Predicting the Illinois high school football state champions

Illinois high school football is more than just a collection of teams and rivalries; it’s a showcase of talent, determination and community spirit. From Chicagoland to the rural counties of Southern Illinois and everything in-between, these state championship contenders are poised to claim glory in their respective classifications.

Class 8A: Loyola Academy

We have already gone on record to say that we think the Ramblers are going to win it all in Class 8A, so there’s not much changing as the regular season openers approach. Loyola Academy may not have exactly the flare of last year’s bunch, but what they may lack there is made up in the overall toughness of this particular squad. What can easily be identified is the strength of the team is in the linebacking corps, led by returners Henry Newton and Gavin King.

Class 7A: Mount Carmel

Simply put, the Caravan are loaded on both sides of the ball and it would be honestly a little head scratching to go with another team other than Loyola Academy on paper. When looking at the roster of the Caravan, the team features five, four-star prospects, led by 2026 defensive lineman Braeden Jones and 2027 wide receiver Quentin Burrell. With an offense poised to score points in bunches and a defensive makeup to get after opposing quarterbacks, it’s a good mixture to win another state title.

Class 6A: East St. Louis

One of the country’s elite high school football programs, the 11-time state champion Flyers return a bevy of talent and have seen some new faces bolster an already elite group. A reason to really believe this might be the safest selection of predicting a Illinois state champion is the blockbuster transfer of running back Myson Johnson-Cook, who comes over from DeSoto (Texas). Though the Flyers may lose a game or two to nationally-ranked opponents, that only hardens what should be a battle tested group come postseason time.

Class 5A: Nazareth Academy

We gave a really hard look at last year’s final between Nazareth Academy and Joliet Catholic Academy, with the former just edging out the latter by two points. Question heading into any offseason is can the gap between the two schools be closed and we feel that the Roadrunners remain just a smidge ahead of their counterparts. Given the return of three-star prospects Trenton Walker and Chris Kasky, we give Nazareth Academy the nod as repeating as Illinois high school football state champs.

Class 4A: DePaul College Prep

Coming off winning an Illinois state title a year ago, the Rams did lose a little bit of punch offensively as quarterback Fernando Rodriguez and running back Nick Martinez both have graduated. The two players combined for a total of 4,218 total yards and 47 touchdowns, which is a lot of offense to makeup for. Despite that, we still think that DePaul College Prep brings back enough to make another run to the top of Class 4A.

Class 3A: Montini Catholic

When you dominate the Illinois high school football 3A classification the way the Broncos did a year ago, you tend to not overthink this one too hard. Montini Catholic cruised to the 3A championship with a punishing 49-8 effort over Monticello, and the Broncos are nowhere near done yet. Class of 2027 star quarterback Israel Abrams returns after throwing for 2,033 yards and 29 touchdowns as a sophomore. A lot to like about the Broncos this fall.

Class 2A: Maroa-Forsyth

Though Maroa-Forsyth’s last memory of playing in a game was in the Class 2A title game and falling 47-0 to Chicago Christian, the underlying feel good part about that was knowing the kind of team they were bringing back. Loaded with juniors in 2024, the Trojans are now the senior-laden bunch like Chicago Christian was a year ago. 5-foot-11, 190-pound senior Ryne Sheppard is back under center after throwing for 3,331 yards and 46 touchdowns last year.

Class 1A: Althoff Catholic

Just because the Crusaders no longer have the services of joystick running back Dierre Hill Jr., who is now at Oregon, doesn’t mean Althoff Catholic is down and out of the state championship picture. Enter junior quarterback Jayden Ellington, who returns after a superb 2024 campaign, throwing for 2,008 yards and 33 touchdowns. With plenty of pieces back in the cupboard, the Crusaders make the case to repeating as Illinois high school football state champions.