08/21/2026
BY JACK BULLOCK
CARBONDALE - The Cahokia Conference underwent a major expansion and realignment that will begin in the 2026-27 school year.

The addition of former Mississippi Valley Conference members Civic Memorial, Jerseyville, and Waterloo, along with former South Seven Conference alum Centralia, is quite a radical departure from the previous alignment.

Salem moved to the Southern Illinois River-to-River Ohio Division while Roxana joined a new football only league called the Metro Valley Conference with fellow Metro-East programs Madison, Mater Dei, Althoff and Alton Marquette.

Salem left on its own while Roxana was voted out of the league.

As for this season, last year was huge for the Breese Central Cougars football team.

Coach Brian Short, the Cougars' head coach for the last 19-years, and his squad reach its highest advancement in the program's postseason history.

Getting all the way to the 4A semifinals, Breese Central was on the cusp of making it all the way to the state title game.

The team that stood in their way in the semifinals was an old nemesis.

Rochester had put the Cougars out of the state playoffs twice previously in 2022 and 2023 in contests that weren't close.

However Central played inspired football and led 42-35 after scoring the first time they had the ball in overtime before the host Rockets scored a touchdown on their first possession

Rochester went for the win and scored on a two-point conversion to end the Cougars' season, 43-42.

The 12-2 mark was the best finish in the program's history.

Twenty-seven seniors suited up for that team a year ago and have moved on.

Coach Short, because of the quality of athletes at the school, will reload with a new batch of players for 2026.

Every playoff caliber team needs a offensive team leader and Central has one in quarterback Owen Kehrer.

The 6-1, 200 junior will step back into the role for Coach Short, who believes the team will get behind him as they try to make the postseason for the eighth-consecutive season.

Kehrer threw for over 2,147-yards a year ago with 27 touchdowns, which included five scores in the Rochester loss.

He was also effective on the ground, gaining 566-yards on 96-attempts, which makes him the top returning rusher.

“Owen Kehrer is poised to be the school’s 3rd QB to have back to back 2,000 passing seasons. He could also be the school’s first player to rush for over 1,000 yards,” said Coach Short, who is 125-67 in his 19-year stint. “Over the next two seasons, if he is able to match the success of his sophomore year, he could rewrite the record books in every quarterback category we have.”

Five-nine senior running back Login Smith carried the ball 32 times as a junior, gaining 200-yards while scoring twice during the Central season.

Coach Short has some returning starters on the offensive line.

Bennett Becker, a 6-4, 235 right tackle returns for Central, who is another of the senior leaders.

The same can be said for senior Luke Pruett, a 6-4, 305 tackle who gives the Cougars even more size upfront.

Senior Liam Koetting, a 6-3, 275 lineman transferred in from Breese Mater Dei and will step right into the lineup.

In the secondary, senior Colten Crone, a 5-8, 165 senior defensive back came off the bench at key times last season and Coach Short expects him to be a defensive leader.

Coach Short has more seniors ready to move up.

Six-two, 190 tight end/linebacker Carter Boeckman, 5-11, 160 linebacker Wyatt Haas and 5-9, 260 lineman Camdyn Rakers are worth a mention.

The Cougars will have some players participating this season to fill spots.

Six-one, 210 linebacker Payne Lynch, 5-9, 165 wide receiver/defensive back Carson Weber, 5-9, 150 running back/defensive back Cooper Martin and 6-1, 200 running back Emmanuel Velazquez all have potential to help the process moving forward.

“For the second season in a row, we have a tremendous senior class to replace. For the second year in a row, we will be doing that with another strong 20 plus senior class. Our strength this year will be our play at quarterback and the size of our offensive and defensive lines,” said Coach Short. “This is the biggest we have been upfront in my 20-years at Central. We are very green at our offensive and defensive skills positions, but all of those roles are being filled by very capable juniors and seniors. e have 103 players in our program. We are hoping to continue using our depth to help us win games in all phases, but especially on special teams. We are incredibly proud of the success we have had over the past six seasons. This group wants to continue to add to that success along with continuing to build the culture and relationships inside of our football family.”

