Join hosts Steve Soucie and Josh Welge as they preview Week 8 in Illinois high school football and dig into where we are heading into the playoffs with only two games left

Join hosts Mason Schweizer and Steve Soucie as they preview Week 8 in Kankakee County high school football

St. Laurence took a crucial matchup against St. Patrick, while IC Catholic Prep and St. Francis inched closer to automatic playoff bids. Providence outlasted Loyola and multiple teams including St. Rita, Carmel, Brother Rice, Mount Carmel and Montini picked up victories.

Some unexpected results led to a lot of seeding changes in this week's projections. It did not, however, lead to a lot of new teams breaking into the field. Steve Soucie's latest playoff projection can be found here.

Sycamore hits the road to take in an undefeated Morris team, DeKalb hosts Andrew, G-K faces winless Rock Falls and more as we preview Week 8 games.

With just two weeks left in the regular season, here's where Herald-News area teams stand in their quest to make the IHSA postseason.

A proposal has been put forth to the IHSA to expand the playoff field by 96 teams and introduce a flexed regional scheduling concept to ease the pressures for teams having difficulties putting together a full football schedule

Join hosts Josh Welge and Joel Boenitz as they preview Week 8 in the western suburbs in Illinois high school football

Congratulations to these 23 Illinois high school football players who were voted onto Friday Night Drive's Team of the Week for Week 7 of the 2025 high school football season

In a week that seemed to be a less challenging one for ranked teams, that did not come to fruition as several ranked teams were upset. Check out the shuffled rankings here:

Rock Falls seeks more leadership from key players after a promising start against IVC led to another loss. Dixon's Landon Knigge had a five-TD first quarter, and Sterling is looking for another bounceback in this week's Sauk Valley football notes.

Join hosts Matt Rodewald and Steve Soucie as they review Week 7 in Illinois high school football and start looking ahead to the playoffs.

Kennedy Manning totaled 364 yards and two touchdowns on offense while adding an 85-yard interception return for a score as Cary-Grove's girls flag football season ended with a 38-18 loss to Harlem in the IHSA sectional semifinals at McHenry's McCracken Field.

Cary-Grove faces Harlem in a IHSA McHenry Sectional semifinal girls flag football game on Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, at McCracken Field in McHenry.

Plainfield Central and Yorkville faced-off in an IHSA Danville Sectional varsity flag football game at Plainfield East on Monday, Oct. 13.

Winning its next two games will be difficult for Hampshire’s football team, but at least the Whip-Purs have put themselves in position to earn a postseason berth if they can pull it off. Plus, news on Richmond-Burton in the McHenry County Week 7 notebook.

Five CCL/ESCC football teams have secured automatic playoff bids through seven weeks of the IHSA regular season. Nazareth, Fenwick and Brother Rice all improved to 6-1, joining Mount Carmel and Montini in the postseason. Several five and four-win teams are still in the hunt.

Minooka has shaken off a 1-2 start and the loss of their starting QB and is in the midst of a four-game win streak, plus more from sidelines in Will and Grundy County in this week's Herald-News Football Notebook.

Each week, we’ll have 22 players – 11 on offense, 11 on defense – to make the Friday Night Drive Team of the Week. Vote for your favorite players for Week 7!

Erie-Prophetstown football defeated Orion 40-14 Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. Photos by Jessie Ottens - Shaw Local News Network

Miss out on any of the high school football action in northern Illinois? Listen to the audio versions of our stories from Week 7 of the 2025 season here

Dixon and Newman each got their sixth wins after earning road victories. Oregon fell to Stillman Valley, Morrison and Fulton won and more in Friday's Sauk Valley football roundup.

The Fieldcrest football team lost to visiting Ridgeview-Lexington on Friday, while the Ottawa boys, Dwight’s Isabella Dinelli and Seneca’s Piper Stenzel advance to Day 2 at state golf. Plus, results from the Little Ten Conference volleyball tournament.

Ray Hannemann threw two touchdown passes as Richmond-Burton's football team remained undefeated and gave coach Mike Noll his 299th career win by beating host Woodstock North 21-0 in a Kishwaukee River Conference showdown Friday night.

Week 7 of the 2025 high school football season was filled with surprises on Friday night, and Live with Friday Night Drive was there to cover it all

The Wilmington football team rushed for 352 yards and held visiting Streator to 119 total yards in a 45-0 win to secure a sixth season victory and clinch a playoff berth for the 29th consecutive season

Rock Falls controlled the ball and the clock in the first half, but an inability to score allowed Illinois Valley Central to pull away in the second half for a 28-0 win on Friday night at Hinders Field

Seneca defeated St. Bede 48-16 on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025 at Seneca High School. Check out photos of the game from MaKade Rios.

Fenwick brothers Tommy and Jake Thies combined for four rushing touchdowns, while quarterback Jamen Williams threw for 210 yards and kicker Noah Sur made two field goals as the Friars beat Benet 48-7 to reach 6-1 and secure an automatic playoff berth

Morris shut out Ottawa 42-0 on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025 at King Field at Ottawa High School. Check out photos from the game by Katy Arnold.

Princeton defeated Mendota 48-10 on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025 at Princeton High School.

With one more win, Plainfield East would be in position for a playoff berth for the first time since 2021

Stillman Valley held Oregon scoreless in the second half en route to a 21-25 win in Big Northern Conference action on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025 on the Cardinals' home field.

Dundee-Crown faces Jacobs in a Fox Valley Conference football game on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025, at Jacobs High School in Algonquin.

The Grey Ghosts of Illinois Valley Central traveled to Hinders Field in Rock Falls on Friday, October 10, 2025 to take on the Rockets. IVC won the contest 28-0.

Bradley-Bourbonnais grabbed a 48-19 victory over DeKalb in week 7 football on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025.

Minooka hosted Oswego for a varsity football game on Friday, Oct. 10.

Final scores in Illinois high school football for Week 76 of the 2025 season. This will be updated as more scores come in

Richmond-Burton faces Woodstock North in a Kishwaukee River Conference football game on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025, at Woodstock North High School.

Joliet West continued its homecoming festivities by hosting Plainfield East for a varsity football game on Friday, Oct. 10.

Kankakee defeated Bloom in Week 7 football during the Kay's 48-0 homecoming game at Kankakee High School on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025.

The St. Charles North football team traveled to Wheaton Warrenville South High School Friday to take on the Tigers.

Oswego East hosted Yorkville Friday night in high School football action.

The La Salle-Peru football team traveled to Sycamore to take on the Spartans in Interstate Eight Conference action.

Downers Grove North hosted York Friday night on the gridiron.

Since the start of his junior season, Fenwick kicker/punter and Northwestern football commit Noah Sur has raised over $6,000 for stillbirth prevention and awareness through Every Kick Counts. A 2026 Navy All-American Bowl honoree, Sur was a top fundraiser nationally last year.

Join hosts Eddie Carifio and J.T. Pedelty as they preview Week 7 in high school football in the western and southern portions of northern Illinois

Sterling has a big game at Geneseo, Dixon heads to Winnebago riding four straight shutouts, Newman plays at upstart Riverdale and Rock Falls faces winless IVC in this week's Sauk Valley football slate.

Get ready for Week 7 with previews and picks for all the games from around the Suburban Life area.

There aren't any games in Week 7 that pair two currently undefeated teams. But the week doesn't lack games that have major consequences for teams on both sidelines. Steve Soucie looks at the top games of Week 7.