Hinsdale Central's girls flag football team hosts its first IHSA playoff game Thursday, Oct. 1, at 4 p.m. The No. 19-seeded Red Devils face No. 16 Plainfield East in the opening round of the Hinsdale Central Regional.

The winner faces a steep climb. No. 1 seed Romeoville, the top-seeded team in the Lyons Township Sectional at 11-4, awaits in the regional semifinal Monday, Oct. 5, at 5 p.m.

The bracket, first reported by Shaw Local's Friday Night Drive, includes two other first-round games at the Hinsdale Central Regional on Thursday: No. 8 Downers Grove South vs. No. 25 Proviso West at 5:30 p.m. and No. 9 Benet vs. No. 24 Noble/Mansueto at 7 p.m. The regional championship is set for Wednesday, Oct. 7, at 6 p.m.

Romeoville senior wide receiver Milan Cadet has 111 catches for 1,613 yards and 21 touchdowns this season. Quarterback Alynah Barin has thrown for 2,686 yards and 33 touchdowns while adding 606 rushing yards and nine rushing scores.

Central enters the postseason in its third year as a program. The Red Devils went 1-12 in 2025 but grew their roster from 32 players to 45 this fall, including eight freshmen on varsity.

Head coach Nick Gebhart returns third-year starting quarterback Emersyn Willits, who threw for 2,631 yards and 14 touchdowns last season. Wide receiver Violet Masood is back after an ACL injury cut her 2025 season short in Week 3; she had 463 receiving yards and three touchdowns before going down. Elle Kinder, the lone returning defensive starter, added 565 receiving yards and three touchdowns on offense last year.

"While we are a young and relatively inexperienced team, I'm excited to see our girls compete, grow together, and continue building the foundation of our program," Gebhart said in an August preseason interview with The Hinsdalean.

Hinsdale South is also in the IHSA postseason. The Hornets, coached by head coach Janelle Marconi, went 14-8 last season and lost in the regional finals. They sit on the opposite side of the Lyons Township Sectional bracket, with their regional champion advancing to the sectional semifinal Saturday, Oct. 10, at noon.

The Lyons Township Sectional championship is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 13, at 6 p.m.