THREE THINGS WE KNOW
1. Anybody can beat anyone. The rankings proved irrelevant during the playoffs once again as the upsets started pouring in from the opening round. Cinderella runs by Downers South and Sandburg watched highly-regarded Naperville Central , Downers North, and Marist, to name a few, fall. York beating highly-ranked Trinity in the sectional final was also a shocker.
2. If Trinity would have held on against York and then beat Sandburg in the supersectional, it would have lined up one of the most intriguing state final ever. The Blazers and Fillies rewrote the IHSA record book this year. Trinity recorded 60 home runs and Barrington has 54 and counting. The old record for home runs by a team in a season was 51.
3. You don’t have to have experience to get Downstate. Tinley Park is one of four teams making its first appearance in the state finals. The Titans played bracket buster when they upset Lincoln-Way West in a sectional final. They lost to West 11-0 in the regular season but some good scouting by the Tinley Park coaching staff made for a different result. The Titans start four freshmen and might be a regular in East Peoria for years to come.
