All Time Illinois High School Football 12 Team College Football Playoff Style Bracket

[niualum2002]

Because what else is there to do on a Friday night without any games? Also to be in this bracket you need to have played in the playoff bracket era of the IHSA playoffs. Sorry pre-1974 teams. Also class size matters. Playing the best of the best at higher classes gets more credit. I'll seed them, but you predict them since I was awful this year in Edgy's Playoff Contest.

#1 Seed (First Round Bye) ISU Bowl at Hancock Stadium:
1985 East St. Louis: Only Illinois high school team to finish #1 in the national rankings so good enough for me to put them at #1 overall. Also #6 overall on an ESPN list from last year of the greatest American High School Football teams of all time. (No other post-1974 Illinois team makes the Top 50)

#2 Seed: (First Round Bye) NIU Bowl at Huskie Stadium:
1984 East St. Louis: Only Ilinois high school team to finish #2 in the national rankings to my knowledge though others can correct me on this.

#3 Seed: (First Round Bye) Bears Bowl at Soldier Field:
1998 Wheaton Warrenville South: Their QB still has the all time single season passing TDs record at 60 despite the emergence of the passing game throughout football in the 21st century. He's also a really good coach too as evidenced by the 8A run by Lyons Township this year.

#4 Seed: (First Round Bye) South Side Bowl at Gately Stadium:
1996 Mt. Carmel: In my opinion the greatest Mt. Carmel season of all time so of course they need to host a first round playoff game at Gately.

#5 Seed: 1978 Joliet Catholic vs. #12 Seed: 2005 Lincoln-Way East @ Joliet Catholic:
1978 Joliet Catholic: Didn't allow a point in the playoffs. A feat unlikely to ever be repeated.
2005 Lincoln-Way East: Absolute monster of a schedule having to play 10 playoff teams in 14 games. However, it also feels like they are holding a spot somewhere in these rankings for another team potentially looking to overtake them as the greatest Lincoln-Way East team of all time. We shall see soon.

#6 Seed: 1999 Naperville Central vs. #11 Seed: 1997 Lincoln-Way @ Naperville Central
1999 Naperville Central: Absolutely loaded and finished #5 nationally.
1997 Lincoln-Way: Imagine if East, Central, and West were still combined today. This team was loaded even though Andrew gave them everything they could handle for 6 out of 8 quarters that season.

#7 Seed: 2010 Wheaton Warrenville South vs. #10 Seed: 2008 Maine South TBD @ Wheaton Warrenville South
2010 Wheaton Warrenville South: One of the most dominant teams in recent memory and finished #10 nationally.
2008 Maine South: The other most dominant team in recent memory that comes to mind and finished #21 nationally.

#8 Seed: 2001 Providence vs. #9 Seed: 1983 East St. Louis @ Providence
2001 Providence: They finished at #8 nationally and played in a buzzsaw of a conference in the Catholic Metro Blue.
1983 East St. Louis: Finished 14-0 and #4 nationally as the first team in an unbelievable 3 year dynasty run.

 

[PowerI66]

I'll just sit back and watch while this devolves into people being pissed about which teams you left out or where you ranked certain teams.

 

[niualum2002]

I'll just sit back and watch while this devolves into people being pissed about which teams you left out or where you ranked certain teams.

Yes that was totally part of tonight's Friday night no game experience I was looking forward to seeing. There are already a dozen left out teams that come to mind I'm sure there will be passionate arguments about and rightfully so.

 

[ddterryjr77]

East Side 1989 is recognized as second best to 1985 squad around Metro East

 

[niualum2002]

East Side 1989 is recognized as second best to 1985 squad around Metro East

Yep that was my first one I figured was coming up. But up here in the south suburbs you need to beat Sandburg by more than one point to make this list and that team did not. Now I was a little kid when that happened so I don't have enough knowledge as to what happened, but any team that came within a point of losing I did not include on the list. Plus I can't go back on the IHSA website to see their other games so that limited my analysis as well.

If they are the choice of Metro East I'd probably slot them in at #9 then, move everyone else up and then put the 1984 team at #12 and drop the 1983 team altogether.

 

[4Afan]

I don't remember last year's Loyola team being that dominant that they would be considered top 12 of all time.

 

[niualum2002]

I don't remember last year's Loyola team being that dominant that they would be considered top 12 of all time.

I don't necessarily think they were, but I really feel a 14-0 team now should be weighted higher than one maybe 20 years ago. And it was either them or the 2015 team, but I just find myself being so impressed with last year's group that I put them on the list. That's one though that I wasn't the most confident on for sure. I'd be curious to see other nominees for that bottom group of the 10-12 seeds.

