Football playoff preview: Five things to watch

DEFENDING CHAMPS: Winning state once is a feat in itself. To be able to do it twice in a row is rare, but Brookfield East, the reigning Division 2 champion, and Catholic Memorial, which won Division 3 last year, have the types of teams that could make deep runs again in the postseason. Memorial fell a game short of winning the Classic 8, but in that league the Crusaders compete against Division 1 and 2 schools. East also finished a game out of first place in its league, the Greater Metro, but like last year might have a chance to exact revenge on GMC champion Brookfield Central if both teams keep advancing.

UNKNOWN ENTITIES: One of the downsides of the latest conference realignment was changing the North Shore Conference into a 10-team league. Its teams were left with no non-conference dates that would have allowed them to gauge how they  measured up against teams from other leagues. We think Whitefish Bay, Homestead and Hartford have strong teams, but we'll know for sure by the end of the second round when each of those teams will face a difficult test.

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CINDERELLA: A couple of possibilities come to mind of teams that could outplay their seed. Wilmot (4-5) played a tough early-season schedule and nearly won two other games that it lost. Kenosha Bradford (6-3) has been a tough out, too. Our favorite, however, is Kettle Moraine. The Lasers’ losses came by one point to 9-0 Waukesha West, by two points to 6-3 Arrowhead and by seven points to 7-2 Catholic Memorial. This team is way better than its 6-3 record.

TOUGHEST BRACKET? Not all brackets are created equal, and there are a couple with area schools that are especially intriguing. In Group D of  Division 1, Racine Horlick and Franklin are the teams to beat, but the grouping also includes Southern Lakes champion Badger, Classic 8 bruiser  Muskego plus Oak Creek and Kenosha Bradford, a couple of lower-seeded teams with the potential to be dangerous. Also watch for Group D in Division 2, from which no one would be surprised if Brookfield Central, Brookfield East or Homestead emerges.

REVENGE FACTOR: The first round features five matchups between area teams that played during the regular season. Brookfield East beat Menomonee Falls, Waukesha West defeated Germantown and Waterford knocked off Burlington by comfortable margins. The other two rematches will be toss-ups. Kenosha Bradford beat Badger, 26-21, on a touchdown with 10 seconds left Aug. 25. That same day University School edged Martin Luther, 14-7, on a touchdown with 8½ minutes left. Those two could be a couple of better games of the first round.