Hi Brian. There was a time I could give you an exact answer as to when the All-Area teams would be published. Now, the best i can do is give you an approximation. The soonest the teams will be released is the Wednesday after the 3A/4A state tournaments. For girls, that would be March 7 and for boys that would be March 21. If not those days, it will be as soon as possble thereafter. What teams have a good chance in the postseason ... well, I think perhaps in girls Class 1A, the best hope might be Tuscola. I realize the Warriors would need to win both a regional AND a sectional at Shiloh high School and that they are seeded behind Shiloh in the regional, but something tells me Tuscola has the nucleus that can make a strong postseason run. In Class 2A girls, I think St. Thomas More has a shot at reaching the super-sectional. The Sabers are hosting a quality regional, but the good news (for them!) is that the Nos. 2 and 3 seeds (St. Joseph-Ogden and Bismarck-Henning) will battle each other in the semifinals and only one survivor will remain a day later to face the Sabers in the finals. In Class 3A girls, I still believe Centennial is the best team locally. I'm not forgetting that the Chargers just lost last week at Central and that the regional tournament will be played at Central's Combes Gym. I just feel Centennial has a very strong nucleus and, perhaps, that loss was a nice wakeup call that will set them on the path to a regional title. It's hard to say Centennial will come out of the sectional when the opening-round game will likely be against a state-ranked Springfield team, led bY Zahna Medley, which won the sectional a year ago in Champaign. As for boys, the seeds will be released later this week for the 1A and 2A teams and next week for the 3A and 4A schools. The 1A team I look for to do the best is CPCI, which will host its own regional at Cissna Park. In 2A, for depth of quality, Tuscola's regional will be the best. Unity and PBL have outstanding teams. Monticello is currently on a roll and Prairie Central is the darkhorse having played an outstanding schedule. If I had to make a prediction, I'd probably go with Unity. At Westville, the top two seeds should be Bismarck-Henning and St. Joseph-Ogden. That could be a tremendous title game -- if it plays out that way -- with the Blue Devils rating a slight edge as of right now. In Class 3A boys, I have no idea what to make of the Rantoul Regional. I think the Eagles have the best team, but I'm not sure they've played the best competition. Yet, they have the homecourt advantage. Central might be the next best team. Yet, they have lost to Centennial, which has lost to Mahomet-Seymour. The thing I can say for sure about this site is that nothing will surprise me! Thanks for asking!!

Ah! One of my favorite times of the year: the postseason in wrestling. Things get going this week at the regional level. The area 2A teams are all at Mahomet-Seymour. In 1A, three area schools are hosting regionals: Argenta-Oreana, Clinton and Prairie Central. I'm glad to see the IHSA has expanded the medals ceremony at state to six placers in all classes, not just the largest classes. I think we'll see a high number of area athletes advance to state; maybe the largest number ever. Anyone who finishes in the top three at regionals moves on to the sectionals and then everyone in the top four at sectionals qualifies for state. Lets get the competition started! I'm ready!

Hi Bubba. The first thing to keep in mind is how few choices there were with open dates the second week of the season, but you are correct that B.J. Luke is not going to shy away from a challenge for his teams. It's hard to say how things will play out in the Big 12, but it could turn out to be a pivotal game. If the Vikings -- or any team for that matter -- wind up 4-4 in league play and lose their one non-conference game by playing a tough opponent, it could keep them out of the playoffs. However, your point is valid if they go 5-3 in the conference because they should get additional playoff points from St. Rita. Another thing to remember, though, is that the IHSA only looks at wins by a school's opponents. There's no "extra credit" given for playing schools in a larger class. It's a gamble, but one that probably shouldn't be harmful to the 2012 Danville football team.