Below are several of the Top Games across the State of Illinois in Week 1. Make sure and visit the EDGY FREE Football Message Board and break down and talk about the games with the fans every week.

Hersey at Warren Township- Both teams welcome back quite a few returning starters and impact players. Hersey will need to rely heavily on the arm of UCLA commit Colton Gumino and a steady group of receivers and backs. Warren Township has it's always strong defense along with an offense that might be the Blue Devils best in some time. Can Hersey consistently ding the Warren defense for big chunk plays and yards? In the end the Warren defense finds a way to get some key needed stops here. EDGY's Pick: Warren Township

Batavia at Glenbard West (Sat) Playing on a Saturday to open the season is not ideal here for Batavia in my opinion. The Bulldogs are much younger and in search of several answers this season. Glenbard West has big play makers in the offensive skills and an always strong defense. Beating Glenbard West on the shores of Lake Ellyn is always a big ask, and if the Hitter can limit the penalties and turnovers? I like Glenbard West here but close. EDGY's Pick: Glenbard West

Maine South at Lincoln Way East- Best Week 1 game in the state? Lincoln Way East offense gets a turbo boost in QB Jonas Williams and the Griffins always can and will run the football. Maine South has a huge offensive line, a strong backfield and senior QB Constantine Coines is a gamer. The different here? Can a young Griffins defensive back seven limit the big play ability of the Hawks passing game along with limiting RB Mike Dellumo's touches? Close close game here EDGY's Pick: Lincoln Way East

Hope Academy at Wilmington- This is a sneaky good game here to start the season. Wilmington and head coach Jeff Reents is always tough at home and senior do it all RB/LB Kyle Farrell is a key name to watch for Wilmington. Hope Academy is looking for big things this fall and OL/DL Levi Mallette is a monster on both sides of the football. This one could be close for a bit but in the end I like the Wildcats at home. EDGY's Pick: Wilmington

Morgan Park at Marist Morgan Park and head coach Chris James is looking to make some big noise this season and a win here at Marist would be a huge. Morgan park will rely on some big talent including senior QB Marcus Thaxton along with WR/DB Jahmare Washington (Wisconsin) while senior OLB/S Jovan Clark (Wyoming) is a major hitter and tone setter for the Mustangs defense. Marist welcomes back old.new head coach Mike Fitzgerald and I'm looking for the Redhawks to be much improved in 2024. The offense will rely on a defense that has two terrific defensive ends in Brad Fitzgibbon (Iowa) and senior Achilles Anderson (Harvard). Can the Morgan Park defense limit the Marist offense and get the football back into the hands of the offense? This one has the early potential to be a great game. EDGY's Pick: Morgan Park

Edwardsville at Glenwood I love the fact that the Central State 8 is no longer a locked conference and Glenwood comes right out of the gates scheduling "up" in hosting Edwardsville. Glenwood will look to get it's spread offense clicking early as junior QB Colten Knoedler looks to have a big 2024 season and the Titans have plenty of quality receivers and backs. Edwardsville and head coach Kelsey Pickering welcomes back an impressive 16 returning starters (9 offense 6 defense). The Tigers welcome back several key starters led by senior WR/DB Clayton Lakatos senior 4 star TE/DE Iose Epenesa and RB Patrick Chism. Can the Glenwood defense limit the Edwardsville offense for four quarters? Can the Edwardsville defense get consistent pressure on the Glenwood offense and force the Titans into mistakes? EDGY's Pick: Edwardsville

Hinsdale Central at Naperville Central This has developed into a pretty strong Week 1 rivalry. Naperville Central and head coach Mike Urleich has a nice squad back and expectations are pretty high. Naperville Central will lean on an offense that will have some new faces, but those faces are really strong players including senior WR DeShaun Williams along with senior QB Sebi Hayes. Hinsdale Central and head coach Brian Griffin will lean on a big, strong and very experienced offensive line while junior QB Riley Contreras is a year better this summer. I expect a pretty tight game here but Central gets the win :) EDGY's Pick: Naperville Central

Kankakee at Nazareth Academy: This has been a very close and also a very entertaining series between two state title caliber teams. Kankakee and head coach Miles Osei welcomes back 18 returning starters (9 offense 9 defense) and the Kays are loaded with speed and athleticism again this fall. Nazareth Academy and head coach Tim Racki has one of the programs greatest classes that are finally seniors. This Road Runners class, led by senior QB Logan Malachuk along with senior DE/OLB Gabe Kaminski are looking to get out of the gates quickly this fall. EDGY's Pick: Nazareth Academy

Metamora at Sterling- Metamora and head coach Jared Gerbner welcomes back 12 returning starters (5 offense 7 defense) and the Redbirds backfield is a strength with junior RB Jaiduan Cranford and senior RB Evan Keil. Can the Redbirds replace 4 graduated offensive linemen? Sterling and head coach Jonathan Schlemmer welcomes back 12 returning starters (6 offense 6 defense) but does this Golden Warrior team have the talent level and overall depth to win big this season? EDGY's Pick: Metamora

Neuqua Valley at Oswego While this game might not at the top of the list when talking about neighborhood battles, this game no question has that potential. Neuqua Valley and head coach Bill Ellinghaus looked to have a younger team this summer and the Wildcats looked very solid. Oswego and head coach Brian Cooney welcomes back 17 starters (9 offense 8 defense) led by Iowa commit LB Carson Cooney and senior WR Jeremiah Cain (Northern Iowa) are big time playmakers. EDGY's Pick: Oswego

Loyola vs East St Louis at Illinois State (Sat) Best game in the state for Week 1? Loyola welcomes back experience in key positions, impact players in the likes of QB Ryan Fitzgerald (Iowa) RB/WR Drew MacPherson (Iowa) plus senior S/OLB Donovan Robinson (Washington). East St Louis is a bit younger this season but still has a ton of speed and athletes all over the field. Keep am eye on East St Louis sophomore QB Reece Shanklin along with senior 4 star ranked S Charles Bass (Missouri). If the young Flyers in the receiver corps come ready to play...this one can get very interesting. EDGY's Pick: Loyola Academy