What: Class 3A second-round playoff game

When: 2 p.m. Saturday

Where: Fuzz Berges Field, Carthage, Ill.

Records: Monticello -- 8-2 (4-1, second in the Okaw Valley Black). Illini West -- 10-0 (5-0, first in the West Prairie Trail Southwest).

Coaches: Monticello -- Cullen Welter (8-2, first year at Monticello; 144-42 overall, 16th season). Illini West -- Jim Unruh (31-3 at Illini West, third season; 240-44 overall, 24th year).

Postseason history: Monticello -- 12 appearances, 21-11 record. Illini West -- 3 appearances, 6-1 record.

Best postseason finish: Monticello -- Lost in the Class 3A semifinals in 1989, 1990, 1991 and 2002, and lost in the Class 2A semifinals in 1997. Illini West -- won the Class 3A state championship in 2008.

As the fans see it: According to those registered for the "Are You Smarter Than The Sports Guys?" contest at www.whig.com/smarter, 99 percent favor Illini West.

Scouting Monticello: The Sages throw the ball more than most Class 3A teams. Quarterback Ben Palla has completed 154 of 262 passes this season for 2,488 yards. He has 29 touchdowns and has been picked off 12 times. Matt Palla has been on the receiving end the most, catching 47 passes for 1,081 yards, while finding the end zone 14 times. Tyler Lieb leads the running game, with 128 carries for 1,039 yards and 12 touchdowns this season.

Scouting Illini West: Ser Whitaker has emerged as the Chargers' leading rusher, gaining 792 yards on just 42 carries, an average of 18.9 yards per carry.

Illini West has also proven it can throw the ball, with senior quarterback Michael Lafferty completing 34 of his 58 attempts for 895 yards. He has thrown 18 touchdowns without throwing an interception. Jacob Schmudlach has been his favorite target, catching 11 balls for 320 yards -- averaging nearly 30 yards per catch. Kris Vincent is averaging 42.4 yards per catch, with his five receptions for 212 yards receiving.

Coaching rivalry: Welter is one of the few coaches with a winning record against Unruh. Welter is 5-2 lifetime against Unruh -- 4-0 against against Carthage and 1-2 against Illini West. Unruh enters today's game on a two-game winning streak.

Welter and Unruh have faced each other in the postseason four times, with Welter holding a 3-1 record -- eliminating Carthage in 2001, 2002 and 2005. Illini West eliminated Aledo in last year's quarterfinals at Fuzz Berges Field.

-- Matt Goldberg