CSM Boys Basketball Power Rankings, Dec. 8, 2025: East Peoria, Brimfield start season on top
- Jonathan Michel
- 4 days ago
- 5 min read
Two weeks into the high school basketball season, there’s so much to talk about. Where to start is the hardest part.
The beauty of a new season is that things aren’t always exactly how they were before.
This is the first year since the pandemic where the preemptive Mid-Illini favorite doesn’t start with the letter “M”. Richwoods and Manual have represented the city of Peoria at state in the past two years, but this year, taking a stab at who the top public school in the River City is anyone’s guess at this point in the season. Further down Interstate 74, Normal Community is still the top team in the Twin Cities, but with a slightly new recipe and Bloomington has awakened from the doldrums that have plagued it for the past few years.
Small schools are no different.
Illini Bluffs and Peoria Christian’s reign over the Inter-County? This might be the year that trend ends after Elmwood and Brimfield have both impressed with undefeated starts and Peoria Heights has been a pleasant surprise. The Patriots have plenty of young talent that have helped them offset the loss of last year’s top scorer Barrett Marfell. While less of a surprising note, any Heart of Illinois Conference team in the CSM coverage area has a case for being a conference title contender.
The first weekly CSM boys basketball power rankings of the season examine who’s been the most impressive to start the year, but will inevitably feature lots of shakeup as the season goes along.
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