High School Football

For retiring Marquette football coach Tom Jobst, it was about the journey, not the wins.

Marist alumnus and Notre Dame offensive lineman Pat Coogan has provided a spark all season for the Fighting Irish with his viral pregame speeches. Now Coogan will try to provide once last spark when the Irish play Ohio State for the national championship on Monday in Atlanta.

Hall's Logan Larson was offered and accepted the head coaching position at Pleasant Plains, his alma mater on New Year’s Day. He is expected to be approved at the Pleasant Plains school board meeting on Monday, Jan. 27.

Hinsdale Central product Thomas Skokna didn’t see the field as a freshman, when the North Central won its second national title, and had four catches for 59 yards as a sophomore. But he led the Cardinals in receiving this year with 57 catches, including three in the Stagg Bowl.

Football players from Burlington Central, Harvard, Jacobs, Richmond-Burton and Woodstock were selected to compete in the 51st annual Illinois High School Shrine Game on June 21 at Illinois Wesleyan’s Tucci Stadium in Bloomington. 

The stats don’t tell the whole story about Eli Davidson. They only scratch the surface as to how big an impact he had for thew Class 4A quarterfinalists. He is the 2024 Sauk Valley Media Football Player of the Year.

Here is the 2024 Sauk Valley All-Area Football Team.

After one season at the helm, Hall head football coach Logan Larson has stepped down from his position.

All-State receiver Blaise LaVista announced his intention on Sunday to transfer to Lincoln-Way East from Libertyville and play his senior season for the Griffins. As a junior at Libertyville, LaVista totaled 60 receptions for 1,447 yards and 24 touchdowns for the 9-2 Wildcats.

Former Notre Dame and Buffalo Grove star Tom Zbikowski will come back home after a decorated career in football and other areas when he takes over as the new St. Patrick coach.

Charles Coleman found himself at a crossroads two years ago, unsure of his next stop. He just knew he wasn’t done with football. Two years after sitting out the 2022 season, Coleman on Sunday ran for a 66-yard touchdown in North Central's win in the DIII national championship.

Sterling High School graduate Lucas Austin announced on social media he is transferring to Virginia Tech to continue his football career. He attended West Virginia University as a freshman and has four years of eligibility remaining.

After a productive season at Central Michigan as a three-technique defensive tackle, former Marengo star Jonah Pace has transferred to Iowa for his final season of college eligibility.

Rock Falls football coach Kevin Parker resigned after six seasons with the program. Here is his statement to Sauk Valley Media.

With a handful of Illinois Valley-area products on the roster, North Central College football captured the NCAA Division III championship Sunday.

Nazareth's Gabe Kaminski led the Roadrunners to three straight state championships and broke an IHSA record along the way. He earned Friday Night Drive's 2024 Defensive Player of the Year.

Mount Carmel senior quarterback Jack Elliott overcame obstacles to help the Caravan win a third straight state championship. Elliott earned Elliott's 2024 Friday Night Drive Offensive Player of the Year honor.

Congrats to all of the players who made Friday Night Drive's 2024 Team of the Year

A look at the best football players in the NewsTribune area during the 2024 season.

Princeton senior Cade Odell is the 2024 NewsTribune Defensive Football Player of the Year after recording 74 tackles and helping the Tigers reach the Class 3A quarterfinals.

Princeton junior Casey Etheridge repeated as NewsTribune Offensive Football Player of the Year after running for 1,706 yards and 25 touchdowns.

A three-time All-Illinois Central Eight Conference and Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Class 4A Academic All-Stater and two-time all-state first-teamer

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.

Meet the 2024 Northwest Herald All-Area football team.

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.

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.