Illinois High School Football Top 25 State Rankings (Sept. 14, 2026)

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It's still East St. Louis, Chicago Mt. Carmel, and everybody else for now in the Illinois high school football rankings.

The two perennial frontrunners each have a loss, of course, with East St. Louis falling at Florida powerhouse American Heritage while Chicago Mt. Carmel's sole loss is to East St. Louis. It's all in-state opponents from here to the finish line, and in that regard, the top-ranked Flyers should soar through the rest of the season unblemished.

Chicago Mt. Carmel, meanwhile, will have to navigate a schedule that still includes games against Brother Rice, Providence Catholic and Loyola Academy — all ranked in the top seven on this list — but the Caravan so far has been mostly dominant since the season-opening loss to the Flyers.

The rest of the rankings have seen a lot of movement throughout the early part of the season, and last week was no exception. Previous No. 4 Fenwick suffered its first loss, and No. 6 Brother Rice and No. 8 Nazareth Academy were beaten as well.

It was even more chaotic further down the rankings with enough upsets to opens spots for four new teams to join the rankings, including No. 11 St. Ignatius College Prep, No. 13 Homewood-Flossmoor, No. 18 Bolingbrook, and No. 25 Prospect.

With several games between ranked teams, we're almost certain to see more substantial movement in these rankings next week.

1. East St. Louis

Record: 3-1

Previous Rank: 1

Last Week: East St. Louis 64, O'Fallon 6

Loss(es): American Heritage (Fla.), 35-28

The hard part is over for East St. Louis, at least until the later stages of the Class 6A playoffs. The Flyers always play a national nonconference schedule against some of the nation's best teams before settling into league play around midseason, and they haven't lost a league game since falling to O'Fallon in the spring of 2021 during the COVID-19 season. It was that same O'Fallon program they walloped last week in a 64-6 beatdown, and the Flyers figure to roll again Friday night at home against Belleville East.

2. Chicago Mt. Carmel

Record: 3-1

Previous Rank: 2

Last Week: Chicago Mt. Carmel 56, Marist 26

Loss(es): East St. Louis, 42-23

Chicago Mt. Carmel routed Marist to open league play, but the Caravan will step back out Friday against another nonconference opponent when they visit St. Patrick. Their hosts are a solid unit, but they'll have trouble containing this Caravan.

3. Loyola Academy

Record: 4-0

Previous Rank: 3

Last Week: Loyola Academy 27, Brother Rice 24

Loss(es): None

Loyola Academy kept its undefeated record intact, escaping with a 27-24 win against Brother Rice. The Ramblers will step out from under the Friday night lights this weekend when they visit Benet Academy on Saturday afternoon.

4. Lincoln-Way East

Record: 4-0

Previous Rank: 5

Last Week: Lincoln-Way East 50, Bradley-Bourbonnais 7

Loss(es): None

Lincoln-Way East opened the season with back-to-back one-score games before erupting the past two weeks, winning two more contests by a cumulative score of 88-14. They'll visit No. 16 Sandburg on Friday, and we'll have to wait and see which version of the Griffins shows up.

5. IC Catholic Prep

Record: 4-0

Previous Rank: 7

Last Week: IC Catholic Prep 33, DePaul College Prep 7

Loss(es): None

IC Catholic Prep's hot start to the 2026 season should continue Friday night at home against unranked Leo.

6. Brother Rice

Record: 2-2

Previous Rank: 6

Last Week: Loyola Academy 27, Brother Rice 24

Loss(es): Lincoln-Way East, 22-21; Loyola Academy, 27-24

Brother Rice has lost two games by a combined four points to the two teams currently ranked No. 3 and No. 4 here. That's a hard-luck start for the Crusaders, but it also illustrates just how little separates the top teams in the Land of Lincoln early in the season. They'll have to be careful not to overlook a top-40 Niles Notre Dame team on the road Friday night, with a Sept. 25 home date against No. 2 Chicago Mt. Carmel looming.

