Downers Grove North can lock up the No. 1 overall seed in the Class 7A state playoffs with a win at Proviso East on Friday, Oct. 16.

Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. The Trojans enter at 7-1 overall and 5-1 in the West Suburban Silver. The Pirates are 1-7 and have lost six straight.

DGN clinched at least a share of the conference championship with a 17-10 home win over Lyons Township on Friday, Oct. 9. The Trojans' defense has allowed just 61 total points in eight games.

The team carries 40 playoff points heading into the regular-season finale, according to Shaw Local's playoff outlook. Shaw Local reported that DGN, a Class 7A semifinalist last season, is in strong position for a first-round bye and possibly the top seed in the bracket.

The IHSA expanded its football playoffs to 384 teams this year, with 48 per class. The top 16 seeds in each class receive a first-round bye.

Two Week 9 matchups pit unbeaten Class 7A teams against each other, which could thin the field at the top. Prospect hosts Hersey and Normal Community faces Normal Community West, according to Shaw Local's methodology breakdown. A DGN win paired with losses by those unbeaten squads could vault the Trojans to the top line.

Coach Joe Horeni's squad bounced back from its lone loss, an 18-17 overtime defeat at York on Oct. 2, with the conference-clinching win over Lyons. Junior Grant Georgas ran for 93 yards and a touchdown in that game, including a 21-yard carry on third-and-six that sealed it late. Kevin Jay added a one-yard scoring run and Baker Glomb hit a 37-yard field goal, as first reported by Shaw Local.

Declan Davies recovered a fumble on a third-and-goal play from the three-yard line to cap a defensive stand before halftime.

"That wasn't our brand of football," Georgas said of the York loss after the Lyons win, according to Shaw Local. "We had a so-so week of practice … so we wanted a great week of practice and preparation."

Proviso East's lone win came against district rival Proviso West. In five of the Pirates' seven losses, they scored either zero or six points, according to Shaw Local's Week 9 preview.

The Chicago Sun-Times ranked DGN No. 19 in its Super 25 high school football poll for Week 9.

Across town, Downers Grove South (6-2) has also clinched a playoff spot and at least a share of the West Suburban Gold title. The Mustangs could earn a first-round home game or a bye in Class 8A with a win in their finale against Morton (1-7).

The IHSA playoff pairings show airs at 9 p.m. Saturday on WCIU.