This week’s Rend Lake Cabins In The Woods Player of the Week is senior running back Jace Weaver for the Johnston City Indians.

It was round one of the 2A playoffs, and the Johnston City Indians came out on top with a 38–25 win.

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

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.

In 2022, Johnston City allowed 121 points during the regular season, shutting out three teams and holding six opponents to 20 points or fewer. The Indians finished the year 12-1, with their only loss coming to the eventual 2A state champions, Decatur St. Teresa, 39-15. Overall, the Indians outscored their opponents 513-220. Who do you think will allow the fewest points this season, and which team will have the largest margin of victory over their opponents?

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

Excluding the playoffs, the Johnston City Indians have won 19 straight road games.