It will be a bit different this season in the Cahokia Conference and the expansion of teams to the large school division of the league took on a whole new look.

Centralia is one of the new additions to the Cahokia, leaving the South Seven Conference after 87-years.

Despite being one of the founding members of that league, the Orphans left for the Cahokia beginning this season.

Head coach Brad Goewey has a seven season mark of 35-30 with three playoff appearances.

The program itself is nearing a milestone of 500-wins, sitting now at 497.

Coach Goewey has nine returning starters from the team that went 7-3 with a season ending loss to Cahokia in the first round of the 4A playoffs.

Quarterback Archie Goewey, a 6-3, 205 junior, and LeKendrick Bratton, a 6-3, 180 junior wide receiver/defensive back, returns for the Orphans.

Wide receivers and defensive backs Kruz Jackson, a 6-2, 180 junior, and Jace Brammier, a 5-9, 160 senior, are returning starters.

The line will feature five players with experience.

Bradey Starr, a 5-10, 240 senior, Micheal Organ, a 6-2, 210 senior, Luke Monaghan 6-2, 200 junior, and Gabe Houser, a 6-0, 210 junior.

Will Stanton, a 5-11, 170 senior running back, returns.

“We have a nice blend of experience and youth. So far early in the season this group has done a good job of utilizing our experience at spots and the younger guys have picked up the slack and filled some openings,” said Coach Goeway.

The Columbia Eagles' sidelines will look much different in 2026 when the season begins.

Retired head coach Scott Horner left quite a legacy at this Metro-East area program.

Under his leadership, Coach Horner's 25-years produced 171-wins and 18-playoff appearances, which included a second place finish in 2007.

His defensive coordinator for that quarter of a century, Scott Germain, takes command of the program that has qualified for the postseason in the past two campaigns.

Last fall, the Eagles won six of their first seven games before dropping their final three contests, including a first round playoff loss to Mississippi Division rival Breese Central, 48-15.

Six-foot, 165 junior Xavier Voegele is coming into the season after a pretty good sophomore campaign as the varsity quarterback.

Voegele connected on 72-of-148 passes for 986-yards and 15 touchdowns.

The junior also lines up in the defensive secondary for Columbia.

The top receiver from a year ago returns.

Five-nine, 165 junior Jackson Lawal caught 27 of the passes for 490-yards and a team-high six TD's.

He will be a featured running back this year.

Rickey Prater, a 5-10, 165 snagged some passes last season for Columbia and should again in 2026.

The line play is always a key and Coach Germain returns three that started last season.

Six-two, 280 junior Malakahi Basset will line up along side 5-10, 210 senior John Daab.

Dane Quevreaux, a 6-0, 200 senior and 5-9, 185 classmate Jake Vollmer will also be rocking the trenches.

Coach Germain also has 6-0, 190 senior tight end and linebacker Kason Moskop suiting up.

Columbia will have some others moving up the depth chart.

Max Antolik, a 5-11, 165 junior, plays both wide receiver and defensive back for the Eagles while running back and linebacker 5-10, 175 junior Mason McTearnen is in the offensive picture.

Other names that Coach Germain is looking for help from include a combination running back/defensive lineman Dexter Crawford, a 6-2, 210 junior, and 5-10, 180 junior lineman/linebacker Ellis Totten.

Sophomore running back/linebacker 5-9, 165 sophomore Emmitt Wheatley and 6-4, 190 freshman tight end/linebacker James Munden are fresh faces for the Eagles' roster.

Columbia has had some good special teams play over the years, especially the kicking game, in part because of the popularity of soccer in the St. Louis Area.

Aven Janik, a 5-9, 150 sophomore defensive back is also a place kicker for the Eagles.

