High School Football

The summer football offseason heats up after the Fourth of July. Three of the four Bureau County teams will be under new direction with Patrick Elder taking over as head coach at Bureau Valley, Nick Sterling as new head coach at Hall and Jack Brady the new head coach at St. Bede.

Seneca's Brody Rademacher, the 2024 Times Football Player of the Year, has signed on to continue his education and gridiron career at Wartburg College in Iowa.

Former St. Bede quarterback Jack Brady has taken over as head coach at the Academy, succeeding Jim Eustice, who departed for neighboring Mendota. The Bruins finished 2-7, winning one of four games played in the Chicagoland Prairie Conference.

Hall alum Nick Sterling has returned as the Red Devils new head coach this season. The Red Devils will have four home games, including a Week 6 battle with rival Princeton at Nesti Stadium.

Princeton has made five straight Class 3A quarterfinal appearances, six in the past seven years along with six Three Rivers Mississippi championships. Here’s an early look at their 2025 season, which will find the Tigers playing at home five times with four road trips.

While there was discussion Bureau Valley would move to the Small School Division of the Lincoln Trail Conference, the Storm remain in the Large School Division for their second season in the LTC. The Storm went 3-4 in its first season in the LTC, finishing 4-5 overall.

As prep football teams begin to gear up for the thick of their summer schedules once the calendar turns to July, Daily Journal sports editor Mason Schweizer eyes some under-the-radar players to keep an eye on for 2025.

Davon Grant, the Daily Chronicle's two-time Boys Athlete of the Year, faces a pivotal fork in his journey, opting for early graduation to join the Illinois football team and potentially ending his time on the Barbs' basketball team.

Former St. Charles North standout and current New York Giants safety Tyler Nubin returned to his alma mater to host what he hopes in his first of many youth football camps.

Downers Grove North rising senior Aiden Solecki, a three-star ranked defensive end by Rivals.com, gave Purdue his verbal commitment Sunday on the way back home from his official visit to the school. Also, St. Francis receiver Zach Washington recently committed to Michigan State.

Here are six Northwest-Herald football players poised for big 2025 seasons.

The Blue Team beat the Red Team 29-7 at the 51st annual Shrine Game at Illinois Wesleyan University's Tucci Stadium, capping off a week of sport and service for football stars from across the state.

Newman's Daniel Kelly took part in the 51st annual all-star Shrine Game on Saturday, closing out a standout high school football career.

The offseason has been a busy one for some Princeton Tiger football players are preparing for the upcoming 2025 fall season with an eye toward the future. Two incoming seniors, Rhett Pearson and Common Green, have received their first college offers.

In on the ground floor of girls flag football, Willowbrook co-coaches Rachel Karos and Nick Hildreth are heading to the national stage. They’ll coach some of the top girls in the nation at the USA Football National Team Development Program Select Bowl June 18-21 in Los Angeles

History tends to repeat itself in regards to the IHSA Football Playoffs, but the new enrollment numbers could lead to a bracket that looks a lot different in the next postseason chase. Here is Steve Soucie's 2025 IHSA football preseason playoff projection.

La Salle-Peru, Coal City, Minooka and Seneca are all sending recent graduates to play in this month’s Illinois High School Shrine Game.

Former St. Charles North star and current New York Giants defensive back Tyler Nubin is returning to his alma mater to host a three-day skills camp.

Downers Grove North rising senior tight end Will Vala announced his commitment to Illinois this week. Vala chose the Illini from over 20 offers, including Wisconsin, Purdue and Louisville.

After coming off a record-setting junior season, St. Charles North wide receiver Keaton Reinke announced his commitment to play football at Northwestern on Monday.

Illinois commit and DeKalb rising senior Davon Grant leads a talented group of returning football players in the Daily Chronicle area next season. We look at five, most of whom have D-I offers under their belts already.

John Williams, a 2020 graduate of Bolingbrook, was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the 7th round two weeks ago. Now he's looking to keep his story going in the NFL.

Josh Gesky, a former Manteno High School standout and current starting left guard at University of Illinois, hosted a youth football camp at Legacy Park in Manteno on Saturday.

Former Cary-Grove offensive lineman Addison West signed with the Miami Dolphins as a priority free agent after not being selected in the NFL Draft. "This really has been the goal and the dream since Day 1."

