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.

MARION — The Marion Wildcats and Centralia Orphans meet tonight in Marion for a South Seven Conference showdown with both teams undefeated in conference play and overall on the season.

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

MARION — The Marion Wildcats improved to 4-0 on the season with a 72-47 win over Massac County Saturday night at home.

With Week One of high school boys basketball being wrapped up, we will release our second poll of the season. The top three teams remain the same, but many teams still haven't played their first game yet so expect to see some big changes still to come.

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.

This year’s Ballin4God Football Player of the Year is Marion Wildcats senior quarterback Callahan Roper. Roper had one of the most dominant seasons and honestly one of the most dominant careers we’ve seen from a Southern Illinois player in a long time. He broke multiple school records along the way and helped lead Marion to another playoff appearance, their 19th since 2005.

We have our top five wide receiver stats in Southern Illinois as we head into the high school football playoffs. These are ranked by receiving yards, and the top three are from the South Seven Conference. At #1 is senior wide receiver Junious Thomas from Marion. Thomas has over 1,000 receiving yards on the season with 12 touchdowns and averages 18.2 yards per catch. The Wildcats are 6-3 heading into the playoffs and will play at Mahomet-Seymour. At #2 is senior Braylon Berry

We have our top 5 quarterback stats in Southern Illinois as we head into the high school football playoffs. These are ranked by passing yards. At #1 is senior quarterback from Marion Callahan Roper with 2,801 passing yards on the season, and he is 3 yards shy of tying the all-time career passing yards record at Marion. The record is 6,001. Roper has thrown 34 touchdowns and 10 interceptions on 64% completion percentage, and has a 122.9 passer rating. The Wildcats are 6-3 head

This week’s Rend Lake Cabins In The Woods Player of the Week goes to senior quarterback Callahan Roper of the Marion Wildcats.

Marion quarterback Callahan Roper rewrote the record books Friday night in the Wildcats’ 48-35 comeback win over Collinsville.

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.

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

The Centralia Orphans dominated their homecoming game with a 55-28 victory over the Marion Wildcats. Centralia jumped out early and led 41-20 at halftime.

It’s a highly anticipated matchup in Centralia as two high-powered offenses prepare to clash. The Centralia Orphans are 4-1 and average...