Playoff Pigskin Picks | 2026 First-round IHSA football predictions

This week's IHSA football playoff predictions. Twelve games, eight predictions each. See this week's guest analyst picked to win.

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Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

TOLONO - Unity's Austin Wiersema celebrates his fumble recovery during his team's opening round playoff game against Robinson. The Rockets were picked unanimously by all eight analysts in this week's Sentinel Playoff Pigskin Picks. See detail below.

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#10 Villa Grove-Heritage (7-3) at #7 Salt Fork (7-2)

Frank	Salt Fork   28-7
KingsQueen	Villa Grove - Heritage   20-17
lg	Salt Fork   28-13
Cory	Salt Fork   28-21
SportsMom	Villa Grove - Heritage   28-14
Coltrane	Villa Grove - Heritage   35-34
DoubleJ	Salt Fork   34-28
The Sentinel	Villa Grove - Heritage   28-20

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#9 Oakwood (7-3) at #8 Greenfield-Northwestern (7-2)

Frank	Oakwood   35-14
KingsQueen	Oakwood   27-21
lg	Oakwood   35-21
Cory	Oakwood   34 28
SportsMom	Oakwood   35-31
Coltrane	Oakwood   48-27
DoubleJ	Oakwood   22-18
The Sentinel	Oakwood   35-28

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#9 Illini West (8-2) at #8 Peotone (7-2)

Frank	Peotone   45-25
KingsQueen	Peotone   27-24
lg	Peotone   41-21
Cory	Peotone   33 30
SportsMom	Peotone   21-14
Coltrane	Peotone   28-20
DoubleJ	Peotone   21-20
The Sentinel	Peotone   28-14

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#15 St. Teresa (5-5) at #2 Frankfort (8-1)

Frank	West Frankfort   35-21
KingsQueen	West Frankfort   44-21
lg	St. Teresa   21-14
Cory	West Frankfort   34 14
SportsMom	West Frankfort   48-10
Coltrane	St. Teresa   20-19
DoubleJ	West Frankfort   35-7
The Sentinel	St. Teresa   36-28

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#18 Prairie Central (5-5) at #2 Byron (9-0)

Frank	Byron   56-14
KingsQueen	Byron   56-7
lg	Byron   40-6
Cory	Byron   61-7
SportsMom	Byron   42-21
Coltrane	Byron   58-28
DoubleJ	Prairie Central   42-0
The Sentinel	Byron   42-28

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#10 Unity (8-2) at #7 Central Catholic (7-2)

Frank	Unity   35-28	.: I think Unity has been playing their best football the last few weeks.
KingsQueen	Unity   28-27
lg	Unity   42-36
Cory	Unity   35 32	.: I have a feeling it's going to be an absolute dogfight with the offense.
SportsMom	Unity   48-14
Coltrane	Unity   48-28	.: The Unity offense is playing almost perfect and Unity is the hottest team in the IPC, I think it’s close early but Unity wears down the saints.
DoubleJ	Unity   34-21
The Sentinel	Unity   34-28	.: If Hardin can deliver another week of brilliant running, Unity comes out on top in this knock-down-drag-em-out.

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#15 Althoff Catholic (7-3) at #2 St. Joseph-Ogden (9-0)

Frank	St. Joseph-Ogden   55-38
KingsQueen	St. Joseph-Ogden   54-23
lg	St. Joseph-Ogden   49-40
Cory	St. Joseph-Ogden   48- 17
SportsMom	Althoff Catholic   35-28
Coltrane	St. Joseph-Ogden   42-34	.: The SJO defense is suspect and Althoff is a tough team and gives SJO a fight.
DoubleJ	St. Joseph-Ogden   42-14
The Sentinel	St. Joseph-Ogden   54-36	.: Two talented running backs, a dual threat QB, and two speedy receivers ... SJO has too many offensive weapons.

