The top nine teams in the Illinois high school football rankings are unchanged this week, but there is plenty of movement further down as the season heats up heading into conference play across the state.East St. Louis continues to hold the No. 1 spot in the Land of Lincoln, rebounding from a loss to Florida powerhouse American Heritage with an impressive home win against another Southeastern heavyweight. The Flyers slipped past Gainesville (Ga.), 24-21, to get back in the win column heading into their conference opener this weekend against O'Fallon.No. 2 Chicago Mt. Carmel added a big win over No. 8 Nazareth Academy, and the Caravan have a trio of undefeated teams just behind them in the Top 5: No. 3 Loyola Academy, No. 4 Fenwick and No. 5 Lincoln-Way East. Loyola will face off against No. 6 Brother Rice at home Friday in one of the week's biggest Illinois high school football games.Three other games feature Top 25 matchups. No. 2 Chicago Mt. Carmel squad hosts No. 24 Marist, while No. 8 Nazareth Academy will entertain No. 19 Montini Catholic. No. 13 St. Rita hosts No. 17 St. Francis in an intriguing matchup between two 1-2 squads looking to get back on track.Here's a look at the latest High School On SI Illinois high school football Top 25 rankings:High School On SIPREVIOUS: PRESEASON | WK1 | WK2 | WK3 |1. East St. LouisRecord: 2-1Previous Rank: 1Last Week: East St. Louis 24, Gainesville (Ga.) 21Loss(es): American Heritage (Fla.), 35-28One week after losing on the road to American Heritage in Florida, East St. Louis returned home and added a statement win against Gainesville of Georgia. The Flyers always play a tough early-season schedule before settling into conference play, where they generally dominate. They should get a bit of a breather this weekend against O'Fallon.2. Chicago Mt. CarmelRecord: 2-1Previous Rank: 2Last Week: Chicago Mt. Carmel 35, Nazareth Academy 7Loss(es): East St. Louis, 42-23Chicago Mt. Carmel has bounced back nicely from its season-opening loss to No. 1 East St. Louis, defeating New Jersey's St. Joseph Regional 48-44 before taking down a Top 10 Illinois squad in Nazareth Academy 35-7. The Caravan host No. 24 Marist this weekend with a chance to add to their track record.3. Loyola AcademyRecord: 3-0Previous Rank: 3Last Week: Loyola Academy 31, St. Rita 0Loss(es): NoneLoyola Academy is the top-ranked undefeated team in Illinois, and it will have to keep winning to have any chance of dislodging the two teams above it in the rankings. That's easier said than done with No. 6 Brother Rice paying a visit Friday night.4. FenwickRecord: 3-0Previous Rank: 4Last Week: Fenwick 38, DePaul College Prep 14Loss(es): NoneThe defending Class 6A state champions just keep winning, but the real tests start Friday against a stout Saint Ignatius College Prep squad before games against a trio of ranked teams in St. Francis, Providence Catholic and Brother Rice.5. Lincoln-Way EastRecord: 3-0Previous Rank: 5Last Week: Lincoln-Way East 38, Homewood-Flossmoor 7Loss(es): NoneLincoln-Way East is off to a phenomenal start, and the Griffins look to keep it rolling Friday at home against Bradley-Bourbonnais.6. Brother RiceRecord: 2-1Previous Rank: 6Last Week: Brother Rice 43, St. Francis 0Loss(es): Lincoln-Way East, 22-21Brother Rice has rebounded from its season-opening loss to Lincoln-Way East with two shutout wins, including a 43-0 rout of current No. 17 St. Francis. A visit to No. 3 Loyola Academy looms Friday night, representing its biggest opportunity to date.7. IC Catholic PrepRecord: 3-0Previous Rank: 7Last Week: IC Catholic Prep 22, Saint Ignatius College Prep 15Loss(es): NoneIC Catholic Prep hasn't blinked despite facing three quality opponents out of the gate, including a 35-21 win over current No. 8 Nazareth Academy in the season opener. The Knights will host DePaul College Prep on Friday looking to maintain their undefeated start.8. Nazareth AcademyRecord: 1-2Previous Rank: 8Last Week: Chicago Mt. Carmel 35, Nazareth Academy 7Loss(es): IC Catholic Prep, 35-21; Chicago Mt. Carmel, 35-7It's been a tough three-week stretch to open the season for Nazareth Academy, which has faced three ranked opponents out of the gate. Its next three opponents are all currently ranked, too, including Friday's foe, No. 19 Montini Catholic.9. Providence CatholicRecord: 3-0Previous Rank: 9Last Week: Providence Catholic 27, Joliet Catholic 0Loss(es): NoneProvidence Catholic has a quality win over current No. 13 St. Rita in the season opener, and it will face Carmel on Friday night in its final tuneup before taking on No. 8 Nazareth Academy on Sept. 18.10. RochesterRecord: 3-0Previous Rank: 11Last Week: IDLE (Forfeit win vs. Decatur Eisenhower which canceled its season)Loss(es): NoneRochester was originally scheduled to play Decatur Eisenhower, but the school was forced to cancel its season because of low participation numbers. The Rockets took the week off and will play at MacArthur on Friday night.11. OswegoRecord: 3-0Previous Rank: 12Last Week: Oswego 34, Plainfield North 14Loss(es): NoneOswego's biggest win to date is over current No. 22 Geneva, a 44-42 shootout on Aug. 28. It has a favorable schedule that provides an opportunity to potentially go undefeated in the regular season, and the next step toward that goal comes Friday at Bolingbrook.12. Downers Grove NorthRecord: 3-0Previous Rank: 13Last Week: Downers Grove North 28, Hinsdale Central 0Loss(es): NoneAfter a close call in a 17-12 season-opening win over Morgan Park, Downers Grove North has won big the past two weeks and will look to keep the momentum rolling Friday at home against Glenbard West.13. St. RitaRecord: 1-2Previous Rank: 10Last Week: Loyola Academy 31, St. Rita 0Loss(es): Providence Catholic, 28-21; Loyola Academy, 31-0St. Rita's two losses are both against teams currently ranked in the top nine, and the hard-luck Mustangs face another tough test Friday against No. 17 St. Francis.14. ByronRecord: 3-0Previous Rank: 14Last Week: Byron 26, Dixon 13Loss(es): N/AByron has faced little resistance in its 3-0 start, and the Tigers' next test is Friday against an Oregon squad that is 1-2.15. SandburgRecord: 3-0Previous Rank: 15Last Week: Sandburg 37, Thornwood 14Loss(es): NoneSandburg has a 35-28 win over current No. 19 Montini Catholic in Week 2, but the Eagles now enter the toughest stretch of their schedule, with two of their next four opponents ranked here, including No. 5 Lincoln-Way East and No. 20 Lincoln-Way West. Friday's opponent, Homewood-Flossmoor, was also previously ranked, so the Eagles will have to be at their best for the next month.16. FremdRecord: 3-0Previous Rank: 17Last Week: Fremd 31, Metea Valley 7Loss(es): NoneFremd will get the week started early with a Thursday night trip to Prospect, looking to build on an unbeaten start.17. St. FrancisRecord: 1-2Previous Rank: 16Last Week: Brother Rice 43, St. Francis 0Loss(es): New Palestine (Ind.), 28-17; Brother Rice, 43-0St. Francis has two losses to teams ranked in the Top 10 here, and it will face No. 13 St. Rita on Friday. With No. 4 Fenwick and No. 8 Nazareth Academy on deck the following two weeks, the Spartans can't afford another loss at the moment.18. BataviaRecord: 2-1Previous Rank: 23Last Week: Batavia 49, Glenbard North 21Loss(es): Rochester, 44-16Batavia rebounded from a big loss to No. 10 Rochester with a big win of its own over current No. 25 Glenbard North. Having played three straight ranked opponents to start the season, the Bulldogs now face an unranked Lake Park squad that is 1-2.19. Montini CatholicRecord: 2-1Previous Rank: 25Last Week: Montini Catholic 35, Marist 28Loss(es): Sandburg, 35-28Montini Catholic has split its last two games against ranked opponents, ending up on opposite ends of identical 35-28 scores. The Broncos could be playing for their place in the Top 25 in a Friday night trip to No. 8 Nazareth Academy.20. Lincoln-Way WestRecord: 3-0Previous Rank: 21Last Week: Lincoln-Way West 31, Andrew 6Loss(es): N/ALincoln-Way West has piled up three lopsided wins to start the season, and that would seem to bode well for the Warriors heading into a Friday night road trip to Lockport. The Porters are 0-3 but are probably better than their record indicates — something the Warriors would be wise to consider before getting on the bus.21. Maine SouthRecord: 2-1Previous Rank: 22Last Week: Maine South 41, Maine West 7Loss(es): Batavia, 49-35Maine South has a loss to current No. 18 Batavia on its record, and the Hawks don't have much margin for error heading into a Thursday night game at undefeated New Trier (3-0).22. GenevaRecord: 2-1Previous Rank: 19Last Week: Geneva 49, St. Charles North 17Loss(es): Oswego, 44-42Geneva slipped out of the rankings for a week after losing to Oswego, but a win over last week's No. 19 St. Charles North has the Vikings back in the Top 25 mix. They have an opportunity to secure a spot here for the next couple of weeks against unranked opponents, starting with Friday's home contest against Wheaton-Warrenville South before facing stiffer competition down the stretch.23. LyonsRecord: 3-0Previous Rank: 24Last Week: Lyons 48, Berwyn/Cicero Morton 0Loss(es): N/ALyons inches up a spot this week after blowing out Berwyn-Cicero Morton, but the Lions can't look past a Hinsdale Central squad that can give them a challenge if they aren't in top form Friday.24. MaristRecord: 2-1Previous Rank: 18Last Week: Montini Catholic 35, Marist 28Loss(es): Montini Catholic, 35-28Marist suffered its first loss of the season against No. 19 Montini Catholic and now faces an even bigger challenge Friday at No. 2 Chicago Mt. Carmel.25. Glenbard NorthRecord: 2-1Previous Rank: 20Last Week: Batavia 49, Glenbard North 21Loss(es): Batavia, 49-21Glenbard North was rolled at home by Batavia last week, and the Panthers will have to bounce back quickly to hang onto their spot. Friday night's road game at St. Charles East is very winnable, but the Panthers can't afford to overlook their opponent.SummaryApproaching the midway point of the regular season, there are still plenty of opportunities for teams to make a run at the postseason. But with many of the frontrunners set to collide in the coming weeks, there's very little margin for error. Week 4 could provide another clear indication of which teams are legitimate state championship contenders and which teams may end up as also-rans in 2026.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow