprised that Kaneland had its clock cleaned by Sycamore tonight. A close loss, Sly could see, but to be picked apart by a team you beat ... makes you go hmmmm, and not in a happy way if you're a Knights fan. Is it time for Kaneland to re-examine what wins you playoff football games?

Sly's also surprised by the final score of the East-Hononegah game. Hononegah's a nice program, but it could be that the Saints started to wear down a little from playing two-way ball all season. Tough way to end a nice season.

While we're being Negative Nellies, two teams that ended last season in Champaign, Aurora Christian and St. Francis, are one-and-done. Hard to stay on that mountaintop, baby.

That other team that was in Champaign in 08, Geneva, crushed a Shepard team that dressed up for Halloween like a 7-2 football team. Regardless of the opponent, it had to be good for Geneva to win big and get a little confidence cookin' for next week at Wheaton Warrenville South. That game could be a bear, but the Vikings have the chance to make a huge statement.

Congrats to coach Gould's North Stars on a big win against South Elgin. This team was better than 6-3, and a couple playoff wins are well within the Stars' grasp, especially with a home game next week against a beatable Elk Grove team.

Sly can't believe North's Huxtable left the game injured. This about as star-crossed a year as you can have. Sure would be nice to see North at full strength for more than a quarter at a time but those backup backs have been playing their butts off all year and know how to do the job.

So we're down to Geneva, St. Charles North and Marmion, with North and Marmion having the best draws ahead for Round 2. Marmion's at Prairie Ridge after yet another CPL flameout.

Also, Sly wants to send along some congrats to some of the other success stories on an eventful Saturday, like Geneva, East and North volleyball, Marmion soccer and all the cross country kids who are headed for Peoria.

Way to represent, one and all.

Coach Sly is wondering how much to emotionally invest in these football playoffs.

Sly knows you're supposed to live in the present, so first-round wins should be enjoyed, but who around here has the team, and the draw, to make a major run at Champaign this year?

Anyone?

Geneva and St. Charles East are conference championship teams, but both teams would be looking at monster opponents in the second round ...  Geneva would probably play Wheaton Warrenville, East would probably play Glenbard West. Yikes, and doubles yikes.

St. Charles North probably has the best draw when it comes to the Tri-Cities teams but the North Stars haven't risen to the challenge too often against their top opponents. Then there's the question about all the moving parts on offense, and whether there's enough time to click and do something special. Sly wouldn't put it past them to at least win a couple.

This time of year, if you're a suburban team, you generally want to see a whole lot of "Chicagos" in front of your opponents' name. Health insurance debate notwithstanding, "the public option" is the one you want in the IHSA playoffs, so if Marmion can get by Huntley, there might be some runnin' room for the Cadets in 6A, at least until Cary-Grove comes into play in the semis.

Coach Sly is as curious about Kaneland as anyone. Playin' in 5A, you'd think the Knights have the football weaponry to make a major push, but it's also tough to win close games without much of a running game. If Kaneland can get past the Sycs, Sly thinks a potential second-round game against Hillcrest in the south burbs could be a great ballgame. The Knights better bring their track shoes if they make it to that one.

Enough of Sly's blather. Let's hear it, loud and proud! Playoff time, starting Friday night and continuing in earnest on Halloween!

Sly knows a thing or two about rematches, but he can't figure out why the IHSA has tapped into them, too.

Three conference re-dos in the first round? That's ridiculous, though there is a chance that two of those history repeaters – St. Francis and Kaneland in 5A – could meet in a pretty good "opposites attract" quarterfinal.

Seeing Geneva in 7A isn't surprising, and the Vikes have a good track record there under Coach Wiz. Not that these guys are looking past that one game at a time, but it's probably good for the underclassmen since next year brings a conference with bigger schools anyway. Next week, meanwhile, brings the unknown in Shepard. It'll be interesting to see how the boys in black and blue have game-planned.

Looks like Coach Gould can't escape South Elgin and Coach Fields can't escape Hononegah. Sly wonders if North would be playing at home if that Saturday thriller at Norris went the other way.

