By Brooke Rayford

It is the second round of the high school football playoffs, and top teams in class 8A are keeping fans on the edge of their seats.

Last year’s state champions, Stevenson High School, were almost eliminated in the first round last Friday against Conant High School. With Stevenson seeded No. 16 this year and Conant No. 17, the game was expected to be a close one. The Patriots found a way to come back from a 16-point deficit to win 43-35.

Stevenson will face Loyola Academy, in a rematch on Saturday at noon.

Last fall the Patriots were seeded No. 1 when they beat the Ramblers in the second round. Now they are trading places. Stevenson is hoping to repeat to advance to the semi-finals, while Loyola is try to make it to the state championship game for the third time in 10 years.

The Ramblers beat Mount Carmel two weeks ago to win the Chicago Catholic (Blue) division championship and sailed through the first round of the playoffs against West Aurora, winning 31-0.

The winner of this game will go on to the third round to face the winner of (No. 9) New Trier and 2014’s state runner-up (No. 8) Homewood-Flossmoor, scheduled for Saturday at 7 p.m.

For highlights of the Stevenson and Conant game, click here.