Quarterfinal trips on the line for 5 remaining area teams: Kankakee County area 2nd-round football previews

Class 4ANo. 10 Dixon (8-3) at No. 2 Coal City (9-1)When: 1 p.m. SaturdayAbout the Dukes: Dixon now gets a third try to knock Coal City out of the playoffs after losing to the Coalers in each of the last two postseasons. The Dukes have to feel a little bit fortunate to have a chance at all, winning their first-round game on a touchdown pass on the final play of the game against Evergreen Park. Dixon QB Jagger Kemp is a strong run/pass option for the Dukes, who usually try to turn most games into defensive struggles.About the Coalers: Coal City continues to give opponents little hope almost from the start. The Coalers have been absolutely stifling on defense as of late, holding their last four opponents – including 2A powerhouse Wilmington – to single-digit scoring. That’s a bad recipe for opponents, because they’ve had an almost impossible time keeping Coal City from scoring seemingly at will. QB Connor Henline has posted an impressive stat line, while RB Logan Natyshok is well past the