High School Football

Here is the 2024 Kane County Chronicle All-Area football team

After a senior season in which he had 84 catches, 1,617 yards and 26 total touchdowns while also leading Geneva to their first state championship game since 2008, senior wide receiver and Georgia commit Talyn Taylor is the 2024 Kane County Chronicle football Player of the Year.

Longtime assistant coach Ken Carlson has been named the head football coach at Marquette Academy.

Meet football's best of the best in The Herald-News coverage area

Jonas Williams continued his assault on the IHSA record book this season, throwing 42 TD passes and leading Lincoln-Way East to a 12-1 record

If you needed to choose one player to represent the 2024 Fighting Irish, senior fullback Brody Rademacher – the 2024 Times Football Player of the Year – might fit the bill perfectly.

We are proud to present The Times 2024 All-Area Football Team, with 22 first-team selections and 22 more honored as second-teamers from area teams Marquette, Seneca, Streator, Sandwich, Ottawa, Fieldcrest and Flanagan-Cornell/Woodland.

Here is the 2024 Suburban Life All-Area football team.

Nazareth senior linebacker and Stanford recruit Gabe Kaminski, who led the Roadrunners to three consecutive Class 5A state championships, is the Suburban Life Player of the Year.

Mendota football coach Keegan Hill has resigned after eight seasons leading the Trojans.

The Durand-Pecatonica co-op will join the Big Northern Conference for football, boys soccer and girls soccer in the 2026-2027 school year, the league announced in a statement Tuesday.

Army offensive guard Paolo Gennarelli, a 2022 St. Charles North graduate, was named to The Associated Press All-American third team Monday.

Western Michigan senior guard Addison West, a 2019 Cary-Grove graduate, was named to The Associated Press All-America first team Monday.

Jeff Schroeder hoped to add stability to McHenry’s football program when he took the head-coaching position two seasons ago. He resigned this week.

Meet Friday Night Drive’s 2024 All-CCL/ESCC team, which was selected by the Friday Night Drive staff with input from coaches across the 24-team league.

Senior quarterback Jackson Alcorn guided Burlington Central to its first playoff berth since 2014, threw 22 TD passes to one interception and is the 2024 Northwest Herald Football Player of the Year.

Meet the 2024 Northwest Herald All-Area football team.

Armed with a team loaded with three-year varsity players, Brian Iossi guided Burlington Central to its first playoff berth since 2014. Iossi is the 2024 Northwest Herald Football Coach of the Year.

The decision to leave Rolling Meadows after one season wasn't easy for Robbie Gould. But the former Chicago Bear felt he couldn't pass up the opportunity to become the head coach at St. Viator.

Tom Jobst, who in 2010 took over a Marquette Academy football program that had suffered through eight consecutive losing seasons and turned it into a perennial Class 1A powerhouse, is retiring as head coach of the Crusaders.

Sandwich coach Kris Cassie, who led the program to back-to-back playoff appearances the last two seasons and a quarterfinal in 2023 after the program had dropped varsity football for a year, has resigned after seven seasons on the job.

After putting up eye-popping numbers wherever he played, Sycamore's Burke Gautcher earned his second straight Daily Chronicle Player of the Year award. He heads to Iowa to play for the Hawkeyes in January.

There were no shortage of people who could catch the ball this year - whether that was on the offensive or defensive side of the ball. Here's this year's Daily Chronicle All-Area Football team.

Here is the 2024 Record Newspapers All-Area football team.

Oswego senior linebacker and Iowa commit Carson Cooney, who led the Panthers to a 9-0 regular season and the Southwest Prairie West championship, is the 2024 Record Newspapers Player of the Year.

St. Viator announced Tuesday that it hired former Chicago Bears kicker Robbie Gould as its new head coach.

Niles Notre Dame chose longtime coach Dan DeFranza as its next head coach after Mike Hennessey announced his retirement last week after 38 years at the helm.

The IHSA board of directors announced Monday it will change it’s two-year classification cycle to one year a little over a week after a lopsided football championship weekend led to outcry from the public and its members schools.