 

[crusader_of_90]

East Side 1989 is recognized as second best to 1985 squad around Metro East

They were questionably the best on State/Main St. Certainly that is true in 1990, which should be represented.

In 1990, we had Mizzou at TE/DE, Nebraska during their heyday at LG/DT and RT/DT, ND at LG/OLB, Michigan St. at RB, MLB 5th rounder at QB - Osbourn wanted him, the D3 DPOY at FB and MLB too. The RT probably had the best body for D1 football, but he went to work hauling grease (Good decision by him.) Everyone on the team did or could have played in college.

 

[niualum2002]

I don't remember last year's Loyola team being that dominant that they would be considered top 12 of all time.

I'm bumping them for 1997 Lincoln-Way in the #11 spot the more I think of it. I forgot how good that team was having witnessed their games in person.

 

[niualum2002]

They were questionably the best on State/Main St. Certainly that is true in 1990, which should be represented.

I need the ESL guys to rank the #2 and #3 East St. Louis teams after the 1985 team which I'm not moving from #1 in order to get a better perspective.

 

[crusader_of_90]

I need the ESL guys to rank the #2 and #3 East St. Louis teams after the 1985 team which I'm not moving from #1 in order to get a better perspective.

1985 .... tops for sure, no question!

 

[crusader_of_90]

EastSide 1989 was Jerry Creer, Chris Moore and Homer Bush season. DAMN - I forget he QB. I know Lester was t Lincoln. That year, we lost the opener to Hazelwood East - last minute pick six. They were #5 USA Today. I am still not sure where ESL claims national title then. The Post D, ranked HE 1, ESL 2 and Althoff 3 due to our loss to HE.

1990 and 1991 was documented by The Right Kind of Heroes by Kevin Horigan.

https://www.amazon.com/Right-Kind-Heroes-Shannon-Flyers/dp/094557570X

 

[Brin22]

Think the 1963 national championship St Rita team should be listed

 

[niualum2002]

1985 .... tops for sure, no question!

EastSide 1989 was Jerry Creer, Chris Moore and Homer Bush season. 1990 and 1991 was documented by The Right Kind of Heroes by Kevin Horigan.

https://www.amazon.com/Right-Kind-Heroes-Shannon-Flyers/dp/094557570X

I get so behind on reading books due to life and work, but I remember seeing this one mentioned at some point on here previously as something I really wanted to read. Thanks for the recommendation, I defintely want to check it out.

 

[4Afan]

Think the 1963 national championship St Rita team should be listed

He said in sentence 2 that it was playoff era.

 

[niualum2002]

Think the 1963 national championship St Rita team should be listed

I did playoff era since it is based on the College Football Playoff. 1963 St. Rita and 1912 Oak Park would have made the list otherwise.

 

[crusader_of_90]

I get so behind on reading books due to life and work, but I remember seeing this one mentioned at some point on here previously as something I really wanted to read. Thanks for the recommendation, I defintely want to check it out.

For at much as jeff Thomas got his ass kissed, Shannon laid the law down with Chris Moore. Dammit to Hell ... he was something, wasted talent, like Hickey.

 

[PowerI66]

I'm bumping them for 1997 Lincoln-Way in the #11 spot the more I think of it. I forgot how good that team was having witnessed their games in person.

We were taught at Palatine to hold both the 96 and 97 LW teams in the highest of regard when it came to leaving it all on the field

 

[Brin22]

He said in sentence 2 that it was playoff era.

Our playoffs started in 1927

 

[RichieRebel]

‘05 Morris team…needs to be included

 

[flyerforlife]

I need the ESL guys to rank the #2 and #3 East St. Louis teams after the 1985 team which I'm not moving from #1 in order to get a better perspective.

I would have to argue the 79/80 team would give 85 team fits for the Flyers so I would call it a tie.

 

[niualum2002]

‘05 Morris team…needs to be included

Great team but who do you cut from this list? Plus a couple of one score playoff wins could have possibly gone the other way in the title game or the JCA game.

 

[niualum2002]

Our playoffs started in 1927

1963 St. Rita can play the winner from this bracket then in a pre-IHSA playoff, post-IHSA playoff era clash.

 

[ddterryjr77]

EastSide 1989 was Jerry Creer, Chris Moore and Homer Bush season. DAMN - I forget he QB. I know Lester was t Lincoln. That year, we lost the opener to Hazelwood East - last minute pick six. They were #5 USA Today. I am still not sure where ESL claims national title then. The Post D, ranked HE 1, ESL 2 and Althoff 3 due to our loss to HE.

