There is one thing you will find behind every winning head coach and successful football program: a good assistant coach who is loyal and dedicated to the head coach and the mission of the team. For 38 years, for nine different head coaches, Charlie Waca was that assistant coach.

Here is the 2025 Kane County Chronicle All-Area football team.

St. Francis two-way lineman Jaylen Torres, who controlled both sides of the line of scrimmage and helped the team to its first state title since 2008, is the Kane County Chronicle football Player of the Year.

Brother Rice sophomore defensive lineman Kameron McGee, a five-star prospect who recorded 21 TFLs and 10.5 sacks while guiding the Crusaders to an IHSA 7A state championship this season, is the 2025 Friday Night Drive Defensive Player of the Year.

Here is the 2025 Friday Night Drive Team of the Year.

Montini junior quarterback Israel Abrams, who threw for over 4,000 yards and 40 touchdowns and led the Broncos to a 14-0 record and the Class 4A state championship, is the 2025 Friday Night Drive Offensive Player of the Year.

With the 2025 Early Signing Period over, we take a look at some of the top Class of 2027 prospects the CCL/ESCC has to offer. Carmel's Trae Taylor, Montini's Israel Abrams and Mount Carmel's Quentin Burrell are among the league's top junior players.

Charlie Waca, a longtime assistant with four decades on Bureau County area sidelines, will be inducted into the Illinois Football Coaches Association Hall Fame in the Class of 2026.

Here are the best of the best on the gridiron in the Herald-News area for the 2025 season.

Brother Rice defensive lineman King Liggins, a two-time All-CCL/ESCC player who helped the Crusaders finish 13-1 and win the IHSA 7A state championship this season, has signed to continue his football career at Illinois. "I feel like I can motivate the guys around me..."

USC-bound quarterback Jonas Williams of Lincoln-Way East became the IHSA's all-time leader in passing yards and passing touchdowns. Williams is the 2025 Herald-News Football Player of the Year.

As the IHSA announced an expansion of the football playoffs starting next season, Suburban Life-area coaches offered their reactions. "I'm excited about the opportunities our kids might get. It is a net positive for us."

IHSA schools split on Proposal 19: Sycamore backs expanded playoffs, Genoa-Kingston resists, DeKalb sees new hope. Scheduling relief or more lopsided games? Local ADs weigh the trade-offs.

A day after the IHSA announced that a proposal had passed to expand the football playoffs by 128 teams, Kendall County-area coaches reacted to the news. "More kids get a chance to play high school football one extra week.”

Forty-four of the top football players from Seneca, Marquette, Fieldcrest, Ottawa, Streator, FCW and Sandwich, here is the 2025 Times All-Area Football Team.

After stepping into the featured back role for the best football team in the area, Seneca senior Cam Shriey is the 2025 Times Football Player of the Year.

The Sycamore School District 427 Board on Wednesday announced that Rob Stover will follow Joe Ryan as the head coach of the Spartan football team.

The IHSA announced Tuesday that the state football playoffs will be expanding from 256 to 384 teams starting in 2026. The Northwest Herald reached out to several local coaches, and here are their reactions.

Two-win teams in the playoffs? Join hosts Steve Soucie and Matt Rodewald as they review the IHSA expansion of the high school football playoffs and what it means for the sport going forward.

IHSA Proposal 19 was passed by a majority of member schools in an IHSA schoolwide vote. Its implementation will increase the number of playoff qualifiers from 256 teams to 384 teams.

Of the 18 Bureau County area schools to respond about the IHSA's Proposal 19 calling for football playoffs expansion, eight said they are voting in favor of it, while nine voted against it, with one school voting “no opinion.”

Richmond-Burton's Mike Noll won his 300th game and led the Rockets to within one win of a state championship game berth. Noll is the 2025 Northwest Herald Football Coach of the Year.

A Day 1 varsity starter as a running back his freshman year, Prairie Ridge senior Luke Vanderwiel developed into an all-state quarterback. He is the 2025 Northwest Herald Football Player of the Year after leading the Wolves to an undefeated regular season.

