COAL CITY — To get to the Class 4A football semifinals, Coal City will have to beat the team many feel is the team to beat in the entire class.

Alleman brought an 8-1 record and 38 opponents' wins into the playoffs and was rewarded with a No. 1 seed. In the playoffs, the Pioneers have defeated one of the Coalers' Interstate Eight Conference Large Division rivals, Manteno, by a 49-26 final and the team that eliminated the Coalers in 2011, Stillman Valley, in a 42-7 blowout.

Scores were often similar for the Pioneers during the regular season, as they have now outscored their 11 opponents by a 388-96 margin. Their only loss was to Rock Island, which went on to earn a No. 3 seed in the 6A playoffs.