The blind drawing that determines the state final pairings in bracketed team sports was held at the IHSA Office on Monday, September 18, starting at approximately 10:00 am. 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 21.
Steve Robinson, reporter for the Normalite, 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.
"The rolling of the peas" dates back to at least 1940.
Boys Class 1A Soccer
Starting lineup:
Pea #1 represents winner of Lisle (Benedictine U.) Super-Sectional
Pea #2 represents winner of Peoria (P. Christian) Super-Sectional
Pea #3 represents winner of TBA #1 Super-Sectional (south of Springfield)
Pea #4 represents winner of TBA #2 Super-Sectional (Chicago and south)
Bracket drawing:
Semifinal bracket position #1: pea #4, TBA #2 Super-Sectional (Chicago and south)
Semifinal bracket position #2: pea #3, TBA #1 Super-Sectional (south of Springfield)
Semifinal bracket position #3: pea #1, Lisle (Benedictine U.) Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #4: pea #2, Peoria (P. Christian) Super-Sectional
Boys Class 2A Soccer
Starting lineup:
Pea #1 represents winner of Springfield (UIS) Super-Sectional
Pea #2 represents winner of TBA #1 Super-Sectional (northern Illinois)
Pea #3 represents winner of TBA #2 Super-Sectional (Chicago and southwest suburbs)
Pea #4 represents winner of TBA #3 Super-Sectional (west suburbs and western Illinois)
Bracket drawing:
Semifinal bracket position #1: pea #4, TBA #3 Super-Sectional (west suburbs and western Illinois)
Semifinal bracket position #2: pea #1, Springfield (UIS) Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #3: pea #2, TBA #1 Super-Sectional (northern Illinois)
Semifinal bracket position #4: pea #3, TBA #2 Super-Sectional (Chicago and southwest suburbs)
Boys Class 3A Soccer
Starting lineup:
Pea #1 represents winner of Barrington Super-Sectional
Pea #2 represents winner of Normal (Community) Super-Sectional
Pea #3 represents winner of Romeoville (Lewis U.) Super-Sectional
Pea #4 represents winner of TBA Super-Sectional (southwest suburbs and downstate)
Bracket drawing:
Semifinal bracket position #1: pea #1, Barrington Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #2: pea #2, Normal (Community) Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #3: pea #3, Romeoville (Lewis U.) Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #4: pea #4, TBA Super-Sectional (southwest suburbs and downstate)
Girls Class 1A Volleyball
Starting lineup:
Pea #1 represents winner of Farina (South Central) Super-Sectional
Pea #2 represents winner of Raymond (Lincolnwood) Super-Sectional
Pea #3 represents winner of Serena Super-Sectional
Pea #4 represents winner of Varna (Midland) Super-Sectional
Bracket drawing:
Semifinal bracket position #1: pea #3, Serena Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #2: pea #2, Raymond (Lincolnwood) Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #3: pea #4, Varna (Midland) Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #4: pea #1, Farina (South Central) Super-Sectional
Girls Class 2A Volleyball
Starting lineup:
Pea #1 represents winner of Elgin (Harvest Christian Academy) Super-Sectional
Pea #2 represents winner of Glasford (Illini Bluffs) Super-Sectional
Pea #3 represents winner of Seneca Super-Sectional
Pea #4 represents winner of Vandalia Super-Sectional
Bracket drawing:
Semifinal bracket position #1: pea #4, Vandalia Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #2: pea #2, Glasford (Illini Bluffs) Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #3: pea #3, Seneca Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #4: pea #1, Elgin (Harvest Christian Academy) Super-Sectional
Girls Class 3A Volleyball
Starting lineup:
Pea #1 represents winner of Elmhurst (IC Catholic) Super-Sectional
Pea #2 represents winner of Rochelle Super-Sectional
Pea #3 represents winner of Salem Super-Sectional
Pea #4 represents winner of Tinley Park (H.S.) Super-Sectional
Bracket drawing:
Semifinal bracket position #1: pea #2, Rochelle Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #2: pea #1, Elmhurst (IC Catholic) Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #3: pea #4, Tinley Park (H.S.) Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #4: pea #3, Salem Super-Sectional
Girls Class 4A Volleyball
Starting lineup:
Pea #1 represents winner of Chicago (Mother McAuley) Super-Sectional
Pea #2 represents winner of Geneva Super-Sectional
Pea #3 represents winner of Lake Zurich Super-Sectional
Pea #4 represents winner of Normal (Community West) Super-Sectional
Bracket drawing:
Semifinal bracket position #1: pea #2, Geneva Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #2: pea #4, Normal (Community West) Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #3: pea #3, Lake Zurich Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #4: pea #1, Chicago (Mother McAuley) Super-Sectional
Sectional Pairings
In both boys soccer and girls volleyball, some sectionals are seeded in their entirety ("sectional complexes") and some are seeded in two separate groups ("subsectionals"). The seeds are then distributed among four regionals for the first level of competition. In the sectional semifinals, the regional champions are paired as follows:
Sectional complex: The regional containing the #1 seed is paired with the regional containing the #4 seed, while the regional containing the #2 seed is paired with the regional containing the #3 seed.
Two subsectionals: The regional containing the #1 seed of subsectional A is paired with the regional containing the #2 seed of subsectional B, while the regional containing the #1 seed of subsectional B is paired with the regional containing the #2 seed of subsectional A. An exception to these pairings is made for the southernmost sectional in Class 3A boys soccer and Class 4A girls volleyball. In these sectionals, the two regional winners from the Metro-East area will play at a local site. The winners of the central Illinois regionals will play their semifinal at another site. The sectional championship game will be played at the sectional site.