Meet the 2025 Northwest Herald All-Area football team.

One of the most decorated offensive, defensive and special teams players in Bradley-Bourbonnais history, Lyzale Edmon is the 2025 Daily Journal's Football Player of the Year.

Take a look at the players selected for the 2025 Daily Journal All-Area Football Team.

Here is Friday Night Drive's 2025 All-CCL/ESCC football team, with players from all 24 member programs.

Montini junior quarterback Israel Abrams, who threw for over 4,000 yards and 40 touchdowns in leading the Broncos to a 14-0 season and second straight state championship, is the Suburban Life Player of the Year.

Here is the 2025 Suburban Life All-Area football team.

Here is the 2025 Record Newspapers All-Area football team.

Oswego senior defensive back/receiver Mariano Velasco, who caught nine touchdown passes and also had six interceptions, four returned for touchdowns, in helping lead the Panthers to the Class 8A state championship, is the Record Newspapers Player of the Year.

Keagen Trost, a 2019 Kankakee graduate, was named a first-team All-SEC offensive lineman earlier this week after a standout season as Missouri's right tackle. His former Kays teammate Jyaire Hill and Manteno native Josh Gesky received All-Big Ten recognition.

Pat New, a Benet alum who won 92 games and made 10 IHSA playoff appearances as the school's head football coach, is retiring after 16 seasons. "It was difficult at first... but I knew that I made the right decision.”

A look at the top football players in the NewsTribune area for the 2025 season.

Proposal 19 is on the ballot with a submission that proposes that the playoff field be expanded by 16 teams in each classification with a total of 384 teams qualifying for the postseason. Steve Soucie's uses 2025 data to project what the format could look like.

Casey Etheridge is the latest in a long line of elite running backs from Bureau County, including the likes of the Compton brothers, Ronde Worrels, Todd Maynard, Cory Scott, Jim Dietz, Pete Roth, the Norman brothers, Eric Bryant and Kenny Bourquin.

Here’s a look at Bureau County all-time rushing records as compiled by BCR Sports Editor Kevin Hieronymus over the years

The CCL/ESCC announced its new alignment for the 2026 and 2027 seasons with many of the league's 24 teams finding themselves in different division than before.

La Salle-Peru senior Nick Hachenberger went from never playing defense in youth football to a tackling machine at linebacker, averaging 10.1 stops per game this fall. He is the 2025 NewsTribune Defensive Football Player of the Year.

Princeton senior Casey Etheridge is the NewsTribune Offensive Football Player of the Year for the third time after running into the record books this fall.

With standouts from across the greater Will/Grundy county area, we are proud to present the 2025 Herald-News Flag Football All-Area Team.

Joliet West's Londyn Clemmons rushed for 3,003 yards and 25 touchdowns, making her an easy choice for 2025 Herald-News Girls Flag Football Player of the Year.

Mount Carmel finished the same place it started the season in the No. 1 spot of the Friday Night Drive Power Rankings. Check out the final rankings here.

Jonas Williams, a USC commit and one of the top quarterbacks in the country, was named Gatorade Player of the Year.

St. Francis senior Zach Washington, an All-CCL/ESCC honoree who helped the Spartans win their first IHSA state football championship since 2008, has signed to continue his career at Michigan State. "I think I can grab any 50-50 ball that I get my hands on."

Here's our 2025 All-BCR Football Team, representing players from Bureau Valley, Hall, LaMoille, Princeton and St. Bede.

Davon Grant will leave DeKalb as the most prolific receiver in school history. He heads to the University of Illinois as the all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards and is the Daily Chronicle 2025 Football Player of the Year.

From a couple of NIU commits at quarterback to dynamic players in the secondary, we look at the best football players in DeKalb County with the Daily Chronicle 2025 All-Area Football Team.

Join hosts Matt Rodewald and Steve Soucie as they recap the Illinois high school football state championship games for Class 8A-5A

Wednesday marked the beginning of the 2025 Early Signing Day Period for NCAA Division I football. Here is a list of CCL/ESCC players who will be playing Division I FBS and FCS football next year.