Here are previews and picks for all the Week 1 football games from around the Suburban Life area.

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

The wait is over. The many, many questions that teams have for the 2025 season are about to begin getting answered. Steve Soucie takes a look at the games to watch in the first week of the IHSA football season.

Here are team-by-team breakdowns, five players to watch, five can't miss games and Steve Soucie's predictions for the West Suburban Conference.

Join hosts Josh Welge and Joel Boenitz as they preview Week 1 in Illinois high school football for Kane and DuPage counties on the Friday Night Drive podcast.

The 2025 boys soccer season starts this week. Here are previews of teams from around the Suburban Life coverage area.

The 2025 girls volleyball season starts this week. Here are previews of teams from around the Suburban Life coverage area.

Lyons two-way lineman Roman Sosnovyy waited his turn to be a senior captain. Senior linebacker Patrick Cheney is excited for his last shot to make an impact for the Lions. They're leaders of a senior class aiming even higher after Lyons' historic 11-1 season in 2024.

While the number of referees in Illinois has declined in nearly every year since 2012, a trend accelerated by the pandemic, at the same time, the IHSA has seen substantial growth in the number of referees ages 17-19 over the past decade

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

Here is the 2025 Suburban Life All-Area girls soccer team.

Cate Carter and Izzy Voirol scored goals, and York jumped on Oak Park-River Forest early and cruised to a 2-0 win in the Class 3A Downers Grove North Sectional semifinal. The Dukes advanced to face Hinsdale Central in Friday's sectional final.

Stevenson rallied in the fourth quarter to beat Lyons 6-5 for the school's third consecutive girls state water polo championship. Meanwhile, York's boys team took third and the girls took fourth.

The Lyons Township girls water polo team took second place in the championship match against Stevenson on Saturday, May 24, 2025 in Lincolnshire.

Lyons Township faced Downers Grove North in varsity baseball on Monday, May 12, 2025 in Downers Grove.

A bunt by Drake Cosenza in the bottom of the seventh inning led to the game-winning run as Downers Grove North rallied to steal a 3-2 win against Lyons on Monday.

Senior pitcher and Cincinnati recruit Tucker King put his name high atop the Lyons' pitching charts, capturing his 14th career win for the program's most wins this past decade. That, plus Matt Devoy doing it all for Lemont and Benet's big series in Bob Narang's baseball notes.

Downers Grove North, with six event champions, won its fifth straight West Suburban Silver championship – just the second time that has been done in conference history dating back to 1973. Glenbard West was second.

After winning a combined 62 games the last two seasons, Downers Grove North is enjoying another successful spring, closing in on the 20-win mark. That, Riverside-Brookfield in the hunt for the Upstate Eight Conference title and more in Bob Narang's baseball notebook.

Avery Edgewater assisted on a first-half goal by senior Camila Leal, Peyton Rohn was a force all over the field and Eme McClenahan made two saves to record the shutout as Hinsdale Central beat rival Lyons 2-0 at Dickinson Field.

Hinsdale Central hosted Lyons Township girls varsity soccer on Tuesday, April 29, 2025.

Downers Grove North freshman Macy Ermitage missed almost all of cross country season with a stress fracture – but she's back in a big way on the track. Ermitage won the 3,200 at Downers Grove North's Ritter Invitational, leading the Trojans to second place as a team.

Despite the loss of nearly every top pitcher from its staff from last season’s Class 4A fourth-place team, namely superstar Ryan Sloan, York is missing a beat this spring. That, plus notes on Glenbard West and more in Bob Narang's baseball notebook.

After being held scoreless for 68 minutes by an impressive Lyons defense, Naperville North star and Tennessee commit Claire DeCook finally break through with a goal to give the Huskies a 1-0 win to advance to the championship game of the Lou Malnati’s Deep Dish Classic.

Lyons Township girls varsity soccer faced Naperville North on Wednesday, April 16, 2025 in Naperville.

