IHSA Football: Week 1 Recap

Image Courtesy of Bloomington Central Catholic Athletics  

NORMAL, Ill.– High school football is back, and the teams in Bloomington/Normal are ready to roll. 

Bloomington Central Catholic got off to a strong start last week with a dominating 41-0 win over Paxton-Buckley-Loda. The Saints are off to another hot start following off one of the best seasons in school history, with a 9-0 regular season record last season. Their next game is on the road against 0-1 Illinois Valley Central.

Normal West went down to the wire with Glenwood last week, but preserved with a 35-26 win. The victory is encouraging for the Wildcats, with Glenwood coming off a 10-1 season. The Wildcats start their season strong as they look to improve on their 7-2 record from last season. Their next game is on the road against 0-1 Champaign Central. 

Bloomington had one of the more interesting games last week against Normal Community. With a final score of 47-4, the Purple Raiders fell to the Ironmen. Last season, they went 6-3 and lost in the second round of the IHSA playoffs. Their next game is away against 0-1 Urbana. 

U-High had a rough start to the 2026 season with a crushing 55-14. loss to Rochelle. Last season, the Pioneers went 5-4, just barely squeezing into the playoffs. Their next game will be away versus 1-0 Mahomet-Seymour.

Normal Community was on the winning side of an unexpected outcome last week. They bested Bloomington 47-4 to start their season on a high note. Driving the Ironmen offense was senior TE Lincoln Hoover, who caught two touchdowns in the win. The Ironmen went 7-2 last year and got upset in round one of the playoffs 60-44 against Carmel. Their next game is on the road against 0-1 Manual. 

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