Big Year for Private High School Football in Illinois

The IHSA football championships just finished up and private schools flexed this season winning 7 of 8 class championships.

This dominance brought out a cacophony of outrage from parents, families and football fans across the state.

There was the obvious outcry of private schools being able to recruit. There was also an undercurrent of indignity that private schools apparently played against bigger schools during the regular season so that when the playoffs arrived the smaller school competition wasn’t as stiff.

Finally, there was a renewed voice to split the classes into public and private levels for the postseason.

It’s true, the private schools won big this fall taking 7 of 8 class titles, and there was only one close championship game and that was Loyola Academy defeating Joliet Catholic 29-27.

But, a quick peak back to just a year ago (2023) saw public schools in Illinois win 5 of the 8 state titles in football.  Private schools overshadowed public schools in 2022 taking 6 of 8 football championships. But in 2021 and also 2020 public schools won 6 of eight titles.

There are definitely schools that are perennial powers. Chicago Mt. Carmel have won 4 of the last 5 7a titles. East St. Louis has won 3 of the last 5 6a titles, and the ones they didn’t win were won by another public school in Cary-Grove. Byron High in 3a has won 3 of the last 5 titles in 3a. In 1a Lena-Winslow is a public school powerhouse winning 3 of the last 5 and losing in the championship game the last two years. Once to Camp Point Central in 2023 (also public) and this year to a juggernaut Belleville-Althoff team.

Recruiting high school players is not supposed to happen in Illinois, but in any given district you can choose where to go to school. If a private school has a better football program and as a student athlete you want to be a part of that program is that considered recruiting? Certainly, it can work the other way. It a public high school has achieved a high level of success a student/athlete may want to be a part of that program.

Boosters are boosters whether for public or private. Winning begats extra money to a program. Property taxes are collected for public schools and not applied to private schools. Not sure anyone thinks that property taxes need to be raised in Illinois so that public school’s athletics can feel like they are on a level playing field with their private counterparts.

Competition is a good thing. Playing a weighted schedule so that when postseason begins competition seems easier is the equivalent of taking warmup swings with a weight on your bat so that you have better bat speed at the plate.

Private schools in Illinois had a good football year. It doesn’t happen every year, and more often than not it’s the public schools that take home the trophies. Tip your cap to the victors and commit to being better next season. You can check the history here.