Hinsdale Central posted its fourth straight shutout and won for the fifth time in sixth games on Monday night. That, Hinsdale South coach Jen Belmonte earns her 100th win plus notes on Lyons, Wheaton Warrenville South and more in Chris Walker's Suburban Life soccer notebook.

The track and field season is heading outdoors and here are previews of girls teams from around the Suburban Life coverage area.

Lyons senior Tucker King, an all-conference pitcher last year, is showcasing a different version of himself this spring. And that's bad news for opponents. The Cincinnati commit is leading a strong Lions' staff. That and more in Bob Narang's baseball notes.

Lyons Township girls soccer hosted Wheaton Warrenville South on Thursday, March 27, 2025 in Western Springs.

Illinois recruit Ashlyn Adams and Kelsey Clousing teamed up for two goals, and Adams finished with a hat trick in leading Wheaton Warrenville South's 3-2 win at Lyons.

Here is the 2024-2025 Suburban Life All-Area boys wrestling team.

The 2025 high school soccer season starts this week. Here are previews of teams from around the Suburban Life coverage area.

The 2025 high school baseball season starts this week. Here are previews of teams from around the Suburban Life coverage area.

Here is the 2024-2025 Suburban Life All-Area girls basketball team.

Lyons Township girls basketball faced Whitney Young in a Class 4A Lyons Sectional semifinal on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025 in La Grange.

Lyons junior Emma O'Brien, after a scoreless first half, caught fire in the third quarter with 18 of her 20 points, but the Lions could not overcome a cold start in a 65-52 loss to young in the Class 4A Lyons Sectional semifinal.

Marmion had 11 of its 14 wrestlers punch their ticket to the Class 3A state meet, with five wrestlers winning sectional titles at the Class 3A Hinsdale Central Sectional. West Aurora and Glenbard West each had four wrestlers qualify for the state meet.

Nora Ezike had 18 points and eight rebounds to lead Lyons Township to a win over Downers Grove South in the West Suburban Conference championship game Thursday.

Downers Grove South faced Lyons Township girls basketball in the West Suburban Conference championship game on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025 at Willowbrook High School.

Does the road to a state title go through La Grange? What about big-time sectional rematches? Can Glenbard South make a return to state? Here are five storylines to watch for Suburban Life area teams as the girls basketball postseason tips off next week.

Lyons' Emma O’Brien and York’s Anna Filosa both reached 1,000 career points during Tuesday's West Suburban Conference Silver Division battle in Elmhurst. The Lions came out on top 58-35.

York hosted Lyons Township in girls basketball on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025 in Elmhurst.

Lyons Township faced St. Charles East girls basketball in the Coach Kipp Hoopsfest at Nazareth Academy on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025 in La Grange Park.

Stanford recruit Nora Ezike shook off a few early spills and a zone defense designed to stop her to score 29 points with 13 rebounds, and Lyons built a 21-point lead and held off a late St. Charles East comeback for a 72-62 lead at the Coach Kipp Hoopsfest Saturday at Nazareth.

Riverside-Brookfield senior Brycen Grove completed a rare four-point play during a 15-3 run in the fourth quarter as the Bulldogs topped Lyons Township 69-66 on Saturday.

Avery Mezan’s three-pointer in the corner was the catalyst for Lyons' third-quarter comeback en route to a 47-42 victory at Glenbard West in a matchup of the West Suburban Silver leaders.

Lyons junior Emma O'Brien wasn't hitting shots early Saturday, but got inside and got to the free throw line to score 19 points and lead the Lyons to a win over Downers Grove North.

Lyons Township hosted Downers Grove North in girls varsity basketball on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025 in La Grange.

Connor Fitzgerald hit two 3-pointers in the final 15 seconds of regulation to force overtime, hit another three to force a second overtime and made the winning free throws with 5.9 seconds left in York's 59-57 three overtime win over visiting Lyons.

York hosted Lyons Township in boys varsity basketball on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025 in Elmhurst.