Illinois High School Association Football Pairings Announced

The Illinois High School Association has released the football pairings for all eight classes, each featuring 48 teams. The state championship games will occur on November 27-28 at Hancock Stadium in Normal.

Class 8A

The opening round includes matchups such as East Aurora (5-4) against Oak Park-River Forest (4-5), Hinsdale Central (6-3) facing Lake Park (2-7), and Marist (5-4) versus Neuqua Valley (3-6). First-round games will see Lincoln-Way East (9-0) playing the winner of East Aurora and Oak Park-River Forest, and Von Steuben (7-1) competing against the winner of Hinsdale Central and Lake Park, among others.

Class 7A

Opening games include Edwardsville (4-5) against Lincoln Park (4-5) and Glenbard East (6-3) versus Bartlett (2-7). First-round games feature Normal Community (9-0) taking on the winner of Edwardsville and Lincoln Park, while Kenwood (6-3) faces the Glenbard East-Bartlett winner.

Class 6A

The opening round features Elk Grove (4-5) against St. Charles East (3-6), and Burlington Central (6-3) faces Rockford East (2-7). Harlem (9-0) will face the winner of Elk Grove and St. Charles East in a first-round game, and Lake Zurich (6-3) meets the Burlington Central-Rockford East winner.

Class 5A

Highlights of the opening round include Payton (5-4) facing Glenbard South (5-4), and Sycamore (5-4) against Crystal Lake South (2-7). Antioch (9-0) will meet the winner of Payton and Glenbard South in the first round, and Belvidere (6-3) competes with the Sycamore-Crystal Lake South winner.

Class 4A

Key matchups include Woodstock North (4-5) facing Tinley Park (4-5) and Geneseo (6-3) against North Chicago (2-7). Morris (9-0) takes on the winner of Woodstock North and Tinley Park, while Montini (7-2) meets the Geneseo-North Chicago winner.

Class 3A

South Shore (5-4) plays Princeton (4-5), and Manteno (6-3) faces Mendota (3-6) in the opening round. Richmond-Burton (9-0) squares off with the South Shore-Princeton winner, and Peru St. Bede (7-2) competes with the Manteno-Mendota winner in first-round games.

Class 2A

The opening round includes Beardstown (4-5) facing Eastland-Pearl City co-op (4-5) and Illini West (7-2) against West Hancock co-op (2-7). Riverdale (9-0) will encounter the Beardstown-Eastland-Pearl City winner, while Peotone (7-2) meets the Illini West-West Hancock winner.

Class 1A

Key matches include Galena (5-4) against Orr (5-3) and Abingdon-Avon (7-2) facing Morrison (2-7). Heyworth (9-0) faces the winner of Galena and Orr, and Fisher (7-2) competes against the Abingdon-Avon-Morrison winner in first-round play.

An emphasis on Illinois high school football highlights the sports’ competitive nature and the excitement of the championship games at Hancock Stadium.