Daily Herald football expanded Top 20

1. Montini (1-0) Beat Hoopeston 48-0 / at Sandburg

The Broncos extended their winning streak to 25 games on a night they dedicated their home field to former head coach Chris Andriano. Sandburg, who went 7-3 last year and made the 8A playoffs, beat Riverside-Brookfield 28-6 in its opener. Montini’s Miami bound senior QB Izzy Abrams threw for 192 yards and three touchdowns last week.

2. Batavia (1-0) Beat Maine South 49-35 / at Rochester

Fresh off its first meeting with a traditional 8A power Maine South, the Bulldogs travel south for another fun matchup with a tradition rich school, this one the smaller 4A Rockets with 639 students. Rochester is coming off a second-place finish in state last year in 4A and has won nine state championships since 2011.

3. Glenbard West (1-0) Beat Lockport 21-14 / St. Rita

The West Suburban Silver wasted no time flexing its muscles, going 7-0 in Week 1. The Hilltoppers did their part with their win at one of last year’s 8A semifinalists. Now comes the home opener with St. Rita, another semifinalist last year in 7A who dropped its season opener to Providence.

4. Downers Grove North (1-0) Beat Morgan Park 17-12 / Downers Grove South

The Trojans dominated their rival 55-14 a year ago. We’ll see if the Mustangs can make it more interesting this time. DGS junior QB James Sobkowiak completed a 52-yard touchdown pass to Nate Thurston during last week’s 35-14 win over West Aurora. The Mustangs are looking to snap a 10-game skid against their crosstown rivals.

5. Hersey (1-0) Beat Carmel 38-22 / at Hoffman Estates

The Huskies picked up where they left off in Week 1, led by Kentucky-bound QB Jake Nawrot's 273 passing yards. Jackson Travis led the way with 116 receiving yards. Hoffman Estates let a 14-0 lead slip away in a loss to Buffalo Grove. Junior Shion Dailey threw for two touchdowns.

6. Geneva (1-0) Beat Libertyville 28-14 / Oswego

Was there a better start to the 2026 high school football season than Geneva senior Bennett Konkey returning the opening kick 99 yards for a touchdown? That’s a tough one to beat especially since the Illini-bound Konkey went on to catch 70- and 49-yard touchdowns. It’s going to get harder for the Vikings quickly vs. an Oswego team coming off a 44-22 win over Neuqua Valley and a second place finish in 8A last year.

7. York (1-0) Beat Glenbrook South 20-17 / at Nazareth

Many of these players know each other, Nazareth coming in after a 35-21 loss to IC Catholic out of Elmhurst. Dukes QB Zack Assaad threw a pair of touchdown passes last week and added a scoring run. Nazareth junior quarterback JJ Chapman threw for 303 yards last week.

8. Prospect (1-0) Beat Stevenson 31-10 / St. Laurence

After three straight playoff losses to Catholic League schools, the Knights are looking forward to this one. Matt Donnelly had a big game last week for the Knights, running for 175 yards and three touchdowns. St. Laurence lost its opener to King after reaching the Class 5A semifinals last season.

9. St. Charles North (1-0) Beat Minooka 28-7 / at South Elgin

Some say if you have two quarterbacks you don’t have one, but St. Charles North begs to differ after Landon Conroy and Dash Von Qualen combined for 290 yards of total offense last week vs. Minooka. Senior tailback Tommy Vendl added 127 yards rushing while the Storm are coming off a successful trip to Florida with a 21-6 win over Orlando Oak Ridge.

10. Fremd (1-0) Beat Lake Zurich 20-0 / at Glenbrook South

What a great start for the Vikings in the post-Johnny O'Brien era. Will Clark (213 passing yards, rushing TD), Carter McDonald (64 receiving yards) and Ben Riddle (59 receiving yards) did fine against a stout LZ defense while Fremd's own D was the story in Week 1 with a shutout that included Tom O’Brien's 19-yard fumble return for a score. Glenbrook South lost a hard-fought game to York in Week 1, 20-17.

11. St. Francis (0-1) Lost to New Palestine, Ind. 28-17 / Clemente

12. Maine South (0-1) Lost to Batavia 49-35 / Warren

13. IC Catholic Prep (1-0) Beat Nazareth 35-21 / at St. Louis St. Mary’s South Side

14. Palatine (1-0) Beat Kenwood 20-18 / at Evanston

15. Barrington (0-1) Lost to Lyons 24-19 / Lincoln-Way Central

16. Wheaton Warrenville South (1-0) Beat Naperville Central 27-7 / Lyons T.

17. Burlington Central (1-0) Beat Dundee-Crown 13-3 / Crystal Lake South

18. Warren (0-1) Lost to Loyola 31-0 / at Maine South

19. Carmel Catholic (0-1) Lost to Hersey 38-22 / Lake Forest

20. Antioch (1-0) Beat Schaumburg 33-27 / at Lake Zurich