“After 25-years as the defensive coordinator I will take over the play calling on the offense. We have a great group of returners on the offensive line and the quarterback position,” said Coach Germain. “With the tough schedule it is going to be important to get back to the basics.”

With an enrollment of 780, they will now have the third largest school in the league behind Waterloo and Centralia whereas they were smaller than also Highland and Mascoutah in the previous years.

There is a new head coach with a new offense to break in this season for the Panthers.

Coach Adam Hickson takes over from Coach Caleb Williams and he will try to improve from last season's 2-7 record.

Jerseyville hasn't qualified for the postseason since 2018 and they haven't ended up with an above .500 mark since 2013.

Coach Hickson will look at some returning starters to adjust to the new coaching style along with a continuation of progress.

Quarterback Andrew Koenig, a 6-0, 185 senior quarterback, was pretty good last season with the numbers.

He passed the ball for 1,551-yards, going 107-of-173 with 11 touchdowns to go with just three interceptions.

Running the ball Koenig also excelled, carrying the ball 175-times for 753-yards and nine of the 16 touchdowns on the ground that Jerseyville scored last fall.

Mason Lott, a 6-0, 260 senior, is the center on the offensive line for the Panthers.

Six-five, 320 junior Gavin Underwood gives Jerseyville size on the line at guard.

Kenyon Cartwright, a 6-4, 215 senior, is another lineman as a tackle on offense and a end on defense.

Hayden Hill, a 5-10, 210 senior, is also upfront for Coach Hickson.

In the backfield, running back 6-0, 215 senior Trevor Tucker was second to Koenig on the ground last fall with 377-yards on 64-attempts.

Catching passes will be part of the duties for wide receiver Andrew Johnson, a 5-10, 165 senior.

Others on Coach Hickson's radar are 6-1, 170 junior wide out Caison Dobson.

Quincy Desherlia is a junior who will add some size on the outside at 6-4, 190 as an end on both sides of the ball.

Coach Hickson has Mason Green, a 6-2, 170 junior, playing linebacker.

Brody Short, a 6-1, 230 senior, will play the middle linebacker position.

Brady Niemeyer, a 6-3, 180 senior, and Bodey Waltz, a 6-2, 160 junior, are additional passing targets for Koenig.

“We are running a new offense and I can’t wait to see all of our weapons have a chance to shine,” said Coach Hickson. “Our summer has shown that we can be explosive, and we will lean heavy on some new faces.”

The most recent results of East Alton-Wood River football hasn't been very pretty.

The Oilers enter the 2026 season on a long losing streak of 15-games and were outscored 520-24 during the 0-9 2025 season.

The 24-points they scored were all in the season finale at home against Dupo.

Coach Garry Herron, who finished his 11th season running the Oilers last fall, is forever an optimist.

Last season a bunch of underclassmen were rushed into the varsity limelight and the lessons were rough.

They're back this season to attempt to play better and achieve some success.

The eight seniors mentioned return with some experience from 2025.

Elijah Spratt, a 6-1, 255 lineman, returns for EA-WR.

Also upfront is 6-0, 175 lineman Steven Scroggins and 6-2, 265 lineman Jordan Renner-Brown.

At quarterback will be 5-10, 180 senior Landon Smith.

Coach Herron mentioned three running backs that are seniors.

Five-six, 145 Tavis Brown, 5-10, 180 AJ McLain and 5-10, 165 Rahsaan Duncan will need to ignite the Oilers' offense.

A wide receiver/linebacker 5-9, 165 Dylan Benton rounds out the senior class.

Five-eight, 155 junior Emerson Ruot can play defensive back and is also listed as a quarterback on offense.

Coach Herron has five sophomores who will get tested on the varsity.

Jaxon Hancock, a 5-10, 205 tight end/linebacker, 5-10, 190 running back/linebacker Austin Woods, 5-9, 160 wide receiver/defensive back Trenton Homer, 5-9, 170 lineman Colton Kramer and 5-10, 215 lineman Noah Mahoney will have their chances this season.

