Welcome to the home page of the Rockford Register Star’s high school football coverage for the 2025 season, which brings all of our stories, photos and more into one big place.
Our sports staff, led by Jay Taft, will cover all the highs and lows of high school football in the Rockford area, from start to finish, and this is the only place you can find it all. Well, other than our high school link on the rrstar.com/sports site.
But this is the easiest place to find it all. Because here you can find links that will get you to all of our photos, videos and stories about Rockford-area football, including preseason players-to-watch lists, all of our regular-season coverage, our top performers, key takeaways and more.
Bookmark this page to make sure you never miss a story from any of the top Rockford-area football teams.
State semifinal coverage
➤ Lena-Winslow upends Stockton to soar to another 1A state-title game
➤ Byron is back as Tigers soar to 5th state-title game in last 7 years
➤ Down go the Blue Thunder — Belvidere North is thwarted in state semis
➤ Keys, history, stars: Everything you need to know on The Rematch between Stockton, Le-Win
➤ With 4 Rockford-area teams still alive, who will win their state semifinal football games
➤ Rockford-area IHSA high school semifinal football live scores, updates
State quarterfinal coverage
➤ Quarterfinal wins for Stockton, Lena-Winslow sets up mammoth Class 1A rematch in the semis
➤ Wingbacks lead the way as Byron plows its way into another state semifinal in football
➤ Big plays help send Belvidere North football to state semifinals with win over Cary-Grove
➤ Rockford-area IHSA high school quarterfinal football live scores, updates
➤ Rochelle football’s Dylan Manning improving in November after brain surgeries
Playoffs Round 2 coverage
➤ Byron hammers Durand/Pecatonica, again, this time to get to state football quarterfinals
➤ Belvidere North rallies from 14 down for dramatic Round 2 playoff victory over Kaneland
➤ NUIC powerhouses Stockton, Lena-Winslow continue on collision course in playoff football
➤ Rockford-area IHSA high school football Round 2 playoffs live scores, updates
➤ Top storylines, keys to victory for all six of our Rockford-area football playoff games
➤ Belvidere North, Stockton, and the rest. Picking Rockford-area teams in Round 2 playoffs
Playoffs Round 1 coverage
➤ 3 NIC-10 playoff games: Guilford’s comeback falls short; North dominates; Hononegah bows out
➤ QB Braxton Fausett, Harlem head coach Jim Morrow reel in huge 62-0 1st-round playoff win
➤ First-round IHSA football playoff roundup for Rockford-area teams
➤ Rockford-area high school football scores, live updates for Round 1 of playoffs
➤ After 2 brain surgeries, Dylan Manning’s health improves as Rochelle prepares for playoffs
Week 9 football coverage
➤ Football pairings: Led by Stockton in 1A; Byron in 3A; and Belvidere North in 5A, locals ready
➤ Rockford-area football Week 9 top performances led by Belvidere upset
➤ Belvidere North runs away with win over Harlem, and undefeated NIC-10 football championship
➤ After back-to-back perfect weeks, see our expert picks from the Rockford area in Week 9
Week 8 football coverage
➤ Jefferson football responds to pressure with a big win that set it up for playoffs
➤ Harlem QB Braxton Fausett, Lena-Winslow RB Aiden Wild spark Week 8 top performers
➤ North Boone football’s win leads Rockford-area charge to IHSA playoff eligibility
➤ Rockford-area high school football Week 8 scores, live updates
➤ Rochelle football’s Dylan Manning recovering from second brain surgery
➤ Four big games highlight Week 8 football predictions for Rockford area, IHSA football
➤ 15 Rockford-area football teams are asking ‘What’s left to play for?’ Here are answers
Week 7 football coverage
➤ Guilford controls Freeport to stay in hunt for first NIC-10 football title since 1982
➤ Rochelle football wins emotional one in first game since Dylan Manning’s brain surgery
