2023 Illinois high school football state semifinal playoff pairings

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The final stops on the road to a 2023 Illinois high school football championship are this weekend. Below are the state semifinal matchups from the Illinois High School Association.

There are two big head-to-head matchups between teams ranked in the High School Football America 300 national rankings, powered by NFL Play Football.

Defending 8A champ Loyola Academy faces No. 291 York for the right to go Illinois State University Thanksgiving Weekend. The LA/York winner gets the winner of the game between No. 190 Lincoln-Way East and Barrington.

Chicago’s Mt. Carmel, the reigning 7A champ, takes-on No. 269 Batavia.

2023 Illinois High School Football Playoff Schedule

8A

Elmhurst (York) (11-1) at Wilmette (Loyola Academy) (12-0), Sat., Nov. 18, 12:30 pm

Barrington (12-0) at Frankfort (Lincoln-Way East) (12-0), Sat., Nov. 18, 1:00 pm

7A

Normal (Community) (12-0) at Downers Grove (North) (10-2), Sat., Nov. 18, 2:00 pm

Batavia (11-1) at Chicago (Mt. Carmel) (11-1), Sat., Nov. 18, 4:00 pm

6A

Cary (Grove) (10-2) at Lake Zurich (11-1), Sat., Nov. 18, 1:00 pm

East St. Louis (Sr.) (10-2) at Washington (11-1), Sat., Nov. 18, 1:00 pm

5A

Wheaton (St. Francis) (10-2) at LaGrange Park (Nazareth Academy) (7-5), Sat., Nov. 18, 2:00 pm

New Lenox (Providence Catholic) (8-4) at Joliet (Catholic Academy) (9-3), Sat., Nov. 18, 2:00 pm

4A

West Chicago (Wheaton Academy) (11-1) at Burbank (St. Laurence) (9-3), Sat., Nov. 18, 3:00 pm

Rochester (12-0) at Murphysboro (11-1), Sat., Nov. 18, 3:00 pm

3A

Byron (12-0) at Lombard (Montini) (9-3), Sat., Nov. 18, 1:00 pm

Mt. Carmel (11-1) at Roxana (12-0), Sat., Nov. 18, 3:00 pm

2A

Maroa (M.-Forsyth) (12-0) at Wilmington (11-1), Sat., Nov. 18, 4:30 pm

Athens (10-2) at Shelbyville (11-1), Sat., Nov. 18, 1:00 pm

1A

Lena (L.-Winslow) (12-0) vs. Chicago (C. Hope Academy) (11-1) at Altgeld Park, Sat., Nov. 18, 1:00 pm

Greenfield [G.-Northwestern Coop] (12-0) at Camp Point (Central) (12-0), Sat., Nov. 18, 2:00 pm

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About the Author

Jeff Fisher
Jeff is an award-winning journalist and expert in the field of high school sports, underscored with his appearance on CNBC in 2010 to talk about the big business of high school football in America.Jeff turned to his passion for high school football into an entrepreneurial venture called High School Football America, a digital media company focused on producing original high school sports content for radio, television and the internet.Jeff is co-founder and editor-in-chief of High School Football America, a partner with NFL Play Football.