1990 and 1991 was documented by The Right Kind of Heroes by Kevin Horigan.

https://www.amazon.com/Right-Kind-Heroes-Shannon-Flyers/dp/094557570X

Dana Howard was the Blue Chipper on 1989, Kenny Dunn at WR, Rollie Nevilles at QB. East Side Blasted St. Louis Sumner first game of the season 39-6. Sumner won Missouri 5A State Championship in a rout. East Side punished Harvey Thornton in the State Final 55-8, which was a State record which stood until East Side Beat Prairie Ridge 2022. On another note, I was not inferring that East Side 1989 was the next best team in the Metro East, only that they were the next best East Side squad.

 

[crusader_of_90]

I have a funny Dana Howard story. He was an All American putter of the shot and I was an undersized participant in the same sectional held at Belleville East his senior year. Throwers were ordered from worst to first in ranking. So I walked up to him and said, "I am throwing after you." He scowled and I quickly added, "In the second round."

He still did not seem amused.

Maybe if he reads this now, he will chuckle, because his weekend is not going well at all!!! In fact, this whole month has sucked for him!

 

[Sparty Jones]

Played against both the ‘84 and ‘85 Flyers in the semis. Can confirm that they were the best I’ve ever seen.

 

[Cross Bones]

2001 Prospect >>>> 2001 Providence

 

[ramblinman]

I know you are trying to encourage debate, but I'm not going to weigh in on what teams should be on your list and what teams shouldn't. My comments are more macro in nature.

While your list is intentionally limited to the last 50 years of playoffs, almost 60% of the list is comprised of teams from within a 17-year span from 1983-1999. Five of your top six seeds are from the 80s and 90s, and a sixth is from 1978. Your oldest team is from 1978, and there is no team on your list from within the past 14 years.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but is it not widely accepted that, in general, high school football players these days are bigger, faster, and stronger than their predecessors from decades ago? To what do you attribute the total lack of more recent teams on your list?

Another way to look at this is to ask yourself how the 1985 Bears from 39 years ago would fare hypothetically against whatever you think is the most dominant NFL team of the past 14 years.

 

[USD24]

I know you are trying to encourage debate, but I'm not going to weigh in on what teams should be on your list and what teams shouldn't. My comments are more macro in nature.

While your list is intentionally limited to the last 50 years of playoffs, almost 60% of the list is comprised of teams from within a 17-year span from 1983-1999. Five of your top six seeds are from the 80s and 90s, and a sixth is from 1978. Your oldest team is from 1978, and there is no team on your list from within the past 14 years.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but is it not widely accepted that, in general, high school football players these days are bigger, faster, and stronger than their predecessors from decades ago? To what do you attribute the lack of more recent teams on your list?

Parity? Lack of a truly dominant team in recent history.

 

[daveje]

Another way to look at this is to ask yourself how the 1985 Bears from 39 years ago would fare hypothetically against whatever you think is the most dominant NFL team of the past 14 years.

They would lose every game 65-0.

 

[ramblinman]

Parity? Lack of a truly dominant team in recent history.

Does parity really exist among the top tier of football programs in this state? If so, then please explain how we mostly are seeing the same semifinalists and finalists (ESL, MC, LA, CG, LWE, etc) year in and year out in recent years.

 

[niualum2002]

I think it comes down to more parity in recent years why you don't see as many more recent teams on the list. Similar to how all time greatest team lists are done in the NFL. It is possible the 85 Bears, 72 Dolphins, 90 49ers etc. would never stand a chance against the past 2 Chiefs Super Bowl teams, but you still see those teams ranked in the Top 3 typically. More based on historical dominance against their peers back then whereas it is harder to truly pull away from the pack nowadays.

Off the top of my head if you were to take the 12 most talented teams of all time based on measureables, scheme etc. and if they could beat the other teams on this list...you're probably looking at a list of 3 or 4 Loyola teams from the past decade, another 2 or 3 Mt. Carmel teams, the 2021 Lockport champs, the 2019 Lincoln-Way East champs, and then 3 or so of the recent East St. Louis teams with another champ or two thrown in there. But if you were to put any of those teams back in the era of the past 50 years and they had to practice and play under conditions as the others, then it may be a different argument. You'd have different strength and nutirition programs, different emphasis on scheme, different priorities for athletes choosing to play football or not etc. You can never have a truly accurate way of accounting for these factors so of course it is going to be debatable which makes it more interesting I feel.

All in how you choose to intrepret it. I went for a bracket leaning more towards historical dominance against their peers and included things like national rankings which no Illinois team today really can crack very high into, whereas that wasn't the case in the 70s, 80s, 90, 00s so it receieved a bonus. Ultimately just one person's list so definitely not expecting consensus.