The East St. Louis Flyers will open the 2026 season on Saturday, with a matchup against No. 1 ranked Chicago Mt. Carmel. (Photo: Mason Wood)
The high school football season will begin in just over a week and as teams get ready to begin the 2026 fall season, rankings have been released all over the country.
Among the rankings announced recently were the Illinois state rankings, conducted by elite website, MaxPreps, and in those rankings MaxPreps ranked East St. Louis High the No. 2 best team in the state of Illinois.
The Flyers, who are coming off four straight trips to the Illinois Class 6A state championship game, will enter the season as the No. 1 team in Illinois 6A and the top-ranked team in the St. Louis area.
In fact, the only team ranked ahead of East St. Louis is four-time defending Illinois 8A state champ, Chicago Mount Carmel — the team East Side will play in its season opener on Saturday, August 22.
In Week 2, the Flyers will travel to Florida to play two-time state champ American Heritage, before heading back home to play their first home game on September 5 against Georgia state powerhouse, Gainesville High.
MAXPREPS ILLINOIS TOP 25 FOOTBALL POLL
| RANK | TEAM | RATING |
| 1. | Chicago Mt. Carmel | 102.44 |
| 2. | East St. Louis | 102.01 |
| 3. | Brother Rice | 88.88 |
| 4. | Nazareth Academy | 85.49 |
| 5. | Loyola Academy | 84.18 |
| 6. | Montini Catholic | 83.37 |
| 7. | Lincoln-Way East | 82.50 |
| 8. | Fenwick | 82.18 |
| 9. | Batavia | 81.53 |
| 10. | St. Rita | 81.35 |
| 11. | Byron | 81.09 |
| 12. | Carmel | 79.53 |
| 13. | Maine South | 77.81 |
| 14. | St. Francis | 77.71 |
| 15. | IC Catholic Prep | 77.18 |
| 16. | Providence Catholic | 76.94 |
| 17. | Marist | 75.93 |
| 18. | St. Charles North | 75.43 |
| 19. | Barrington | 75.03 |
| 20. | Downer’s Grove North | 74.60 |
| 21. | Glenbard West | 74.17 |
| 22. | Joliet Catholic | 74.08 |
| 23. | York | 73.96 |
| 24. | Morris | 73.88 |
| 25. | Lockport | 73.83 |
2026 EAST ST. LOUIS FLYERS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 22, 2026 (Saturday) | 6 pm | Neutral | #1 Chicago Mount Carmel | Normal, IL |
| August 28, 2026 (Friday) | 6 pm | Neutral | American Heritage (FL) | Fort Lauderdale, FL |
| September 4, 2026 (Friday) | 7:30 pm | Home | Gainesville (GA) | Clyde C. Jordan Stadium |
| September 11, 2026 (Friday) | 7 pm | Home | O’Fallon* | Clyde C. Jordan Stadium |
| September 18, 2026 (Friday) | 7 pm | Home | Belleville East* | Clyde C. Jordan Stadium |
| September 25, 2026 (Friday) | 7 pm | Away | Edwardsville* | Edwardsville, IL |
| October 2, 2026 (Friday) | 7 pm | Away | Belleville West* | Belleville, IL |
| October 9, 2026 (Friday) | 7 pm | Home | Alton* | Clyde C. Jordan Stadium |
| October 16, 2026 (Friday) | 7 pm | Away | Naperville North | Naperville, IL |