Nashville Hornets senior Maddox Ritzel wins our Joe’s Pizza & Pasta Player of the Week.

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.

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.

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

The Indians Taking the field for the pink out game vs Nashville The DuQuoin Indians welcomed the Nashville Hornets for a Week 8 battle to close out the conference schedule, and the Indians came out on top 28-18. In the first quarter, the Indians forced a quick three and out on Nashville’s opening drive, then marched down the field and scored on a short touchdown run from senior quarterback Johnathan Brown to take an early 7-0 lead. On the Hornets’ next drive, they made it all

The DuQuoin Indians are back at home to take on the Nashville Hornets. The Indians have already clinched a playoff spot at 6-1 while Nashville sits at 5-2 and is playoff eligible. A win for the Hornets would lock in their postseason spot.

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