The blind drawing that determines the state final pairings in bracketed team sports was held at the IHSA Office on Monday, May 10, 2021, starting at approximately 10:00 AM. This drawing covered the spring sports of boys water polo, girls water polo, boys volleyball, girls lacrosse, girls soccer, girls softball, and boys baseball.
IHSA Information Technology Director Bob Gibson made the drawings. Traditionally, the pairings are made by ordering the sites that feed into the state finals in alphabetical order and numbering them. Then 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, for more on its history click here.
Boys Water Polo
Quarterfinal bracket position #1: Lincolnshire (Stevenson) Sectional
Quarterfinal bracket position #2: Palatine (Fremd) Sectional
Quarterfinal bracket position #3: Northbrook (Glenbrook North) Sectional
Quarterfinal bracket position #4: Aurora (Metea Valley) Sectional
Quarterfinal bracket position #5: Elmhurst (York) Sectional
Quarterfinal bracket position #6: LaGrange (Lyons) Sectional
Quarterfinal bracket position #7: New Lenox (Lincoln-Way Central) Sectional
Quarterfinal bracket position #8: Chicago (St. Ignatius College Prep) Sectional
Girls Water Polo
Quarterfinal bracket position #1: LaGrange (Lyons) Sectional
Quarterfinal bracket position #2: Aurora (Waubonsie Valley) Sectional
Quarterfinal bracket position #3: Glenview (Glenbrook South) Sectional
Quarterfinal bracket position #4: Elmhurst (York) Sectional
Quarterfinal bracket position #5: New Lenox (Lincoln-Way Central) Sectional
Quarterfinal bracket position #6: Deerfield (H.S.) Sectional
Quarterfinal bracket position #7: Palatine (Fremd) Sectional
Quarterfinal bracket position #8: Chicago (St. Ignatius College Prep) Sectional
Boys Lacrosse
Semifinal bracket position #1: Hoffman Estates (H.S.) Supersectional
Semifinal bracket position #2: Arlington Heights (St. Viator) Supersectional
Semifinal bracket position #3: Washington Supersectional
Semifinal bracket position #4: Arlington Heights (St. Viator) 2 Supersectional
Girls Lacrosse
Semifinal bracket position #1: Hoffman Estates (H.S.) Supersectional
Semifinal bracket position #2: Streamwood 2 Supersectional
Semifinal bracket position #3: Streamwood Supersectional
Semifinal bracket position #4: Wilmette (Loyola Academy) Supersectional
Class 1A Girls Softball
Semifinal bracket position #1: Sterling (H.S.) Supersectional
Semifinal bracket position #2: Springfield (UIS) Supersectional
Semifinal bracket position #3: Bloomington (Illinois Wesleyan U.) Supersectional
Semifinal bracket position #4: Johnston City Supersectional
Class 2A Girls Softball
Semifinal bracket position #1: East Peoria (EastSide Centre) Supersectional
Semifinal bracket position #2: Johnston City Supersectional
Semifinal bracket position #3: Rosemont (Rosemont Stadium) Supersectional
Semifinal bracket position #4: Decatur (Millikin U.) Supersectional
Class 3A Girls Softball
Semifinal bracket position #1: Ottawa (Twp.) Supersectional
Semifinal bracket position #2: Rosemont (Rosemont Stadium) 1 Supersectional
Semifinal bracket position #3: Maple Park (Kaneland) Supersectional
Semifinal bracket position #4: Mattoon Supersectional
Class 4A Girls Softball
Semifinal bracket position #1: Chicago (Marist) Supersectional
Semifinal bracket position #2: Barrington Supersectional
Semifinal bracket position #3: Orland Park (Sandburg) Supersectional
Semifinal bracket position #4: Normal (ISU) Supersectional
Class 1A Boys Baseball
Semifinal bracket position #1: Rockford (Rivets Stadium) Supersectional
Semifinal bracket position #2: Springfield (Lincoln Land Community College) Supersectional
Semifinal bracket position #3: Normal (Illinois State University) Supersectional
Semifinal bracket position #4: Carbondale (SIU) Supersectional
Class 2A Boys Baseball
Semifinal bracket position #1: Rockford (Rivets Stadium) Supersectional
Semifinal bracket position #2: Decatur (Millikin U.) Supersectional
Semifinal bracket position #3: Bloomington (Illinois Wesleyan U.) Supersectional
Semifinal bracket position #4: Carbondale (SIU) Supersectional
Class 3A Boys Baseball
Semifinal bracket position #1: Schaumburg (Wintrust Field) Supersectional
Semifinal bracket position #2: Geneseo Supersectional
Semifinal bracket position #3: Crestwood (Standard Bank Stadium) 1 Supersectional
Semifinal bracket position #4: Decatur (Millikin U.) Supersectional
Class 4A Boys Baseball
Semifinal bracket position #1: River Grove (Triton College) Supersectional
Semifinal bracket position #2: Normal (Illinois State University) Supersectional
Semifinal bracket position #3: Schaumburg (Wintrust Field) Supersectional
Semifinal bracket position #4: Crestwood (Standard Bank Stadium) 2 Supersectional
Boys Volleyball
Quarterfinal bracket position #1: Chicago (Marist) Sectional
Quarterfinal bracket position #2: Minooka Sectional
Quarterfinal bracket position #3: Northbrook (Glenbrook North) Sectional
Quarterfinal bracket position #4: Vernon Hills Sectional
Quarterfinal bracket position #5: Chicago (St. Rita) Sectional
Quarterfinal bracket position #6: Hinsdale (Central) Sectional
Quarterfinal bracket position #7: Roselle (Lake Park) Sectional
Quarterfinal bracket position #8: TBA Sectional [DESCRIBE AREA]
Class 1A Girls Soccer
Semifinal bracket position #1: Mendota Supersectional
Semifinal bracket position #2: TBA Supersectional [DESCRIBE AREA]
Semifinal bracket position #3: Bloomington (H.S.) Supersectional
Semifinal bracket position #4: Elmhurst (IC Catholic) Supersectional
Class 2A Girls Soccer
Semifinal bracket position #1: Mendota Supersectional
Semifinal bracket position #2: TBA Supersectional [DESCRIBE AREA]
Semifinal bracket position #3: Wauconda Supersectional
Semifinal bracket position #4: Urbana (H.S.) Supersectional
Class 3A Girls Soccer
Semifinal bracket position #1: Barrington Supersectional
Semifinal bracket position #2: Burbank (Reavis) Supersectional
Semifinal bracket position #3: TBA Supersectional [DESCRIBE AREA]
Semifinal bracket position #4: Northbrook (Glenbrook North) Supersectional
Sectional Pairings
In all spring sports except water polo and lacrosse, 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 4A. 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.