Palatine’s offense lines up against Barrington’s defense during last year’s football game. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com

High school football and Friday Night Lights go together like hot dogs and mustard.

But let’s not lose sight of the dwindling magic of Saturday afternoons on the gridiron.

This summer we’re counting down, week by week, to the start of the high school football season. So far we’ve brought you 10 senior recruits in the area to watch , nine quarterbacks and eight area non-quarterbacks to see this season , seven new coaches on the sideline , six of the best season-opening games and five of the area’s toughest schedules .

For the next few weeks we’ll continue providing insight on the 2025 football season for teams, players and coaches throughout our cov

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