Illinois
Rivals 2025 Illinois high school football Player of the Year honors
The high school football season around the country has wrapped up and with that comes honors for coaches and players from the 2025 season. One state out of the Midwest region that is starting to produce some impressive talent and teams from around the country is Illinois high school football.
The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) state finals ended a few weeks ago and we decided to get right to it when it comes to end of the year honors.
We continue into the Prairie State of Illinois as Rivals looked through the season and selected award nominees from this past season. Who were the best players for the 2025 Illinois high school football season, though?
Rivals give you the Illinois high school football honorees for the 2025 season.
Player of the Year: Israel Abrams, QB, Montini Catholic
There was no player more instrumental to his team’s success in Illinois than 2027 four-star quarterback Israel Abrams was to Montini Catholic. The junior signal caller could match up with the best of ’em as Abrams had himself a season to remember as he led the Broncos to the IHSA’s Class 4A state championship. On the season, Abrams finished the season completing 233 of 340 passes for 4,072 yards and 40 touchdowns to just six picks. Abrams was also the team’s third leading rusher, going for 224 yards on 82 attempts and scoring 10 touchdowns. A scary thought for Illinois high school defensive coordinators is they have one more year to try and scheme up on how to stop the quarterback.
Offensive Player of the Year: Trae Taylor, QB, Carmel Catholic
One of the state’s top offensive play makers all season long was the Trae Taylor (Nebraska commit) for Carmel Catholic. Taylor is coming off a tremendous junior campaign for the Corsairs, with the quarterback 81 percent of his passes (205 of 251) for 3,571 yards, 38 touchdowns and a mere three interceptions this past 2025 season while adding 666 and 12 scores on the ground. The junior signal caller led Carmel Catholic an 8-3 record after losing to St Charles North, 26-23, in the IHSA Class 7A playoffs. Taylor’s arguably best performance of the season came in a 55-54 loss to Montini Catholic where he completed 25 of 36 attempts for 505 yards and five touchdowns. Taylor also got it done on the ground in that same game, rushing for an additional three scores and 66 yards.
Defensive Player of the Year: Carmelow Reed, DL, Morgan Park
The 6-foot-6, 245-pound trench monster was just that for opposing offensive linemen as Morgan Park’s Carmelow Reed made life difficult for 48 minute on the opposition. Reed, who has officially signed with Ole Miss, helped Morgan Park reach the Class 5A playoffs as the Broncos finished the 2025 campaign with a 9-2 record. For Reed, he was undoubtedly one of the top defensive players in the state as the defensive lineman tallied 66 total tackles, 18 of them went for a loss, 10 sacks and also blocked three field goals.
Coach of the Year: Matt Battaglia, Fenwick
We close out the awards by giving this last one to Fenwick head coach Matt Battaglia. Playing for the state’s Class 6A state championship against a loaded and once nationally ranked East St. Louis bunch, the Fenwick Friars weren’t given too much of a chance to upset the Flyers heading in. Well, the unthinkable would occur, led by Battaglia and his staff, as Fenwick was able to pull off the upset of East St. Louis, 38-28, for the 6A title. Fenwick finished the season with an 11-3 record, which is a seven-win improvement from just a couple years ago when the Friars went 4-5 in 2023. With a state championship in hand, this validated Battaglia being given the Illinois Coach of the Year honors.
For Illinois high school football fans looking to keep up with scores around the nation, staying updated on the action is now easier than ever with the Rivals High School Scoreboard. This comprehensive resource provides real-time updates and final scores from across the Prairie State, ensuring you never miss a moment of the Friday night frenzy. From nail-biting finishes to dominant performances, the Rivals High School Scoreboard is your one-stop destination for tracking all the Illinois high school football excitement across the state.
Illinois
Has Trump’s approval dropped in Illinois amid Pope Leo feud? See polls
Millions of asylum seekers have been impacted as caseloads have grown
A general crackdown on immigration courts the administration sees as liberal has led to the firing of dozens of immigration judges.
Recent polls show President Donald Trump’s approval ratings continue to dip as the war in Iran endures and national gas prices float above $4.
One such poll conducted by CNN/SSRS illustrates widespread upset among Americans with regards to Trump’s handling of the economy and inflation. Here’s how Trump’s approval ratings look nationally and within Illinois, as of April 20.
Donald Trump approval rating: CNN
Only 31% of Americans approve of how Trump is handling the economy, compared to 39% in January 2026, according to the poll.
The decline in approval on the issue is even higher among Republicans, especially Republicans under 45 years old, according to CNN.
In the poll, President Donald Trump received his worst approval rating yet in either of his two terms on the economy.
CNN findings show about two-thirds of Americans say Trump’s policies have worsened economic conditions, and 27% say they approve of Trump’s handling of inflation.
CNN also reported 63% of Americans say the prices at the pump have caused financial hardship in their household, including 15% calling it “severe.”
