Week 9 of the Illinois high school football season is a last chance for some Peoria-area teams to clinch a playoff spot or at least be in the conversation, and a final chapter to a neck-and-neck finish in the Mid-Illini Conference title race.
East Peoria, Princeville and Tremont are all parked at three wins and could lock down IHSA playoff spots.
In the Mid-Illini Conference, Morton and Pekin will settle the conference title. Morton (7-1, 6-0) can win the title outright if it beats Metamora in the first-ever M-I game at Dozer Park.
Pekin (6-2, 5-1), which lost to Morton, finishes up with Dunlap. The Dragons need a win combined with a Morton loss to climb into a share of the conference crown.
There is a full slate of games from teams in the Peoria area.
Here is the Journal Star preps experience for Week 9, your one-stop shop as we look around the Peoria-area football landscape in the ninth and final week of the 2026 high school regular-season:
Watch IHSA football games on NFHS Network all season
Here's where to find the Week 9 schedule, standings
The Week 9 schedule for Peoria area teams can be found by tapping here.
Here are the live scores for Week 9
Check out the live-updated scores for Week 9 right here.
A debut for the Mid-Illini Conference
The Morton Potters are facing Metamora at Dozer Park in Peoria for their Week 9 finale.
It marks the first Mid-Illini Conference game ever played at Dozer, the home of the baseball Peoria Chiefs.
Updates will follow throughout the night.
0-and-74? Yes, it's true
The Mid-Illini Conference has an unofficial dividing line on the field between its five biggest schools and its three smallest.
It's a decisively one-sided matchup on the football field.
East Peoria, Canton and Limestone are a combined 0-74 over the last five seasons, including 2026-27, against Dunlap, Morton, Washington, Metamora and Pekin.
That 0-74 marks includes 21 shutouts.
There's one more game left in that sample period, as Washington plays Canton in a matchup of 2-6 teams in Week 9 Friday, Oct. 16.
Pushing for the playoffs
Four is the magic number for football teams in the IHSA in 2026.
Under the state's new playoff system, four victories will earn a team a trip to the postseason.
Peoria-area teams with IHSA playoff spots already clinched heading into Week 9 are: Peoria High, Farmington, Elmwood/Brimfield, Notre Dame, Morton, Dunlap, Metamora, Pekin, El Paso-Gridley, Macomb, Abingdon-Avon, Illini West, Stark County, Eureka, Annawan/Wethersfield and St. Bede.
Tremont, Princeville and East Peoria remained at three wins and will try again in Week 9.
IHSA football picks and predictions for Week 9
Who's gonna win? Check out Adam Duvall's picks for Week 9, all in one place by tapping right here.
He knows how these games are going to go. Duvall merely went 14-1 in Week 8 and is 93-34 (.732) in his predictions for the 2026 season.
Who are the best of the best? State rankings
Check out the Illinois state rankings heading into Week 9 action by tapping here.
Peoria-area football power rankings
Tap right here to see how the Peoria-area teams stack up in Week 9.
A look back: Takeaways from Week 8 Peoria-area football
The Journal Star's Adam Duvall delivers his four takeaways from Week 8 of the 2026 prep football season in the Peoria area. Just tap here to see them.
More: How IVC's rookie coach led team past elite counterpart and closer to IHSA football playoffs
More: 'All or nothing': How Pekin's star made big play in big moment for Week 6 football win
More: Football 'perfection': Peoria High RB powers high-scoring offense in Week 5 victory
More: How an Illini commit helped Morton snap rival's 27-game league win streak in Week 4 prep football
More: 'That was awesome': How Dunlap's QB handles strike zone and red zone to deliver victory
More: 'My year': East Peoria running back makes name for himself in team record book
Can't go to the game? How to watch Week 9 right here
We have gathered links to the live streaming Peoria-area high school football games right here. Just tap and find your game. (Some of these require a subscription)
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Illinois high school football: Live updates, highlights from IHSA Week 9 games in Peoria-area
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