A week earlier than normal, a new high school football season begins on Friday night.
The calendar moving up a week is thanks to the polarizing vote by IHSA member schools that approved playoff expansion last December. The change adds 16 teams to the field in each classification and, in total, 128 more teams will be postseason qualifiers. This means that 384 of the 494 11-man playing schools in the state will be playoff teams. Put another way, more than three-quarters of the teams in the state will advance to the win-or-go-home round.
The only change to the TRAC schedule this year is that divisional games now take place in Weeks 4-8; previously, they were played in Weeks 3-7.
WRMJ is excited to bring back (and expand) our weekly Preview and Picks post this season. WRMJ’s Ty Taylor and Jim Taylor are joined once again this season by View from the West Podcast co-hosts Greg Armstrong and Mitch Stoermer. In addition, we’d like to welcome the two most famous members of the esteemed local media contingent to ever participate in something under the WRMJ umbrella – Matt Randazzo and Brian Stocking. This lineup looks similar to the Los Angeles Dodgers roster, doesn’t it?
For the sake of history, this is the third year we’ve produced this weekly feature. Ty, who is typing this sentence in third person, humbly notes that he won the contest the previous two years.
Previews of all six games this week and predictions from the six of us are below. We are looking forward to covering this great league again in the 2026-27 school year!
Game of the Week: Princeton @ Riverdale – Friday 7 p.m.
The 2026 high school season kicks off with a chance for both Riverdale and Princeton to notch a statement win in a matchup of programs that suffered first-round playoff losses a year ago.
Riverdale’s ascension continued in 2025, culminating with the program’s first winning season and first playoff berth since 2011, just three seasons removed from canceling its varsity season in 2022 due to low numbers. The Rams enter 2026 with high expectations and an abundance of experience, highlighted by returning all-conference OL/DL Marcus Bennett and Jackson Fritch, all-conference WR/DB Jackson Tegeler, and QB Abram Krier. Despite winning six games last season, the Rams did not beat a single playoff team in 2025. A home victory over a well-established Princeton program would be the most notable win for Riverdale in years.
Princeton is looking to get off on the right foot in a 2026 campaign where the program will try to reclaim the top spot in the Mississippi Division of the conference. The Tigers have finished second on the large-school side of the league the past two years; before that, Princeton had claimed conference crowns seven straight seasons. Princeton, which received votes in the Illinois Media preseason 3A rankings, will rely on a younger roster than normal and will need to replace 2,092 of the team’s 2,600, or 80%, of its rushing yards from last year.
Picks
Ty: Riverdale
Jim: Riverdale
Greg: Riverdale
Mitch: Princeton
Dazzo: Riverdale
Stocking: Riverdale
Hall @ Mercer County – Friday 7 p.m.
The season opener for Mercer County and Hall will allow one of the programs to take a big step towards snapping streaks of missing the playoffs in a game that, despite it being Week 1, has the feel of being pivotal for both teams.
The Mercer County/Aledo/Westmer football program entered its first year in the TRAC on a run of 27 consecutive seasons qualifying for the postseason. Since making the step up from the Lincoln Trail Conference, Mercer County has gone 6-12 and missed the playoffs in both years as a TRAC member. The Golden Eagles are replacing eight starters on both sides of the ball, but 2026 is the second year under head coach Fred Lucas, who told WRMJ in the preseason that the Golden Eagles are much further along coming into the season this year than they were last year with the added familiarity of the offensive and defensive systems. With MerCo’s next six games coming against playoff teams from last year, the Golden Eagles have an opportunity to notch a crucial season-opening win at home and progress to one-third of the way to returning to the playoff field.
Similarly to Mercer County, the Hall program has a storied history, but in recent years, has struggled to find consistent wins. The Red Devils haven’t played a playoff game since 2022, and the last time the program finished with a winning record was 2019. Hall is also stepping into its second season under head coach Nick Sterling, who told WRMJ in a season preview questionnaire that his team’s biggest strength projects to be its offensive and defensive line play – anchored by three returning starters in both positional groups. TE/DE Chace Sterling, who was the Red Devils’ leading receiver and tackler as a sophomore last season.
Picks
Ty: Mercer County
Jim: Mercer County
Greg: Hall
Mitch: Hall
Dazzo: Hall
Stocking: Hall
Kewanee @ Rockridge – Friday 7 p.m.
Rockridge, the defending Rock Division champions, begins the new season at home against Kewanee, which finished 2025 winless.
The Rockets have won at least one playoff game four seasons in a row, but have been knocked out of the postseason in the second round in the past three seasons, including back-to-back years where they watched a second-half lead slip away. Rockridge senior quarterback Cullen Schwigen, a two-time all-state selection and unequivocally one of the state’s top players, spearheads the Rockets’ offense. He’s amassed 94 touchdowns in his career and is coming off a junior season in which he passed for 1,597 yards, rushed for 801 yards and found the end zone 39 times. Joining him in the backfield is senior running back Thomas Sowards, who racked up 1,112 yards and 16 TDs last year. The Rockets are replacing three offensive line starters and also graduated seven of their 11 starters on defense from last season. Rockridge, ranked No. 7 in the preseason 2A Illinois Media Poll, will look to get its new pieces settled ahead of an early-season showdown with Monmouth-Roseville next week.
