The East St. Louis Flyers are now the No. 1-ranked team in Illinois high school football. (Photo: Zach Lynn)
The opening weekend of Illinois high school football delivered loads of drama, excitement, and several surprising outcomes. The biggest of which being East St. Louis’ upset of No. 1-ranked Chicago Mount Carmel, last Saturday at Illinois State’s Hancock Stadium.
The Flyers came in as the No. 2-ranked team in Illinois, but were not listed on any national rankings at all. No. 1 Mount Carmel, which had won 19 games in a row and four straight Class 8A state championships, was ranked No. 24 in the country.
After last Saturday’s win though, East Side is now listed in almost every Top 25 ranking list around the country, with a ranking as high as No. 15 by National HSFB, while Mount Carmel has fallen completely out of the rankings.
In Illinois, the Flyers are the new No. 1 team and have also moved up to the No. 1 spot in the Midwest Region, according to Sports Illustrated.
NATIONAL HSFB TOP 25 FOOTBALL RANKINGS
| Rank | School | Record | Next Game |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, NV) | 2-0 | at Columbus (FL) |
| 2. | IMG Academy (Bradenton, FL) | 1-0 | vs. Cornerstone Christian (TX) |
| 3. | St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, MD) | 0-0 | at DeLand (FL) |
| 4. | St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, FL) | 1-0 | vs. DeSoto (TX) |
| 5. | Buford (GA) | 1-0 | at Mallard Creek (GA) |
| 6. | St. John Bosco (Bellflower, CA) | 0-1 | vs. Roman Catholic (PA) |
| 7. | Centennial (Corona, CA) | 1-0 | vs. Santa Margarita (CA) |
| 8. | Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA) | 1-0 | at Centennial (CA) |
| 9. | Mater Dei (Santa Ana, CA) | 1-0 | at Orem (UT) |
| 10. | Baylor (Chattanooga, TN) | 1-0 | vs. Loudoun Sports Academy (VA) |
| 11. | Carrollton (GA) | 1-0 | vs. Columbia (GA) |
| 12. | Thompson (Alabaster, AL) | 1-0 | vs. Clay-Chalkville (TN) |
| 13. | Basha (Chandler, AZ) | 0-0 | vs. Chandler (AZ) |
| 14. | Duncanville (TX) | 0-0 | at Allen (TX) |
| 15. | Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, CA) | 1-0 | at Chaminade-Madonna (FL) |
| 16. | Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood, FL) | 1-0 | vs. Sierra Canyon (CA) |
| 17. | East St. Louis (IL) | 1-0 | at American Heritage (FL) |
| 18. | DeMatha (Hyattsville, MD) | 0-0 | vs. Archbishop Spalding (MD) |
| 19. | Carol City (Miami, FL) | 1-0 | at Lee County (GA) |
| 20. | DeSoto (TX) | 0-0 | at St. Thomas Aquinas (FL) |
| 21. | Miami Central (Miami, FL) | 1-0 | vs. St. Brendan (FL) |
| 22. | Hough (Cornelius, NC) | 1-0 | vs. Cardinal Gibbons (NC) |
| 23. | Thomas County Central (Thomasville, GA) | 1-0 | vs. Lincoln (FL) |
| 24. | North Shore (Houston, TX) | 0-0 | vs. Lancaster (TX) |
| 25. | Brownsburg (IN) | 1-0 | vs. Rabun Gap-Nacoochee |
The Flyers (1-0) will get a chance to move even higher in the rankings this weekend, when they’ll travel down south to play Florida state powerhouse, American Heritage. That game will kickoff at 6 p.m., and will be streamed live on YouTube and FloSports.
East Side’s first home game will come next week, when the Flyers will host Georgia state powerhouse, Gainesville High, on Saturday, September 5, in a matchup at Clyde C. Jordan Stadium. Kickoff that evening is set for 7:30 p.m., and that game will also be streamed live on YouTube.
2026 EAST ST. LOUIS FLYERS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 22, 2026 (Saturday) | 6 pm | Neutral | #1 Chicago Mount Carmel | Normal, IL | W, 42-23 (1-0) |
| 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 |