After the Fightin' Irish made it a program-long three-year playoff drought in 2024, optimism is high for a proud program full of change this fall.

Here is a look at the Illinois 8-Man Football Association teams within our Friday Night Drive footprint, including West Carroll, Polo, St. Anne, Flanagan-Cornell/Woodland, Amboy/LaMoille/Ohio, Milford/Cissna Park, Milledgeville, Hiawatha, Ashton-Franklin Center and Alden-Hebron.

Join hosts Steve Soucie and Josh Welge as they preview an exciting Week 1 in Illinois high school football on the Friday Night Drive podcast

Kankakee hosts Nazareth for the first of two games with state champions to open the season while Bradley-Bourbonnais and Bishop McNamara also start their seasons at home. Check out previews on those games, as well as the rest of the Week 1 slate for the Daily Journal area.

Join hosts Mason Schweizer and Steve Soucie as they preview Week 1 in Illinois high school football for Kankakee County on the Friday Night Drive podcast

After older brother, Lyzale, was the lone junior on the Class 7A All-State team and younger brother, Ky'ren, took over the backfield as a freshman, the Edmon brothers are back for Bradley-Bourbonnais this fall.

Team capsules, can't miss games, players to watch and Steve Soucie's projections for the Vermilion Valley Conference.

Bradley-Bourbonnais beat Joliet Central 60-7 at home on Monday, getting off to a strong start in its second season as a program following a fourth-place finish at state a season ago.

Bradley-Bourbonnais topped Joliet Central in a 60-7 victory at home in the season opener on Monday, Aug. 25, 2025.

History tends to repeat itself in regards to the IHSA Football Playoffs, but the new enrollment numbers could lead to a bracket that looks a lot different in the next postseason chase. Here is Steve Soucie's 2025 IHSA football preseason playoff projection.

The winner of the annual Kankakee and Crete-Monee matchup has determined the Southland Athletic Conference champion for the last six seasons. Who can rise up to challenge the Kays and Warriors this fall?

Check out how teams in the Southwest Valley Conference are expected to fare this season.

Longtime Bishop McNamara football coach Rich Zinanni cut the ribbon and led the first walk through of the new Rich Zinanni Athletic Complex on Thursday evening.

Bishop McNamara opened its brand new Rich Zinanni Athletic Complex just in time to host Streator for Week 0 action Friday, Aug. 22, 2025.

Bishop McNamara saw a trio of transfers make big plays during the Fightin' Irish's Week 0 scrimmage with Streator, one that welcomed Bulldogs head coach and former Irish standout Jay Slone home.

Manteno hosted Momence for a Week 0 scrimmage on Friday evening, with both teams getting in some live snaps a week ahead of their regular season openers.

The Illinois Central Eight Conference will actually be the ICE seven for the 2025 season. Can anyone challenge defending champion Wilmington and runner-up Coal City atop the conference standings this fall?

Kankakee's flag football and Herscher's football teams continued their first week of practice Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025.

Here is the 2025 Chicagoland Christian Conference preview complete with team-by-team breakdowns, five players to watch, five can't miss games and Steve Soucie's predictions.

The Hazelett family will impact multiple Kankakee sports this year. Father, Ed, is the new football coach while son, EJ, is an Indiana state basketball commit.

The football coaches at Bradley-Bourbonnais, Kankakee and Bishop McNamara all used the same word to describe their moods on the first day of practice Monday – excited.

The first day of prep football practice was Monday in Illinois. Check out action from the Daily Journal's All-Area teams.

From returning starters in the Big Ten to redshirt freshmen with new opportunities as transfers, seven football players from the Daily Journal area will play at college football's highest level this fall.

Mason Schweizer examines a handful of things to look for from the Daily Journal area once the football season starts.

Over 200 high schools in Illinois are expected to have girls flag football teams this year as the sport's popularity continues to rise. "There’s no shortage of opportunities."

After spending four years back in his native Indiana, new Kankakee head coach and former defensive coordinator Ed Hazelett has seen the same hungry mindset from the Kays he remembered as the program wrapped up summer camp this week.

As the final week of IHSA summer contact days winds down, Kankakee football got together for one of their last days of camp Thursday, July 31, 2025.

Watseka's third annual Tackling Disabilities football camp saw several returning, smiling faces Saturday.

The Watseka football team hosted its third annual Tackling Disabilities football camp Saturday, July 26, 2025.

Four playoff teams from a year ago got together in Manteno Thursday, as the Panthers hosted Illinois Central Eight rival Peotone and the Vermilion Valley Conference's Clifton Central and Momence for live scrimmages.

Peotone, Clifton Central and Momence traveled to Manteno for football scrimmage action Thursday, July 24, 2025.

Former Central coach and Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Famer Dean Cappel will be inducted into the Central Athletics Hall of Fame at halftime of the Comets' home opener against Momence on Sept. 5.

The Herscher football team hosted Bradley-Bourbonnais, Central, Dwight and Iroquois West for some 11 on 11 scrimmages on Tuesday night as the teams continue to ramp up for the regular season.

With new head coach Greg Youngblood and an experienced, hungry group of seniors, the Bishop McNamara football team has kicked it into high gear during their summer preparation.

Momence hosted reigning Class 2A state champions Chicago Christian for 7 on 7 workouts and scrimmages on Friday night.

With the IHSA releasing the state’s football schedules on Friday, here are the top games to watch in the Daily Journal area for the 2025 season.

The Illinois High School Association released its state-wide 2025 football schedule on Friday. Filling nine-game schedules proved challenging for some of the state's elite programs.

What looks different for the new high school football season? With the IHSA football schedules now out, Steve Soucie looks at the differences for the new campaign.

The joint summer football workout between Wilmington and Bradley-Bourbonnais Wednesday saw both programs take steps forward as they both eye more sustained postseason success this fall.

The Wilmington football team visited Bradley-Bourbonnais for a joint summer football workout Wednesday, July 16, 2025.

Steve Soucie and Josh Welge preview the 2025 IHSA high school football schedule, including games to watch and more in the latest Friday Night Drive podcast

Steve Soucie and Mason Schweizer discuss the upcoming IHSA football schedule release and how it affects teams in Kankakee County on the latest Friday Night Drive podcast

A total of 16 teams took part in the annual Central 7 on 7 and Lineman Challenge on what was a busy Saturday of football at Central High School in Clifton.

Fresh off of a fourth-place finish at the inaugural IHSA State Finals last year, the Bradley-Bourbonnais girls flag football made an early statement as a state contender yet again in 2025 this week

Reed-Custer is turning to Joe Turek as its new head football coach, who brings more than a decade of program-building experience from Lincoln-Way East to his new role with the Comets.

In addition to the Watseka Tackling Disabilities camp coming up on July 26, Manteno hosted its first annual version of the camp on June 12, giving young athletes with disabilities an afternoon of football and fun.

History tends to repeat itself in regards to the IHSA Football Playoffs, but the new enrollment numbers could lead to a bracket that looks a lot different in the next postseason chase. Here is Steve Soucie's 2025 IHSA football preseason playoff projection.