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#9 Geneseo (7-3) at #8 Montini (7-2)

Frank	Montini   28-21
KingsQueen	Montini   21-14
lg	Montini   35-24
Cory	Montini   49 14
SportsMom	Montini   56-24
Coltrane	Montini   49-14
DoubleJ	Montini   34-7
The Sentinel	Montini   21-14

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#9 MacArthur (8-2) at #8 Mt. Zion (7-2)

Frank	Mt. Zion   35-21
KingsQueen	Mt. Zion   44-31
lg	Mt. Zion   14-7
Cory	MacArthur   34 32
SportsMom	MacArthur   28-7
Coltrane	Mt. Zion   42-28
DoubleJ	Mt. Zion   28-21
The Sentinel	MacArthur   28-20

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#11 Providence Catholic (7-3) at #6 Kankakee (7-2)

lg	Providence Catholic   35-21
Cory	Providence Catholic   21 7
SportsMom	Providence Catholic   40-14
Coltrane	Providence Catholic   35-20
DoubleJ	Kankakee   18-16
The Sentinel	Kankakee   36-31

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#20 Nazareth Academy (5-5) at #4 Dunlap (8-1)

Frank	Dunlap   45-28
KingsQueen	Dunlap   34-0
lg	Nazareth Academy   28-6
Cory	Dunlap   34 3
SportsMom	Dunlap   56-13
Coltrane	Nazareth Academy   34-22
DoubleJ	Dunlap   18-16
The Sentinel	Nazareth Academy   28-20

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#18 Moline (7-3) at #15 Glenbard West (6-3)

Frank	Moline   35-32
KingsQueen	Moline   27-24
lg	Glenbard West   14-0
Cory	Moline   49 35
SportsMom	Glenbard West   56-20
Coltrane	Moline   20-13
DoubleJ	Glenbard West   24-21
The Sentinel	Glenbard West   34-28

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Sentinel football playoff leaderboard

1. Frank (11-1)
2. Cory H - Steamers (10-2)
3. Cory (9-3)
4. DoubleJ (8-4)
5. Hillary (8-4)
6. The Sentinel (6-6)

Want to share your predictions and go head-to-head with the experts in our next poll? Visit OurSentinel.com on Monday for details for the Sentinel Second-Round Pigskin Challenge.

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Steven Brown and Crusaders looking to upset undefeated SJO Spartans

Althoff Catholic looking to rush by undefeated St. Joseph-Ogden on Saturday. Kickoff is at 2 p.m. at Dick Duval Field.

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Photo: Chris Johns for The Sentinel

BELLEVILLE - In the program's 27th playoff appearance, Crusaders' feature running back Steven Brown scampers for another gain in his home opening round playoff game against Harrisburg (5-5). Althoff (7-3), who won the state title at Hancock Stadium in 2024, defeated the Bulldogs in a one-point thriller 13-12. Brown brings his explosive running skills to Dick Duval Field on Saturday to face the Spartans (9-0) in the first contest of their 35th playoff appearance. See more photos from the Althoff vs Harrisburg 3A playoff game here. The gate and parking opens at Glen Fisher Sports Complex in St. Joseph opens at noon. Game start time is slated for 2 p.m.

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Relate stories and photos for you

Trippin' Tuesday | Rough fall; Spartans fall to Sages in home playoff game

October 29, 2011, St. Joseph-Ogden hosted Monticello in a second-round playoff game. The Sages ended the Spartan season in a dominating fashion, winning 42-14. Travel back in time 15 years with the photos below for a look at the players, fans, and moments.

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All photos: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

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TAGS: St. Joseph-Ogden football photos, Monticello defeats St. Joseph-Ogden in road playoff game, SJO quarterback Blake Hoveln, SJO head coach Dick Duval, Monticello football fans, Maroon Platoon student fans, IHSA football playoffs, Austin Upton at linebacker

The Sentinel On This Day | October 27

On this day, advocates push for domestic violence legislation. At St. Joseph-Ogden High School, member prepare for a busy October and national convention. Also, on this day, we gave tips for a healthy Halloween. These stories and more below.

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Sentinel Article Archive for October 27

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TAGS: SJO girls cross country advances to sectionals, basketball has been moved into the high-risk category by IDPH, lawmakers refuse to consider constitutional pension and other spending reforms, Kennedi Burnett notched 11 kills against BHRA, dress kids appropriately for trick-or-treating, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski tours the union training facility in Champaign, Christie Clinic Shootout teams announced.

Playoff first-round pigskin picks

Twelve games. One champion. Join the Sentinel’s Pigskin Playoff Challenge. This week's braggin rights and a shot at dethroning last week's champion are all on the line.

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Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

St. Joseph-Ogden's Logan Umbarger finds plenty of running room thanks to an explosive offensive front line during the Spartans' home game against Bloomington Central Catholic. Umbarger ran for 110 yards and two touchdowns in the regular season game. SJO will need a similar performance on Saturday when they host Althoff Catholic in their first round 3A game.

