Top 25 most dominant Illinois high school football programs of last 20 years

Powered by four state championships, Loyola Academy (Wilmette) is the most dominant high school football team from Illinois over the last 20 years.

Based on our methodology, the Ramblers amassed 476 points from 2004 to 2023 to edge Chicago Mt. Carmel, which narrowly finished second with 464 points.

Chicago Mt. Carmel won six state championships since 2004 with two additional trip to the title game.

Our methodology includes:

• Top 25 finishes in the MaxPreps state computer rankings (25 points awarded to the No. 1 team, 24 for No. 2 and so on).
• Top 25 finishes in the MaxPreps national computer rankings (50 points for No. 1, 49 for No. 2 and so on).
• State championships (20 points).
• State championship game appearances (10 points).

1. Loyola Academy (Wilmette), 476
State championships: 2015 (8A), 2018 (8A), 2022 (8A), 2023 (8A)
State runner-up: 2009 (5A), 2011 (8A), 2013 (8A), 2016 (8A), 2017 (8A)
State top 25: 2008 (10), 2009 (7), 2010 (9), 2011 (5), 2012 (7), 2013 (5), 2014 (6), 2015 (1), 2016 (2), 2017 (5), 2018 (1), 2019 (13), 2020 (1), 2021 (3), 2022 (2), 2023 (1)
Nationally ranked: 2015 (18)

2. Chicago Mt. Carmel, 464
State championships: 2006 (8A), 2012 (8A), 2013 (7A), 2019 (7A), 2022 (7A), 2023 (7A)
State runner-up: 2005 (7A), 2010 (8A)
State top 25: 2004 (13), 2005 (7), 2006 (3), 2007 (5), 2008 (5), 2009 (15), 2010 (10), 2011 (18), 2012 (2), 2013 (1), 2014 (12), 2015 (11), 2017 (17), 2018 (9), 2019 (3), 2020 (3), 2021 (9), 2022 (1), 2023 (2)
Nationally ranked: N/A

3. Lincoln-Way East (Frankfort), 375
State championships: 2005 (8A), 2017 (8A), 2019 (8A)
State runner-up: 2012 (7A), 2022 (8A), 2023 (8A)
State top 25: 2004 (19), 2005 (1), 2006 (6), 2007 (9), 2008 (19), 2009 (23), 2011 (14), 2012 (3), 2014 (25), 2015 (25), 2016 (18), 2017 (1), 2018 (4), 2019 (1), 2020 (2), 2021 (20), 2022 (4), 2023 (3)
Nationally ranked: 2005 (14)

4. Maine South (Park Ridge), 358
State championships: 2008 (8A), 2009 (8A), 2010 (8A), 2016 (8A)
State runner-up: 2004 (8A), 2005 (8A), 2021 (8A)
State top 25: 2004 (7), 2005 (4), 2007 (15), 2008 (1), 2009 (1), 2010 (2), 2014 (11), 2016 (4), 2017 (2), 2018 (7), 2021 (11), 2022 (18), 2023 (19)
Nationally ranked: 2008 (21)

5. Sacred Heart-Griffin (Springfield), 333
State championships: 2005 (5A), 2006 (5A), 2008 (6A), 2013 (5A), 2014 (5A), 2022 (4A)
State runner-up: 2016 (6A), 2021 (4A)
State top 25: 2004 (18), 2005 (11), 2006 (4), 2008 (3), 2009 (22), 2010 (24), 2011 (21), 2012 (18), 2013 (2), 2014 (5), 2016 (11), 2020 (5), 2021 (19), 2022 (8)
Nationally ranked: N/A

6. Joliet Catholic (Joliet), 331
State championships: 2004 (5A), 2007 (6A), 2018 (5A), 2021 (4A)
State runner-up: 2011 (5A), 2023 (5A)
State top 25: 2004 (3), 2005 (14), 2007 (1), 2009 (8), 2010 (19), 2011 (6), 2013 (7), 2014 (20), 2015 (8), 2018 (23), 2020 (11), 2021 (2), 2022 (24), 2023 (15)
Nationally ranked: 2007 (23)

7. Rochester, 329
State championships: 2010 (4A), 2011 (4A), 2012 (4A), 2013 (4A), 2014 (4A), 2016 (4A), 2017 (4A), 2019 (5A), 2023 (4A)
State runner-up: N/A
State top 25: 2009 (21), 2010 (3), 2011 (22), 2012 (12), 2013 (9), 2014 (22), 2016 (9), 2017 (9), 2019 (8), 2020 (14), 2021 (25), 2023 (9)
Nationally ranked: N/A

T8. East St. Louis, 327
State championships: 2008 (7A), 2016 (7A), 2019 (6A), 2022 (6A)
State runner-up: 2021 (6A), 2023 (6A)
State top 25: 2006 (25), 2007 (14), 2008 (2), 2009 (14), 2010 (8), 2013 (19), 2016 (3), 2017 (18), 2018 (11), 2019 (2), 2020 (6), 2021 (5), 2022 (3), 2023 (7)
Nationally ranked: N/A

T8. Wheaton-Warrenville South (Wheaton), 327
State championships: 2006 (8A), 2009 (7A), 2010 (7A)
State runner-up: 2007 (7A), 2011 (7A)
State top 25: 2004 (17), 2005 (8), 2006 (1), 2007 (3), 2008 (15), 2009 (2), 2010 (1), 2011 (7), 2013 (20), 2018 (25)
Nationally ranked: 2006 (4), 2010 (12)

