The blind drawing that determines the state final pairings in bracketed team sports was held at the IHSA Office on Tuesday, September 20, starting at approximately 2:00 pm. 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 22.
Greg Halbleib, broadcaster for WJBC in Bloomington, 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 Hinckley (H.-Big Rock) Super-Sectional
Pea #2 represents winner of Lisle (Benedictine U.) Super-Sectional
Pea #3 represents winner of Palos Heights (Chicago Christian) Super-Sectional
Pea #4 represents winner of TBA Super-Sectional (southern Illinois)
Bracket drawing:
Semifinal bracket position #1: pea #2, Lisle (Benedictine U.) Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #2: pea #3, Palos Heights (Chicago Christian) Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #3: pea #4, TBA Super-Sectional (southern Illinois)
Semifinal bracket position #4: pea #1, Hinckley (H.-Big Rock) Super-Sectional
Boys Class 2A Soccer
Starting lineup:
Pea #1 represents winner of Lemont (H.S.) Super-Sectional
Pea #2 represents winner of Springfield (UIS) Super-Sectional
Pea #3 represents winner of Sterling (H.S.) Super-Sectional
Pea #4 represents winner of TBA Super-Sectional (northern Illinois)
Bracket drawing:
Semifinal bracket position #1: pea #2, Springfield (UIS) Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #2: pea #1, Lemont (H.S.) Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #3: pea #3, Sterling (H.S.) Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #4: pea #4, TBA Super-Sectional (northern Illinois)
Boys Class 3A Soccer
Starting lineup:
Pea #1 represents winner of Barrington Super-Sectional
Pea #2 represents winner of Romeoville (Lewis U.) Super-Sectional
Pea #3 represents winner of TBA #1 Super-Sectional (west suburbs and northern Illinois)
Pea #4 represents winner of TBA #2 Super-Sectional (south suburbs and downstate Illinois)
Bracket drawing:
Semifinal bracket position #1: pea #4, TBA #2 Super-Sectional (south suburbs and downstate Illinois)
Semifinal bracket position #2: pea #2, Romeoville (Lewis U.) Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #3: pea #3, TBA #1 Super-Sectional (west suburbs and northern Illinois)
Semifinal bracket position #4: pea #1, Barrington Super-Sectional
Girls Class 1A Volleyball
Starting lineup:
Pea #1 represents winner of Arlington Heights (Christian Liberty Academy) Super-Sectional
Pea #2 represents winner of Christopher Super-Sectional
Pea #3 represents winner of Mt. Pulaski Super-Sectional
Pea #4 represents winner of Peoria Heights Super-Sectional
Bracket drawing:
Semifinal bracket position #1: pea #2, Christopher Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #2: pea #4, Peoria Heights Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #3: pea #1, Arlington Heights (Christian Liberty Academy) Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #4: pea #3, Mt. Pulaski Super-Sectional
Girls Class 2A Volleyball
Starting lineup:
Pea #1 represents winner of Elmhurst (IC Catholic) Super-Sectional
Pea #2 represents winner of Granville (Putnam County) Super-Sectional
Pea #3 represents winner of Maroa (M.-Forsyth) Super-Sectional
Pea #4 represents winner of Trenton (Wesclin) Super-Sectional
Bracket drawing:
Semifinal bracket position #1: pea #3, Maroa (M.-Forsyth) Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #2: pea #4, Trenton (Wesclin) Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #3: pea #1, Elmhurst (IC Catholic) Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #4: pea #2, Granville (Putnam County) Super-Sectional
Girls Class 3A Volleyball
Starting lineup:
Pea #1 represents winner of Effingham (H.S.) Super-Sectional
Pea #2 represents winner of Mendota Super-Sectional
Pea #3 represents winner of Park Forest (Rich East) Super-Sectional
Pea #4 represents winner of Woodstock (Marian) Super-Sectional
Bracket drawing:
Semifinal bracket position #1: pea #1, Effingham (H.S.) Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #2: pea #4, Woodstock (Marian) Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #3: pea #3, Park Forest (Rich East) Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #4: pea #2, Mendota Super-Sectional
Girls Class 4A Volleyball
Starting lineup:
Pea #1 represents winner of Carpentersville (Dundee-Crown) Super-Sectional
Pea #2 represents winner of Darien (Hinsdale South) Super-Sectional
Pea #3 represents winner of Normal (Community) Super-Sectional
Pea #4 represents winner of Schaumburg (H.S.) Super-Sectional
Bracket drawing:
Semifinal bracket position #1: pea #3, Normal (Community) Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #2: pea #1, Carpentersville (Dundee-Crown) Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #3: pea #2, Darien (Hinsdale South) Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #4: pea #4, Schaumburg (H.S.) 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.