"While we return nine seniors who played quite a bit last year, we are going to be relying heavily on our sophomore class this season. We only have two juniors on the roster. We have heavily focused on fundamentals in every aspect of the game. With those nine seniors, only three have been four-year players in the program, so we aren’t as experienced as it may look on paper,” said Coach Herron. “We just keep stressing to do the right things in order to compete. Our conference is tough, and we will have to lean on those fundamentals to cut down on mistakes and improve our play from last year. This group has brought a fresh mindset into this season and have shown up ready to work, especially our freshman and sophomore groups.”

Winning football has become a tradition for the Chester Yellow Jackets' football program since head coach Billy Belton arrived nine seasons ago.

Since he put on the main headset, the Yellow Jackets are 58-30 with zero losing seasons which includes eight playoff berths, excluding the Covid19 spring season.

Last season the Yellow Jackets played four playoff teams and beat three of them in the regular season that ended up 8-1 with a single defeat to West Frankfort, 33-29, on the road in Week 3.

However their reward was a home game against 2A powerhouse Maroa-Forsyth in the first round.

The Trojans waltzed into Randolph County and handed Chester a season-ending 26-14 loss.

Coach Belton saw nine seniors leave the program in the spring but some good ones return to fill the voids.

One player, in particular, returns with some school records in sight.

Six-one, 195 senior wide receiver/defensive back TaShawn Palacio was an honorable mention all-state pick last season as well as an all-Cahokia Conference selection in both positions last year.

Palacio posted 43-receptions last season for 893-yards and 13 touchdowns.

Although he will have a different quarterback throwing him the ball this fall with the graduation of senior Trayton Peters, look for Palacio to have another outstanding fall.

The new rock slinger will be 5-9, 185 senior Alex Blechle, who took a few snaps last season in varsity contests.

How good were the Yellow Jackets last season?

They had multiple players on the all-Cahokia Illinois teams and most of them return.

Five-eight, 180 senior linebacker Kannon Jany is one of the returning starters.

Zane Eggemeyer, a 5-9, 165 senior running back and linebacker is another of the standouts.

Trey McCartney is a 6-2, 175 senior tight end/defensive end.

Add Jackie Bess, a 6-4, 260 lineman to the mix with 5-11, 170 senior lineman Karim Landeros, who also handles kicking duties.

“Palacio broke all his older brother's records last year and Landeros is two PAT's away from 100 which will set the all time school record. He also has a chance to set the school records for field goals made in a career,” said Coach Belton.

Coach Belton has some other key players heading into the season in the playoff pursuit of the program's 22nd playoff appearance.

Junior's 5-8, 200 lineman Avery Wittenborn, 6-2, 160 wide receiver/defensive back Donnie Sabo, 6-1, 185 running back/defensive back Danny Worley, and 5-6, 165 running back/linebacker Rhett Creason will be available.

Sophomore 5-9, 200 lineman Austin Partin was mentioned by Coach Belton.

“We are bringing back a lot of good players. We have had a really good summer. I'm excited about getting the season started. I hope we can compete for a conference championship and make the playoffs,” added Coach Belton.

The Sparta/Steeleville cooperative were very close to securing a playoff spot last fall for head coach Drew Kordys.

Entering Week 8, the Bulldogs were sitting at 4-3 and needing just one win in the final to contests to reach the IHSA postseason for the first time since 1992.

However as fate would have it a tough loss on the road to Cahokia Conference Illinois rival Dupo, 29-23, and a road defeat at West Frankfort, 66-41, ended the season one game short at 4-5.

But the record last season was a monumental leap from what the football program had suffered through in the previous five seasons.

The opening game victory over Madison was the first win since a 30-23 victory over Anna-Jonesboro back on October 18, 2019.

The Bulldogs losing streak had reached 31-games in-a-row.

This season, the players returning are in place for the program to keep moving towards a playoff spot.

