High school football 2026: Storylines to watch in DuPage County

Montini enters the 2026 season with a “three-peat” as the mission.

Coach Mike Bukovsky’s Broncos capped their second unbeaten season (14-0) with a 47-33 Class 4A state championship victory over Rochester last November at Hancock Stadium in Normal.

One year earlier, Montini captured its first state title since 2015 with a 49-8 Class 3A triumph over Monticello.

With the return of 6-foot-4 senior quarterback Israel Abrams, a Miami (Fla.) commit, the Broncos figure to have a realistic shot at their third consecutive state title.

Abrams put up Madden-like numbers last season, completing 233 of 340 pass attempts for 4,072 yards and 40 touchdowns with just 6 interceptions, while adding 404 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns.

Since taking over the starting job in Week 5 of the 2024 season, Abrams has guided the Broncos to 24 consecutive victories.

St. Francis aims for a repeat following last season’s 39-35 Class 5A state championship victory over Providence. While junior transfer Jadon Wilson (East St. Louis) figures to get the starting nod at quarterback, the Spartans return a few familiar faces from their state title squad, including senior safety James McGrath and senior tailback Tivias Caldwell. Caldwell rushed for 936 yards and 9 touchdowns as a junior.

New coaches: The list of new head coaches in DuPage County includes James White (Benet Academy), Justin Kerwin (Glenbard North), and Justin Swider (Wheaton Academy).

White, a 3-time Super Bowl champion running back with the New England Patriots and 3-time Big Ten Conference team title champion at the University of Wisconsin (2010-2013), succeeds longtime coach Pat New at Benet.

New guided the Redwings to a 92-67 record in 16 seasons, including 10 state playoff berths and 3 state semifinal appearances (2013, 2017, 2018).

White, whose 8-year NFL playing career ended in 2022, served as an assistant coach at Northern Illinois in 2024 before working as an assistant running backs coach at the University of Illinois last season.

Benet, which has posted losing records in 4 of the last 5 seasons, finished 3-6 in 2025.

Kerwin, who spent time as the Panthers’ sophomore coach, succeeds longtime head coach Ryan Wilkens, who guided the program to a 131-91 record in 21 seasons.

An offensive lineman on the Panthers’ Class 6A state runner-up squad in 2000, Kerwin was an assistant on Glenbard North’s Class 8A state runner-up team in 2012.

Swider, who served as an assistant football coach for the last 12 seasons, takes over for Jim Johanik, who guided the Warriors to a 45-15 mark in 6 years.

Wheaton Academy’s head baseball coach since 2018, Swider guided the team to a 29-9 record and Class 3A regional title this past spring.

Top players to watch: There are plenty of outstanding collegiate football prospects to keep an eye on this season in DuPage County.

That list includes Montini’s Abrams, IC Catholic Prep junior tight end/linebacker Grant Bowen, and Glenbard South junior running back Elijah Donahue.

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Bowen, the son of former NFL safety Matt Bowen, has received multiple offers from Power 4 schools, including Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Notre Dame, Northwestern, Miami (Fla.), and Penn State, among others.

York senior defensive lineman Owen Roberts (Purdue), Glenbard West senior tight end Brady Johnson (Northwestern) and senior offensive lineman Josiah Wallace (Northwestern), Hinsdale Central senior defensive lineman Tommy Riordan (Iowa), and Montini senior offensive lineman Gavin Ericson (Illinois) committed to Big Ten schools.

Other players to watch include Glenbard West senior quarterback AJ Rayford, Montini senior receiver Damacio Ortegon; Glenbard North offensive lineman Wrigley Zamora; Hinsdale Central senior receiver/defensive back James Skokna; St. Francis senior safety James McGrath; Wheaton Academy senior linebacker/tight end Logan Oros; Willowbrook senior receiver/defensive back Josiah Marlowe; Metea Valley quarterback Charlie Larson; Downers Grove North junior running back/quarterback Kevin Jay; Naperville Central junior defensive back Eron Kennedy; and Waubonsie Valley junior tight end/defensive end Kyler Payne.

Intriguing matchups: Here are a few matchups to watch on the 2026 regular season schedule:

Week 1 — Naperville Central at Wheaton Warrenville South, Aug. 21.

Week 2 — Downers Grove South at Downers Grove North, Aug. 28.

Week 3 — Downers Grove South at Addison Trail; St. Francis at Brother Rice, Sept. 4.

Week 4 — Glenbard West at Downers Grove North; Montini at Nazareth, Naperville Central at Naperville North, Sept. 11.

Week 5 — Glenbard South at Glenbard East, Sept. 18.

Week 6 — Wheaton North at Wheaton Warrenville South, Sept. 25.

Week 7 — IC Catholic Prep at Benet Academy, Oct. 2, Oct. 3.

Week 8 — Loyola Academy at IC Catholic Prep; Aurora Christian at Wheaton Academy, Oct. 9; York at Glenbard West, Oct. 10.

Week 9 — Addison Trail at Willowbrook, Oct. 15; East St. Louis at Naperville North; South Elgin at Glenbard East; St. Francis at Montini, Oct. 16.

Interesting tidbits: Welcome back, DuPage Valley Conference (for football).

Metea Valley, Naperville Central, Naperville North, Neuqua Valley, and Waubonsie Valley return to the 6-team DVC alongside DeKalb after splitting into the Southwest Valley Red and Southwest Valley Blue for the past couple seasons.

Expect another dogfight in the West Suburban Silver, where 5 of the 7 teams (Glenbard West, Downers Grove North, Lyons, York, and Hinsdale Central) reached the postseason last season. The defending WSC Silver champion Hilltoppers finished a game ahead of Downers Grove North, Lyons, and York in 2025.

In the WSC Gold, Addison Trail looks to repeat as conference champions after capturing the outright title last season for the first time since 2014. The Blazers snapped a 9-game skid against district rival Willowbrook with a 35-0 Week 9 triumph in 2025.

Glenbard South aims for its 15th straight playoff berth — 11th under the direction of head coach Ryan Crissey.

IC Catholic Prep, which captured state titles in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2022, searches for its 10th postseason spot in 11 seasons.

Teams trying to snap lengthy postseason dry spells include Westmont (2006), Metea Valley (2014), Lake Park (2017), and Hinsdale South (2018).