7. Providence Catholic

Record: 4-0

Previous Rank: 9

Last Week: Providence Catholic 31, Carmel 7

Loss(es): None

We're about to find out just how legitimate Providence Catholic is as a state title contender, with three straight games against ranked opponents. Up first is a visit to No. 23 Nazareth Academy, a team desperate for a win after starting the season 1-3.

8. Rochester

Record: 4-0

Previous Rank: 10

Last Week: Rochester 50, MacArthur 20

Loss(es): None

Rochester is off to a strong start, and with no ranked opponents left on the schedule, the Rockets will be expected to win every game from here on out. That starts with Friday's trip to Lincoln to face the Railsplitters.

9. Downers Grove North

Record: 4-0

Previous Rank: 12

Last Week: Downers Grove North 24, Glenbard West 14

Loss(es): None

Downers Grove North was tested last week by Glenbard West but ultimately won by double digits to keep its unbeaten start intact. The Trojans shouldn't have any problems navigating a trip to Proviso West on Friday night.

10. St. Rita

Record: 2-2

Previous Rank: 13

Last Week: St. Rita 28, St. Francis 12

Loss(es): Providence Catholic, 28-21; Loyola Academy, 31-0

St. Rita has already faced four straight ranked opponents to start the season, and they've got two more to go before completing the gauntlet. They've emerged with a split and enter Friday night's home game against No. 11 Saint Ignatius College Prep with a 2-2 record.

11. Saint Ignatius College Prep

Record: 3-1

Previous Rank: Unranked

Last Week: Saint Ignatius College Prep 30, Fenwick 20

Loss(es): IC Catholic Prep, 22-15

SICP bounced back from a loss to IC Catholic Prep by defeating the defending Class 6A champions from Fenwick. They join our Top 25 with momentum and a chance to crack the top 10 if they can win at No. 10 St. Rita on Friday night.

12. Batavia

Record: 3-1

Previous Rank: 18

Last Week: Batavia 55, Lake Park 7

Loss(es): Rochester, 44-16

Batavia makes a sizable jump this week, thanks in part to a series of upsets that opened up some room to move. The Bulldogs can add another bullet point to their résumé with a visit from a salty St. Charles North squad Friday night.

13. Homewood-Flossmoor

Record: 3-1

Previous Rank: Unranked

Last Week: Homewood-Flossmoor 35, Sandburg 13

Loss(es): Lincoln-Way East, 38-7

Homewood-Flossmoor slipped out of the Top 25 for a week after losing to Lincoln-Way East, but the Vikings come roaring back after throttling the previous No. 15 Sandburg. They'll visit Lincoln-Way Central on Friday night.

14. Fenwick

Record: 3-1

Previous Rank: 4

Last Week: Saint Ignatius College Prep 30, Fenwick 20

Loss(es): Saint Ignatius College Prep, 30-20

Fenwick ran into a buzzsaw against SICP, and they'll have to survive on the road against a desperate No. 24 St. Francis squad. If they don't, they could end up in a free fall down the rankings.

15. Byron

Record: 4-0

Previous Rank: 14

Last Week: Byron 43, Oregon 7

Loss(es): None

Byron's winning streak reached 18 games last Friday, and they've won 28 of their last 29. As a Class 3A member, they don't play the high-profile schedule that some of the other ranked teams face, but they'll hang around the Top 25 as long as they keep that streak going. They'll take the next step Friday night at home against Stillman Valley.

16. Sandburg

Record: 3-1

Previous Rank: 15

Last Week: Homewood-Flossmoor 35, Sandburg 13

Loss(es): Homewood-Flossmoor, 35-13

Sandburg lost its first game last weekend, and now the Eagles face their most difficult test yet against No. 4 Lincoln-Way East. Their only apparent advantage in this contest is home field.