The poll, conducted March 26-30 among 1,201 U.S. adults, found 35% approve of Trump’s job performance overall. The poll’s margin of error is plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.
One poll respondent told CNN and the pollster about the most important issue facing the country: “Prices! Everything is so expensive. Makes it very difficult to do anything other than work and go home. Trips to the grocery store are ridiculous! Between gas and grocery prices, we are poor!”
Trump addressed the concerns about gas prices in his address to the nation on April 1, saying the Strait of Hormuz would reopen when the conflict was over and the prices would fall again.
Trump reaffirmed his promise about the strait on April 18, saying his administration had “very good conversations going on” with Iran after the country said the strait would not be reopened.
Donald Trump approval rating in Illinois: Civiqs
Trump’s job approval rating in Illinois, as of April 18, according to data from online survey platform Civiqs, is as follows:
- Approve — 32%.
- Disapprove — 65%.
- Neither — 4%.
Donald Trump national approval rating: Civiqs
Trump’s national approval rating as of April 13, according to data from Civiqs, is as follows:
- Approve — 39%.
- Disapprove — 57%.
- Neither — 4%.
Donald Trump approval rating in Illinois: The Economist
Trump has a -36% net approval rating in Illinois as of April 20, according to data from The Economist.
Donald Trump national approval rating: The Economist
Trump’s national approval rating as of April 20, according to data from The Economist, is as follows:
- Approve — 38%.
- Disapprove — 56%.
- Don’t know — 7%.
Trump, Iran War approval rating: Pew Research Center
A Pew Research study conducted in mid-March found that about six-in-ten Americans (61%) approve of Trump’s handling of the conflict in Iran, with 39% approving.
A report released in early April found that the largest concern for most Americans as a result of the conflict is higher gas prices, with 69% saying they are “extremely” or “very” concerned about the issue.
Other Trump approval rating polls as of April 20
Here is a look at some other polling aggregators to understand how CNN/SSRS’s poll compares to the average Trump approval numbers as of April 20:
RealClearPolitics Poll Average: 41.2% approve, 56.6% disapprove.
The New York Times: 40% approve, 56% disapprove.
Silver Bulletin: 39.7% approve, 56.4% disapprove.
Which president has the lowest approval rating ever?
Although Trump has dropped to a historic low in approval rating polls this term so far, he hit a 34% low in the first term and other recent presidents such as Joe Biden hit a 36% low, Barack Obama hit a 40% low, George W. Bush hit a 25% low and Bill Clinton hit a 37% low, according to the Gallup polls, whose recorded lowest rating was Harry Truman with 22%.
As for the highest presidential approval ratings, George W. Bush holds the highest approval rating ever recorded at 90%, while his father, George H. Bush holds the second highest at 89%.
Trump is the only president that has not reached a 50% or higher approval to date in the Gallup polls’ history.
Illinois
Multiple people shot in Centralia, Illinois: REPORT
CENTRALIA, Ill. – An investigation is underway after multiple people were shot Sunday in Centralia, Illinois, according to a report from WFCN News in southern Illinois.
FOX 2 has confirmed the Illinois State Police is investigating a shooting and taking over the investigation, but ISP could not confirm many further details as of 9 p.m. Sunday.
“The investigation is in its infancy and to protect the integrity of the investigation, no additional details will be released at this time,” ISP said in a statement to FOX 2.
According to WFCN News, the shooting happened around 5 p.m. near the 900 block of East Kell Street in Centralia. Multiple law enforcement agencies have since responded to scene and multiple victims are hospitalized, according to the report.
It’s unclear how many people may have been injured and what led up to the shooting.
Centralia, Illinois is about 70 miles, or just over an hour, east of St. Louis.
This is a developing story. FOX 2 will update as more information becomes available.
Illinois
Weather service assessing damage across Iowa, Illinois and Missouri
The National Weather Service has teams of storm surveryors in the field April 18 investigating several reports of severe storms and tornado touch downs across eastern Iowa, northwest Illinois and northeast Missouri.
According to the weather service’s website, windgusts of up to 60 to 70 mph along with teacup-sized hail and several tornadoes were reported April 17.
Many homes and outbuildings were damaged, trees were uprooted and power lines were downed in Lena, Illinois, where the most significant damage occurred, the site pointed out.
Very strong winds also were reported near Washington, Iowa, and Colmar, Illinois, where several outbuildings and grain bins were destroyed.
The weather service received reports of confirmed and possible tornadoes in the areas of Lena, Pecatonica, Shirland, Rockton, Roscoe and Capron.
The teams will be assessing damage this weekend into next week along with county emergency management teams to determine what types of storms occurred and their paths.
Dozens of power outages were reported, as well.
As of the afternoon of April 18, ComEd was reporting 85 active power outages across northern Illinois, down from 241 on April 17, and 6,751 customers affected, down from more than 18,000.
The bulk of those outages and the most customers impacted are concentrated in Jo Daviess and Stephenson counties.
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