Carmel sophomore quarterback Trae Taylor announced his commitment to Nebraska during an announcement Thursday.

Nick Sterling, who played in the golden era of Hall High School football, playing on three playoff teams in the mid-1990s, including one state champion team and a state runner-up team, has been hired as the Red Devils' new head coach.

Under new rules from the IHSA, 44 football schools will get the IHSA multiplier for 2025, causing big potential changes in the classes for the playoffs.

Former Nazareth standout CJ West was selected in the fourth round of the NFL Draft on Saturday by the San Francisco 49ers.

Pat Elder has made 18 playoff appearances in 23 years as head coach at four separate schools, including Richmond-Burton, Sherrard and Ridgewood

Jason VanPelt, a 2002 Sandwich graduate and three-sport athlete there, long-time football assistant and varsity baseball coach, has been hired as the Indians' next head football coach. "It's special, for sure."

Burlington Central junior offensive tackle Zach Hultgren suspects he would get beat by a swim move - by his kid sister, who's a swimmer. Fortunately for Hultgren, who recently committed to Miami (Ohio), he’s much better at not getting beat by swim moves by defensive linemen.

Pete McAdams was described as a student of the game when he played football at Hall High School. He took that knowledge gained playing for the Red Devils north of the state line into a Hall of Fame coaching career in Wisconsin, both at the high school and collegiate levels.

Todd Maynard, a hard-nosed, Bureau Valley running back graduated as the all-time leading rusher in Bureau County in 2004, racking up 4,001 career yards. His 56 career touchdowns ranked 30th in IHSA grid history. Sadly, he passed away on Monday night.

As the fall season inches ever closer, here's a quick look at five football players to keep an eye on in 2025.

Former Niles West football coach Nick Torresso was relieved of his duties in December after a school district investigation concluded that Torresso violated numerous school board policies, according to district documents. Torresso denied all allegations.

Jack Brady was a record-setting quarterback for St. Bede, graduating in 2015. For nine years, he served on Jim Eustice’s staff, taking over as offensive coordinator. This fall, he will move into a more prominent role as the Bruins head coach.

After several teams easily captured state titles after utilizing a multiplier waiver that allowed them to compete at lower classifications, the IHSA announced changes to both its multiplier waiver and success formula equations for the 2025-2026 athletic seasons.

After several teams easily captured state titles after utilizing a multiplier waiver that allowed them to compete at lower classifications, the IHSA announced changes to both its multiplier waiver and success formula equations for the 2025-2026 athletic seasons.

Mat Pistole walked into his house one day and his little boy, Tate, wanted dad to pick him up right away, but he couldn’t because his hands were full of football items. Tate’s dad knew that very moment it was time to spend more time at home.

Bolingbrook alumnus and Cincinnati offensive lineman John Williams grateful to get a chance to realize NFL dream he didn't always feel was attainable.

Here are five of our very early guesses as to Ottawa/Streator-area players to watch for when the 2025 season arrives.

Nazareth alumnus and Indiana defensive tackle CJ West was ready to prove once again that he belonged when he took part in the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.

East St. Louis alumnus and Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden III has always liked a challenge. He was ready to prove his worth at this week's NFL Combine in Indianapolis.

Richards alumnus Sebastian Castro excelled in high school and Iowa with his versatility. Now he'll try to prove his versatility translates to the highest level at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.

Although Notre Dame defensive tackle and Lake Forest alumnus Rylie Mills won't work out at this week's NFL Combine in Indianapolis because of an injury, Mills was confident his play this past season would speak for itself.

Kankakee will see a familiar face leading the football program, as former defensive coordinator Ed Hazelett was named the new head coach Monday night.

Plainfield East has hired Daniel Stekala to take over its football program. Stekala, a former University of St. Francis assistant, takes the reins from Harvey Jackson.

As the winter season begins to make way for spring sports, Daily Journal sports editor Mason Schweizer looks ahead to next fall with a handful of local players to keep an eye on.

Lincoln-Way East standout quarterback Jonas Williams changed his commitment and is now planning to head to USC after his senior season with the Griffins in the fall.

Five NewsTribune-area football players to watch for the 2025 season.