Returning for Sparta/Steeleville with experience is 6-0, 170 senior quarterback Dariontez Monroe.

This lefty QB threw for 1,931-yards last season on 118-of-212 attempts.

In other words, the kid can “sling it” around the yard.

When he wasn't passing, he was leading the team on the ground with 551-yards on 81 rushing attempts.

Coach Kordys will turn to Earl Carter, a 5-7, 180 junior, as a primary running back for the Bulldogs.

The wide receivers are 5-11, 180 sophomore Jakhai Dancy, 5-10, 160 junior Wyatt Peck, and 6-0, 180 sophomore DJ Hayes.

Dancy caught 44 of the passes from Monroe a year ago, good for 709-yards while Peck added six receptions for an additional 43-yards.

Dancy also rushed 19-times for 133-yards as a freshman.

The offensive line will feature 6-4, 300 junior Brock Wilson along with 6-1, 245 senior Keyshaun Brimmer.

Five-ten, 220 sophomore Patrick Franks, 6-0, 220 senior Jon Mulholland, and 6-2, 270 senior Austen Young gives the Bulldogs some “bite” on the line of scrimmage.

Defensively look for some improvement from last season's team that surrendered 305-points.

Korbin Ping, a 6-5, 190 senior defensive end and tight end, returns as does Antonio Monroe, a 6-4, 190 sophomore end and tight end on offense.

Coach Kordys listed 5-11, 310 senior Hayden Rathert, and 6-1, 325 sophomore Caleb Klausing that will add considerable size and strength to the lineup.

The linebacker corps looks to be solid.

Colin Wilson, a 5-7, 185 sophomore, will line up with 5-7, 155 sophomore Colin Simmons.

Add the players Braxton Glodo, a 5-9, 170 sophomore, and 6-0, 175 senior Hunter Steely to the defensive unit.

The defensive backfield will also be a key with Monroe, Dancy, Peck and 6-0, 150 sophomore Memphis Tadlock keeping an eye on would be receivers trying to get open.

The season started off poorly and it never really got cooking.

They limped home with a 1-8 overall record, missing the IHSA playoffs for the first time since 2021.

In the past 19-years for Red Bud football, excluding the Covid19 spring season, the Musketeers made 10 postseason appearances.

Coach Lucht will count on eight returning starters and letter-winners to help try to spin things around in a new season.

It helps when the squad takes the field with an experience quarterback.

Landon Ruebusch, a 6-0, 175 senior, will run the show again for the Musketeers.

Red Bud will have experienced backs in the backfield.

Five-eleven, 170 senior Austin Easton will get the ball as will sophomore, 5-7, 170 running back Drew Manning.

Ethan Powell, a 6-3, 170 junior wide receiver/linebacker, is also back with varsity playing time in his back pocket.

Also Tyler Nolan, a 5-11, 185 junior tight end/linebacker also sports playing time on the varsity.

Three offensive linemen were mentioned by Coach Lucht.

Ian Moll, a 5-7, 165 senior, and 6-3, 220 senior Sikeston Hopple, return as will Adam Walker, a 6-2, 265 sophomore.

“Last year was a tough year for the varsity team and we look to bounce back and be competitive within the conference. We had a jump in participation numbers and have had a productive off-season. We have several players who had significant playing time last year. Although we will be looking for several sophomores to step up and compete we believe they can play at the varsity level,” said Coach Lucht.

The Dupo Tigers had a season for the ages in 2025 as they made it to the second round of the 1A playoffs.

A road loss at Carrollton, a defeat in which their top player got injured in the second quarter, put an end to the Tigers' 9-2 season.

Senior quarterback Deegan Prater, the ASV 1A/2A “Player of the Year” was hurt on an extra point attempt with Dupo up 13-0.

With Prater hobbled the rest of the way, Carrollton rallied and eliminated the Tigers 34-19.

Prater graduated and moved on to the College of DuPage in Chicago, a Division III junior college football powerhouse to play defensive back.

