2026 Football Preview: For PND, strength lies outside of numbers 

PEORIA – Central Illinois high school football followers know what to expect from Peoria Notre Dame this time of year: the smallest roster in the Big Twelve conference, playoff expectations and a classic wing-T offense.  

Under ninth year head coach Pat Armstrong, the Irish have made it work with quality over quantity.  

PND has qualified for the postseason in six of the last seven seasons in which a postseason was played, despite having the lowest enrollment in the Big 12.

Last season, it was an 8-3 campaign that ended in the second round of the playoffs. The Irish downed Marengo 35-21 in the first round before being knocked out by eventual Class 4A State Champion Lombard Montini, 47-17. 

This season, Armstrong’s group will take that precedent to an extreme. The Irish varsity roster features just 30 players, down 14 players from last year, meaning multiple key players will be expected to play both offense and defense.