Week 7 of the IHSA football season commences the home stretch of the regular season and will supply multiple games that will go a long way in deciding conference titles and playoff berths.
Among them is a key Big 12 clash between red-hot Peoria Notre Dame and a Bloomington squad hungry for a bounce back, plus a game between Morton, who's looking to win out to reach playoff eligibility and East Peoria, who comes in at 4-2 and needing one more win to clinch the team's first postseason berth since 2012.
The top teams in the area: Central Illinois football power rankings: Oct. 8, 2024
In small-school action, 3-3 Dee-Mack travels to 3-3 El Paso-Gridley with the winner having a leg up in reaching the five-win threshold. Elmwood/Brimfield welcomes Macomb to town for a key contest as well.
5-1 Dunlap travels to 4-2 Washington to with the top spot in the Mid-Illini at stake in our WMBD Game of the Week on ciproud.com, which kicks off at 7:30 p.m. with pregame coverage starting at 7:10 p.m. Princeville hosts Stark County in our Small Town Throwdown audio broadcast on clutchsportsil.com at 7 p.m. with rivalry bragging rights and the top spot in the Lincoln Trail/Prairieland Small Conference on the line.
The latest AP rankings: Twelve local football teams included in AP statewide poll ahead of Week 7
Our staff has made their picks and comments for 10 of the best games in the Central Illinois area this week, along with their season records listed below. Broadcasters for our broadcasted games are ineligible to pick winners for the games that they are broadcasting and will pick the winner of an 11th game instead.