National Powers American Heritage (FL) and East St. Louis (IL) Are Set to Battle in South Florida This Fall

On Friday night, the Broward County National High School Football Showcase announced their fifth matchup of the 2026 season on Instagram. American Heritage, which finished ranked No. 8 in the final Florida high school football top 25 rankings is set to take on East St. Louis who finished ranked No. 5 in the final Illinois high school football top 25 rankings for the 2025 season.

American Heritage 2025 Season Recap

Last season, it appeared all hope was lost when five-star quarterback and Texas signee, Dia Bell, went down with an injury. The Patriots limped out to a 1-3 start, and with the ship sinking fast, the Patriots had their backs against the wall when they took on Plantation. The Patriots prevailed, winning 28-13. This victory sparked a three-game winning streak, and things were looking bright in the middle of October.

However, the Patriots were defeated in two straight games versus Archbishop McCarthy and St. Thomas Aquinas. With American Heritage limping into the playoffs, things looked bleak, but in the end the talent shined through. The Patriots trounced John Carroll and Plantation before narrowly escaping with a win over Archbishop McCarthy.

The Patriots then had to travel to the Florida Panhandle to defeat one of the favorites for the Class 4A state championship in Choctawhatchee. They succeeded, and their season culminated with a 33-28 win over Jones in the state championship game.

Numerous key contributors are graduating this spring, but they do bring back Jonathan Bueno Jr. who has rushed for nearly 2,500 yards and 39 total touchdowns in his career so far.

The Patriots also bring in composite five-star quarterback, Neimann Lawrence, who passed for nearly 2,000 yards and 32 touchdowns last season.

East St. Louis 2025 Season Recap

After losing to Bergen Catholic (NJ) 22-21 and to Bishop Gorman (NV) 35-10 in the first two games of the year, the 2025 season was starting to look bleak for the Flyers. However, the Flyers reeled off five-straight wins where they outscored the opposition 284-19.

The Flyers then had the toughest test of almost anyone all season in the entire country when they took on the IMG Academy National Team who finished ranked #1 in the final Florida top 25 rankings and fifth in the final top 25 national rankings. However, the Flyers came up short as they were defeated 38-14.

The Flyers then won their next three games before being defeated by Fenwick 38-28 in the Class 6A state championship game.

The Flyers return composite four-star running back, Myson Johnson-Cook, who rushed for over 1,300 yards and 20 touchdowns last season.

What Other Matchups Have Been Announced?

Prior to the announcement of American Heritage taking on East St. Louis, four other games have already been announced on instagram.

The first game that was revealed this week is the matchup between Bishop Gorman (NV) and Columbus (FL). The second game that was announced is between McEachern (GA) and West Broward (FL). The third matchup is between a pair of Florida high schools, Mandarin and McArthur. Lastly, Pine Creek will make the cross-country trek from Colorado Springs, Colorado to take on Western (FL).

Two More matchups Yet to be Unveiled

With two more games set to be announced for this national high school football showcase, our team at High School on SI will make the information readily available once the matchups are announced.