Video: Vanderbilt OL Cooper Starks talks North Mac youth football camp
North Mac grad Cooper Starks, an offensive lineman at Vanderbilt University, discusses return at youth football camp July 10-11.
The high school football season opens in just over a month at the end of August. Here are the top high school football games to know in the Springfield area for the 2025 season:Â
Week 1Â
St. Louis Christian Brothers (Missouri) at Sacred Heart-Griffin, Friday, 7 p.m.: SHG dropped last season’s opener 45-0 against CBC but can lean on home-field advantage as well as far more experience. Junior quarterback Cam Brinkman threw for more than 1,600 yards and 14 touchdowns, while junior running back Mikey Groesch had 495 rushing yards and 11 scores last fall.Â
Fort Branch Gibson Southern (Indiana) at Rochester, Saturday, 2 p.m.: Rocket Booster Stadium will be rocking new upgrades for the nonconference season opener. Part of a broader $27.7 million project, the home of the nine-time state champs will feature a turf field as well as a new scoreboard, track, entrance and seating. Nearby Southeast will also showcase its renovated Spartan Field against East Peoria the preceding Friday night, which amounted to $13.3 million. Â
Rochester turns eastward after welcoming St. Louis Cardinal Ritter last season, a game that knocked out then starting senior quarterback Bryan Zulauf for the season. QBs Tanner Beal and J.P. Leonard, along with running back Kaiden Stout, figure to carry the banner offensively again. Gibson Southern dropped to eventual Class 3A state champion Heritage Hills 35-18 in its playoff opener across the border. Rochester also lost its postseason opener to Peoria Notre Dame in an overtime thriller, 59-58.Â
Other notable games: Chatham Glenwood at Edwardsville; Williamsville at Auburn; Athens at Maroa-Forsyth; New Berlin at Pleasant Plains; Vandalia at Carlinville; Greenville at North Mac; Champaign St. Thomas More at PawneeÂ
Week 2Â
Rochester at Mount Zion, Friday, 7 p.m.:Â Get the popcorn ready for a clash between two state contenders. Rochester, of course, won the 2023 Class 4A state title, while Mount Zion went runner-up last season. Mount Zion receiver Brayden Trimble departed to University of Illinois, but Ole Miss tight end recruit JC Anderson still looms, along with dual-threat QB Keller Stocks.Â
Decatur MacArthur at Springfield High, Friday, 7 p.m.: The Senators won five of their first six games to reach the playoffs, including a 21-7 win over the Generals in Week 2. MacArthur went 2-7 but head coach Derek Spates has a long history steering the Generals back to the playoffs. Â A win here can be the difference between a playoff berth or sitting out, not unlike the 2022 season.Â
Auburn at New Berlin, Friday, 7 p.m.: The host Pretzels edged Auburn 34-27 in last season’s meeting en route to their first playoff berth in a decade. However, head coach James Dambacher departed and is back to assisting the defense at his alma mater, Auburn. The Trojans averaged 29.8 points per game but struggled defensively to finish 2-7 after reaching the playoffs the previous two seasons. Â
New Berlin promoted defensive coordinator Trent Quarton for the vacancy. He brandishes extensive coaching experience beginning as an assistant with Rochester in 2014. Can the Pretzels capitalize on the momentum?Â
Other notable games: Bonne Terre North County (Missouri) at Chatham Glenwood; Pittsfield at AthensÂ
Week 3Â
Greenville at Carlinville, Friday, 7 p.m.: Greenville won a share of its second straight South Central Conference title, tying Pana and Vandalia for first place at 8-1. Carlinville battled through injuries for their 17th straight playoff berth (and 16th under head coach Chad Easterday).Â
Vandalia at Pana, Friday, 7 p.m.: The Panthers have won the last three meetings by 25 points combined. Pana actually opened last season with a 21-14 win over the Vandals before prevailing again 34-28 in the second round of the Class 2A playoffs. Pana graduated quarterback Wyatt Kile as well as running back and team MVP Isaiah Harbert but heralds all-state senior receiver Cash Lynch.Â
Other notable games: Sacred Heart-Griffin at JacksonvilleÂ
Week 4Â
Chatham Glenwood at Rochester, Friday, 7 p.m.: Glenwood’s then-junior quarterback Colten Knoedler tossed five touchdowns in a last year’s 45-17 win over Rochester to end a four-game skid against the Rockets. Glenwood’s subsequent 33-13 loss to Normal U-High in Week 5 led to a three-way tie between each of the three schools in the inaugural CS8 East standings at 4-1. This year’s edition will brandish some of the area’s most explosive players, including Glenwood’s Blake Lehnen and Grady Mueller.
