Wheaton North and Wheaton Warrenville South will both play at home when the IHSA Class 6A football playoffs reach the first round Oct. 30-31.

The bracket, released Oct. 17 by the IHSA, slots the Falcons as the No. 7 seed in the north half and the Tigers as the No. 6 seed in the south half. Both earned opening-round byes. Wheaton Academy, seeded No. 5 in Class 5A at 7-2, also received a bye.

The IHSA expanded its football playoff field from 256 to 384 teams for the first time since 1985, according to Sports Illustrated. Each class now includes 48 teams. Opening-round games are set for Friday, Oct. 23, and Saturday, Oct. 24, with winners advancing to face bye teams the following weekend.

Wheaton North hosts Addison Trail/Rolling Meadows winner

The Falcons (6-3) will host whichever team survives the opening-round matchup between No. 23 Rolling Meadows (2-7) and No. 10 Addison Trail (6-3), scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, at Addison Trail.

Wheaton North started the season 5-0, then dropped three straight to Wheaton Warrenville South, Batavia and Geneva before beating Glenbard North 14-7 in Week 9, according to Shaw Local's Friday Night Drive. Running back Mac Murray and two-way standout Adam Schilling, who plays linebacker and tight end, anchor the roster.

One question mark hangs over the quarterback position. Starting signal-caller Burke Neibch has been sidelined during the second half of the season with a hand injury, Shaw Local reported. Junior Rory Burke and sophomore Grant Neibch have split snaps in his absence.

The Chicago Tribune flagged the Falcons' quadrant as one of the toughest in 6A, grouping Geneva, Wheaton North, Addison Trail and Carmel together.

WW South awaits Joliet Catholic/Bradley-Bourbonnais winner

The Tigers (6-3) host the winner of No. 22 Bradley-Bourbonnais (4-5) at No. 11 Joliet Catholic (5-4), also set for 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23.

WW South finished third in the DuKane Conference after a 27-24 loss to Batavia in Week 9, according to the Daily Herald's Top 20 rankings. The Tigers bring a junior-heavy lineup led by quarterback AJ Rogers.

Rogers has thrown for 2,001 yards with 16 touchdowns and four interceptions, Shaw Local reported. Wide receiver Blake Ittersagen is his top target with 39 catches for 628 yards and seven touchdowns.

WW South has qualified for seven straight postseasons and won a playoff game last year for the first time since a 2019 quarterfinal run. The Tribune gave the Tigers honorable mention as a "team you don't want to face" in 6A and predicted WW South could reach the semifinals.

Wheaton Academy eyes deep 5A run

Wheaton Academy (7-2), the No. 5 seed in Class 5A, will host the winner of No. 21 Freeport at No. 12 Belvidere North.

First-year head coach Justin Swider guided the Warriors to their best start since the 1957 undefeated season, winning their first six games, Shaw Local reported. Two-way standout Logan Oros, who plays linebacker and H-back, is committed to Western Illinois.

The Warriors missed the playoffs last season at 4-5 for the first time since 2019. They recovered from consecutive losses to Bishop McNamara and Aurora Christian by a combined 11 points to beat Christ the King in Week 9.

All eight DuKane Conference teams qualified for the playoffs. First-round games for the bye teams are set for Oct. 30-31.