One sophomore making plenty of noise this high school season in Illinois right now is Luke Blackford. With his play of late for Calvary Academy, he is emerging as one of the better guards in Illinois’ 2026 class.
While not even halfway through his high school career, Blackford has already scored his one thousand point recently. He has proven to be one of the better scorers in Central Illinois this season while having games of 39 and 36 points already to be averaging 21 points. This is along with 8 rebounds and 3 assists per game.
“Versatile guard who can use his size to get into the lane, can extend out to the three and finish through contact. Rebound well, play good defense,” Blackford said when describing his own game. One aspect the sophomore said about improving his play was his athleticism and handle though also added in “but I could use improvement on everything.”
With this, Blackford has started to get on the radar of some college programs. Some of the schools showing early interest in the sophomore include Columbia, Eastern Illinois, Illinois-Springfield, and Utah State.
“Win regionals first, but end goal is to win state,” he said about what is up next for him. Following his remarkable sophomore season, Blackford will be playing with Frontline.