Last season, the Heart of Illinois Small Division had zero playoff teams - now they have three.

The resurgence has been led by the turnaround at LeRoy and Heyworth. LeRoy football coach BJ Zeleznik felt coming into the season, they were cautiously optimistic they could return to the postseason.

Last year, Heyworth nearly didn't have the numbers to even field a team and this year they've turned it around. The Hornets are 7-2 and will host a first-round playoff game. Coach Nate Albaugh credits the kids for staying with things through all the adversity of last season.

For Coach Zeleznik, the energy his team has has been a catalyst to their success. He also credits the group for being very close.

For Coach Albaugh, there were a couple of moments in the midst of the season he knew he could have a playoff team on his hands. He felt their week nine victory of GCMS provided the confidence to his team they could consistently win and compete with good teams. 

Heyworth will host Hardin-Calhoun Saturday afternoon at 2 pm. LeRoy draws Villa Grove Saturday at 1 pm.