By Sean Duncan

The Class 3A tournament has a different feel, which is to say the field will be significantly beefier than past years. Previously, Class 3A always featured a handful of top-level teams, but had a precipitous drop-off after that. This year, the Class 3A tournament could be just as exciting as Class 4A.

 I was on a three-year hot streak calling the 3A champion before Kaneland made its shocking run through the playoffs to win it all last year. I don’t think anyone – not even Kaneland’s coach – could’ve seen that coming, so my confidence isn’t too bruised as we head into the playoffs, which begin today with regional play-in games.

Like all years, there’s some serious inequality in the sectionals. The Lincoln-Way West Sectional is a complete joke. Joliet Catholic, Oak Forest, Marian Catholic, Lemont, Illiana Christian and Lincoln-Way West are all crammed into this sectional. Although we may not get the best cross-section of teams in the state semifinals, you will certainly see some incredible pitching matchups in this sectional. Some of the top pitchers in the state will square off: JCA’s Kevin Duchene, Oak Forest’s Kyle Funkhouser, Marian Catholic’s Brett Lilek and Lemont’s Tyler Jay.

In the end, both the Guru and I are picking Joliet Catholic Academy to advance out of the sectional. The Hilltoppers have played arguably the toughest schedule in the state and have been among the top 10 teams for most of the season (and are currently No. 1). If Kyle Funkhouser could throw every inning, I’d probably go with Oak Forest.

The winner of Lincoln-Way West sectional will likely face Simeon in the Crestwood Supersectional. Simeon, which dropped down from 4A, can be as scary as any team. The Wolverines’ athleticism and position players are second-to-none. Pitching will be the big question for them.

In the Sauget Supersectional, Normal West, Morton, Triad, Mount Vernon, and Glenwood are the favorites. In the past, we’d pencil in perennial power Glenwood and move on. Not this year. The Guru is feeling Morton’s starting pitching, headed by Illinois State-bound Will Headean. Normal West was my preseason pick to win 3A, but with junior standout Matthew James likely out for the playoffs with mono, I have to switch it up. I like hard-hitting Triad to rake its way to Joliet.

The Augustana Supersectional is somewhat weak. Expect Ottawa or LaSalle-Peru to come out of the LaSalle-Peru Sectional. In the Sycamore Sectional, both the Guru and I are picking Prairie Ridge to advance – all the way to Joliet. Prairie Ridge, which finished runner-up in the summer state tournament, dropped down from 4A this year.

The North Central College Supersectional features Nazareth, Glenbard South, Grayslake Central, Vernon Hills, St. Viator and St. Joseph. Overall, it’s very soft, and any one of several teams have the chance to make it out. The obvious pick here is Nazareth, which finished fourth at state last year and was ranked in the top 25 for most of the year. The Guru likes the obvious. I think St. Viator could be the sleeper in this super. The Lions have the pitching and have played all the top teams in the East Suburban Catholic tough.

In the end, while the Guru and I took completely different paths, we arrived at the same Class 3A championship game: Joliet Catholic vs. Prairie Ridge. And we both are picking Joliet Catholic to win another state championship on Saturday, June 9 at Silver Cross Field.

A look at our Class 3A predictions:

Drake "The Guru" Skleba	Sean Duncan
Sauget Supersectional	Sauget Supersectional
Mahomet-Seymour Sectional	Mahomet-Seymour Sectional
Normal West d. Danville	Normal West d. Danville
Morton d. Sacred Heart-Griffin	Morton d. Sacred Heart-Griffin
Morton d. Normal West	Normal West d. Morton
Mattoon Sectional	Mattoon Sectional
Glenwood d. Triad	Triad d. Glenwood
Mount Vernon d. Effingham	Mount Vernon d. Effingham
Mount Vernon d. Glenwood	Triad d. Mount Vernon
Supersectional:	Supersectional:
Morton d. Mount Vernon	Triad d. Normal West
Morton advances to Joliet	Triad advances to Joliet
Augustana Supersectional	Augustana Supersectional
LaSalle-Peru Sectional	LaSalle-Peru Sectional
LaSalle-Peru d. Geneseo	LaSalle-Peru d. Geneseo
Ottawa d. Galesburg	Galesburg d. Ottawa
Ottawa d. LaSalle-Peru	LaSalle-Peru d. Galesburg
Sycamore Sectional	Sycamore Sectional
Kaneland d. Belvidere North	Kaneland d. Belvidere North
Prairie Ridge d. Burlington Central	Prairie Ridge d. Burlington Central
Prairie Ridge d. Kaneland	Prairie Ridge d. Kaneland
Supersectional:	Supersectional:
Prairie Ridge d. Ottawa	Prairie Ridge d. LaSalle-Peru
Prairie Ridge advances to Joliet	Prairie Ridge advances to Joliet
Naperville Supersectional	Naperville Supersectional
Glenbard South Sectional	Glenbard South Sectional
Nazareth d. Glenbard South	Glenbard South d. Nazareth
St. Joseph d. Riverside-Brookfield	St. Joseph d. Riverside-Brookfield
Nazareth d. St. Joseph	Glenbard South d. St. Joseph
Grayslake Central Sectional	Grayslake Central Sectional
Grayslake Central d. Antioch	Grayslake Central d. Antioch
Vernon Hills d. St. Viator	St. Viator d. Vernon Hills
Vernon Hills d. Grayslake Central	St. Viator d. Grayslake Central
Supersectional:	Supersectional:
Nazareth d. Vernon Hills	St. Viator d. Glenbard South
Nazareth advances to Joliet	St. Viator advances to Joliet
Crestwood Supersectional	Crestwood Supersectional
Chicago Washington Sectional	Chicago Washington Sectional
Simeon d. Jones	Simeon d. Jones
Harlan d. Kenwood	Harlan d. Kenwood
Simeon d. Harlan	Simeon d. Harlan
Lincoln-Way West Sectional	Lincoln-Way West Sectional
Oak Forest d. Marian Catholic	Marian Catholic d. Oak Forest
Joliet Catholic d. Lemont	Joliet Catholic d. Lemont
Joliet Catholic d. Oak Forest	Joliet Catholic d. Marian Catholic
Supersectional:	Supersectional:
Joliet Catholic d. Simeon	Joliet Catholic d. Simeon
Joliet Catholic advances to Joliet	Joliet Catholic advances to Joliet
Class 3A State Semifinals	Class 3A State Semifinals
Prairie Ridge d. Morton	Prairie Ridge d. Triad
Joliet Catholic d. Nazareth	Joliet Catholic d. St. Viator
Third-Place Game	Third-Place Game
Morton d. Nazareth	Triad d. St. Viator
Class 3A Championship Game	Class 3A Championship Game
Joliet Catholic d. Prairie Ridge	Joliet Catholic d. Prairie Ridge
JCA wins another title	JCA wins another title