2025 Football Preview: East Peoria loads up for best shot at ending playoff drought in over a decade

EAST PEORIA - Over a decade has passed since East Peoria football has been in the postseason mix. Since that last appearance in 2012, many coaches and players have come and gone without much to show for.

Although longstanding struggles are hard to shake off, the 2025 Raiders could be poised to flip the script.

Last year under new head coach Sam Durley, East Peoria went 4-5, marking their best season since Josh Johnson led them to the same record in 2014.

Each of last season's four wins came in consecutive weeks as they carried an undefeated record into mid-September. However, the winning record would not stay intact as the Raiders dropped the final five games of the year at the hands of the Mid-Illini’s best teams.

“A little disappointing how we finished,” Durley said. “You know, we had some guys get injured, and we got a little thinned out the last couple of weeks. [But] really a couple of games and teams that I thought we competed really well with, if we had a full, healthy roster of guys that were able to play, I think we at least come out a little bit closer in those matchups.”

Despite the disappointing end to the season, the Raiders showed tremendous growth and left plenty of promise for the future.