High School Football

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.

J.T. Pedelty, Eddie Carifio and Sam Ramirez react to the IHSA football schedule getting released in the latest Friday Night Drive podcast, and break down games in DeKalb and La Salle counties, along with the Sauk Valley region

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 IHSA just released its statewide football schedule for the 2025 season. Here is a game to watch each week in the Sauk Valley coverage area.

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

With the release of the 2025 IHSA football schedules, here is a week-by-week look at the can't-miss games across The Times coverage area.

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.

With the release of the 2025 statewide football schedule, here are the top games to watch in the Record Newspapers coverage area.

Week by week, here are some of the top football games this season in The Herald-News coverage area.

The 2025 football season will again start with a key rivalry game as DeKalb and Sycamore meet in Week 1. We break down each week's top game after the IHSA released schedules on Friday morning.

A look at the top games to watch in the NewsTribune/BCR area for the 2025 football season.

The IHSA released football schedules for the 2025 season, and Week 1 features a matchup between the past two Fox Valley Conference champions, as Prairie Ridge will visit Cary-Grove. Check out the top games to watch each week in McHenry County.

Love and caring. Sycamore assistant coach Jake Countryman said those aren’t exactly two words commonly associated with football. But for two decades under Joe Ryan, that’s what has stood out about Sycamore football not just to Countryman, but former players as well.

If Niko Villacci is throwing a football, chances are Lincoln Ijams is catching it. That checks. Villacci, Oswego East’s senior quarterback, and Ijams, a senior receiver, are going on their third varsity season together. The connection, apparently, goes back way longer than that.

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.

Under new head coach Ken Carlson, the Marquette football program competed well in its 7-on-7 against La Salle-Peru on Tuesday and will look to continue improving throughout the rest of the offseason.

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

Friday Night Drive’s Josh Welge and Joel Boenitz discuss what the IHSA football schedule will look like in the western suburbs for the 2025 season, games they are looking forward to, and more

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

He answers to the nickname “Squirrel.” Wyatt Cassens, all of 5-foot-9 and 160 pounds as a junior, perhaps does not strike the most intimidating pose in football pads. Sterling coach Jon Schlemmer, though, said one would be wise to not underestimate his senior defensive end.

Downers Grove North senior Oliver Thulin has a good grasp of the recent history of the football program, the third Thulin brother to play for the Trojans. Now he is set to make a bigger mark as a two-way standout at wide receiver and defensive back.

New La Salle-Peru football coach JJ Raffelson said he's "putting a focus back on those little things in the game" during summer workouts

Numbers weren’t high – just under 40 program-wide – but the mood and energy both were Wednesday as the Streator High football team continued summer workouts under new head coach Jay Slone.

Ryan Pearson has called an audible for Saturday’s Princeton 7-on-7/Linemen’s Challenge with one school no longer participating. Tigers will play with games scheduled from 9 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. at Bryant Field.

Here are J.T. Pedelty's photos from Streator Bulldogs summer football practice Wednesday, July 16, 2025.

In a stretch of 11 seasons, from 1991 to 2001, the Hall Red Devils put themselves on the state football map with nine playoff berths, including three state finals appearances, two semifinals and three quarterfinals. The 1995 and 2001 Red Devils took Hall all the way to the top.

After finishing 4-5 last year, Romeoville is looking to get one more win this year and qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2013.

Teddy Manikas emerged as an all-conference slot receiver for Oswego in his second varsity season last year. Now, as one of just a handful of starters returning from a team that went 9-0 in the regular season, Manikas is ready for an even greater role.

Streator graduate Jordan Lukes has committed to continue his education and football career at Monmouth College.

Princeton will invite 16 teams to participate in Saturday’s 7-on-7 and Linemen’s Challenge at Bryant Field and Little Siberia, including Dixon, EPC, Ottawa, LaSalle-Peru and Sandwich.

Crystal Lake Central and Richmond-Burton take part in a 7-on-7 football practice Monday, July 14, 2025, at Richmond-Burton High School, with teams from Grayslake North and Mundelein.

Kaneland football coach Mike Thorgesen has said that his team last year had boys, but this team has men. Jake Buckley is a man among boys. A chiseled 6-foot-4 and 265-pound senior, Buckley is the anchor of Kaneland’s line on both sides of the ball.

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.

Here are Gary Duncan's photos from Downers Grove South's 7-on-7 football event held on Saturday, July 12.

In the 25th annual “Battle of the Big Butts” Lineman Challenge, host West Aurora walked away with top team honors among 24 teams after winning three team events for the second consecutive season.

St. Francis is motivated to take the next step in the playoffs, after its season ended in the semifinals the last three years. With a talented receiving corps led by Michigan State recruit Zach Washington, the Spartans have the pieces in place for another deep run.

Recent Woodland graduate and Times All-Area Football first-teamer Aydan Radke has selected to continue his education and football career at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

With the Independence Day holiday come and gone, it was time Tuesday for another summer tradition. The Morris football team hosted its first 7-on-7 competition, featuring teams from Plainfield Central, Romeoville and Dwight.

Ian Campbell, a senior defensive linemen at Joliet Catholic, has verbally committed to play football for Navy in college. He's the latest in a slew of Hilltoppers to pledge themselves to the military academies for football.

The summer football offseason heats up after the Fourth of July. Three of the four Bureau County teams will be under new direction with Patrick Elder taking over as head coach at Bureau Valley, Nick Sterling as new head coach at Hall and Jack Brady the new head coach at St. Bede.

Seneca's Brody Rademacher, the 2024 Times Football Player of the Year, has signed on to continue his education and gridiron career at Wartburg College in Iowa.

Former St. Bede quarterback Jack Brady has taken over as head coach at the Academy, succeeding Jim Eustice, who departed for neighboring Mendota. The Bruins finished 2-7, winning one of four games played in the Chicagoland Prairie Conference.

Hall alum Nick Sterling has returned as the Red Devils new head coach this season. The Red Devils will have four home games, including a Week 6 battle with rival Princeton at Nesti Stadium.

Princeton has made five straight Class 3A quarterfinal appearances, six in the past seven years along with six Three Rivers Mississippi championships. Here’s an early look at their 2025 season, which will find the Tigers playing at home five times with four road trips.

While there was discussion Bureau Valley would move to the Small School Division of the Lincoln Trail Conference, the Storm remain in the Large School Division for their second season in the LTC. The Storm went 3-4 in its first season in the LTC, finishing 4-5 overall.

As prep football teams begin to gear up for the thick of their summer schedules once the calendar turns to July, Daily Journal sports editor Mason Schweizer eyes some under-the-radar players to keep an eye on for 2025.

Davon Grant, the Daily Chronicle's two-time Boys Athlete of the Year, faces a pivotal fork in his journey, opting for early graduation to join the Illinois football team and potentially ending his time on the Barbs' basketball team.

Former St. Charles North standout and current New York Giants safety Tyler Nubin returned to his alma mater to host what he hopes in his first of many youth football camps.

Downers Grove North rising senior Aiden Solecki, a three-star ranked defensive end by Rivals.com, gave Purdue his verbal commitment Sunday on the way back home from his official visit to the school. Also, St. Francis receiver Zach Washington recently committed to Michigan State.