With the CHSFL playoffs beginning this weekend, we polled our staff of high school writers to get their takes on which teams they see emerging victorious. Matt Ehalt, Amara Grautski, Chris Hunt and Rob Abruzzese give their takes on how the CHSFL "AAA" playoffs will breakdown.

AAA BRACKET
No. 1 St. Anthony’s vs. No. 8 Mount St. Michael’s
No. 2 Stepinac vs. No. 7 Holy Cross
No. 3 Xaverian vs. No. 6 Farrell
No. 4 Iona Prep vs. No. 5 Chaminade

WHO IS THE TEAM TO BEAT?

Ehalt: St. Anthony’s: No matter how they play, until someone beats the Friars, they’re the top dogs in the league. They earned their No. 1 seed and found ways to win.

Abruzzese: St. Anthony’s: St. Anthony’s is the kick, having won nine of the last 10 championships. It’s hard to say if they have what it takes to go all the way but a 26-game winning streak is pretty convincing.

Grautski: St. Anthony’s: As if it isn’t obvious, undefeated St. Anthony’s is the one to beat. However, the Friars came close to losing twice, winning two games by only 2 points or less.

Hunt: St. Anthony’s: St. Anthony’s hasn’t lost to anyone. Regardless if the games looked good or not, the Friars are the undefeated, defending champs. That makes them the team to beat.

WHICH TEAM IS THE SLEEPER?

Ehalt: Iona Prep: Iona is a team that has three losses but played well in two of those games. If this team gets hot, they could conceivably pull some upsets and end up as the champ.

Abruzzese: Xaverian: Its offense had the most points in the league and they should thank their defense for that. Their defense is quick and efficient in shutting down other team’s and keeping their own offense on the field.

Grautski: Iona Prep: Iona Prep gave St. Anthony’s a scare, but ultimately lost to the Friars, 21-20. Iona Prep may have a chance for redemption in the second round of the playoffs.

Hunt: Xaverian: Ok, so Xaverian isn’t really a sleeper. They are the team that looks the best in the CHSAA right now. But the Clippers lost to St. Anthony’s and Holy Cross. That wasn’t last year.

WHICH TEAM COULD GET UPSET EARLY?

Ehalt: Stepinac: The Crusaders are a good team but Holy Cross could be problematic in the first round and Stepinac has had some down games in recent weeks.

Abruzzese: Iona Prep: They nearly beat St. Anthony’s last weekend, but not long before that they lost to their first round opponent, Chaminade, two weeks before that. They could get hot and go all the way or they could go out in the first round. Hard to say with them.

Grautski: Archbishop Stepinac, although ranked slightly higher than Xaverian, could fall to the Clippers. Stepinac has already lost to St. Anthony’s and sleeper pick Iona Prep.

Hunt: St. Anthony’s: The Friars are on their third-string quarterback and Dariyan Riley left the season finale against Iona Prep with a knee injury. If Iona Prep can put together two strong halves against St. Anthony’s, the Gaels could find themselves in the championship final.

WHAT’S THE TITLE GAME?

Ehalt: No. 3 Xaverian over No. 1 St. Anthony’s: It came down to the last play last time around and St. Anthony’s barely won. This time, Xaverian makes the big play it needs to claim the title.

Abruzzese: No. 3 Xaverian over No. 1 St. Anthony’s: St. Anthony’s has been the best in the league for a while, but lately their wins haven’t been as convincing. It is time for a new champion and that is Xaverian thanks to a defense that is capable of stopping teams in their tracks and an offense good enough to put them over the top.

Grautski: No. 1 St. Anthony’s defeats No. 3 Xaverian: The Friars aren’t blowing teams out every game, but they know how to win. As long as their defense – which has allowed 17 points per game – settles down, the Friars will have an undefeated season.

Hunt: No. 3 Xaverian over No. 1 St. Anthony’s: Despite their 7-0 record, St. Anthony’s looks beatable. The Friars have fought through adversity and injury all season but it’ll finally come to an end against Xaverian.

TOURNAMENT PICKS:

Ehalt: St. A’s over Mount; Stepinac over HC; Xaverian over Farrell; Iona over Chaminade; St. A’s over Iona; Xaverian over Stepinac

Abruzzese: St. A’s over Mount; Stepinac over HC; Xaverian over Farrell; Iona over Chaminade; St. A’s over Iona; Xaverian over Stepinac

Grautski: St. A’s over Mount; Stepinac over HC; Xaverian over Farrell; Iona over Chaminade; St. A’s over Iona; Xaverian over Stepinac

Hunt: St. A’s over Mount; Stepinac over HC; Xaverian over Farrell; Iona over Chaminade; St. A’s over Iona; Xaverian over Stepinac