The Marion Wildcats finished as the top team in the Deep South in the final John A Logan Little Egypt Football Coaches’ Poll of the season. The Wildcats were 8-1 and co-champions of the South Seven alongside #3 Cahokia and #10 Carbondale.
The Benton Rangers were the only undefeated team in the Deep South, scoring 392 points through the season while limiting opponents to a combined 53.
Despite a 5-4 record, Cahokia garnered a third of first place votes and high reputation after their Week 4 win over Marion (30-8) and held strong through the season among voters.
Du Quoin returned to the top 10 after being out for the past 4 weeks thanks to a 28-14 win over Murphysboro in Week 9. The final #7 ranking is the highest Du Quoin has been ranked since the Spring 2021 season’s preseason rankings when the Indians ranked #3.
Here’s a look at the Full Rankings:
| Rank | School (First Place Votes) | Points | Rank Last Week |
| 1 | Marion (5) | 92 | 1 (-) |
| 2 | Benton (2) | 87 | 2 (-) |
| 3 | Cahokia (3) | 83 | 3 (-) |
| 4 | Nashville | 75 | 4 (-) |
| 5 | Johnston City | 48 | 5 (-) |
| 6 | Carterville | 42 | 6 (-) |
| 7 | Du Quoin | 31 | NR |
| 8 | Fairfield | 29 | 8 (-) |
| 9 | Murphysboro | 28 | 7 (-2) |
| 10 | Carbondale | 21 | 9 (-1) |
Also receiving votes: Chester 12
Southern Illinois Coaches interested in participating in the Coaches Poll can email picks to mattv@riverradio.net every week by end of day each Wednesday of the season.
