It may seem as if Week 9 in Little Illini Conference football is anti-climactic. After all, Mt. Carmel has already wrapped up the championship, and the Golden Aces carry a two-game lead into the final night of the regular season.

However, Week 9 will be anything but ho-hum. Because as many as seven LIC schools could be extending their season when the Illinois High School Association unveils a newly-expanded playoff lineup of 384 teams on Saturday night. So, there’s plenty left to play for, as every single game result anywhere in the state could impact the entire bracket and post-season schedule. Every result – and in particular every upset – will reverberate throughout the system. Even teams not playoff eligible get to play a spoiler role on a statewide scale. In other words, the fun is just now getting started.

Here is the Week 9 schedule:

Friday, Oct. 16
Newton (4-2, 5-3) at Marshall (2-4, 3-5), 7:00 p.m.
Massey says: Newton by by 22 points
Our prediction: Newton 34-15

Paris (4-2, 6-2) at Casey-Westfield (2-4, 3-5), 7:00 p.m.
Massey says: Paris by 14
Our prediction: Paris 35-8

Mt. Carmel (6-0, 8-0) at Lawrenceville (0-6, 0-8), 7:00 p.m.
Massey says: Mt. Carmel by 41
Our prediction: Mt. Carmel 55-0

Saturday, Oct. 17
Olney (4-2, 4-4) at Robinson (2-4, 3-5), 1:00 p.m.
Massey says: Olney by 28
Our prediction: Olney 40-19

Be sure and check out our own playoff projections,( https://littleillini.com/football-playoffs/ ) where we lay out what the entire tournament could look like. Keep checking back through Saturday night, because our projections could change as other results become available.

IHSA Pairings Day timeline
Tournament Bracket Release Times (approximate):

Class 1A
about 9:02 PM

Class 2A
about 9:07 PM

Class 3A
about 9:14 PM

Class 4A
about 9:19 PM

Class 5A
about 9:27 PM

Class 6A
about 9:35 PM

Class 7A
about 9:42 PM

Class 8A
about 9:48 PM

Read more here: https://www.ihsa.org/sports/football/state-series/pairings-guide