Can Kaneland keep Marckie Hayes bottled up? Is Marmion still for real? How will little Roberts fare under the big lights for Beebe's bunch? Sly wants to hear from you as we get the first week of the second season under way!

Geneva, Kaneland and Marmion gave up a combined 7 points on Friday night.

This time of year, you better know how to bring people to the ground, and these teams sure did tonight. Gives you a lot of leeway to misfire on offense, and none of these teams did a ton with the ball in Week 9. But ya know what, they all won, and they'd be more than happy for more of the same next week in the first round.

If Geneva and Marmion are both in 6A (and the Vikings sure hope they are), Coach Sly would love to see that matchup. He's not so sure Geneva would win that game ... the Cadets have been smokin'! Eight straight wins, including this latest win against Montini. Way to be coach Thorpe and Co.

Congrats also to Geneva on another WSC title. A little sad that you figured 3 points might be enough to win this one, but between Batavia's offense and Geneva's defense, turned out to be all the Vikings needed.

Sly can't wait for the battle of St. Chuck on Saturday, and he really, really can't wait for the playoffs pairings Saturday night. Forget pumping money into the local economy for a night. Cancel your date, and let's break down those playoffs matchups tomorrow night!

Playoff time is here, and you know what wins championships, right?

Starts with a D, Sly hears.

True, St. Charles North can't win the UEC title anymore. But the North Stars can still leave plenty of doubt in people's mind about who the best team in St. Charles is.

True, Batavia can't make the playoffs even if they beat Geneva. But the Bulldogs' can still turn those blue-clad Geneva fans' faces red, and Sly knows that'd be worth the price of admission for the fans in B-town.

Batavia-Geneva, East-North. Our boys might be bruised and battered from a long season, but you can bet they've saved some hitting for their "friendly" rivals on Friday night.

If East wins 7-3 again, we're gonna have to start calling the Saints "The Scoreless Wonders." That defense is the best offensive or defensive unit around, period, and you can bet the Saints defense will be happy to "welcome" North's tailback to the 2009 season. Those East coaches are working overtime to try and come up with some answers on offense, but North's D isn't exactly the group you wanna see to try and have a feel-good game before the playoffs.

Coach Sly is eager to see how North bounces back from the South Elgin loss and how the North Stars use their personnel on offense this week. Sly thinks North has a good chance to win this game and make a pre-postseason statement. Sorry, but if not, Coach Sly agrees with the folks who would consider 6-3 somewhat of a disappointment with this group.

As for the Bulldogs and Vikings, Sly can see Batavia making this a game, but you'd have to consider it one of the biggest upsets the rivalry has seen if the Bulldogs can pull it off. Sly knows Batavia always takes this game very, very seriously, so Geneva would be wise to respond in kind. And to put about 10.5 guys in the box.

Sly sees Kaneland rolling Sly's distant cousins in Yorkville but even at 6-3, it might be a rough seeding road for the Knights. That Huntley loss could come back to bite 'em.

Can't forget about Marmion-Montini. That should be a great game, too. Sly knows some people question the Cadets' schedule but Sly's here to tell ya these guys are for real. Sly sees Marmion taking care of Montini and heading into the postseason with 8 straight Ws.

It's going to be a fantastic Friday around these parts. No time to hold anything back ... let's get some great discussion goin!

Break up the Bulldogs!

OK, Batavia's thashing of DeKalb might not be the most logical place for the Slyster to start, but you can't blame me for going a little loco this time of year.

Coach Sly would love to see a stat of the percentage of times high school teams fake punts on fourth-and-less than 5 in opponents' territory. It's gotta be close to 35-40, percent, Sly would think. A little surprised Kaneland wasn't more ready for that when Geneva tried it.

Kaneland had the two most explosive athletes on the field but with the game on the line, No. 20 in Geneva isn't a bad guy to go to battle with. That Geneva O-line won the attrition battle, and give some props to Geneva's D-line also for making Joe C. plenty uncomfortable most of the night.

Still a whale of an effort by the Knights, and a crushing way for their conference title hopes to go bye-bye. If Kaneland keeps its head on straight it's a team that can go a long way in 5A.

