All three Wheaton-area football programs are locked into the IHSA playoffs. But Friday, Oct. 16, games carry real consequences for where each team lands in the 384-team bracket.

The biggest stakes belong to Wheaton Warrenville South. The Tigers (6-2, 40 playoff points) travel to fellow 6-2 Batavia at 7 p.m. in a matchup that could determine whether coach Sean Norris' squad lands in the Class 6A or 7A bracket. WW South reached 6A's second round last season, and Shaw Local's Steve Soucie projects the Tigers sit near the dividing line between the two classes. The exact cutoff has not been published.

Junior quarterback AJ Rogers has powered the offense all fall. In a 35-7 Week 8 win over St. Charles North, Rogers threw three touchdown passes to Steven Harvey and ran for a 24-yard score. After the Tigers' Week 1 win over St. Charles East on Sept. 4, Rogers said he and his receivers "built a connection this summer, showing up and working together every day."

A win at Batavia would boost WW South's playoff-point total and likely push the Tigers into 7A, where the top 16 seeds in each class earn first-round byes. A loss could keep them in 6A with a lower seed.

Wheaton North looks to end skid

Wheaton North (5-3, 36 playoff points) hosts 3-5 Glenbard North at 7 p.m. Friday. The Falcons opened the season 5-0 after back-to-back losing years, but three straight DuKane Conference losses have cooled the early momentum.

The skid has not been without fight. In a Week 7 loss to Batavia, the Falcons rallied from a 14-0 deficit to take a 21-14 lead before falling 28-21. Senior running back Mac Murray remains the offensive engine. After Murray's 155-yard, 27-carry performance in a Sept. 18 win over St. Charles East, head coach Joe Wardynski praised his workhorse back, telling Shaw Local: "Mac has been a warrior for us … He ran hard again tonight."

A win over Glenbard North would send Wheaton North into the postseason at 6-3 with momentum. A loss means the Falcons enter the bracket on a four-game slide.

Wheaton Academy eyes first-round bye

Wheaton Academy (6-2, 36 playoff points) closes at 1-7 Christ the King at 7 p.m. Friday. The Warriors dropped back-to-back games by a combined 11 points to Bishop McNamara and Aurora Christian after opening the season 6-0, the program's best start since 1957, according to first-year head coach Justin Swider.

A win could position Wheaton Academy among the top 16 seeds in its class, earning a first-round bye. Last season the Warriors went 4-5 and narrowly missed the postseason, making this year's turnaround under Swider all the more significant.

In late September, when the Warriors were still unbeaten, Swider told Shaw Local the team carried a resilient mindset. Quarterback Colton Miller and Logan Oros, a Western Illinois commit who plays linebacker and H-back, anchor the roster. The offense averaged 30 points per game through the first eight weeks, per Shaw Local.

All three games kick off at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16. The IHSA will release the playoff bracket after Week 9 results are final.