HERSCHER — Although Seneca could have gotten to the five-win plateau by beating Herscher Friday on the road, it knew winning out might be necessary for a playoff berth.

Any hopes the now 4-4 Fighting Irish had of that happening went out the window with a 31-23 loss at Herscher. And they are now in a position where even a win over 5-3 Manteno this Friday will likely not be enough to end a playoff drought that is over a decade old.

The IHSA projects that 27 of the 32 playoff bids in Class 3A are already gone to teams that have either have clinched or will clinch conference championships or that already have six wins. Another five teams projected to go 3A already have five wins. All of them have more opponents' wins than Seneca's 32. Of the seven other 3A schools that are also 4-4, none have fewer opponents' wins than the Irish.