This season the Tigers will also have a new head coach.

After four seasons of leading Dupo, head coach Zach Klaustermeier moved on to Staunton to take over the Bulldogs' program.

Patrick Baker steps in to take over and try to keep the winning going.

Several returning players should help out the transition.

Talon Simshauser, a 6-0, 190 senior, takes over at quarterback.

Luke Ellis, a 5-11, 180 senior, is a running back and linebacker for the Tigers.

Additional r unning backs include Evan Acord, a 5-8, 175 senior, 6-2, 180 sophomore Chase Davis, 5-7, 145 sophomore Ben Horn and 5-8, 160 sophomore Carter Dunk.

Six-two, 165 junior Jahmori Napper is a wide receiver for Dupo as is Caiden Crowder, a 6-0, 155 senior.

Defensively 6-3, 220 lineman Shia Owensby is back after starting on the playoff team a year ago.

JD Duncan, a 6-3, 200 senior defensive lineman, was one of the top tacklers for the Tigers last year along with Owensby and Simshauser.

Six-two, 170 junior Carter Lumpkins is another defensive back while linebacker/offensive lineman 6-2, 195 senior Ethan Nelson is also in the lineup.

Lukas Click, a 5-10, 220 senior and 5-9, 185 junior Christian Reyes have experience.

Head coach Nick Hollenkamp, while leading the Wesclin Warriors for two consecutive seasons, has seen growth and improvement in his program by going from a 3-6 mark in 2024 to a playoff berth in 2025 at 5-5.

The Warriors and this mentor have players returning that perhaps climb even farther up the standings in the Cahokia Illinois Division in 2026.

Losing senior quarterback Cael Madden to graduation hurts in that he took a bunch of stats with him (1,347-yards on the ground, 631-yards in the air).

Nevertheless, Coach Hollenkamp will turn to a 6-1, 175 junior Jarett Wuebbels to take over the quarterback position.

Wuebbels played in all 10-games last season and threw 21-passes, completing nine for 161-yards, which is great experience for this season.

Senior 5-10, 170 Caydon Farias and senior 6-0, 170 Layne Hays were both passing targets last season as wide receivers.

They combined for just under 300-yards receiving on just 22-receptions.

Wade Hofbauer, a 5-10, 160 junior, can play wide receiver, running back and in the defensive secondary.

Only one starter returns from the offensive line from last fall so some help will need to step up to help this season.

Cristian Carrasco, a 6-3, 265 senior, returns for the Warriors.

Senior 6-6, 325 Noah Haas will also fill one of the offensive line spots for Wesclin.

According to Coach Hollenkamp, Haas is getting some college interest as has Farias.

Carter Reedy, a 5-9, 265 junior, and Kullen Doty, a 5-11, 225 junior are guards on the offensive line.

On defense Doty is an end, Reedy is a nose tackle.

Farias and Wuebbels will be in the defensive secondary while linebackers include 5-11, 185 senior Gunner Hutchenson and 5-10, 185 senior Landyn Kerns.

Kerns is also listed as a running back.

Coach Hollenkamp has 6-4, 185 junior Rylan Roth as a promising newcomer to the starting lineup as a tight end and defensive end.Senior Jake Donoho, a 5-11, 150 defensive back/wide receiver will also be important for the Warriors as will some additional juniors that are listed on the roster for depth.

Junior wide receiver/defensive backs Mason Missey and Aryan Reitz, sophomore offensive lineman Aiden Kerwin, junior defensive lineman Zack White are part of the process while some sophomores were listed for depth.

Linebacker Stanley Stroot, lineman Max Johnson, linebacker Ayden Cole and defensive back Brock Hoffman make the team even deeper.

“The 2026 Warriors return a promising core of starters on both sides of the football. While the team's experience provides optimism, many of those players will be asked to contribute on both offense and defense, making depth at several key positions an important factor throughout the season,” said Coach Hollenkamp.