Seven conference teams made the playoffs in 2024: SHG, QND, Springfield, Jacksonville, Chatham, Rochester, and U High. SHG, Springfield, Chatham, and Rochester all return a large number of starters. QND, Jacksonville, and U High were hit harder by graduation and in QND's case by transfer but each has some impressive returning players. I will be surprised if any of these teams fail to make the playoffs.
Five teams did not make the playoffs in 2024: Southeast, Lanphier, Lincoln, MacArthur, and Eisenhower. Southeast and Eisenhower look to be at least somewhat improved this season. The others are less clear. I do not expect that any of these teams will make the playoffs.
Top Returners
QB: Knoedler (Chatham, 2,643 yards/29 TD's), Scheffler (Springfield, 2,124 yds/17 TD's), Brinkman (SHG, 1,632 yds/14 TD's), Boyd (Southeast, 1,379 yds/14 TD's), and Beal (Rochester 999 yds/11 TD's)
RB: Moore (Eisenhower, 1,046 yards/12 TD's), Jackson (Jacksonville, 737 yds/5 TD's), Triplett (QND, 730 yds/6 TD's), Mueller (Chatham, 703 yds/9 TD's), and Stout (Rochester, 697 yds/9 TD's)
WR: Cunningham (U High, 1,245 yds/16 TD's), Thurman (Springfield, 860 yds/7 TD's), Mueller (Chatham, 507 yds/6 TD's), Doellman (QND, 467 yds/5 TD's), and Brown (Springfield, 456 yds/3 TD's)
West Division
1-SHG (6-5 in 2024, lost in 2nd round of 5A)
Since Ken Leonard's retirement, SHG has gone 7-4 and 6-5. Expect an improved team capable of a deeper run in either the 4A or 5A playoffs. QB Cam Brinkman should grow substantially from his impressive Sophomore totals, particularly when considering the strides fellow QB's Colten Knoedler and Brody Scheffler made from their Sophomore to Junior years. The Cyclones also return RB-LB Mikey Groesch who had almost 500 yards and 11 TD's last season. Key Game: Week 9 (H) vs Rochester. SHG has dominated Rochester at home over the years, losing only once at KL Stadium and that was to a Rocket team that went on to win a state title. This game could have playoff implications as well. If SHG ends up in 4A, they could face Rochester again as early as Week 10 or 11.
2-Jacksonville (6-4 in 2024, lost in 1st round of 5A)
Springfield is probably the better team at this point, but the Crimsons have a more favorable schedule than the Solons which could result in them getting 6-7 wins. They will need to be more balanced on Offense this year. The Crimsons were run first last year, with their starting QB attempting only 43 passes on the season and actually rushing for more yards than throwing. Jacksonville lost several big O-Lineman to graduation but return two RB's who combined for over 1,000 yards and averaged more than 10 yards a carry along with their QB who ran for over 500 yards. Key Game: Week 7 (A) vs QND. QND won 35-21 last year but lost its starting QB to transfer.
3-Springfield (5-5 in 2024, lost in 1st round of 6A)
Springfield may have the most returning starters in the conference. Their Offense should be very good, returning a 3-year starting QB in Scheffler, a bruising RB who had 11 TD's in '24, several WR's, and the entire O-Line. If the Solons have a potential downfall, it's a horrible back-end schedule. From Week 5-through Week 8, they will be on the road facing 4 playoff teams from last season: QND, Jacksonville, SHG, and Rochester. Then, they end the regular season against Chatham at Home. Springfield has struggled recently against SHG, Rochester, and Chatham, losing to them by a combined 135-49 margin in '24. Key Game: Week 5 (A) vs QND. Springfield lost by only 14-7 to the Raiders last year and this is a chance for them to start 5-0 if they can win on the road.
4-QND (10-2 in 2024, lost in 2A Quarters)
QND had a great initial season in the CS8 with impressive wins over SHG, Springfield, and Jacksonville. Graduation took its toll, and it may take time for a new QB to develop. However, don't expect a big drop off by the Raiders. Oliver Tripplett at RB and Gavin Doellman at WR return and both were very productive last season. The Raiders should start the season 3-0 and this will help the new QB get some experience before going on the road to face SHG in Week 4. Key Game: Week 5 (H) vs Springfield. This was a hard fought 14-7 win for QND last year. The Solons would be favored today but QND does get this game at home.
5-Southeast (2-7 in 2024, last in the playoffs in 2014)
The Spartans almost got new Coach Nate Borders a win in his 1st game last year against East Peoria leading early before losing. This turned out to be Southeast's most competitive loss by far, and their wins came against 0-9 Lanphier and 1-8 Eisenhower. They do have an experienced QB in Tony Boyd. Look for the Spartans to beat East Peoria in Week 1 in their newly renovated stadium. Key Game: Week 4 (A) vs Springfield. Southeast lost 51-24 last year and this will be a good marker to see how much the Spartan program has improved.
