Illinois High School Football Rankings: Top 25 Teams - September 9

The second week of games in the Land of Lincoln has produced major changes in the top 25 of the Illinois high school football rankings.

Mount Carmel shut out St. Rita in Illinois’ big top-10 matchup of the weekend while Marist won an overtime thriller against Brother Rice.

Below is the updated Illinois On3 Massey Ratings top 25, as of Sept. 9.

The On3 Massey Ratings — which were officially used during the BCS era and have generated college high school sports team rankings since 1995 — rank sports teams by analyzing game outcomes, strength of schedule and margin of victory.

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1. East St. Louis

Previous Ranking: No. 1
East St. Louis hosted Georgia’s Newton and came away with a narrow 28-21 victory over the weekend. The Flyers were projected to have the toughest strength of schedule heading into this season, but thus far remain perfect. Missouri four-star safety commit Charles Bass is ranked as a top-10 senior in the state. Next up is a road contest at Imhotep Institute (Pa.) on Saturday.

2. Lincoln-Way East

Previous Ranking: No. 3 (+1)
Lincoln-Way East was idle this week after a 49-22 splattering of Maine South in week one. East is home to the top quarterback recruit in the state, as Oregon four-star junior QB commit Jonas Williams transferred in. The Griffons also have Northwestern EDGE commit Caden O’Rourke and Miami (Ohio) tight end pledge Trey Zvonar. This Friday is a home game against Amos Alonzo Stagg.

3. Loyola Academy

Previous Ranking: No. 4 (+1)
Loyola Academy knocked Glenbard West out of the top 25 with a dominant 42-7 win. The Ramblers, Illinois’ preseason No. 1, are now 1-1 in 2024 with a shocking blowout loss to East St. Louis in week one. The top defense in the state is spearheaded by Washington linebacker commit Donovan Robinson and Iowa safety commit Drew MacPherson. Loyola will play at home against St. Francis this week.

4. Chicago Mount Carmel

Previous Ranking: No. 2 (-2)
Chicago Mount Carmel fell in the rankings despite a shutout 28-0 win over then-No. 9 St. Rita — a nice bounceback from a season-opening loss to Hun School (N.J.). The Caravan is headlined by Vanderbilt quarterback commit Jack Elliot and 2026 4-star EDGE Braeden Jones, a top-200 recruit in the junior cycle. A top-25 clash is on deck against No. 18 Nazareth Academy.

5. Batavia

Previous Ranking: No. 5
Batavia improved to 2-0 on the season with an easy 42-14 win over South Elgin. Quarterback Bodi Anderson threw for 155 yards and three touchdowns in the first half. Lake Park is on deck and the Bulldogs are once again big favorites as they continue the push to return to the state Final Four.

6. Marist

Previous Ranking: No. 13 (+7)
Marist played in one of Illinois’ top games of the week, beating then-No. 7 Brother Rice 34-27 in an overtime thriller. After finishing with a mediocre 6-6 record a year ago, the RedHawks are off to a perfect 2-0 start. This week will be another top-50 test with a home game against Montini Catholic.

7. York Comm

Previous Ranking: No. 11 (+4)
York moved up four spots with its second win of the season, 35-13 over Plainfield North. The preseason No. 11 team in Illinois, York’s top-10 defense is led by Notre Dame four-star defensive line commit Joseph Reiff. Downers Grove South is up next.

8. Downers Grove North

Previous Ranking: No. 10 (+2)
Downers Grove North earned the shutout rivalry win 42-0 over Downers Grove South last week — its 10th consecutive win in the series. Running back Caden Chiarelli scored four touchdowns on just five carries. This week, the Trojans will play Glenbard West at home.

9. Maine South

Previous Ranking: No. 20 (+11)
A preseason top-10 team in Illinois, Maine South plummeted following a week one loss to Lincoln-Way East. After smashing top-10 Warren Township 35-18, the Hawks have skyrocketed back into the top 10. They play Hersey on the road this week — a squad that started in the top 25 but has lost both of its games this year.

10. Oswego

Previous Ranking: NR
After shutting out then-No. 6 Joliet Catholic Academy, 2-0 Oswego has shot up the rankings from outside the top 25 to now No. 10. Though the Panthers struggle on offense, the defense led by Iowa linebacker commit Carson Cooney ranks top 10 in the state. A road game at Plainfield Central is on deck.

Teams 11-25 in latest Illinois High School Football Rankings

11. Wheaton North (+7)
12. Naperville Central (+12)
13. Prairie Ridge (-1)
14. Barrington (+8)
15. Lyons (+2)

16. St. Rita (-7)
17. Cary-Grove (-3)
18. Nazareth Academy (+1)
19. Homewood-Flossmoor (+2)
20. St. Charles North (-5)

21. Warren Township (-13)
22. Fenwick (NR)
23. Brother Rice (-16)
24. Minooka (NR)
25. Joliet Catholic Academy (-19)

Dropped from ranking: St. Ignatius, Edwardsville, Glenbard West