Illinois

Top 25 Illinois high school football rankings (9/16/2024)

Published

1 year ago

September 16, 2024

Top 25 Illinois high school football rankings (9/16/2024)

East St. Louis and Lincoln-Way East hold steady at 1-2, but there are changes elsewhere near the top of this week’s Illinois high school football Top 25.

For live updates and complete statewide results, bookmark our high school football scoreboard: STATEWIDE ILLINOIS FOOTBALL SCOREBOARD

September 16, 2024

Previous rank: 1 Last week: Def. Philadelphia Imhotep Charter (Pa.) 35-14

Quarterback Kendrick Lyons threw for 186 yards and two more TDs, giving him eight this season.

Next game: at Belleville East, Sept. 21

Previous rank: 2 Last week: Def. Stagg 49-3

The Griffins led 35-0 after one quarter and coasted to the nonconference win.

Next game: at Naperville North, Sept. 20

Previous rank: 5 Last week: Def. Nazareth 56-33

It was a historic night for the Caravan, as Vanderbilt commit Jack Elliott threw for 424 yards and a program record-tying six TDs. Cooper Lehman set a program record with 255 receiving yards and scored twice.

Next game: vs. Nazareth, Sept. 13

Previous rank: 4 Last week: Lost to Mount Carmel 56-33

Logan Malachuk passed for 192 yards and four touchdowns with two interceptions in the matchup of two-time defending state champions.

Next game: vs. St. Ignatius, Sept. 20

Previous rank: 7 Last week: Def. McHenry 46-7

Logan McHenry scored three first-quarter touchdowns for the Trojans.

Next game: vs. Jacobs, Sept. 20

Previous rank: 8 Last week: Def. Glenbard West 42-7

Playing past halftime for the first time this season, Minnesota commit Owen Lansu was 13 of 16 for 154 yards and three TDs.

Next game: at Proviso West, Sept. 20

Previous rank: 9 Last week: Def. Lake Park 56-6

Nathan Whitwell ran for 204 yards and three touchdowns, and Brett Berggren had five catches for 136 yards and three scores.

Next game: vs. St. Charles North, Sept. 20

Previous rank: 11 Last week: Def. Thornridge 56-0

Phillip Turner ran for two scores, and Keyandre White recovered a fumble in the end zone for his fourth defensive touchdown of the season.

Next game: vs. Normal, Sept. 20

Previous rank: 12 Last week: Def. Montini 21-6

The RedHawks opened a 21-0 lead and held the Broncos scoreless until the fourth quarter.

Next game: at Joliet Catholic, Sept. 20

Previous rank: 13 Last week: Def. Glenbrook South 51-21

St. Thomas commit Nick Peipert passed for 367 yards and four touchdowns for the Broncos.

Next game: at Maine South, Sept. 20

Previous rank: 14 Last week: Def. Andrew 31-14

Aiden Clark ran for 130 yards and three touchdowns for the Redhawks.

Next game: vs. Stagg, Sept. 20

Previous rank: NR Last week: Def. Loyola 35-21

Brady Palmer was 15 of 22 for 192 yards and two touchdowns, and he ran 15 times for 87 yards and two more scores to pace the Spartans.

Next game: vs. St. Rita, Sept. 20

Previous rank: 15 Last week: Def. Westinghouse 54-0

The Mustangs’ defense posted its second consecutive shutout.

Next game: at Kenwood, Sept. 14

Previous rank: 17 Last week: Def. Wheaton North 31-13

Linebacker Aidan McClure had another big night for the North Stars with 14 tackles, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, an interception and a TD.

Next game: at Batavia, Sept. 20

Previous rank: 3 Last week: Lost to St. Francis 35-21

In the first home game under their new lights, the Ramblers suffered their first nonconference loss since 2018. Iowa commit Ryan Fitzgerald, who was hurt in a Week 2 win against Glenbard West, dressed but did not play.

Next game: vs. Brother Rice, Sept. 20

Previous rank: 24 Last week: Def. Maine South 28-23

Brandon Jenkins ran 33 times for 238 yards and two touchdowns, and he had a key interception late for the Hawks.

Next game: at Glenbrook South, Sept. 20

Previous rank: 6 Last week: Lost to Hersey 28-23

Constantine Coines and Jameson Purcell each passed for a TD for the Hawks, and Michael Dellumo had a 98-yard kickoff-return touchdown.

Next game: vs. Barrington, Sept. 20

Previous rank: NR Last week: Def. Warren 38-7

Marty Hippel had touchdown runs of 48 and 47 yards for the Scouts.

Next game: at Zion-Benton, Sept. 20

Previous rank: 18 Last week: Def. Plainfield Central 49-6

Quarterback Brett Connolly accounted for 160 total yards and three TDs in less than two quarters of playing time.

Next week: vs. Joliet Central, Sept. 20

Previous rank: 19 Last week: Def. Hinsdale Central 21-16

Danny Carroll ran for 125 yards and a TD for the Lions.

Next game: vs. Glenbard West, Sept. 21

Previous rank: 20 Last week: Def. Downers Grove South 54-21

Bruno Massel threw for 234 yards and had five total touchdowns for the Dukes.

Next game: at Oak Park-River Forest, Sept. 20

Previous rank: 10 Last week: Lost to Lake Forest 38-7

The Blue Devils are allowing 33 points per game after giving up 13.7 per game last season.

