The Lake Forest Scouts will kick off their 2026 football season a full week earlier than originally planned, a direct result of the IHSA's decision to expand its playoff field from 256 to 384 teams statewide.
The change means more teams qualify for the postseason and more football gets played before winter. For the Scouts, it means a Friday, Aug. 21 home opener against Deerfield with less summer prep time than any Lake Forest squad has had in decades.
What the IHSA changed
The IHSA voted to grow its playoff brackets from 32 to 48 teams per class across all eight classes, according to The Telegraph. Sixteen teams in each class will receive a first-round bye. The expansion added a full week to the postseason schedule, which in turn pushed the regular season's start from its originally planned Aug. 28 date up to Aug. 21.
The move also eliminated the traditional "Week 0" preseason scrimmages that had opened the calendar in prior years.
The Record North Shore reported on Wednesday, July 29, that local North Shore teams "will begin their seasons a week earlier than normal this year" as a direct result.
What it means for the Scouts
Head coach Chuck Spagnoli's squad finished 4-5 in 2025 and missed the playoffs. Under the new 48-team bracket, the Scouts would have a wider path back to the postseason, but they'll have to get ready faster.
As of July 6, the Scouts had just 46 days from the start of summer camp to opening night. Jon Kerr, who covers the Scouts for The Athletic Scout newsletter, wrote that it was "the shortest timeframe from the start of summer camp to opening night in decades," adding that "every practice, every drill, every rep counts more than ever."
The Scouts took all 20 of their IHSA-allotted summer contact dates in July, running practice or scrimmages on 16 of 21 days between July 6 and July 26 before closing out with the Parkside scrimmage and cookout.
Key players in a compressed window
Senior wide receiver Jack Burger, who broke his leg in Week 1 against Deerfield last August and missed six games, returns as one of the program's most recruited players. He'll face the same opponent in the same opener, this time with a healthy offseason behind him.
The quarterback job remains unsettled. Senior Rafi Karam and junior Colin McMahon are competing for the starting role heading into August camp, which opens Wednesday, Aug. 5. Senior George Holland (6-4, 235 lbs), a linebacker in 2025 and one of the Scouts' top recruits alongside Burger, gives Spagnoli flexibility in his 3-4 base defense as either an edge rusher or inside defender.
What's next
IHSA preseason practice opens statewide on Wednesday, Aug. 5. The Scouts host Deerfield on Friday, Aug. 21, for the first of nine games on the Scouts' 2026 schedule, including seven North Suburban Conference matchups. The playoff opening round begins Friday, Oct. 23.