6-Lanphier (0-9 in 2024, last in the playoffs in 2004)
Lanphier has struggled greatly recently, winning one game in 2022 and going 0-9 in both 2023 and 2024. Their closest loss in 2024 was by 32 points Week 1 against Lincoln. The Lions need to look for small victories at this point, such as greater program numbers/player retention. Key Game: Week 1 (H) vs Lincoln. The 32-0 loss to the Railers was their closest game last year. This is the Lions best chance to show if they've improved, especially as Lincoln may be down a bit.
East Division
1-Chatham (9-3 in 2024, lost in 6A Quarters)
The Titans have made it to the 6A Quarterfinals the last two seasons and have an extremely impressive Senior class, with many returning starters. The Big 3 on Offense are QB Knoedler, RB Grady Mueller, and WR Blake Lehnen. Lehnen missed the entire regular season with an injury last year but is a big play threat. Mueller is dangerous as a runner, receiver, and kick returner. Knoedler made major strides from his Sophomore to Junior season and expect to see another leap forward. He was more willing to run last year when needed, which made their Offense even more dangerous. The Defense is led by DL Cody Moss, who is attracting some D-1 attention. Key Game: Week 1 (A) vs Edwardsville. If the Titans can knock off 7A Edwardsville on the road, they have a better than even chance to win out and start 9-0.
2-Rochester (7-3 in 2024, lost in 1st Round of 4A)
After their earliest playoff exit since 2008, motivation should not be an issue. The Rockets were young last year and will be again this year, but return a good number of experienced players. There could be 3 QB's used in different situations: Senior Tanner Beal who also starts at Safety, Junior JP Leonard, and Sophomore Khordell Gregory. Rochester will go as far as their Defense will take them this season. Last year, there was too much inconsistency. There was a good effort against Cardinal Ritter early in the season and mostly against SHG in Week 9, offset by very poor performances against Chatham and Peoria Notre Dame. Key Game: Week 2 (A) vs Mt Zion. This is a chance for the Defense in particular to make an early season statement on the road against last year's 4A runner up.
3-U High (10-3 in 2024, lost in 4A Semis)
Congrats to the Pioneers on making the deepest playoff run in the conference last year. They are in a bit of a rebuild mode, losing many key players to graduation particularly QB Alek Weiland who threw for over 3,600 yards and 43 TD's. U High does return WR Cade Cunningham, who was the only CS8 WR to have more than a 1,000 yards receiving last year. They also have a promising QB but it will take time for him to develop and Weiland's loss will be felt. However, Coach Walworth seems to have built a winning program. Key Game: Week 6 (A) vs Chatham. U High shocked the Titans at home last year, leading the entire game and winning 33-13. No doubt the Titans will have this game circled on their calendar and it will be a stern test for the Pioneers.
4-MacArthur (2-7 in 2024, last in playoffs in 2023)
Rumors of the possible return of elite RB-LB Myson Johnson Cook turned out to false as MJC transferred to East St Louis from Texas. There has also been talk of both transfers into and out of Mac's program. As the Decatur schools typically provide the least amount of info on their programs, it's hard to know the status of Generals roster. They had the worst decline in the conference in '24, going from 6-4 to 2-7. Mac could finish anywhere between 3rd and 6th in the East. Key Game: Week 3 (H) vs U High. Mac lost by a surprising margin of 48-7 to U High on the road last year, an early sign they were going to struggle. They get a rebuilding Pioneers at Home in a potential statement game.
5-Eisenhower (1-8 in 2024, last in playoffs in 2016)
Eisenhower returns a 1,000 yard rusher in Jaterryon Moore and a QB with some experience. The Panthers were very young last year and don't have great total program numbers. How well they retain the young players who took their lumps will say a lot about their potential success. Key Game: Week 4 (A) vs MacArthur. Mac won the battle of Decatur 55-12 last year. If Eisenhower is truly improved, they have a chance to show it here.
6-Lincoln (4-5 in 2024, last in playoffs in 2023)
Lincoln has gone 5-5 and 4-5 the last two seasons. However, they lost the talented RB/DB Carson twins to graduation after '23 and that hurt the Railers big play capability on Offense last year. Lincoln still had some success running the ball in '24 but lost almost 1,500 yards and 21 TD's produced by 3 Seniors to graduation. They will be pretty inexperienced at QB and the skill positions. The Railers still have a favorable schedule, facing Lanphier, Southeast, MacArthur, and Eisenhower who combined for a total of 4 wins last year. I do see a chance that those schools, other than Lanphier, could compete better with Lincoln and possibly win. Key Game: Week 2 (H) vs Southeast. Lincoln won easily last year but this contest could be much closer.