➤ 3 conference forerunners step up, and other key takeaways from Week 7 Rockford-area football
➤ A pair of 300-yard rushing games lead off Rockford-area top performers for Week 7 football
➤ Who’s alive for 5, and on the slate to be great? Top football storylines down backstretch
Week 6 football coverage
➤ Week 6 football roundup around Rockford sees eye-popping stats as favorites win
➤ Harlem football quickly returns to the win column, stays in NIC-10 race by thumping Freeport
➤ Rockford-area high school football Week 6 scores, live updates
➤ Harlem or Freeport? Byron or Du/Pec? Check out our Week 6 football picks for Rockford area
Week 5 football coverage
➤ Guilford upends Harlem; Hononegah KOs Freeport to keep NIC-10 football unpredictable
➤ Belvidere North football becomes playoff eligible with Thursday night win over Jefferson
➤ IHSA football: Rockford-area Week 5 high school scores, live updates
➤ Harlem or Guilford? E/PC or Du/Pec? Here’s all our picks for Week 5 around Rockford area
Week 4 football coverage
➤ Guilford’s Week 4 upset of Hononegah keeps things interesting in NIC-10 football
➤ Guilford’s QB, Rochelle’s RB top Rockford area’s top performers for Week 4 football games
➤ Oregon, Stockton’s fight for respect leads off key takeaways from Rockford-area football
➤ IHSA football: Rockford-area Week 4 high school scores, live updates
➤ Jaden Williams breaks finger, but Jefferson’s confidence still rises for key stretch
Week 3 football coverage
➤ Week 3 takeaways in Rockford football: As injuries pile up across area, Harlem’s D stays stingy
➤ Week 3 top performers: QB Braxton Fausett leads Harlem to win over Hononegah
➤ Lena-Winslow shows what 1A football can do to good 5A team with dominant win at Rochelle
➤ Led by Boylan transfer Jaden Williams, Jefferson upends Titans in NIC-10 football upset
➤ IHSA football: Rockford-area Week 3 high school scores, live updates
Week 2 football coverage
➤ Big plays make Harlem a strong contender for NIC-10 football title
➤ Byron, Stockton haul in huge Week 2 football wins to set the tone for the rest of 2025
➤ Backs fill up the stat sheet, and lead off our Week 2 Top Performers on the football field
➤ Hononegah turnovers, Oregon’s task, NIC-10 parity and other key Week 2 football takeaways
➤ Key football games in Week 2? Yes, for Rockford-area powers Byron, Lena-Winslow, Stockton
Week 1 football coverage
➤ Big plays all day on both sides in Guilford-Belvidere North NIC-10 football showdown
➤ Hungry Lena-Winslow football hammers Forreston to kickstart what it hopes is another title run
➤ Harlem’s Braxton Fausett leads Rockford football Week 1 Top Performers list
➤ Rockford Week 1 football takeaways: New stars emerge and an old power should bounce back
➤ Rockford-area Week 1 football scores and live updates as season begins
Our predictions for every game
➤ Here’s who our experts think will win Week 1 Rockford-area high school football games
➤ Rockford area high school football predictions 2025: Who will win Week 2’s big games?
➤ Hononegah or Harlem? Rochelle or Le-Win? Our picks to win the Week 3 football matchups
➤ Guilford or Hononegah? Byron or Stillman Valley? Who will win Rockford-area games Week 4
➤ Harlem or Guilford? E/PC or Du/Pec? Here’s all our picks for Week 5 around Rockford area
➤ Harlem or Freeport? Byron or Du/Pec? Check out our Week 6 football picks for Rockford area
➤ Guilford or Freeport? E/PC or Stockton? Here’s our Week 7 football picks for Rockford area
➤ Four big games highlight Week 8 football predictions for Rockford area, IHSA football
➤ After back-to-back perfect weeks, see our expert picks from the Rockford area in Week 9
➤ Guilford, Harlem, Rochelle? We’ve got them all winning as we predict Rockford-area playoffs
➤ Belvidere North, Stockton, and the rest. Picking Rockford-area teams in Round 2 playoffs
➤ Four Rockford-area teams remain. Who will win IHSA quarterfinal football matchups?
