METAMORA — Survive and advance.
Metamora opened its 2026 Illinois high school football playoff run with a 56-7 win over Alton Marquette on Friday, Oct. 23.
This marks the fifth consecutive season Metamora has won at least one playoff game. The 12-seed Redbirds (7-3) now advance to next weekend's IHSA first round, heading to fifth-seeded Breese Central (8-1).
This opening-round matchup also had a little bit of history for Metamora and Marquette (4-6). Metamora beat Alton Marquette in the 1975 Class 3A first round, becoming the Redbirds' first-ever playoff opponent on its way to the program's first state championship.
More history was produced by Metamora receiver Briggs Bucy, whose second TD catch of the game set a school record for single-season touchdown catches at 12. He added a third TD catch to extend that record to 13.
This story will be updated.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: How a record night by receiver helped Metamora crush opponent in IHSA Class 4A playoffs