Five teams did not make the playoffs in 2024: Southeast, Lanphier, Lincoln, MacArthur, and Eisenhower. Southeast and Eisenhower look to be at least somewhat improved this season. The others are less clear. I do not expect that any of these teams will make the playoffs.
Top Returners
QB: Knoedler (Chatham, 2,643 yards/29 TD's), Scheffler (Springfield, 2,124 yds/17 TD's), Brinkman (SHG, 1,632 yds/14 TD's), Boyd (Southeast, 1,379 yds/14 TD's), and Beal (Rochester 999 yds/11 TD's)
RB: Moore (Eisenhower, 1,046 yards/12 TD's), Jackson (Jacksonville, 737 yds/5 TD's), Triplett (QND, 730 yds/6 TD's), Mueller (Chatham, 703 yds/9 TD's), and Stout (Rochester, 697 yds/9 TD's)
WR: Cunningham (U High, 1,245 yds/16 TD's), Thurman (Springfield, 860 yds/7 TD's), Mueller (Chatham, 507 yds/6 TD's), Doellman (QND, 467 yds/5 TD's), and Brown (Springfield, 456 yds/3 TD's)
West Division
1-SHG (6-5 in 2024, lost in 2nd round of 5A)
Since Ken Leonard's retirement, SHG has gone 7-4 and 6-5. Expect an improved team capable of a deeper run in either the 4A or 5A playoffs. QB Cam Brinkman should grow substantially from his impressive Sophomore totals, particularly when considering the strides fellow QB's Colten Knoedler and Brody Scheffler made from their Sophomore to Junior years. The Cyclones also return RB-LB Mikey Groesch who had almost 500 yards and 11 TD's last season. Key Game: Week 9 (H) vs Rochester. SHG has dominated Rochester at home over the years, losing only once at KL Stadium and that was to a Rocket team that went on to win a state title. This game could have playoff implications as well. If SHG ends up in 4A, they could face Rochester again as early as Week 10 or 11.
2-Jacksonville (6-4 in 2024, lost in 1st round of 5A)
Springfield is probably the better team at this point, but the Crimsons have a more favorable schedule than the Solons which could result in them getting 6-7 wins. They will need to be more balanced on Offense this year. The Crimsons were run first last year, with their starting QB attempting only 43 passes on the season and actually rushing for more yards than throwing. Jacksonville lost several big O-Lineman to graduation but return two RB's who combined for over 1,000 yards and averaged more than 10 yards a carry along with their QB who ran for over 500 yards. Key Game: Week 7 (A) vs QND. QND won 35-21 last year but lost its starting QB to transfer.
3-Springfield (5-5 in 2024, lost in 1st round of 6A)
Springfield may have the most returning starters in the conference. Their Offense should be very good, returning a 3-year starting QB in Scheffler, a bruising RB who had 11 TD's in '24, several WR's, and the entire O-Line. If the Solons have a potential downfall, it's a horrible back-end schedule. From Week 5-through Week 8, they will be on the road facing 4 playoff teams from last season: QND, Jacksonville, SHG, and Rochester. Then, they end the regular season against Chatham at Home. Springfield has struggled recently against SHG, Rochester, and Chatham, losing to them by a combined 135-49 margin in '24. Key Game: Week 5 (A) vs QND. Springfield lost by only 14-7 to the Raiders last year and this is a chance for them to start 5-0 if they can win on the road.
4-QND (10-2 in 2024, lost in 2A Quarters)
QND had a great initial season in the CS8 with impressive wins over SHG, Springfield, and Jacksonville. Graduation took its toll, and it may take time for a new QB to develop. However, don't expect a big drop off by the Raiders. Oliver Tripplett at RB and Gavin Doellman at WR return and both were very productive last season. The Raiders should start the season 3-0 and this will help the new QB get some experience before going on the road to face SHG in Week 4. Key Game: Week 5 (H) vs Springfield. This was a hard fought 14-7 win for QND last year. The Solons would be favored today but QND does get this game at home.
5-Southeast (2-7 in 2024, last in the playoffs in 2014)
The Spartans almost got new Coach Nate Borders a win in his 1st game last year against East Peoria leading early before losing. This turned out to be Southeast's most competitive loss by far, and their wins came against 0-9 Lanphier and 1-8 Eisenhower. They do have an experienced QB in Tony Boyd. Look for the Spartans to beat East Peoria in Week 1 in their newly renovated stadium. Key Game: Week 4 (A) vs Springfield. Southeast lost 51-24 last year and this will be a good marker to see how much the Spartan program has improved.