➤ With 4 Rockford-area teams still alive, who will win their state semifinal football games
Football feature stories
➤ On a Belvidere North football team loaded with stars, Andrew Bucci makes all pieces fit
➤ Inside how Lutheran football plans to rebuild on the fly under new coach Don Lee
➤ Byron, Lena-Winslow, Belvidere North: see who else is in our Top 10 Football Power Rankings
➤ Gunners, kickers, long snappers and kick returners: Best special teams players in NIC-10
➤ Find out who are the top winners, loses after the first 2 weeks of Rockford-area football
➤ Jaden Williams breaks finger, but Jefferson’s confidence still rises for key stretch
➤ Who’s alive for 5, and on the slate to be great? Top football storylines down backstretch
➤ Rochelle football’s Dylan Manning recovering from second brain surgery
➤ 15 Rockford-area football teams are asking ‘What’s left to play for?’ Here are answers
➤ Top storylines, keys to victory for all six of our Rockford-area football playoff games
➤ Led by Belvidere North’s Ben Bucher, check out 12 Rockford-area playoff stars to watch
➤ Keys, history, stars: Everything you need to know on The Rematch between Stockton, Le-Win
Football players to watch lists
➤ Check out some of the top Rockford-area high school football linebackers for 2025
➤ Top 14 offensive linemen to watch in 2025 Rockford high school football season
➤ Run to daylight: Here are the top 17 Rockford area running backs for the 2025 season
➤ Last line of defense: 11 Rockford defensive backs to watch in 2025 high school football
➤ Rockford’s top wide receivers and tight ends to watch in 2025 IHSA football season
➤ Not a lot of elite QBs return, but here are the top ones to watch from the Rockford area
➤ Rockford’s top 12 defensive linemen to watch for 2025 season starts with a Big Ten recruit
Girls flag football coverage
➤ New-look Guilford team, rule changes set table for Rockford-area flag football season
➤ Hononegah takes area’s top spot in girls flag football as IHSA playoffs arrive in October
➤ Led by star QB Giada Nowling, Harlem soars into girls flag football sectional finals
➤ ‘The future is bright’ for Harlem girls flag football despite IHSA sectional loss
Football photo galleries
➤ Belvidere North at Freeport football game. See Photos
➤ Belvidere North kicks off football season. See photos
➤ Lena-Winslow pounds Forreston to kickstart 2025 high school football season. See photos
➤ Photos: Top 10 power rankings for Rockford football teams in 2025
➤ Friday Night Lights: Our week 1 game was Rockford Guilford-Belvidere North. See photos
➤ A look around the Rockford area as high school football kicks off everywhere. See photos
➤ Harlem faces off against Hononegah. See photos
➤ Lena-Winslow, FB Aiden Wild, rebound with big win at Rochelle. See photos
➤ See our top photos from the Harlem-Freeport Week 6 football game
➤ Guilford topples Freeport to stay in hunt for NIC-10 title in football. See photos
➤ QB Braxton Fausett, Harlem start playoff run with rout. See photos
➤ Stockton continues playoff run with quarterfinal win over Dwight. See photos
➤ Byron crushes playoff rival IC Catholic to advance to semi. See photos
➤ Byron climbs back to state-title game by hammering R-B. See photos
Football videos
➤ Video: Byron hammers Dixon in key Week 2 win
➤ Video: Braxton Fausett talks about Harlem’s explosive offense
➤ Video: Watch Belvidere North edge Guilford 21-13 in NIC-10 football opener
➤ Video: Lena-Winslow shows how motivated it is in opener
➤ Video: Harlem’s Dwayne Broom replaces NIC-10’s all-time leading rusher
➤ Video: Lena-Winslow handles Rochelle on the road
➤ Video: Guilford holds off Hononegah for big NIC-10 win
➤ Video: Big wins for Guilford (over Freeport) and Hononegah (over Boylan)
➤ Video: North Boone charges to fifth win by handling Stillman Valley
➤ Harlem, QB Braxton Fausett, roll to 62-0 playoff-opening win
➤ Byron steamrolls its way to the state semifinals
➤ Byron, FB Caden Considine, plow over Richmond-Burton, into state finals
Jay Taft is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter. Email him at jtaft@rrstar.com and sign up for the Rockford High School Sports Newsletter here at rrstar.com. Jay has covered a variety of sports, from the Chicago Bears and Blackhawks to local youth sports, since the turn of the century at the Register Star.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: See all of the Rockford Register Star’s high school football coverage from the 2025 season
Reporting by Jay Taft, Rockford Register Star / Rockford Register Star
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