2026 IHSA playoffs: Steve Soucie’s Class 7A playoff analysis and picks

Round of 16 matchupsNormal Community (10-0) vs. Kenwood (7-3): Normal Community got a little bit of a push for the first time this season eventually earning a two-touchdown win over Edwardsville in the first round. It also was also the only time the Ironmen were held under 40 points all season. Kenwood isn’t a typical CPL team and might have the mettle to make this game interesting as it dominated most of its games and its lone loss since an 0-2 start was solid effort against Morgan Park in the CPL title game.Pick: Normal CommunityBrother Rice (8-2) vs. Batavia (8-2): Brother Rice has been a wrecking ball since its Week 4 loss to Loyola and holds a signature win over Mount Carmel during that run. Early season losses to Lincoln-Way East and Loyola pushed the Crusaders seed down much lower than it should be. Batavia, who voluntarily plays in Class 7A, seems to be a magnet for running into Chicago Catholic League opponents relatively early in the draw, having had seasons end the last seve