Althoff sophomore placekicker Austin Wilkinson tries to brush aside the thought whenever it briefly enters his head.
The defending Class 1A state champion Crusaders are in dangerous waters as the regular season ticks down with only three games remaining.
Yes, Wilkinson realizes that his team, which sits at 3-3 entering Friday鈥檚 home game against Mater Dei (2-4), most likely has to win two of its last three games to reach the postseason.
Missing the playoffs as a reigning champion is not a pleasant notion.
鈥淎nything that鈥檚 negative about this team, I just try to forget about it as quick as I can,鈥 Wilkinson said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not going to help anybody if we talk about it.鈥
Yet the reality of the situation is not lost on junior defensive lineman Diontae Woods.
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鈥淲e know what we have to do,鈥 Woods said. 鈥淐an we do it? Most definitely.鈥
The Crusaders will have their work cut out, including Friday鈥檚 matchup against Mater Dei, which also is fighting for postseason survival.
Althoff then travels to St. Mary鈥檚 (4-2) on Oct. 17 before closing the regular season Oct. 24 at Maple Park Kaneland (5-1) in a game that could decide the fate of the entire season.
Crusaders coach Austin Frazier artfully guided his team to the title last season, its fourth overall championship and first since 1990.
But now, almost a year later, the Crusaders will have to fight to survive.
Althoff kicker Austin Wilkinson kicks the extra point after touchdown as teammate Mason Thacker holds for him. Althoff hosted Highland in a non-conference football game at Althoff High School in Belleville, IL on September 5, 2025.
Frazier, who also serves as athletics director at the private catholic school, loaded his schedule with larger, bigger schools, at least enrollment-wise.
His intention was to prepare the team for a playoff run, a chase that will be in Class 3A following a two-class bump by the IHSA.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 why we play the schedule that we play,鈥 Frazier said. 鈥淚t goes back to what (former coach Glenn) Schott used to say. 鈥榊ou don鈥檛 try to just make the playoffs, you try and do something once you get there.鈥 So you have to play a regular season schedule that鈥檚 reflective of that.鈥
The Crusaders have done just that with wins over Alton, Highland and Collinsville. All three are at least one class bigger than Althoff.
Althoff lost 24 seniors from last season鈥檚 title team including all-state running back Dierre Hill, who scored 51 touchdowns. Hill is now playing regularly at the University of Oregon.
鈥淲e鈥檙e growing up as we go through the season and I鈥檓 starting to see it,鈥 Frazier said. 鈥淭hings are getting better.鈥
Wilkinson is one of the nation鈥檚 top kickers and punters in the class of 2028. He jump-started Althoff鈥檚 season with a 33-yard field goal in the closing seconds to beat Collinsville 16-14 last week.
Althoff, with its back to the wall, drove from its own 30-yard line with 1 minute and 30 seconds left to the Collinsville 15 to set the stage for Wilkinson鈥檚 game-winning kick, which boomed through the uprights with eight seconds on the clock.
鈥淚 knew I had to make it,鈥 Wilkinson said.
The kick was a no-doubter, clearing the crossbar by a wide margin.
鈥淚t would have been good from 45 (yards out),鈥 Frazier said.
Althoff looked like a defending champion when it opened the season with wins over Alton (34-13) and Highland (42-26).
But the Crusaders hit a wall, losing three games in a row for the first time since Sept. 24-Oct. 15, 2021. It dropped contests to Belleville East, Marion and Mount Vernon, giving up 116 points along the way.
But the victory over Collinsville has set the stage for a three-game stretch that will determine Althoff鈥檚 fate.
鈥淎s long as we keep improving every day, we feel like we have a shot,鈥 Frazier said. 鈥淚鈥檝e been around long enough to know that if we don鈥檛 focus on getting better every Monday we won鈥檛 have worry about (the playoffs).鈥
Woods, a 5-foot-10, 261-pound difference maker in the trenches, has a team-best five sacks.
Junior quarterback Jayden Ellington and junior running back Steven Brown lead an offense that is averaging 27 points per game. Ellington has connected on 73 of 116 passes for 898 yards and six touchdowns. He led the state title team to a 14-0 record with 36 touchdowns and just two interceptions last season.
Brown is having a strong campaign. The 5-foot-9, 178-pound speedster has scored a team-high 11 touchdowns while rushing for 812 yards on 140 carries.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to use the (Collinsville) win to motivate us to keep going,鈥 Wilkinson said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 given us the confidence to make a run happen.鈥
