Michael O'Brien✓

Palatine: Brady May, a 6-6 senior, is the lone returning starter. Many players will get their first significant varsity minutes. Jake Tripp, Jayden Evans and Alex Iliopoulos picked up some experience last year. Junior Connor Caro and soph Luke Grybash are the top newcomers.

Lockport: Should be an exciting year. Nathan Munson, Grady Ruane and talented twins Nojus and Nedas Venckus return from a 27-win team. MJ Redden and newcomers Jayde Wyett and Elias Passehl will provide size, scoring and depth.

Shepard: Ready to compete. Returning starters Amari Williams and Brendin Thomas lead a hungry squad with Saeed Farraj, Omar Yousef and Marvion Lipscomb stepping into bigger roles. Newcomer Ryder Bradford will be in impact player.

Metamora: Eight return from a 21-win team including Sam Koch, 6-6 Brady Jones, Briggs Bucy, 6-7 Cam Beekman, 6-7 Eamon Lynch, Logan Vasquez and Collin Morrison. Keep an eye on promising freshman Brody Mason.

Huntley: Returning three starters, including junior point guard Isaac Muze. Senior guard Tyler Dudzinski and 6-5 senior Isaiah Onu played heavy minutes last year. Good mix of veteran leadership and exiting talent in the soph and freshman classes should make for a competitive group.

Oak Lawn: Reloading with a youth movement. Ben Delberto, Lucas Olofson, Gabe Fudala and Karmoni Polk are the top returners. Juniors Nathan Brennan and Ivzi Osmani (Sami's cousin) have been improving and sophs Jamari Sisson and Dillon Matthews will contribute.

New Trier: High hopes in coach Scott Fricke's final season. Seniors Matthew Logue (Holy Cross), Elton Jaegerskog, Benji Veber and Owen Foster (Denison) will combine with sophomore Denym Wallace and junior Fintan Pierce to play key roles.

St. Viator: Veteran coach Al Biancalana takes over. Senior Dawson Charles is the only returning starter. Expect 6-7 senior Nate Rouse and junior transfer Deangelo Rodriguez to make major impacts. A talented group of sophs and freshmen round out the roster.

Christ the King: Young, talented, tough and hungry group expecting to be one of the best in 2A. Seniors Levante Winfield and Treyvon Brown-Wells will lead the way.

Farragut: Senior guard Gerald Walton, a Curie transfer, will player a major role and will lead the team along with 6-3 Deangelo Emery. Soph guard Lazavion Kelly had an excellent summer and keep an eye on 6-3 freshman Roger Long. Kam Murray, QuoMarion Temples and Chris Williams also return.

RT @michaelsobrien: Overanalyzing the opening-round scores and results isn’t important. Many of the teams playing were in their first playoff game in decades. One hope for the expanded playoffs is that many significantly below-average teams can use playoff experience, extra practices, and renewed hope throughout the season to build better programs over the next few years. Some takes from the weekend:

Waubonsie Valley: Kris Mporokoso and Kyler Payne lead an experienced group expecting to compete at a high level. Evan Malushi is a major contributor and 6-8 Darion Butler has made tremendous strides. Transfer Isaac Echols adds scoring pop.

Maine South: Several key players return including starting guard Ian Smucker and seniors Timo Sakoufakis and Dylan Tomlinson. Look for high IQ junior guard Sean Ryan to play a major role. Keep an eye on juniors Elliott Arteta and Braeden Kleeman-Omara.

Lincoln-Way Central: Mix of youth and experience. Nick Brzezniak, a 6-6 senior, was excellent last season and senior Mark Ziesmer is back after missing last year with an injury. High hopes for Benet transfer Jack Fabian, an explosive junior guard.

Fremd: Top returning players are senior Carter MacDonald and junior Tyler Chlan. New group that had a good summer and are eager to prove themselves. Keep an eye on Timmy Van Gorp, a 6-6 junior.

Catholic League football coaches always say the rugged regular season schedules prepare their teams for the playoffs. It's true, and one rarely-discussed benefit of the expanded playoffs is more teams will be able to strengthen their regular season slates. Some takes from the weekend:

All of the IHSA football playoff pairings were just updated with dates and times for this weekend's first round games.

RT @michaelsobrien: The new Super 25 high school football rankings: -Well, it is the same as last week's Super 25. That's never happened before, but only 2 teams played. -Unranked DePaul Prep wins a thriller. -Things didn't go well for the Public League, but a handful of teams could win this weekend.