Israel Abrams threw four touchdown passes, two on long ones to Luca Florio, and Montini beat Rochester 47-33 in the Class 4A state final for its second straight state title, eighth overall, and completed the program's second undefeated season with its 24th straight win.

Byron's Caden Considine rushed for a Class 3A championship game record 367 yards, one of many finals records to fall, but the Tigers needed a defensive stop in the final seconds to turn away Tolono Unity 56-50 in a Class 3A championship game thriller at Illinois State.

Wilmington won its third state title in the last five years and fourth in program history after downing Maroa-Forsyth 42-6 in the IHSA Class 2A State championship game on Saturday

The Class 5A/6A games have been rescheduled for Tuesday night at Illinois State University

Lena-Winslow was making its sixth consecutive Class 1A title game appearance, but had fallen in its last two championship games. The Panthers must have decided they didn't much care for the runner-up vibe though as they dominated their way to a 58-13 victory over Brown County.

Oswego coach Brian Cooney was a senior linebacker on the 1992 state championship team, that school's first, and was on the coaching staff for the 2003 champions. Now he's leading his alma mater into the Class 8A championship game against Mount Carmel. "It mirrors a little bit."

Can anyone stop the Wilmington freight train? State championship game regular Maroa-Forysth seems poised to give it its best shot. Steve Soucie previews Friday's Class 2A title game between Wilmington and Maroa-Forsyth.

Lena-Winslow and Brown County take the field Friday, Nov. 28, 2025, at Hancock Stadium at Illinois State University for the 1A football title. Lena-Winslow took the win 58-13.

Mount Carmel was an expected team in the Class 8A final, its opponent however, Oswego, would classify as a surprise. Steve Soucie previews Saturday's Class 8A title game.

It's an all CCL/ESCC final in Class 7A where favored Brother Rice has run through the field with fervor while St. Rita is the only team still playing that had four regular season losses. Steve Soucie previews Saturday's Class 7A title game.

Dario Milivojevic has not been afraid to do anything for St. Francis. And with one win separating the team from a state title, he's ready to do it one last time.

As the Wilmington offense enters Friday's IHSA Class 2A State championship game red hot, it's the offensive line where the Wildcats set the tone in their signature double-wing offense.

Montini's Angelo DeSensi grew up on the Chicago Bulls, and once had NBA dreams. Now the 6-foot-5, 280-pound senior left tackle and ace student is the anchor of the unbeaten Broncos' offensive line as they go for the program's eighth state title Friday night.

The Three Rivers announced its all-conference football team and L-P's Aubrey Duttlinger and Kelsey Frederick earned all-state honors in volleyball.

Providence Catholic won only four games last year, losing in the regular season finale to keep the Celtics out of the postseason. A year later, they're playing in the state championship game.

It's not surprise to see East St. Louis in the state title game and most expected a CCL/ESCC team to be battling them. There is one, but it probably isn't the team most though it would be. Steve Soucie previews Saturday's Class 6A title game.

The two remaining undefeated CCL/ESCC programs, Mount Carmel and Montini, will look to complete their perfect seasons during the IHSA state championship games this weekend. Montini will face Rochester in 4A on Friday night. Mount Carmel will battle Oswego in 8A on Saturday.

Join hosts Steve Soucie, Russ Hodges and Josh Welge as they preview the Illinois high school football state championship games

Gianni Casurella does not need to be reminded that Oswego is the surprise participant in this Saturday’s Class 8A final. Doubt is his fuel. "A fire in my soul every day." Oswego's senior defensive tackle is a huge reason behind that defense's dominance during the playoff run.

A rare regular season rematch in the state title game has emerged here as St. Francis will challenge Providence once again after the Spartans beat the Celtics in Week 5. Steve Soucie previews Saturday's Class 5A title game.

Wilmington will look to win its third state title in the last five years and fourth in program history when the Wildcats face Maroa-Forsyth in Friday's IHSA Class 2A state championship.

Two schools that aren't exactly strangers to state title games grapple here as Montini who is making its 11th championship game appearance faces off against Rochester who has 10. Steve Soucie previews Friday's Class 4A title game.

Byron has tried successfully to simply power its way through all of its postseason foes, Tolono Unity seems to be trying to just simply post a ton of points. Which one will win out? Steve Soucie previews Friday's Class 3A title game.

It's not surprising to see the NUIC and WIVC locking horns in the 1A title game, but which conference will claim 2025 1A supremacy? Steve Soucie previews Friday's Class 1A title game.

