The 2026 regular season proved to be a test of character and grit for the Casey-Westfield Warriors football team. Battling through a challenging schedule in the Little Illini Conference, the Warriors finished their regular-season slate at 3-6 overall and 2-5 in conference play.
Head Coach Cody Strange’s squad opened the year with momentum, delivering a dominant week-one 43-0 shutout on the road against East Alton-Wood River. Following a tight 20-15 battle against non-conference foe Breese Mater Dei ending non-conference play at 1-1. There were setbacks against Newton and Robinson but the Warriors rallied mid-season with consecutive Little Illini victories against Lawrenceville and conference foe Marshall.
Hoping to carry their mid-season momentum into the final stretch of conference play, the Warriors ran into a wall against division bully Mt. Carmel—sparking a late-season skid with subsequent losses to Olney and Paris. Yet the Warriors did enough to make it into the playoffs and are excited to play 1A playoff football.
The expanded IHSA playoff format introduces a new "Opening Round" week to the postseason, which seems to force teams into unusually long road trips but the Warriors are far from deterred. Having spent much of the fall trading punches with larger Class 2A and 3A conference foes, Casey-Westfield enters the postseason battle-tested and prepared for a run.
Best of luck to the Casey-Westfield Warriors in post season play and especially to the seniors that continue to persevere. Hope to see the Casey-Westfield faithful make the trip to support the Warriors this weekend.