Entering the season, Kewanee might be the most intriguing team in the presumptive second tier of the Mississippi Division. The Boilermakers were largely uncompetitive in an 0-9 season last year, but boast the highest percentage of returning starters in the conference with 10 players returning on both sides of the ball. Kewanee will rely heavily on a pair of junior skill position players – RB Ace LaFollette, a second-team all-conference honoree in 2025, and WR Chris Crowe, a first-team all-conference selection last year. The Boilermakers have shown an aptitude for wild variance from year-to-year, which makes the possibility of a fast turnaround believable. Since 2018, Kewanee’s record, in order, has been 2-7, 7-4, 2-2 (COVID season), 9-2, 4-5, 8-2, 5-5, and 0-9. The Boilermakers will look to swing that trend back in a positive direction in 2026, but continue their early-season gauntlet hosting Newman in Week 2.
Picks
Ty: Rockridge
Jim: Rockridge
Greg: Rockridge
Mitch: Rockridge
Dazzo: Rockridge
Stocking: Rockridge
Mendota @ Orion – Friday 7 p.m.
Mendota aims to take a step forward under second-year head coach Jim Eustice, while Orion is hoping for a turnaround in Matt McClean’s first season leading the Chargers, in a game where both programs hope will help end lengthy postseason droughts.
McClean is the first new head coach at Orion in 17 seasons. With his arrival, the Chargers have seen participation numbers in the program jump to 46 this season, up from 23 two years ago. Orion is replacing a four-year starter at quarterback with sophomore Blake Arnold. While coach McClean has been coy when asked about the specifics of what his offensive and defensive systems will look like, he has stressed that he wants to be able to give his opponents different looks. The Chargers begin the season with three games against non-playoff teams from last season, which provides an opportunity for Orion to build early momentum before getting into the meat of it schedule.
Mendota was markedly improved under Eustice in the 2025 season, which included the Trojans snapping a 16-game losing streak and playing much tighter games than the previous two seasons. Mendota has six starters returning on defense and brings back four starters on offense, which includes three players who saw a lot of snaps at running back. Week 1 is a chance for the Trojans to get off on the right foot before tests against Erie-Prophetsown and Riverdale the next couple of weeks.
Picks
Ty: Orion
Jim: Orion
Greg: Orion
Mitch: Orion
Dazzo: Orion
Stocking: Orion
Monmouth-Roseville @ Erie-Prophetstown – Friday 7 p.m.
Monmouth-Roseville and Erie-Prophetstown meet up in a Week 1 game featuring a pair of teams who are expected to rely on the run game and strong offensive line play.
The Titans advanced to the 3A quarterfinals, won their second straight Mississippi Division championship, and won 10+ games for the first time since Monmouth and Roseville consolidated. Overall, Monmouth-Roseville has five straight postseason appearances under head coach Jeremy Adolphson, who is now in his 16th season at the helm of the program. The Titans return two of their top three running backs from last season – first-team all-conference fullback Landon Montroy (1,247 yards, 20 TDs) and Lars Bergren, both seniors. Monmouth-Roseville’s offensive line, which has been a stalwart during the program’s recent run of success, has to replace all five of its regular starters from last season. Similarly on the defensive side of the ball, Monmouth-Roseville has to fill the shoes of eight starters it lost from last season. The Titans are more inexperienced than they have been coming into the last couple of seasons and face a challenging Week 1 contest on the road before hosting Rockridge next week.
Conversely, Erie-Prophetstown has little uncertainty with its front five. The Panthers have four of their five offensive line starters back from last season, bannered by Derek Naftzger and Caleb Reymer – both two-way all-conference players (OL/DL). Additionally, the Panthers have a 1,000+ yard rusher back from last season with senior tailback Tristan Hovey primed to lead E-P’s rushing attack again this season. Five starters return on both sides of the ball for the Panthers. Defensively, Naftzger paced the defense with 74 tackles and 11 sacks, while Evan Stemile (LB) totaled 40 tackles and four sacks during his junior season. The Panthers have a chance for a marquee win in Week 1 before hitting the road to play Mendota in Week 2.
Picks
Ty: Monmouth-Roseville
Jim: Erie-Prophetstown
Greg: Monmouth-Roseville
Mitch: Monmouth-Roseville
Dazzo: Monmouth-Roseville
Stocking: Monmouth-Roseville
Sherrard @ Newman – Saturday 7 p.m.
Newman and Sherrard have to wait one extra day before kicking off the 2026 season on Saturday night at Roscoe Eades Stadium.
Newman advanced to the second round of the 2A playoffs in 2025, which marked the Comets’ 24th consecutive playoff appearance, and an 8-3 record assured Newman a 34th straight season with a record of .500 or better. Newman’s roster in 2026 returns a plethora of production, topped by senior running back duo Matthew Blackert (112 carries, 865 yards, 12 TDs) and Rylan Alvarado (75 carries, 510 yards, 7 TDs). The Comets will have a new quarterback in 2026, but their top recieving threat, John Rowzee (32 receptions, 533 yards, 5 TDs) back to help guide Newman’s multi-faceted offensive attack to success. The Comets also bring eight starters back from a defensive unit that allowed 19.8 points per game last season. Newman, ranked No. 5 in the preseason Class 2A Illinois Media Poll, will play Kewanee in Week 2.
Sherrard comes into the 2026 season with its third head coach in the last three years as Zach Weigel has taken over the program. The Tigers lost 14 seniors and 18 of the team’s 22 starters from last year’s team that won two of their last three games. Unfortunately, the story for Sherrard in 2026 looks to be a struggle with participation numbers. On the Tigers’ Week 1 roster, there are 31 players listed, with 10 being freshmen. Sherrard will lean on junior running back Landon Clark for production on the offensive end, along with senior quarterback Javin Jones. The Tigers host Orion in Week 2 after Saturday night’s season opener.
Picks
Ty: Newman
Jim: Newman
Greg: Newman
Mitch: Newman
Dazzo: Newman
Stocking: Newman