The blind drawing that determines the state final pairings in
bracketed team sports was held at the IHSA Office on Thursday,
September 20, starting at approximately 1:30 p.m. This drawing
covered the fall sports of boys soccer and girls volleyball. Boys football, which operates under a different system, will be
paired on Football Pairings Night, October 20.
Roger Quinlan, former athletic director at Rantoul High School, made the drawings. Traditionally, the pairings are made by
ordering the sites that feed into the state finals in
alphabetical order and numbering them from 1 to 4. Then the numbered
peas are drawn from a bottle. The number on the first pea drawn
represents the site whose winner will occupy the first position on
the bracket, and so on.
Boys Class 1A Soccer
Starting lineup:
Pea #1 represents winner of Collinsville Super-Sectional
Pea #2 represents winner of Hoffman Estates (H.S.) Super-Sectional
Pea #3 represents winner of Naperville (North) Super-Sectional
Pea #4 represents winner of Urbana (University) Super-Sectional
Bracket drawing:
Semifinal bracket position #1: pea #3, Naperville (North) Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #2: pea #1, Collinsville Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #3: pea #4, Urbana (University) Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #4: pea #2, Hoffman Estates (H.S.) Super-Sectional
Boys Class 2A Soccer
Starting lineup:
Pea #1 represents winner of Chicago (Solorio Academy) Super-Sectional
Pea #2 represents winner of Hampshire Super-Sectional
Pea #3 represents winner of Lemont (H.S.) Super-Sectional
Pea #4 represents winner of Springfield (UIS) Super-Sectional
Bracket drawing:
Semifinal bracket position #1: pea #3, Lemont (H.S.) Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #2: pea #1, Chicago (Solorio Academy) Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #3: pea #2, Hampshire Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #4: pea #4, Springfield (UIS) Super-Sectional
Boys Class 3A Soccer
Starting lineup:
Pea #1 represents winner of Barrington Super-Sectional
Pea #2 represents winner of Glenview (Glenbrook South) Super-Sectional
Pea #3 represents winner of Lisle (Benedictine U.) Super-Sectional
Pea #4 represents winner of Normal (Community) Super-Sectional
Bracket drawing:
Semifinal bracket position #1: pea #3, Lisle (Benedictine U.) Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #2: pea #1, Barrington Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #3: pea #2, Glenview (Glenbrook South) Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #4: pea #4, Normal (Community) Super-Sectional
Girls Class 1A Volleyball
Starting lineup:
Pea #1 represents winner of Lanark (Eastland) Super-Sectional
Pea #2 represents winner of Streator (Woodland) Super-Sectional
Pea #3 represents winner of Valmeyer Super-Sectional
Pea #4 represents winner of Windsor Super-Sectional
Bracket drawing:
Semifinal bracket position #1: pea #2, Streator (Woodland) Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #2: pea #3, Valmeyer Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #3: pea #1, Lanark (Eastland) Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #4: pea #4, Windsor Super-Sectional
Girls Class
2A Volleyball
Starting lineup:
Pea #1 represents winner of Effingham (St. Anthony) Super-Sectional
Pea #2 represents winner of Pecatonica Super-Sectional
Pea #3 represents winner of Riverton Super-Sectional
Pea #4 represents winner of Serena Super-Sectional
Bracket drawing:
Semifinal bracket position #1: pea #2, Pecatonica Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #2: pea #1, Effingham (St. Anthony) Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #3: pea #3, Riverton Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #4: pea #4, Serena Super-Sectional
Girls Class 3A Volleyball
Starting lineup:
Pea #1 represents winner of Galesburg (H.S.) Super-Sectional
Pea #2 represents winner of Grayslake (Central) Super-Sectional
Pea #3 represents winner of Palos Heights (Chicago Christian) Super-Sectional
Pea #4 represents winner of Salem Super-Sectional
Bracket drawing:
Semifinal bracket position #1: pea #1, Galesburg (H.S.) Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #2: pea #3, Palos Heights (Chicago Christian) Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #3: pea #2, Grayslake (Central) Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #4: pea #4, Salem Super-Sectional
Girls Class
4A Volleyball
Starting lineup:
Pea #1 represents winner of Chicago (Mother McAuley) Super-Sectional
Pea #2 represents winner of Hoffman Estates (H.S.) Super-Sectional
Pea #3 represents winner of Normal (Community West) Super-Sectional
Pea #4 represents winner of Skokie (Niles West) Super-Sectional
Bracket drawing:
Semifinal bracket position #1: pea #4, Skokie (Niles West) Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #2: pea #1, Chicago (Mother McAuley) Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #3: pea #2, Hoffman Estates (H.S.) Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #4: pea #3, Normal (Community West) Super-Sectional
Sectional Pairings
In both boys soccer and girls volleyball, some sectionals are seeded at the regional level. Those champions of those regionals will be paired randomly at the sectional, according to the following system:
- The names of the four regional sites will be alphabetized according to standard IHSA naming protocol and numbered from 1 to 4.
- The first sectional semifinal will pair the winner of Regional #2 and the winner of Regional #1.
- The second sectional semifinal will pair the winner of Regional #3 and the winner of Regional #4.
An exception to these pairings is made for the southernmost sectional in the following tournaments: Class 3A boys soccer and Class 4A girls volleyball. In these sectionals, the two regional winners from the Metro-East area will be paired in one semifinal and play at a local site. The winners of the other two regionals will play their semifinal at another site. The winners of these two games will play at the sectional site.