Join hosts Joel Boenitz and Josh Welge as they preview the Illinois high school football state title games for the west suburban schools

Having faced off in the regular season, St. Rita and Brother Rice are set to battle in a rematch for the IHSA 7A state championship. Providence and St. Francis, who played each other in the regular season, are also set for a rematch in the 5A state championship.

The top three teams in the Friday Night Drive Power Rankings held strong in the semifinal round, but that's where the stability ended. Check out the new rankings here.

Join hosts Matt Rodewald and Steve Soucie as they break down what we saw in the Illinois high school football playoff semifinals, talk about Mt. Carmel coach Jordan Lynch's recent comments, and look ahead to the state title games

Getting a strong sense of deja vu when looking at the lineup of state championships? That's understandable considering the group has collectively made 115 title game appearances previously. Steve Soucie takes a look at what we learned in Week 13.

Miss out on any of the high school football action in northern Illinois? Listen to the audio versions of our stories from the semifinal round of the 2025 IHSA playoffs here

Ammar Banire had a tying 63-yard touchdown run in the first minute of the fourth quarter, and Kaleb Stumpenhorst drilled a 42-yard field goal with a minute left as Oswego rallied to beat Lockport 10-7 in a Class 8A semifinal to advance to state for the first time in 22 years.

Wilmington defeated El Paso-Gridley 41-0 in IHSA Class 2A semifinal playoff football on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025.

For the second straight week, Wilmington had five touchdown drives of one or two plays, tallying 483 rushing yards in a 41-0 win over El Paso-Gridley in Saturday's Class 2A state semifinal.

Brother Rice QB C.J. Gray ran for four of the Crusaders six rushing touchdowns in a 45-17 win over Downers Grove North in a Class 7A semifinal Saturday.

Fremd's deepest playoff run in program history came to an end at the hands of Mt. Carmel in Saturday's Class 8A semifinal.

Domination. That was the word Lena-Winslow coach Ric Arand used to describe his team’s play in the second half of a 30-16 win over Stockton in the Class 1A state semifinals Saturday.

Here are the championship game pairings for the 2025 IHSA playoffs.

Luca Florio had a 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and a 53-yard TD reception to help lead Montini to the Class 4A state title game with a 47-27 win over Morris

Dario Milivojevic, Tanner Glock and St. Francis forced five Belvidere North turnovers to earn a spot in the Class 5A state championship game against Providence Catholic. The Spartans had lost in the semifinal round the last three years.

Jack Schapendonk's big stop on fourth-and-goal before halftime shifted the tides for St. Rita, who went on to score 26 straight points to secure a 54-34 victory over Batavia to advance to the Class 7A state title game.

Caden Considine showed off what he called "explosive-play ability," rushing for 287 yards and five touchdowns, and Byron beat host Richmond-Burton 44-10 in a Class 3A state semifinal game Saturday in Richmond.

Jamen Williams threw for 283 yards and accounted for three touchdowns, while Jake Thies posted over 100 rushing and 100 receiving yards as Fenwick shocked Nazareth 28-27 in overtime to win its 6A state semifinal and end Nazareth's bid for four straight state championships.

Providence muscled up and used a dominant varied offense to secure its place in the school's 15th state championship game with a 31-21 win over Oak Forest in a Class 5A semifinal Saturday.

Here is the list of scores from semifinal-round games in the IHSA football playoffs.

East St. Louis showed again Saturday why it’s a next-to-impossible force to stop, handling St. Laurence 50-7 in the Class 6A state semifinals.

Richmond-Burton faces Byron in an IHSA Class 3A smifinal playoff football game on Saturday, November 22, 2025, at Richmond-Burton High School, in Richmond.

Providence and Oak Forest competed in a 5A varsity football semifinal game at Providence Catholic High School on Saturday, Nov. 22.

Amboy stepped up after an early deficit, and Jose Lopez ran for three touchdowns and nearly 300 yards as the Clippers beat Polo 30-20 for the I8FA title. Amboy became the first three-time I8FA champion with the win.

Loyola's 6-foot-8 offensive tackle Tommy Fraumann, a Michigan legacy, has committed to play football for the Wolverines next year. Fraumann, whose Michigan roots run back multiple generations, helped the Ramblers win an IHSA 8A state title last season.

Mount Carmel looks in dominant form. Can any of the other three teams remaining in the field topple them? Steve Soucie breaks down the semifinal round of the 2025 IHSA Class 8A Playoffs.