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2026 Opening Round Scores

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Prairie Central 44
Chicago Christian 20

Unity 70
Robinson 16

Pontiac 44
Dyett 26

Lockport 35
Stevenson 21

O'Fallon 36
Joliet West 6

East Moline United 24
Champaign Central 3

Stillman Valley 32
Reed-Custer 31

Bismarck-Henning-R-A 51
Marshall 14

Villa Grove-Heritage 34
Dupo 0

Warrensburg-Latham 42
Georgetown-Ridge Farm 14

Buffalo Grove 28
Andrew 27

Tinley Park 20
Woodstock North 8

Urbana — Boom! Frank came out throwing bombs in last week’s pigskin challenge, correctly picking the winner in 11 of 12 games to take the opening-round title.

There wasn’t much separation in three matchups, with the forecasters splitting their votes right down the middle in Reed-Custer vs. Stillman Valley, Marshall vs. Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin and Woodstock North vs. Tinley Park.

Meanwhile, all six forecasters agreed on four winners: Andrew over Buffalo Grove, Georgetown-Ridge Farm over Warrensburg-Latham, Villa Grove over Dupo and Unity over Robinson.

A couple of picks stood out from the crowd. Hillary was the lone forecaster to take No. 23 seed Pontiac over No. 10 Dyett, and the Indians rewarded her faith with a 44-26 upset.

Cory H. — Steamers was the only forecaster to call No. 18 Prairie Central over No. 15 Chicago Christian. The Hawks scored at least one touchdown in every quarter on their way to a 44-20 victory.

Then there was the Sentinel’s pick of Champaign Central over East Moline United. Maybe it was hometown loyalty. Maybe the crystal ball was malfunctioning. Either way, the Panthers made the Sentinel look bad, rolling to a 24-3 win. All five other forecasters picked East Moline United. You win some. You lose some.

Can Frank stay at the top of our weekly challenge? Will the Sentinel climb its way out of the basement to a more respectable spot on the leaderboard? This week’s contest features 12 first-round playoff games, giving our forecasters another chance to prove who is the most clairvoyant football expert.

Sentinel football playoff leaderboard

1. Frank (11-1)
2. Cory H - Steamers (10-2)
3. Cory (9-3)
4. DoubleJ (8-4)
5. Hillary (8-4)
6. The Sentinel (6-6)

Home field advantage, SJO set to play Althoff on Saturday

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

ST. JOSEPH - St. Joseph-Ogden lineman Owen Wall provides a lead block for quarterback Lane McKinney during their home game against Andrew High School earlier this month. After enjoying a bye-week off, the 9-0 Spartans are set to host Belleville Althoff (7-3) on Saturday, October 31, at Dick Duval Field for their first round playoff game. The gate is scheduled to open at 12 noon and kickoff slated for 2 p.m. Admission is $8.00 at the gate and available online at GoFan tickets for $7.30.

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Area prep volleyball scores and game notes for October 20

Spartans defeat Sabers in two sets and Mahomet-Seymour cruises to another win. Fisher Bunnies battle to a win in three-setter.

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Area volleyball scores

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

St. Joseph-Ogden junior Lyla Patton takes a big swing during the Spartans' home match against St. Thomas More.

• SJO 2, St. Thomas More 0
25-16, 25-22

Emerson Williams had 12 kills to lead the Spartans past the visiting Sabers at home Tuesday. Defensively, Ava Alexander denied STM scoring opportunities with 14 digs. Senior Hadley McDonald contributed six digs and six kills. Meanwhile, Megan Kearney and Alivia Learned finished the conference match with 13 and 12 assists, respectively. SJO plays its last home match Thursday at Illinois Valley Central.

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• Peoria Notre Dame 2, Centennial 0
25-15, 25-18

• Mahomet-Seymour 2, Charleston 0
25-15, 25-18

• Fisher 2, Kansas 1
25-13, 27-25, 25-12

Other scores from around the state

• Prairie Central 2, Paxton-Buckley-Loda 0
25-17, 25-22

Hawks' Maggie Fehr had ten assists and Lexi Donovan added another nine in their conference victory over the Panthers. Miranda Hari collected seven service points and Cadyn Pride had six. Kinley Elliot led the offense with seven kills.

