Who had the area’s top prep football performances during the 2025 season?
After 14 weeks of studying box scores and game stories, the High Five has reached the end of honoring the area’s top prep football performances.
We’ve tipped a cap to dozens of schools and athletes while paying tribute to kickers, returners, defensive and offensive linemen, quarterbacks, running backs, receivers and everything in between.
Before the High Five shifts gears for the winter, let’s take a look at the area’s top prep football performances over the course of the entire 2025 season.
5. Jack Zaban, K, Libertyville
Just weeks after breaking the program record for field goals in a game, Zaban set another record by blasting a 57-yard field goal in a 17-7 North Suburban Conference victory over Mundelein in Week 5.
According to the record books, it was the fourth-longest field goal in IHSA history and the longest anyone’s made since 2004. The junior, regarded as one of the nation’s top high school kickers and punters, also set an NSC record with the 57-yarder.
4. Lex Sarantos, LB, Vernon Hills
After starting the season 1-4, the Cougars needed to run the table to make the playoffs.
They did just that, sparked in part by a 27-6 North Suburban Conference victory over Niles West in Week 7. The dominant performance was led by an incredible effort from Sarantos.
The 6-foot-1, 205-pound senior set a program record by notching 23.5 tackles. Fifteen were solos, seven were assists and he had 1.5 tackles for loss. Sarantos also broke up a pass.
Unofficially, Sarantos’ 15 solo tackles place him just outside the top 25 in the IHSA record books.
3. Aaron Stewart, RB, Warren
Stewart, committed to Illinois, honestly could have been in the High Five every week this season. But because we try to adhere to a no-repeat rule in the regular season, the 5-8, 190-pound senior burned his spot in the season opener.
Stewart rushed for 438 yards and scored all six of his team’s touchdowns in a 43-36 victory over Hersey.
For the season, the two-time state champion wrestler had 338 carries for 2,782 yards and 46 touchdowns. Over the course of his three-year varsity career, Stewart finished with 7,020 rushing yards and 100 touchdowns — putting him in the top six in the IHSA record books.
2. Israel Abrams, QB, Montini
The toughest thing about Abrams and the final High Five isn’t about whether or not to put him in here. It’s deciding which game to choose.
With all due respect to the junior’s Week 7 performance against Carmel — 22 of 30 passing for 572 yards — we’re going with the 47-33 win over Rochester in the Class 4A final because a state title hung in the balance.
Abrams, who keeps adding to his list of Power Four college scholarship offers, completed 20 of 30 passes for 418 yards and 4 touchdowns, putting him at 4,065 passing yards and 40 touchdowns for the season. He also added 46 rushing yards and a touchdown, his 10th of the season running the ball, to give him 50 overall.
1. Brock Phillip, QB, St. Francis
Again, the choice is all about the stakes.
The senior was a one-man wrecking crew in a 39-35 victory over Providence in the 5A title game, accounting for all six of his team’s touchdowns.
Phillip threw for one touchdown and rushed for five including a 1-yarder with 11 seconds left in the game to rally the Spartans to their first state championship since 2008.
Phillip completed 14 of 25 passes for 226 yards while carrying the ball 23 times for 144 yards.