Illinois high school football: Top standouts, best performances in Week 9 (10/21/2023)

Check out the top performances in Illinois high school football this week

We're taking a look at some of the top standouts and best performers from Illinois high school football games in Week 9 – the final week of the regular season.

See: Illinois Week 1 standouts | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 

See: SBLive Illinois football scoreboard for updates and results

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Isaac Ackerman, QB, Triad

The junior quarterback threw for 244 yards and three touchdowns (with one interception) and added 47 yards rushing in the Knights' 36-35 win at Collinsville to secure their sixth victory of the season. 

Preston Baker, QB, Breese Central

Baker, a junior, threw for 347 yards and five touchdowns — both season bests – as the Cougars defeated host Herrin 42-17 on Friday night. 

Dominik Ball, RB, Palatine

Ball broke the school's career rushing record during the Pirates’ 42-22 victory over Schaumburg. The Tulane-bound senior rushed for 134 yards on 15 carries and four touchdowns.

William Beaman, RB, Neuqua Valley

Beaman grinded out a tough performance in Neuqua Valley’s 26-14 win over Naperville Central. The junior rushed for 119 yards and a touchdown to lead the Wildcats.

Griffen Becker, WR, Breese Central

Becker, a junior, hauled in five catches for 205 yards and two touchdowns in the Cougars' 42-17 win at Herrin. 

Brock Bowlby, QB, Carbondale

Bowlby, a senior and three-year starter, threw four touchdown passes and ran for two scores in the Terriers' wild 72-54 shootout victory over visiting Mascoutah on Friday night. 

Illinois high school football scores: Live updates, live streams - Week 9 (10/20/2023)

Nevan Bufka, DB, Lemont

A junior, Bufka helped Lemont clinch its playoff spot during a 19-18 win over TF North. He had two key fourth quarter interceptions to help secure the clutch victory.

Aiden Crawley, QB, Stevenson

Crawley’s efficiency was a huge factor in Stevenson’s 35-28 victory over Libertyville on Friday. The sophomore ran for a touchdown and completed eight of his 10 passes for 246 yards and two touchdowns, including the game winner with 54 seconds left.

Matthew Crider, RB, Wheaton-Warrenville South

Crider’s effort played a big role in Wheaton-Warrenville South’s 24-3 win over St. Charles East to secure its playoff berth. The senior rushed for 161 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Tigers.

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Jake Curry, QB, Edwardsville

A senior committed to Southern Illinois, Curry helped Edwardsville close the regular season with a 29-12 victory over previously-unbeaten De Smet (Missouri) on Friday. He threw two touchdown passes and ran for another to lead the Tigers.

Michael Dellumo, RB, Maine South

Dellumo, a junior, carried nine times for 105 yards and three touchdowns in the Hawks’ 35-11 victory over Evanston.

Ian Dempsey, WR, Triad

Dempsey had a career day in the Knights' 36-35 win at Collinsville. The junior caught six passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns and also added 18 yards rushing.

Donovan Dey, RB, Carmel

Dey had a strong performance in Carmel’s 42-0 victory over St. Patrick. The junior rushed for 105 yards and a career-best 4 touchdowns to lead the Corsaires.

Jayden Ellington, QB, Althoff

Ellington showed off his ability to be a game changer both in the passing game and the run game as he rushed for 64 yards and two touchdowns and threw for 155 yards and another two touchdowns in the Crusaders' 41-18 win over Pecatonica at Illinois Wesleyan on Friday. 

Ryan Fitzgerald, QB, Loyola Academy

Fitzgerald ran for two touchdowns and threw for another as the Ramblers defeated visiting Mount Carmel 23-21 in the showdown of undefeated 2022 state champions.

Loyola Academy tops Mount Carmel in Illinois high school football showdown of 2022 state champs

Waleed Johnson, RB, Plano

Johnson ran for 251 yards and four touchdowns in the Reaper's 48-21 win over Marengo that secured Plano's fifth victory in order to be playoff-eligible.

Myson Johnson-Cook, RB, Decatur MacArthur

The standout freshman running back ran for 289 yards and three touchdowns on just 15 carries in a 54-10 win over Bloomington on Friday night. He has scored 20 TDs this season. 

Baruk Jonsson, QB, Mascoutah

Jonsson, a junior, threw for a season-high 339 yards and three touchdowns and ran nine times for 65 yards and two scores in Mascoutah's 72-54 shootout loss at Carbondale. 

William Korosec, DB, Naperville North

Korosex was the X-factor in the Huskies’ 28-7 victory over Waubonsie Valley. He returned the opening kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown and added an interception return for a score.

Nasir McKenzie, RB, Hersey

McKenzie fit in a full night's work into just one half as the senior rushed for 103 yards and three touchdowns during Hersey’s 63-14 victory over Elk Grove.

Alessio Milivojevic, QB, St. Francis

Milivojevic was on point in the Spartans’ 35-17 victory over Nazareth Academy. The Ball State-bound senior threw for 273 yards and two touchdowns and led St. Francis to touchdowns on its first four second half possessions to build a comfortable lead.

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Vincent Muci, RB, West Chicago

Muci’s effort on the ground on Friday most likely ended West Chicago’s 20 year playoff drought. The senior rushed for 5 touchdowns to handle the scoring in the Wildcats 35-19 win over Larkin.

Tucker Murphy, RB, Freeburg

Murphy took over during the Midgets' 33-0 win on the road at Waterloo on Friday. The senior carried the ball 35 times and racked up 203 yards and two touchdowns. 

Cameron Nickel, LB, Metamora 

The junior linebacker finished with 10 tackles, 1.5 sacks and a key interception in the red zone in the third quarter of the Redbirds' 26-21 win over Dunlap. 

Nate Stempowski, QB, Geneva

Stempowski had an impressive dual-threat performance in the Vikings’ 20-10 victory over St. Charles North. The senior completed 14 of 19 passes for 138 yards and a score and added 119 yards on 23 carries.

Jacob Swartz, RB, Morris

Swartz carried a heavy workload while helping Morris defeat Sycamore 22-14 to secure its perfect regular season. The senior carried the ball 36 times for 230 yards and a touchdown in the battle of previously undefeated squads.

Daniel Van Camp, QB, Lake Forest

Van Camp had an impressive effort under center during Lake Forest’s playoff berth-clinching 35-14 victory over Mundelein. The junior threw for 216 yards and four touchdowns while commanding the Scouts offense.

Illinois high school football computer rankings (10/18/2023)

For live updates and complete statewide results, bookmark our Illinois high school football scoreboard: STATEWIDE ILLINOIS FOOTBALL SCOREBOARD

You can also watch dozens of Illinois high school football games live on the NFHS Network: WATCH LIVE ON NFHS NETWORK

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- Mike Carpinelli | latsch@scorebooklive.com | @SBLiveIL