September 11, 2009
The blind drawing that determines the state final pairings in bracketed team sports was held at the IHSA Office on Friday, September 11, starting at approximately 10 a.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 24.
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 Chillicothe (Illinois Valley Central) Sectional
Pea #2 represents winner of Lisle (Sr.) Sectional
Pea #3 represents winner of Princeton Sectional
Pea #4 represents winner of Raymond (Lincolnwood) Sectional
Bracket drawing:
Semifinal bracket position #1: pea #1, Chillicothe (Illinois Valley Central) Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #2: pea #2, Lisle (Sr.) Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #3: pea #3, Princeton Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #4: pea #4, Raymond (Lincolnwood) Sectional
Boys Class 2A Soccer
Starting lineup:
Pea #1 represents winner of TBA Super-Sectional (southern and eastern Illinois)
Pea #2 represents winner of TBA Super-Sectional (central Illinois)
Pea #3 represents winner of TBA Super-Sectional (northern Illinois)
Pea #4 represents winner of TBA Super-Sectional (Chicago area)
Bracket drawing:
Semifinal bracket position #1: pea #2, TBA Super-Sectional (central Illinois)
Semifinal bracket position #2: pea #3, TBA Super-Sectional (northern Illinois)
Semifinal bracket position #3: pea #4, TBA Super-Sectional (Chicago area)
Semifinal bracket position #4: pea #1, TBA Super-Sectional (southern and eastern Illinois)
Boys Class 3A Soccer
Starting lineup:
Pea #1 represents winner of TBA Super-Sectional (downstate Illinois and southern suburbs)
Pea #2 represents winner of TBA Super-Sectional (northern suburbs)
Pea #3 represents winner of TBA Super-Sectional (western suburbs)
Pea #4 represents winner of TBA Super-Sectional (northwestern suburbs)
Bracket drawing:
Semifinal bracket position #1: pea #2, TBA Super-Sectional (northern suburbs)
Semifinal bracket position #2: pea #3, TBA Super-Sectional (western suburbs)
Semifinal bracket position #3: pea #4, TBA Super-Sectional (northwestern suburbs)
Semifinal bracket position #4: pea #1, TBA Super-Sectional (downstate Illinois and southern suburbs)
Girls Class 1A Volleyball
Starting lineup:
Pea #1 represents winner of Abingdon Super-Sectional
Pea #2 represents winner of Albion (Edwards County) Super-Sectional
Pea #3 represents winner of Arcola Super-Sectional
Pea #4 represents winner of South Beloit Super-Sectional
Bracket drawing:
Semifinal bracket position #1: pea #3, Arcola Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #2: pea #1, Abingdon Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #3: pea #4, South Beloit Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #4: pea #2, Albion (Edwards County) Super-Sectional
Girls Class 2A Volleyball
Starting lineup:
Pea #1 represents winner of Greenville
Super-Sectional
Pea #2 represents winner of Palos Heights (Chicago Christian) Super-Sectional
Pea #3 represents winner of Pana Super-Sectional
Pea #4 represents winner of Spring Valley (Hall) Super-Sectional
Bracket drawing:
Semifinal bracket position #1: pea #1, Greenville
Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #2: pea #3, Pana Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #3: pea #2, Palos Heights (Chicago Christian) Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #4: pea #4, Spring Valley (Hall) Super-Sectional
Girls Class 3A Volleyball
Starting lineup:
Pea #1 represents winner of Chatham (Glenwood) Super-Sectional
Pea #2 represents winner of Grayslake (Central) Super-Sectional
Pea #3 represents winner of Oswego (H.S.) Super-Sectional
Pea #4 represents winner of Sterling (H.S.) Super-Sectional
Bracket drawing:
Semifinal bracket position #1: pea #4, Sterling (H.S.) Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #2: pea #1, Chatham (Glenwood) Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #3: pea #3, Oswego (H.S.) Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #4: pea #2, Grayslake (Central) Super-Sectional
Girls Class 4A Volleyball
Starting lineup:
Pea #1 represents winner of Chicago (Mother McAuley)
Super-Sectional
Pea #2 represents winner of Libertyville Super-Sectional
Pea #3 represents winner of Normal (Community) Super-Sectional
Pea #4 represents winner of St. Charles (East) Super-Sectional
Bracket drawing:
Semifinal bracket position #1: pea #4, St. Charles (East) Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #2: pea #2, Libertyville Super-Sectional
Semifinal bracket position #3: pea #3, Normal (Community) 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 at the regional level. Those champions of those regionals will be paired randomly at the sectional, according to the following system: