Illinois high school football state rankings: How Peoria-area teams fared in the Week 7 poll

The seventh statewide rankings from the Illinois Media were released Thursday, Oct. 1, putting three Peoria-area high school football teams among the top 10 in the IHSA in their respective classes after Week 6.

Morton continues its rise in the Class 5A poll, checking in at No. 7. Dunlap finds itself as the fifth-ranked team in Class 6A. El Paso-Gridley holds at No. 2 in Class 2A.

Here are the complete Illinois Media football rankings for Oct. 1, based on a statewide vote of sports writers and broadcasters, with team name, first-place votes in parentheses, regular-season record, points in the poll and preseason ranking. Peoria-area teams are in bold.

2026 Illinois high school football state rankings for Week 7

Class 8A

1. Loyola (10) 6-0 118 1
2. Lincoln-Way East (2) 6-0 110 3
3. Mount Carmel 4-2 86 2
4. Bolingbrook 5-1 74 4
5. Maine South 5-1 67 5
6. Huntley 6-0 62 6
7. Oswego 5-1 54 7
8. St. Ignatius 5-1 42 8
9. Lyons 5-1 30 9
10. Homewood-Flossmoor 4-2 8 10
Others receiving votes: Fremd 5, Sandburg 3.

Class 7A

1. East St. Louis (14) 5-1 140 1
2. Brother Rice 4-2 123 2
3. Hersey 6-0 113 3
4. Downers Grove North 6-0 98 4
5. Prospect 6-0 81 6
6. Normal 6-0 69 7
7. (tie) Batavia 4-2 43 5
7. (tie) Glenbard West 4-2 21 9
9. (tie) St. Patrick 5-1 21 NR
9. (tie) St. Rita 3-3 21 RV
Others receiving votes: Wheaton-Warrenville South 9, Lincoln-Way Central 5, Jacobs 2, Hononegah 1, Willowbrook 1.

Class 6A

1. Geneva (12) 5-1 129 1
2. Normal West (1) 6-0 113 2t
3. Fenwick 4-2 96 2t
4. Harlem 6-0 86 4
5. Dunlap 5-1 68 7
6. Wauconda 6-0 66 8
7. Wheaton North 5-1 45 5
8. Joliet Catholic 4-2 39 9
9. (tie) Nazareth 2-4 20 6
9. (tie) Oak Lawn 6-0 20 RV
Others receiving votes:Pekin 12, King 10, Crete-Monee 1, Riverside-Brookfield 1.

Class 5A

1. Providence (8) 5-1 132 2
2. Mahomet-Seymour (6) 6-0 125 1
3. Sacred Heart-Griffin 5-1 101 5
4. Morgan Park 5-1 81 6
5. Kankakee 4-2 79 4
6. Antioch 6-0 70 7
7. (tie) Morton 5-1 60 8
7. (tie) Triad 5-1 60 3
9. Wheaton Academy 6-0 31 10
10. Kaneland 5-1 26 9
Others receiving votes: Cary-Grove 6, St. Francis 4, Woodstock 1.

Class 4A

1. Rochester (14) 6-0 149 1
2. Morris (1) 6-0 133 3
3. Montini 4-2 108 2
4. Breese Central 6-0 100 4
5. Centralia 6-0 99 5
6. Coal City 5-1 71 6
7. Bloomington CC 5-1 62 7
8. Carterville 6-0 48 8
9. Dixon 5-1 23 10
10. Cahokia 4-2 18 RV
Others receiving votes:Metamora 9, Sterling 5, Freeburg 4.

Class 3A

1. IC Catholic (7) 6-0 123 1
2. Byron (6) 6-0 122 2
3. St. Joseph-Ogden 6-0 104 3
4. Richmond-Burton 6-0 93 4
5. Durand-Pecatonica (Du-Pec) 6-0 66 6
6. Bishop McNamara 5-1 60 7
7. Olympia 5-1 50 NR
8. Hillsboro 6-0 32 10
9. Mt. Carmel 6-0 23 RV
10. Monticello 4-2 20 8
Others receiving votes: Williamsville 17, Tolono Unity 5.

Class 2A

1. Wilmington (9) 6-0 126 1
2. El Paso-Gridley (3) 6-0 116 2
3. Maroa-Forsyth (1) 6-0 106 3
4. Riverdale 6-0 88 4
5. Tri-Valley 5-1 75 5
6. Johnston City 6-0 63 6
7. Aurora Christian 5-1 39 7
8. West Frankfort 6-0 38 9
9. Rockridge 5-1 37 10
10. Westville 5-1 15 RV
Others receiving votes: Erie-Prophetstown 5, Nashville 4, Flora 1.

Class 1A

1. Brown County (13) 6-0 130 1
2. Calhoun 6-0 114 2
3. Lena-Winslow 4-2 94 3
4. Heyworth 6-0 84 5
5. Stockton 5-1 75 6
6. Camp Point Central 5-1 72 4
7. Arthur-Lovington-A-H 6-0 65 8
8. Forreston 5-1 37 9
9. Dwight 5-1 20 10
10. Tuscola 5-1 19 7
Others receiving votes: Salt Fork 4, Galena 1.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Illinois high school football state rankings: How Peoria-area teams fared in the Week 7 poll