The holiday tournaments shook up the Ballin4God rankings, and several teams felt the impact. Pinckneyville took the biggest fall, slipping out of the rankings entirely after sitting at 7–6 and receiving votes previously. Marion also dropped, sliding to #5 after going 1–4 in its last five games as the competition stiffened over the break.

The Centralia Orphans remain atop the rankings once again, this time unanimously, after beating previously ranked #2 Mt. Vernon 57–39.

This year’s preseason field has a strong balance of returning talent across all classes, and we’re excited for what should be an electric basketball season in Southern Illinois.

We have our top five running backs in Southern Illinois as we head into the high school football playoffs. These are ranked by rushing yards. At #1 is Kaiden Henson, senior running back from Eldorado. Henson and the Eagles missed the playoffs, finishing 3-6, but lost four one score games. All four of those teams made the postseason, and all six of their losses came against playoff teams. Henson rushed for 1,318 yards and 22 touchdowns on 226 carries, averaging 5.8 yards per c

Nolan Schafer (Benton Rangers) in the Military Appreciation game vs the DuQuoin Indians. Week 9 of the high school football season has wrapped up for all of our area teams and we finish the regular season with four teams still undefeated: Benton out of the SIRR Mississippi, Carterville out of the SIRR Ohio, Johnston City out of the Black Diamond and Richland County out of the Little Illini Conference. Benton Rangers 9-0 (5-0): The Benton Rangers outscored their opponents 418

This week's Rend Lake Cabins In The Woods Player of the week is senior running back Riley Spencer from Benton.

The Benton Rangers remain atop the Ballin4God Rankings for the sixth straight week after defeating rival West Frankfort 39-0. The Carterville Lions hold steady at #2 following a 50-7 win over Massac County, as junior Johnny Miller eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards on the season in the victory.

With the win, Benton improves to 7-0 overall and 4-0 in conference play, while West Frankfort falls to 4-3 overall and 1-3 in the conference.

Week 7 Rankings The Benton Rangers hold their top spot after a thrilling homecoming victory over the Nashville Hornets, 34-24. The Rangers trailed 24-7 at one point before scoring 27 unanswered points, led by senior running back Riley Spencer, who rushed for 201 yards and two touchdowns. With the win, Benton remains undefeated, while Nashville drops to 4-2. Catch Darren Kinnard’s full recap at the link at the bottom of the article. The Carterville Lions and Cahokia Comanches

Benton senior safety and wide receiver Nolan Schafer is the week 5 Rend Lake Cabins in the Woods Player of the Week.

The Benton Rangers have the longest home win streak excluding the playoffs, with six straight home victories.