17. Montini Catholic

Record: 3-1

Previous Rank: 19

Last Week: Montini Catholic 47, Nazareth Academy 42

Loss(es): Sandburg, 35-28

Montini Catholic's only loss to date is to the team ranked one spot ahead of them, and its win over Nazareth Academy signified that the Broncos are still a force to be reckoned with. A home game against top-40 Carmel will provide another solid opportunity to continue building their résumé.

18. Bolingbrook

Record: 3-1

Previous Rank: Unranked

Last Week: Bolingbrook 21, Oswego 7

Loss(es): Homewood-Flossmoor, 31-0

Bolingbrook cracks the Top 25 this week after taking down then-No. 11 Oswego. The Raiders' win also lent extra credibility to Homewood-Flossmoor, the only team to beat them so far. Their 2026 journey continues Friday night at home against Plainfield Central.

19. Maine South

Record: 3-1

Previous Rank: 21

Last Week: Maine South 35, New Trier 21

Loss(es): Batavia, 49-35

Maine South has rolled off three straight wins after a season-opening loss to Batavia, and they'll look to keep it going Friday night at Deerfield.

20. Lyons

Record: 4-0

Previous Rank: 23

Last Week: Lyons 38, Hinsdale Central 28

Loss(es): None

Lyons has passed every test so far, and the Lions ease up three spots this week after handling Hinsdale Central. Visiting Glenbard West will present another challenge Friday night, but so far, these Lions have been up to the task.

21. Oswego

Record: 3-1

Previous Rank: 11

Last Week: Bolingbrook 21, Oswego 7

Loss(es): Bolingbrook, 21-7

Oswego met its match last weekend in a 21-7 loss to unranked Bolingbrook, but the Panthers managed to hang onto a piece of the Top 25, settling in here at No. 21. They're out of rope, however, and every remaining regular-season game is likely a must-win if they want to maintain a spot on this list. That starts with Friday night's home game against Plainfield South.

22. Geneva

Record: 3-1

Previous Rank: 22

Last Week: Geneva 28, Wheaton-Warrenville South 26

Loss(es): Oswego, 44-42

Geneva survived a scare against Wheaton-Warrenville South to maintain its position at No. 22, and now a top-50-caliber Lake Park squad comes to town hoping to sink the Vikings' ship.

23. Nazareth Academy

Record: 1-3

Previous Rank: 8

Last Week: Montini Catholic 47, Nazareth Academy 42

Loss(es): IC Catholic Prep, 35-21; Chicago Mt. Carmel, 35-7; Montini Catholic, 47-42

Nazareth Academy is 0-3 against teams currently ranked in the Top 25, but the Roadrunners get another chance to change that narrative Friday at home against No. 9 Providence Catholic. A loss in that game will likely send them plummeting out of the rankings.

24. St. Francis

Record: 1-3

Previous Rank: 17

Last Week: St. Rita 28, St. Francis 12

Loss(es): New Palestine (Ind.), 28-17; Brother Rice, 43-0; St. Rita, 28-12

Similar to Nazareth Academy's plight, St. Francis finds itself 0-3 against Top 25 competition heading into the midseason stretch. And just like the Roadrunners, the Spartans get one more opportunity to course-correct at home against No. 14 Fenwick. Ironically, Nazareth Academy and St. Francis will meet next week on Sept. 25, when both teams could be ranked — or already gone from this list — depending on this week's outcomes.

25. Prospect

Record: 4-0

Previous Rank: Unranked

Last Week: Prospect 35, Fremd 21

Loss(es): None

Prospect took down Top 25 Fremd last weekend to claw its way into the final position in our rankings. With no contests remaining against ranked teams, the Knights could be in position to make an extended run on this list.

Final Analysis

East St. Louis remains in the pole position in Illinois, and it's unlikely any of their remaining opponents will overtake them down the stretch. But the rest of top 25 remains potentially fluid with multiple games involving ranked teams and several others facing teams on the fringe of the rankings, This week's results could produce another shake-up, but we wouldn't have it any other way.

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