10. Montini Catholic (Lombard), 317
State championships: 2004 (4A), 2009 (5A), 2010 (5A), 2011 (5A), 2012 (5A), 2015 (6A)
State runner-up: 2013 (5A), 2014 (5A), 2018 (5A)
State top 25: 2004 (4), 2008 (18), 2009 (13), 2010 (6), 2011 (4), 2012 (6), 2013 (3), 2014 (18), 2015 (4), 2018 (17)
Nationally ranked: N/A

11. Nazareth Academy (LaGrange Park), 273
State championships: 2014 (6A), 2015 (5A), 2018 (7A), 2022 (5A), 2023 (5A)
State runner-up: 2011 (6A), 2017 (6A), 2019 (7A)
State top 25: 2011 (17), 2014 (3), 2015 (3), 2017 (13), 2018 (3), 2019 (5), 2022 (13), 2023 (8)
Nationally ranked: N/A

12. Cary-Grove (Cary), 270
State championships: 2009 (6A), 2018 (6A), 2021 (6A), 2023 (6A)
State runner-up: 2004 (7A), 2012 (6A), 2014 (7A)
State top 25: 2004 (14), 2006 (23), 2009 (3), 2012 (9), 2014 (7), 2015 (9), 2016 (16), 2018 (6), 2021 (1), 2023 (12)
Nationally ranked: N/A

13. Glenbard West (Glen Ellyn), 252
State championships: 2012 (7A), 2015 (7A)
State runner-up: 2009 (7A)
State top 25: 2008 (6), 2009 (5), 2010 (11), 2011 (8), 2012 (1), 2013 (12), 2014 (4), 2015 (2), 2016 (8), 2019 (20), 2022 (7)
Nationally ranked: N/A

14. St. Rita (Chicago), 235
State championships: 2006 (7A)
State runner-up: 2019 (5A), 2021 (7A)
State top 25: 2006 (2), 2007 (7), 2008 (8), 2009 (11), 2010 (12), 2011 (20), 2013 (8), 2019 (11), 2020 (4), 2021 (13), 2022 (5), 2023 (16)
Nationally ranked: N/A

15. Batavia, 217
State championships: 2013 (6A), 2017 (7A)
State runner-up: 2006 (6A), 2022 (7A)
State top 25: 2006 (9), 2011 (10), 2013 (6), 2017 (6), 2018 (8), 2019 (17), 2020 (23), 2021 (8), 2022 (11), 2023 (5)
Nationally ranked: N/A

16. Providence Catholic (New Lenox), 208
State championships: 2004 (6A), 2014 (7A)
State runner-up: 2009 (6A), 2022 (4A)
State top 25: 2004 (1), 2006 (12), 2008 (16), 2009 (4), 2012 (17), 2013 (22), 2014 (2), 2017 (25), 2019 (23), 2020 (22), 2022 (22)
Nationally ranked: 2004 (23)

17. Prairie Ridge (Crystal Lake), 194
State championships: 2011 (6A), 2016 (6A), 2017 (6A)
State runner-up: 2019 (6A), 2022 (6A)
State top 25: 2010 (17), 2011 (3), 2015 (13), 2016 (1), 2017 (3), 2019 (15), 2023 (18)
Nationally ranked: N/A

18. Lake Zurich, 192
State championships: 2007 (7A)
State runner-up: 2006 (7A), 2010 (7A), 2013 (7A), 2017 (7A)
State top 25: 2006 (8), 2007 (4), 2009 (20), 2010 (5), 2011 (11), 2012 (11), 2013 (10), 2017 (7)
Nationally ranked: N/A

19. Lena-Winslow (Lena), 169
State championships: 2010 (1A), 2013 (1A), 2017 (1A), 2019 (1A), 2021 (1A), 2022 (1A)
State runner-up: 2023 (1A)
State top 25: 2010 (21), 2019 (6), 2022 (12)
Nationally ranked: N/A

20. IC Catholic Prep (Elmhurst), 168
State championships: 2008 (2A), 2016 (3A), 2017 (3A), 2018 (4A), 2022 (3A)
State runner-up: N/A
State top 25: 2008 (22), 2016 (6), 2017 (21), 2018 (12), 2021 (24), 2022 (9), 2023 (20)
Nationally ranked: N/A

21. Marist (Chicago), 164
State championships: N/A
State runner-up: 2009 (8A), 2015 (8A)
State top 25: 2008 (25), 2009 (6), 2012 (25), 2013 (14), 2015 (14), 2017 (10), 2018 (5), 2019 (14), 2020 (7), 2021 (12), 2022 (10)
Nationally ranked: N/A

22. Brother Rice (Chicago), 145
State championships: N/A
State runner-up: 2018 (8A)
State top 25: 2004 (12), 2006 (19), 2007 (25), 2008 (17), 2014 (23), 2015 (12), 2018 (2), 2019 (21), 2020 (8), 2021 (7), 2022 (14), 2023 (17)
Nationally ranked: N/A

23. Homewood-Flossmoor (Flossmoor), 127
State championships: N/A
State runner-up: 2014 (8A)
State top 25: 2007 (16), 2010 (23), 2013 (17), 2014 (8), 2015 (6), 2016 (17), 2017 (11), 2018 (10), 2019 (9)
Nationally ranked: N/A

24. Glenbard North (Carol Stream), 123
State championships: N/A
State runner-up: 2007 (8A), 2012 (8A)
State top 25: 2007 (13), 2009 (9), 2011 (15), 2012 (8), 2013 (15), 2016 (12), 2019 (18), 2021 (15)
Nationally ranked: N/A

25. Newman Central Catholic (Sterling), 115
State championships: 2004 (2A), 2010 (2A), 2013 (2A), 2019 (2A)
State runner-up: N/A
State top 25: 2004 (10), 2010 (7)
Nationally ranked: N/A