6-Lanphier (0-9 in 2024, last in the playoffs in 2004)
Lanphier has struggled greatly recently, winning one game in 2022 and going 0-9 in both 2023 and 2024. Their closest loss in 2024 was by 32 points Week 1 against Lincoln. The Lions need to look for small victories at this point, such as greater program numbers/player retention. Key Game: Week 1 (H) vs Lincoln. The 32-0 loss to the Railers was their closest game last year. This is the Lions best chance to show if they've improved, especially as Lincoln may be down a bit.
East Division
1-Chatham (9-3 in 2024, lost in 6A Quarters)
The Titans have made it to the 6A Quarterfinals the last two seasons and have an extremely impressive Senior class, with many returning starters. The Big 3 on Offense are QB Knoedler, RB Grady Mueller, and WR Blake Lehnen. Lehnen missed the entire regular season with an injury last year but is a big play threat. Mueller is dangerous as a runner, receiver, and kick returner. Knoedler made major strides from his Sophomore to Junior season and expect to see another leap forward. He was more willing to run last year when needed, which made their Offense even more dangerous. The Defense is led by DL Cody Moss, who is attracting some D-1 attention. Key Game: Week 1 (A) vs Edwardsville. If the Titans can knock off 7A Edwardsville on the road, they have a better than even chance to win out and start 9-0.
2-Rochester (7-3 in 2024, lost in 1st Round of 4A)
After their earliest playoff exit since 2008, motivation should not be an issue. The Rockets were young last year and will be again this year, but return a good number of experienced players. There could be 3 QB's used in different situations: Senior Tanner Beal who also starts at Safety, Junior JP Leonard, and Sophomore Khordell Gregory. Rochester will go as far as their Defense will take them this season. Last year, there was too much inconsistency. There was a good effort against Cardinal Ritter early in the season and mostly against SHG in Week 9, offset by very poor performances against Chatham and Peoria Notre Dame. Key Game: Week 2 (A) vs Mt Zion. This is a chance for the Defense in particular to make an early season statement on the road against last year's 4A runner up.
3-U High (10-3 in 2024, lost in 4A Semis)
Congrats to the Pioneers on making the deepest playoff run in the conference last year. They are in a bit of a rebuild mode, losing many key players to graduation particularly QB Alek Weiland who threw for over 3,600 yards and 43 TD's. U High does return WR Cade Cunningham, who was the only CS8 WR to have more than a 1,000 yards receiving last year. They also have a promising QB but it will take time for him to develop and Weiland's loss will be felt. However, Coach Walworth seems to have built a winning program. Key Game: Week 6 (A) vs Chatham. U High shocked the Titans at home last year, leading the entire game and winning 33-13. No doubt the Titans will have this game circled on their calendar and it will be a stern test for the Pioneers.
4-MacArthur (2-7 in 2024, last in playoffs in 2023)
Rumors of the possible return of elite RB-LB Myson Johnson Cook turned out to false as MJC transferred to East St Louis from Texas. There has also been talk of both transfers into and out of Mac's program. As the Decatur schools typically provide the least amount of info on their programs, it's hard to know the status of Generals roster. They had the worst decline in the conference in '24, going from 6-4 to 2-7. Mac could finish anywhere between 3rd and 6th in the East. Key Game: Week 3 (H) vs U High. Mac lost by a surprising margin of 48-7 to U High on the road last year, an early sign they were going to struggle. They get a rebuilding Pioneers at Home in a potential statement game.
5-Eisenhower (1-8 in 2024, last in playoffs in 2016)
Eisenhower returns a 1,000 yard rusher in Jaterryon Moore and a QB with some experience. The Panthers were very young last year and don't have great total program numbers. How well they retain the young players who took their lumps will say a lot about their potential success. Key Game: Week 4 (A) vs MacArthur. Mac won the battle of Decatur 55-12 last year. If Eisenhower is truly improved, they have a chance to show it here.
6-Lincoln (4-5 in 2024, last in playoffs in 2023)
Lincoln has gone 5-5 and 4-5 the last two seasons. However, they lost the talented RB/DB Carson twins to graduation after '23 and that hurt the Railers big play capability on Offense last year. Lincoln still had some success running the ball in '24 but lost almost 1,500 yards and 21 TD's produced by 3 Seniors to graduation. They will be pretty inexperienced at QB and the skill positions. The Railers still have a favorable schedule, facing Lanphier, Southeast, MacArthur, and Eisenhower who combined for a total of 4 wins last year. I do see a chance that those schools, other than Lanphier, could compete better with Lincoln and possibly win. Key Game: Week 2 (H) vs Southeast. Lincoln won easily last year but this contest could be much closer.
Last edited:
Ratsy
Ratsy