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.

The first month of the Iowa high school wrestling season has been filled with scintillating individual performances. Here’s a look at seven standouts who have been racking up bonus points in December. 

Drew Anderson (Riverside)  

The Class 1A state runner-up last year at 132 is up to 144 this season and he’s 14-0 with 11 technical falls, a pair of pins and a forfeit win. Anderson, a junior in his second season at the school, already owns the Riverside school record for technical falls with 28. Anderson is on pace to more than double the previous Riverside tech record of 23. 

Urijah Courter (West Marshall)

Courter won the 2A title last season at 113 after placing third as a freshman at 106. He’s up to 120 this season. Courter is 14-0 this season with 10 pins and two technical falls. His ledger also includes a 6-5 win against Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont’s Simon Bettis in a rematch of last season’s state title bout. 

Cooper Hinz (Jesup)

Entering the holiday break, Michigan commit and two-time state medalist Cooper Hinz is 22-0 with 21 wins via pin, technical fall or forfeit. His other victory was a 4-1 overtime decision against returning state placewinner Cain Rodgers of North Fayette Valley. More impressively, all of Hinz’s pins and technical falls have all come in the first period. 

Lincoln Jipp (Bettendorf)

Jipp placed fifth at 138, third at 165 and second at 175 in Class 3A during his first three seasons. Now he’s up to 215 — 77 pounds more than where he started his career as a freshman. The North Carolina recruit pinned his way through the prestigious Dan Gable Donnybrook. He’s 16-0 with 10 pins, four technical falls and a forfeit.   

Mason Koehler (Glenwood)

The returning 2A champ at 215 is 20-0 with 18 pins and a major decision. His only two matches that went the distance came at the Council Bluffs Classic, where he defeated Nebraska standout Ryan Boehle of Grand Island 14-4 and Minnesota hammer Joe Kruse of Totino-Grace 9-2. The rest of Koehler’s matches this season ended in first-period pins. He has already registered a six-second pin and another in nine seconds this season. 

Jaxon Miller (Carlisle)  

Miller is a three-time state medalist, a two-time finalist and returning state champ in Class 3A. He placed fourth as a freshman at 145 before making trips to the finals at 157 and 165. He’s 16-0 this season with 13 first-period pins, two technical falls and a forfeit. 

Keaton Moeller (Starmont)

Moeller placed third in 1A as a freshman at 145 before winning a state title at 150 as a sophomore. He missed all of last season after suffering a torn ACL in football. Now he’s back as a senior at 190 and Moeller hasn’t missed a beat. He’s 13-0 with five pins, six technical falls and a pair of forfeits. He has yet to wrestle a full period this season. 

Iowa High School Premium Rankings

Check out the Iowa High School Wrestling Premium Rankings, which are generated by using an athlete’s complete match history to predict a wrestler’s performance against others in their weight class by considering factors such as win-loss records, the quality of their victories (pins, technical falls, major decisions), the strength of their opponents and overall historical performance patterns. The data is updated every Monday, sourced from the Trackwrestling season results. Since each team is responsible for maintaining their season results, any data discrepancies for a wrestler should be addressed by contacting their coach to manage the information within the season. This includes the weight class assigned. Wrestlers are eligible to be ranked after competing in five matches at a single weight.