By the way, anyone else think Geneva might have to sweat one more out next week? Batavia has played good teams close, and has no reason to hold back a darn thing next week. And they won't.

Congrats to the conference champion St. Charles East Saints! That's right, East is going to at least tie for the UEC after yet another 7-3 shootout win.

That defense is big-time but the Saints better find a way to score a few more if they wanna beat North next week and more importantly win a few in the playoffs. Still, it's a team that knows how to win close games, and that counts for an awful lot in Sly's book.

As for North, what happened, North Stars people? Next week is still a big game, but coulda been even bigger if not for the stumble in So. Elgin. Might cost North a home playoff game, too.

Coach Sly knows the last week of regular season play is a monster around here with East-North and Batavia-Geneva on tap, but you might as well call Week 8 championship week. The games this Friday are HUGE!

Let's start in Maple Park. Coach Sly thinks Glenbard South is gonna go down to either Rochelle or Sycamore, so Sly considers the winner of Geneva-Kaneland the likely winner of the Western Sun championship. The talent gap between these teams isn't much this year so Coach Sly thinks it's gonna come down to coaching, holdin on to the beloved pigskin and which team plays with the most passion from start to finish.

Kaneland ain't going to get many cracks at the Tri-Cities in the years to come so this is a golden chance for the Knights program to leave a lasting impression. Kaneland's gotta try and rattle Geneva's QB early and put up some early points to get some separation. If it comes down to the fourth quarter, Sly likes Geneva. The Vikings are deeper and have shown they're a helluva second half team. Coach Sly wouldn't want to be a gassed, two-way player for Kaneland having to tackle Santa with the game on the line late.

St. Charles East can stay perfect in the UEC with a win against Neuqua. Another game where Sly thinks the first half is a big deal. Keep Neuqua feelin' sorry for themselves, then pound away behind that big ole offensive line in the second half, and the Saints will be sniffin' a championship something fierce.

North's DBs better be on their toes against South Elgin. The Storm can hurt you through the air, but Sly thinks North has the right guys to keep 'em at bay. North needs to tend to its passing game some, too, and get its receivers feelin' good about itself going into the playoffs. Sly thinks North wins again and sets up a great game in St. Charles to close the regular season.

Lastly, Sly noticed Marmion has arrived in the 6A poll. Well deserved, Cadets. You can send those thank you notes for Coach Sly's publicity campaign c/of the Chronicle. Sly accepts gifts in the form of Cadet sweatshirts or hoodies, children's medium, to warm Sly up for some playoff viewin'!

Good luck to our local golfers down at state. Great week to be a Saint!

Let's talk streaks, shall we?

St. Charles North stretched its string of postseason berths to eight, St. Charles East padded its winning streak to five and Geneva tripped over its tail of 24 straight regular season victories all on the same night.

That's a lot of numbers in a row, but if Sly can handle it, anybody can.

First, the North Stars. Pretty dominant showing on both sides of the ball on the nippiest night of the season. Just about anybody in a North Stars jersey turned Neuqua's linemen black and blue, and it was good to see some trickery out of this bunch for a change. That fourth-down conversion of the botched punt looked planned, but the perfect fake field goal definitely was.

A few new twists and turns on offense could come in handy in a couple of weeks when North plays at its crosstown rival. East can't be stopped since the schedule reached its UEC portion, and you've gotta give props to a team that scores only seven points and still wins on the road. "Blackshirts" was a term reserved for the dominant Nebraska 'D' of the olden days, but the Saints are earning that title themselves. Next week, they'll finally get to slip into those home black jerseys again after a four-game stretch away from Norris Stadium, where they're only a scratch team (1-1).

Geneva will wear white in its final two regular season games, but don't think the Vikes are waving the white flag after Friday's stunner. How 'bout the Hubs, huh? You couldn't see the numbers on their backs by game's end, but their giddy expressions were a different story. Sly's thinking a few Genevans had their first restless October night since 10/20/06, the last time their faithful team dropped a regular season game. Wonder how late Coach Wiz stayed up plotting how to get it back on track for this week's showdown out Maple Park way.

Certainly, Knights fans would like to start a new streak in the final game in this series for awhile.