Quincy Notre Dame at Sacred Heart-Griffin, Friday, 7 p.m.: QND took the CS8 by storm and won the West title outright at 5-0, including a dominant 37-7 win over the Cyclones. SHG’s youth and inexperience surfaced with a slew of penalties and turnovers. QND may have some spots to fill after graduating CS8’s leading rusher Ivan Hun and electric playmaker Wyatt Mueller, while quarterback Hunter Schuckman transferred to Quincy High.Â
Other notable games: Athens at Stanford OlympiaÂ
Week 5Â
Greenville at Pana, Friday, 7 p.m.: The Panthers have dropped the last two meetings against Greenville. The Comets later host Vandalia the following week in another battle between reigning SCC champions.Â
Pawnee at Milford, Saturday, 2 p.m.: Pawnee went 9-0 for the first time since 1984 after ending the regular season with a 42-14 win over Milford. PHS ultimately fell to eventual two-time 8-Man state champion Amboy in the semifinals. A big question mark going forward is replacing two-way star Carson Wort.Â
Other notable games: Rochester at Normal U-High; Springfield High at Quincy Notre Dame; Auburn at Athens; Williamsville at Stanford Olympia; North Mac at CarlinvilleÂ
Week 6Â
Normal University at Chatham Glenwood, Friday, 7 p.m.: U-High toppled Glenwood for a share of the CS8 East title but graduates the league’s top passer, Alek Weiland. The Pioneers reached as far as the Class 4A semifinals before falling to runner-up Mount Zion, 21-14.Â
Other notable games: Lincoln at Decatur MacArthur; Springfield High at JacksonvilleÂ
Week 7Â
Springfield High at Sacred Heart-Griffin, Friday, 7 p.m.: The Cyclones have won five straight against their Washington Street rivals, last dispatching SHS 35-7 after leading by a touchdown at halftime. Both teams will return valuable experience. That includes a couple of the league’s top QBs: Cam Brinkman at SHG and Brody Scheffler at SHS.Â
North Mac at Pana, Friday, 7 p.m.: North Mac perhaps staged the biggest turnaround in the area, from just one win in 2023 to the playoffs in 2024. Senior running back James Graves is expected to lead the way after compiling 693 rushing yards and 11 scores. He also totaled 44 tackles. Can North Mac contend for the SCC title after winning a share in its 2022 debut?Â
Other notable games: Jacksonville at Quincy Notre Dame; New Berlin at Williamsville; Pawnee at Kincaid South ForkÂ
Week 8Â
Williamsville at Maroa-Forsyth, Friday, 7 p.m.: It’s a rivalry that never disappoints. Williamsville nicked the Trojans 28-21 in last year’s meeting for the outright Sangamo title after Maroa claimed the previous two league titles. The Bullets graduated a slew of all-conference players, including The State Journal-Register’s Small School Football Player of the Year, Braddock Cates. Maroa, which returns senior quarterback Ryne Sheppard, ultimately finished state runner-up in Class 2A.Â
Sacred Heart-Griffin at Chatham Glenwood, Friday, 7 p.m.: This may have been last year’s biggest thriller. Mia Gerger propelled the Titans to a 34-31 overtime win over SHG with the game-winning 21-yard field goal after SHG kicker Tom Davis forced extra time with a 50-yarder himself. Â
Other notable games: Jacksonville at Decatur MacArthur; Quincy Notre Dame at Lincoln; Springfield High at Rochester; Athens at New Berlin; Vandalia at North Mac; Mount Zion at TaylorvilleÂ
Week 9Â
Rochester at Sacred Heart-Griffin, Friday, 7 p.m.: The Rockets scored on three of their first four possessions en route to a 41-27 win over rival SHG to end the regular season. It was their second straight win in the series.Â
Other notable games: Chatham Glenwood at Springfield High; Carlinville at Pana; Lincoln at Jacksonville
