Vote for your team to watch among the 18 Rockford-area football playoff hopefuls

The IHSA football playoffs are kicking in this week, with 18 Rockford-area teams vying for state titles right out of the gates.

And since at least most of them believe they can win one, we wanted to let you vote on which team you think actually can. Or, at least what team you are most looking forward to watching this postseason.

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Eight local teams are off this week after earning byes, while 10 will be battling to get to the first round (two, Belvidere North and Freeport, play each other).

So as the 2026 postseason kicks in, it’s time for you to vote in our poll for the Rockford area’s top “Football Team to Watch in the Playoffs.” The poll will stay open until just before games on Oct. 30-31.

Here are your nominees

(Leading with teams that are seeded for a bye this week, and listed with class, seed and season records)

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• Class 1A: No. 2 Stockton (8-1)

• 1A: No. 7 Forreston (7-2)

• 3A: No. 2 Byron (9-0)

• 3A: No. 4 Durand/Pecatonica (8-1)

• 5A: No. 8 Belvidere (6-3)

• 6A: No. 1 Harlem (9-0)

• 6A: No. 3 Hononegah (8-1)

• 7A: No. 12 Guilford (7-2)

• 1A: No. 10 Lena-Winslow (6-3)

• 2A: No. 14 Winnebago (5-4)

• 2A: No. 15 Stillman Valley (4-5)

• 2A: No. 22 Oregon (3-6)

• 3A: No. 19 North Boone (4-5)

• 4A: No. 14 Rochelle (5-4)

• 5A: No. 12 Belvidere North (5-4)

• 5A: No. 21 Freeport (4-5)

• 6A: No. 24 East (2-7)

• 7A: No. 41 Jefferson (3-6)

Jay Taft is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter. Email him at jtaft@rrstar.com and sign up for the Rockford High School Sports Newsletter here at rrstar.com. Jay has covered a variety of sports, from the Chicago Bears and Blackhawks to local youth sports, since the turn of the century at the Register Star.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Vote for your team to watch among the 18 Rockford-area football playoff hopefuls

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