The road to Hancock Stadium in Normal, Illinois and the Illinois high school football state championships is now known. All 256 programs received their official schedule for the upcoming 2025 season from the Illinois High School Association.
Games begin in late August and run until the crowning of eight state champions in late November.
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The first round of the playoffs will be released on Saturday, October 25 with the 1A, 2A, 3A and 4A championship games set for Friday, November 28. The 5A, 6A, 7A and 8A title games take place a day later.
Illinois State University will be the host for the championship round, with Hancock Stadium on the campus the site. Teams will play a nine-week schedule leading up to the postseason.
Defending champions are Loyola Academy (8A), Mt. Carmel (7A), East St. Louis (6A), Nazareth Academy (5A), DePaul College Prep (4A), Montini Catholic (3A), Chicago Christian (2A) and Althoff Catholic (1A).
Last year, Mt. Carmel won its third consecutive title and 16th overall. That broke the previous record of 15 for most in the state held by Joliet Catholic.
Complete schedules can be viewed on the IHSA website.
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