Honestly, if you weren't in Normal, Illinois, during that final weekend of November, you missed a masterclass in grit. The illinois high school football playoffs 2024 didn't just end with a few trophies and some orange slices; they ended with a legacy-defining shift in the hierarchy of Midwest prep sports. We’re talking about three-peats, 500-yard individual performances, and a weather-defying schedule that tested everyone’s patience.
It was cold. It was loud. It was everything high school football is supposed to be.
The Mount Carmel and Loyola Dominance
You can’t talk about the 2024 postseason without mentioning the sheer gravitational pull of the Chicago Catholic League (CCL). It’s almost unfair at this point. For the third year in a row, both Wilmette Loyola Academy and Chicago Mount Carmel walked away with state titles.
Loyola took the Class 8A crown by dismantling York 35-14. Ryan Fitzgerald—the kid just has "it"—threw for 160 yards and three touchdowns. But the real story was Drew MacPherson. He ran like he was mad at the turf, racking up 150 yards on 19 carries.
Meanwhile, over in Class 7A, Mount Carmel turned their game against Batavia into a video game. Vanderbilt commit Jack Elliott accounted for seven touchdowns. Seven! Six through the air and one on the ground. When the dust settled, the Caravan had a 55-34 win and their third straight title. If you’re keeping track, that’s 16 state titles for Mount Carmel. They aren't just a team; they’re a factory.
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The Althoff Catholic Show: Dierre Hill's Legend
If there’s one name from the illinois high school football playoffs 2024 that people will still be talking about in a decade, it’s Dierre Hill. The Belleville Althoff Catholic star put up numbers that don't even look real.
In the Class 1A final against Lena-Winslow, Hill rushed for 436 yards. That isn't a typo. He scored six touchdowns on the ground and added an 80-yard receiving touchdown just for fun. Total offense? 516 yards. Althoff won 57-14, ending Lena-Winslow’s dream of a five-peat. It felt like watching a future NFL Sunday starter playing against middle schoolers.
Class by Class: The 2024 Winners
To keep it simple, here is how the trophies were distributed across the classes:
- Class 8A: Wilmette Loyola Academy (Defeated York 35-14)
- Class 7A: Chicago Mount Carmel (Defeated Batavia 55-34)
- Class 6A: East St. Louis (Defeated Geneva 48-28)
- Class 5A: Nazareth Academy (Defeated Joliet Catholic 29-27)
- Class 4A: Mt. Zion (Wait, actually DePaul Prep emerged here in a wild bracket)
- Class 3A: Wilmington (Defeated Byron)
- Class 2A: Chicago Christian (Defeated Maroa-Forsyth 47-0)
- Class 1A: Belleville Althoff Catholic (Defeated Lena-Winslow 57-14)
The East St. Louis Machine
East St. Louis is just different. They finished 13-1, with their only loss coming to a national powerhouse out in Florida (IMG Academy). In the Class 6A final, they took on Geneva and basically put the game away by halftime.
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Kendrick Lyons was surgical, completing 16 of 17 passes. When you only miss one throw in a state title game, you're having a good day. Larevious Woods chipped in with three rushing touchdowns. It was the 11th state title for the Flyers. Darren Sunkett has built a program that feels more like a college team than a high school squad.
Heartbreak and Near-Misses
It wasn't all blowouts. The Class 5A game was a literal heart-stopper. Nazareth Academy edged out Joliet Catholic 29-27. Think about that. Two points. Logan Malachuk threw for 336 yards and four scores, but Joliet Catholic’s Larry Stringham and Nate Magrini combined for nearly 300 yards on the ground. It was a clash of styles—the air raid vs. the ground-and-pound—and the air raid survived by the skin of its teeth.
And we have to mention Lincoln-Way East. They were the top-ranked team for most of the year. They had Jonas Williams, the Oregon commit, at QB. They looked invincible until they hit the Loyola buzzsaw in the semifinals. That 27-24 loss was basically the "real" state championship for 8A.
Why 2024 Felt Different
Usually, the brackets favor the North or the South, but 2024 was a weird mix. You had the Chicago private schools dominating the big classes, while the small-school ranks saw a massive shift with Althoff's dominance.
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Also, the weather. Snow storms actually pushed some of the championship games (specifically 5A and 6A) around, forcing teams to adapt on the fly. It added an extra layer of "IHSA drama" that we haven't seen in a few years.
Key Takeaways for Next Season
- The CCL is King: Until someone figures out how to stop the Mount Carmel/Loyola/Nazareth trio, the trophies are staying in the Chicago Catholic League.
- Star Power Matters: The illinois high school football playoffs 2024 proved that one elite recruit (like Hill or Williams) can carry a team through four rounds, but you need a complete O-line to win the final.
- The 1A/2A Gap: The talent gap in the smaller classes is closing. Seeing a Chicago Christian team blow out a powerhouse like Maroa-Forsyth 47-0 was a massive shock to the system.
If you’re a fan or a scout, the next step is looking at the underclassmen who stepped up. Keep an eye on the sophomore class at Batavia and the junior receivers at Geneva. The off-season starts now, which basically means weight rooms are going to be packed starting Monday morning.
Actionable Insights for Fans:
- Check the final IHSA official stats to see where your local stars ranked.
- Start tracking the transfer portal; several top players from the 2024 playoffs are expected to re-classify or move before the 2025 season.
- If you're looking for 2025 season tickets, the "Big Three" in the CCL usually sell out their home openers by August, so set your alerts early.