Featuring players from Bureau Valley, Hall, LaMoille, Princeton and St. Bede

The Tigers made their fifth straight appearance in Class 3A quarterfinal play this season, led by the talents of three All-State Players - Noah LaPorte, Cade Odell and Casey Etheridge. PHS Coach Ryan Pearson says they are the "poster childs" of the Tiger program

Yorkville senior wide receiver Dyllan Malone, who verbally committed to Iowa State in October after originally committing to NIU, made it official on Wednesday, signing his letter of intent with the Cyclones.

Class 3A All-Stater Noah LaPorte from Princeton signed to play Big 10 football for Northwestern University.

Here is a list of CCL/ESCC football players who have committed to colleges at various levels and can sign their financial aid agreements starting Wednesday.

Rolling Meadows head football coach Robbie Gould has resigned after one season. District 214 officials announced the news Tuesday, a month after the former Bears kicker and the Mustangs wrapped up a 5-5 season with a loss to St. Charles North in the first round of the playoffs.

Fenwick senior Nathaniel Marshall announced over Instagram that he flipped his commitment back to Michigan on Tuesday. The announcement comes a day before the NCAA’s early signing period is set to open Wednesday.

Nazareth seniors set a new standard for the Roadrunners' program on and off the field after winning their third straight state championship. Plus more CCL/ESCC notes on Mount Carmel, Loyola, Montini, DePaul Prep and Joliet Catholic.

The Indian Valley Conference was one of the top small-school conferences in the state, producing a multitude of playoff teams in its 28-year run from 1976-94. Over its course, the Indian Valley saw 15 different schools and 21 teams, including co-ops, play football.

East St. Louis finishes in the No. 1 spot of the final Friday Night Drive Power Rankings for the season. See how things stacked up in the latest version of the Top 25.

Join hosts Matt Rodewald and Steve Soucie as they break down the IHSA state football title games this past weekend, and talk about the future of the IHSA playoffs with public and private schools

The private/public school debate in the state championship games took centerstage in a dominant weekend for private schools. Steve Soucie takes a look at what happened in the state championship round of the playoffs.

Logan Malachuk threw four touchdown passes and Nazareth stopped a two-point conversion in the final seconds to beat Joliet Catholic 29-27 in a Class 5A championship game rematch and win the program's third straight state title.

York senior Jimmy Conners has been key in the team's run to a first state final, and he provided an immediate jolt Saturday with a 74-yard touchdown run on the Dukes' third play. Unfortunately his night ended early with a foot injury, but Conners left it all out there.

Loyola entered the final game of the IHSA football season hoping to claim its third consecutive state championship and as a heavy favorite to do so. The Ramblers got it with a 35-14 Class 8A win on Saturday night at Illinois State University, but York made them work for it.

Batavia's sophomore quarterback Michael Vander Luitgaren ended his playoff run in record fashion, throwing for a 7A title game record 390 yards against Mt. Carmel

Mount Carmel won its IHSA-record 16th state championship and third straight in Class 7A Saturday after beating Batavia 55-34 in the Class 7A championship game. Senior quarterback Jack Elliott scored seven touchdowns in the win, breaking a couple IHSA records.

Despite falling short of bringing home the first football title in school history, Geneva senior Tony Chahino put up a valiant effort with 323 passing yards and four total touchdowns to finish off his first and final season at QB.

York faces Loyola in the state title game of the 2024 Class 8A IHSA football playoffs. Friday Night Drive editor Steve Soucie will have live updates, scores and news from the game

East St. Louis' offensive attack proved to be too much for a feisty Geneva team to deal with in a 48-28 win for the Flyers in the Class 6A title game. The win gave East St. Louis its 11th state championship trophy.

Frankie Nichols' two-point conversion pass to Henry Sakalas didn't go as planned, but worked out perfectly for Nazareth, and was one of two Nichols' special teams plays that were critical to the 29-27 win over Joliet Catholic in the Class 5A state championship game.

Batavia faces Mt. Carmel in the state title game of the 2024 Class 7A IHSA football playoffs. Friday Night Drive reporter Michal Dwojak will have live updates, scores and news from the game