Last week, the Oak Forest Bengals defeated the Centennial Chargers in Round 1 of the Class 5A IHSA playoffs by a score of 38–12. Heading into the matchup, Centennial held a 5–4 record and entered the playoffs as the 15th seed, but the Bengals left little doubt that they were ready for more.
With that win over Centennial, the Bengals continue their playoff run as they move on to Round 2 to face the seventh-seeded Bloomington Purple Raiders. Bloomington comes in with a record of 7–3 and is fresh off a 57–26 victory over Mascoutah. But what does this mean for the Bengals? As it’s been all season, it’s another matchup the Bengals shouldn’t take for granted—their next opponent won’t be a simple walkover.
In the win over Centennial, head coach Zach Sadek earned his first playoff victory as head coach of the Bengals.
“It’s great for the team and the program,” Sadek said. “The players earned their seed and two weeks of home games. It was great for everyone to win in front of our fans.”
As the Bengals hope to continue their playoff success, they’re focusing on staying together mentally and physically. Quarterback Danny Chopp shared his perspective as the Bengals prepare to take on Bloomington.
“As we get deeper, we know we are just in for another dogfight and the pressure is on,” Chopp said. “But with us staying together as a team and doing what we know we are capable of doing– we are all good.”
It looks to be another dogfight indeed, but the Bengals sound ready for what should be an exciting matchup. Ever since defeating Lemont at home on October 24 by a score of 29–10, the Bengals have been red hot, carrying a two-game winning streak into the playoffs.
That win over Lemont was a special one—it marked Oak Forest’s first victory over Lemont since 2013. To make the moment even sweeter, the Bengals were crowned conference champions that same night.
“The win felt great, especially against a team we haven’t beaten in years,” said defensive lineman Devin Booth. “Winning the conference for the first time in over a decade was an amazing experience for all of us.”
Now, the Bengals are looking to send a message to the rest of the competition in Class 5A: they’re not an easy opponent. With back-to-back wins, confidence is high as they prepare to defend their home field.
“Our team is juiced for this Saturday’s matchup, everyone wants to get paid with another week of football on our ride together as a group.” said DB/RB Kevin Sullivan. “We’re all ready to fire out come Saturday and defend our house. We’re all ready to make a statement.”
The Bengals take on Bloomington at home for Round 2 of the Class 5A IHSA playoffs on Saturday, November 8, at 2:00 p.m. at Bengal Stadium.
As always—Go Bengals!