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• Watseka 2, Cissna Park 1
Set scores not reported

• Libertyville 2, Grayslake Central 0
25-23, 25-14

• East St. Louis 2, Granite City 0
25-21, 25-21

• Dundee-Crown 2, Prairie Ridge 0
25-21, 25-24

• Cary-Grove 2, Hampshire 0
25-20, 26-24

• Macomb 2, Mendon Unity 0
25-17, 25-19

• MacArthur 2, Lanphier 0
25-21, 25-18

• Lockport 2, Lincoln-Way Central 0
25-17, 25-22

• Manteno 2, Streator 0
25-8, 25-7

• Effingham 2, Mattoon 0
25-12, 25-14

• Teutopolis 2, Robinson 0
25-8, 25-10

• Serena 2, Somonauk 0
25-11, 25-19

• Sacred Heart-Griffin 2, Decatur Eisenhower 0
25-8, 25-10

• Mater Dei 2, O'Fallon 0
25-21, 25-21

• Lyons 2, York 0
25-21, 25-22

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The Sentinel On This Day | October 20

In 2021, the Philo Exchange Bank opened a new facility in St. Joseph and we also learned new mothers have options when facing postpartum disorder. Meanwhile in sports, Oakwood knocks Hoopeston soccer out of the postseason and Rutgers beats the Illinois soccer team. Here's these stories and photos and more from October 20.

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Sentinel Article Archive for October 20

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Win No. 19: St. Joseph-Ogden volleyball squad defeats St. Thomas More at home

In their final home game of the season St. Joseph-Ogden hosted the St. Thomas More for an Illini Prairie conference showdown and won.

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Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

St. Joseph-Ogden's Lyla Patton and Vivian Smith go up to block a hit from St. Thomas More's Megan Cassidy during second set action. The Spartans defeated the Sabers, taking the first set 25-16 and closing out their last regular season home match with a three-point advantage, 25-22. Patton finished the conference game with three kills while Smith recorded four and had one of the team's four aces. More photos coming soon.

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Six Illini Prairie teams set for Class 3A football playoff runs

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Six Illini Prairie Conference teams earned spots in the IHSA Class 3A football playoffs, with St. Joseph-Ogden leading the way as the conference champion and No. 2 seed in the southern bracket.

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Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Unity's Michael Hardin runs the football during the regular season home game against Monticello. The Rockets open the 2026 football playoffs with home game against Robinson.

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BLOOMINGTON - Six of the 48 teams in this year's Illinois High School Association Class 3A football playoffs come from the Illini Prairie Conference, giving the league a substantial presence as the newly formatted state series gets underway.

Conference champion St. Joseph-Ogden and fellow Illini Prairie teams Monticello and Bloomington Central Catholic earned opening-round byes after strong regular seasons. The Spartans finished 9-0, while Monticello and Central Catholic each went 7-2.

All three will begin their postseason runs at home for first-round games in approximately two weeks.

St. Joseph-Ogden enters the playoffs as the No. 2 seed in the southern half of the bracket. The Spartans will face the winner of the opening-round matchup between Althoff and Harrisburg.

Central Catholic, the No. 7 seed, could have a familiar opponent waiting in the second round. The Saints will face the winner of the Robinson-Unity game, potentially setting up a rematch with their Illini Prairie Conference counterpart.

Monticello, seeded No. 8 in the southern bracket, will host the winner of Olympia and Columbia. Olympia enters the playoffs at 7-2, while Columbia is 2-7.

Unity, meanwhile, earned the No. 10 seed in the southern half and will begin its playoff run next weekend. The Rockets, 7-2, will play No. 23 Robinson, which enters the postseason at 4-5. In the opening round, the higher seed hosts the game. In subsequent rounds, the school that has hosted fewer times during the current playoff series hosts the game. If both teams have hosted an equal number of times, the higher seed hosts.

The Rockets' matchup also carries significance for the conference's playoff picture. Should Unity advance, Central Catholic could be waiting in the second round.

The Illini Prairie's playoff contingent extends into the northern half of the Class 3A bracket, where Prairie Central and Pontiac both earned postseason berths. Both teams start their playoff journey as the away team.

Prairie Central, 4-5, is the No. 18 seed and will face No. 15 Chicago Christian, which also finished 5-4.

Pontiac, meanwhile, enters as the No. 23 seed after finishing 3-6. The Indians will face Dyett, a 6-3 team.

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TAGGED: IHSA Class 3A football playoffs, Illini Prairie Conference football teams, St. Joseph-Ogden football playoffs, Illinois high school football playoff bracket, 2026 IHSA football postseason