Illinois High School Football Rankings Updated Ahead of 2024 Playoffs
This week in East St. Louis, the excitement in high school football is rising as the 2024 postseason is set to kick off. The latest On3 Massey Ratings show that East St. Louis and Lincoln-Way East are holding strong at the top two spots, just ahead of the first weekend of November.
Despite a recent loss, East St. Louis remains a formidable team. They played against the nationally-ranked IMG Academy and lost 14-13 in a nail-biting overtime. This was the Flyers’ first loss of the season, but they are still positioned as the top team in the Class 6A region and are set to face Springfield this weekend.
On the other hand, Lincoln-Way East finished its regular season on a high note, clinching a 28-7 victory over No. 11 Naperville Central. This win capped off a perfect season, securing them the No. 1 seed in Class 8A; they will play against Niles West in the playoffs.
In other significant news, Loyola Academy had a standout performance against Chicago Mount Carmel, winning 31-7 in what many are calling one of the biggest games of the year. With this victory, the Ramblers finished their season at 7-2. Their only losses came from East St. Louis and No. 25 St. Francis. Loyola’s next game will be against Belleville East.
Mount Carmel, after their loss to Loyola, now has a 6-3 record but has had some impressive wins this season, including over No. 12 St. Rita and No. 14 Nazareth Academy. They will start the playoffs on the road against Park Harlem.
Meanwhile, Lions finished the year unbeaten with a staggering 50-6 victory over Proviso East and will continue their quest for a perfect season against Joliet West. Cary-Grove remains unharmed too, having dominated Dundee-Crown 55-8 ahead of their playoff opener against Chicago Senn.
This year’s playoffs are shaping up to be exciting with other teams like Batavia (8-1) looking to extend their winning streak against Collinsville and Marist, who has won five straight games since a close loss earlier in the season. The postseason kicks off with some thrilling matchups and will surely keep fans on the edge of their seats.
