2025 IHSA football schedule release: Kane County Chronicle’s top games to watch, week-by-week

With the release of the IHSA 2025 statewide football schedule, here are the top games week by week to watch in the Kane County coverage area.

Week 1

Glenbard West @ Batavia, Aug. 29th, 7 p.m.

The Bulldogs will start their season against a storied Hilltoppers program that’s coming off a season where they missed the playoffs for the for the first time since 2006. Batavia beat Glenbard West 35-28 to open the season last year, which was one of 12 wins they accumulated on their way to a trip to the Class 7A title game for the second time in three years. They’ll be hoping to mirror the result with a new look on the offense, and carry it over into a tough Week 2 matchup against South Elgin.

Week 2

Geneva @ Oswego, Sept. 5th, 7 p.m.

The Vikings and the Panthers are both coming off of successful 2024 seasons, with Geneva making it all the way to the Class 6A title game and Oswego going undefeated during the regular season and reaching the second round of the playoffs. Both teams graduated big senior classes, with the Vikings losing all but three starters on offense, so it should prove to be an early test for which team’s new talent can step up more. It’ll be the first matchup between the two teams since the opening week of the 2013 season, where the Vikings came out with a 29-27 victory.

Week 3

Geneva @ St. Charles North, Sept. 12th, 7 p.m.

A battle between two reigning DuKane Conference champions, the two teams met up in the final week of the regular season in 2024, with the North Stars taking down the Vikings 34-21 to ruin their perfect regular season. While the Vikings will have a bit of a rebuild to deal with, the North Stars return a plethora of starters on both sides of the ball, with a notable exception being at quarterback after the graduation of four-year starter Ethan Plumb.

Week 4

Burlington Central @ Prairie Ridge, Sept. 19th, 7 p.m.

The Rockets are coming off of a historic season where they reached the playoffs for the first time since 2014 and even managed to win their first playoff game since 2006. Both teams went 7-2 in Fox Valley Conference play, but Central won the matchup 52-21 in their Week 7 game last season. The Rockets will be sporting a newer look on offense this time round after graduating a big senior class.

Week 5

Batavia @ St. Charles North, Sept. 26th, 7 p.m.

Another battle of two reigning DuKane Conference champions, this Week 5 matchup might prove to decide the champion this time around.

The Bulldogs won last season’s Week 4 matchup 45-21 thanks to six second-half rushing touchdowns, five of which came from then-senior Nathan Whitwell. It was the only loss the North Stars suffered in the regular season. Both teams return heavily-experienced rosters, which should prove to make this a highly-anticipated contest.

Week 6

Batavia @ Geneva, Oct. 3rd, 7 p.m.

The rivalry game between Batavia and Geneva has been one of the longest running rivalries in the state, with this game being the 107th matchup between the two teams. The Vikings came away with a 30-7 victory on the road last season, snapping a 13-game losing streak against head coach Dennis Piron and the rival Bulldogs.

Week 7

St. Charles East @ Lake Park, Oct. 10th, 7 p.m.

A battle of two teams that missed the playoffs last season, the Saints and Lancers needed to go to overtime to decide a winner, with the Saints getting a 27-21 victory in the end. Both teams return a lot of talent this season, especially on the offensive side of the ball, so expect for more fireworks between the two teams, who’ll more than likely be vying for playoff positions.

Week 8

Geneva @ Wheaton North, Oct. 17th, 7 p.m.

The Falcons nearly shocked the then-undefeated Vikings in Week 7 of last season, with Geneva needing a red-zone stand to come out with a 28-24 victory. That loss proved to be crucial to the Falcons, who finished the season 4-5 to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2019, and they’ll be hoping to make it an outlier by flipping the script against the Vikings this time around.

Week 9

St. Francis @ Nazareth, Oct. 24th, 7:30 p.m.

These CCL/ESCC powerhouses have met in Week 9 and in the semifinals each of the last two seasons, with the Spartans taking the regular-season matchup both times and the Roadrunners getting the upper hand in the playoffs. Last year, St. Francis won the Week 9 game 39-36, Nazareth controlling the rematch 40-21 on its way to a repeat state title.

That history will not repeat itself here, with Nazareth being moved up to Class 6A for the postseason. That said, as difficult as these teams’ schedules are, this one could have huge playoff implications.

If anything else, it’s a fun matchup on the final football Friday of the regular season.

-Josh Welge