Next game: at Lake Forest, Sept. 13

Previous rank: 21 Last week: Def. Fenwick 14-13

Nate Magrini had 25 carries for 152 yards and a TD for the Hilltoppers.

Next game: vs. Marist, Sept. 20

Previous rank: 22 Last week: Def. Urbana 56-0

Calen Taylor had two punt-return TDs for the Ironmen, and Kyle Beaty had three touchdown passes.

Next game: at Kankakee, Sept. 20

Previous rank: NR Last week: Def. Brother Rice 14-7

Steven Armbruster passed for 203 yards and two touchdowns for the Mustangs.

Next game: at St. Francis, Sept. 20

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Illinois

Voters had no choice in nearly 9-in-10 primary elections

Published

2 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Voters had no choice in nearly 9-in-10 primary elections

Illinois voting data shows voters had no choice of candidate in nearly 9-in-10 Democratic and Republican primaries for state and federal office in 2024.

Voters had no choice of candidate in nearly nine out of every 10 Republican and Democratic primary elections for state and federal office in 2024.

Analysis of Illinois voting data shows Democrats ran one or no candidate in 135 of the 155 primary elections for the U.S. House, Illinois Senate and Illinois House. That left voters with a choice between candidates in just 20 races.

Meanwhile, Republicans only ran one or no candidate in 137 of the 155 primary elections last year for non-judicial state and federal positions, giving voters of a choice in just 18 races.

In total, there were 155 primaries for the U.S. House of Representatives, Illinois Senate and Illinois House in 2024. Democrats did not run a candidate in 28 of these races while Republicans failed to run a candidate in 50.

And in the 107 Democratic primaries and 87 Republican primaries were only one candidate ran for the position, those candidates secured their spot on the general election ballot with a single primary vote.

To get on the primary ballot for Illinois Senate, the Illinois General Assembly mandates established party candidates to get 1,000 petition signatures from district party members. Illinois House candidates need 500 signatures. For U.S. House, either party’s candidates need signatures from 0.5% of all primary voters from their party in the district.

This lack of choice between candidates for Democratic and Republican party primaries also left general election voters with fewer choices on the ballot.

In the 2024 election cycle, 65 of the 155 non-judicial state and federal general elections had only one candidate on the ballot. That means in 65 districts, it only took one vote for a candidate to win a seat representing the entire district.

Illinoisans already suffer from a lack of choice in candidates. Research shows an average of 4.7 million Illinois voters had no choice in their state representative between the 2012 and 2020 election cycles.

Research shows more choice drives voter participation and makes legislators less susceptible to the influence of lobbyists and special interests. Lightly contested elections also tend to skew policies in favor of powerful special interests.

Illinois should consider reforms that will give voters more choices at the ballot box, such as making it easier for independents to enter the general election like they do in Iowa, Wisconsin and Tennessee.

Until that happens, Illinoisans will continue to see elections with too few choices and too much influence handed to those already in power.

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Illinois

2 men shot, 1 fatally, outside bar in Morris, police say

Published

14 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

2 men shot, 1 fatally, outside bar in Morris, police say

MORRIS, Ill. (WLS) — A man was killed and another was injured in a shooting outside of a bar in Grundy County.

The shooting happened early Saturday outside of Clayton’s Tap in the 100 block of West Washington Street in Morris, Illinois, officials said.

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The Grundy County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene, where they found two men with gunshot wounds. One was pronounced dead at the scene and the other was taken to a hospital in critical condition.

The victim who died was identified by the Grundy County Coroner’s Office as 35-year-old Julian Rosario of Channahon.

A suspect in the shooting, 22-year-old Marshall Szpara of Seneca, was arrested and “initially charged with two counts of aggravated battery with a firearm, pending further review from the Grundy County States Attorney’s office,” Morris police said.

No further information was available.

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Illinois

Firefighter faces arson charges after Illinois wildfire burns hundreds of acres

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Firefighter faces arson charges after Illinois wildfire burns hundreds of acres

A volunteer firefighter is facing arson charges after he allegedly set a fire in a Lee County wildlife preserve, scorching hundreds of acres.

According to authorities, 21-year-old Trent Schaefer, a volunteer firefighter in Ohio, Illinois, was charged with one count of arson in connection to a fire that occurred in the Green River State Wildlife Management Area Friday.

On that date, temperatures had soared into the 60s, winds were whipping at more than 30 miles per hour, and humidity plunged below 30%, leading the National Weather Service to issue warnings on the danger of wildfires in Illinois.

It is alleged that Schaefer was seen by witnesses getting out of a vehicle and igniting multiple small fires within the nature preserve, which then coalesced into a larger blaze.

Those witnesses were able to restrain the suspect until Lee County sheriff’s deputies arrested him.

Image taken by Lee County Sheriff’s Office

By the time firefighters arrived on scene the blaze had already spread, and multiple departments were called in to assist with the fire, including the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

Firefighters were able to bring the blaze under control by the late afternoon, but not before it burned more than 700 acres, according to authorities.

Schaefer is also a suspect in several other arsons around Lee County, but he has not been charged in any other fires at this time.

Illinois State Police are assisting with the investigation, and no further information was immediately available.

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