This was a difficult week. It’s hard to remember a more impactful Week 9 in the Super 25. There were hard decisions and I spent a good part of the morning looking over team resumes.
Heading into Week 9, based on what I had seen this season, I believed Lincoln-Way East, Mount Carmel, Loyola and Nazareth were alone in the area’s top tier.
For the second time this season, St. Francis shook that up, and this time, there is no easy explanation. Loyola didn’t have Ryan Fitzgerald against the Spartans, but St. Francis beat a full-strength Nazareth.
So St. Francis jumps from unranked up to No. 12. Why are the Spartans below Loyola and Nazareth? Because they lost at home to Providence and St. Rita.
Lyons jumps into the top five and Oswego is into the top 10. Both teams deserve credit for undefeated seasons against good schedules.
DuKane conference fans may be alarmed by this week’s update. Geneva, which lost to St. Charles North, dropped to No. 19 and Batavia dropped to No. 20 after a win.
Longtime readers will remember that I’ve generally given DuKane teams the benefit of the doubt. It’s been one of the strongest conferences in the state over the past decade. I haven’t been impressed with the conference this year though, and the rankings now reflect that.
St. Charles North, which beat Geneva, doesn’t return to the rankings. The North Stars have a worthy Super 25 resume, but they weren’t competitive when I covered them at Batavia this season and that has stuck in my mind.
But it is playoff time, so all this will be sorted out on the field over the next month. Dates and times for the first-round games will be released on Monday afternoon.
Super 25 high school football rankings for Week 10
With record and last week’s ranking
1. Lincoln-Way East (9-0) 1
8A: vs. Niles West
2. Loyola (7-2) 4
8A: vs. Belleville East
3. Mount Carmel (6-3) 2
7A: at Harlem
4. Lyons (9-0) 7
8A: vs. Joliet West
5. Cary-Grove (9-0) 6
6A: vs. Senn
6. Nazareth (7-2) 3
5A: vs. Payton
7. Downers Grove North (7-2) 8
7A: vs. Wheaton-Warrenville South
8. St. Rita (7-2) 9
7A: vs. Rockford Guilford
9. Oswego (9-0) 11
8A: vs. Waubonsie Valley
10. Naperville Central (8-1) 10
8A: vs. Schaumburg
11. Kankakee (8-1) 12
6A: vs. Glenbard South
12. St. Francis (7-2) NR
5A: vs. Sterling
13. Joliet Catholic (6-3) 13
5A: vs. Jacksonville
14. Marist (8-1) 14
8A: vs. Glenbrook South
15. Palatine (8-1) 19
8A: vs. Warren
16. Morgan Park (8-1) 16
5A: vs. Tinley Park
17. Brother Rice (6-3) 17
7A: at Fenwick
18. Fenwick (7-2) 18
7A: vs. Brother Rice
19. Geneva (8-1) 5
6A: vs. Amundsen
20. Batavia (8-1) 15
7A: vs. Collinsville
21. Naperville North (7-2) 21
8A: vs. Maine South
22. Fremd (8-1) 20
8A: vs. Andrew
23. Prospect (7-2) 23
7A: vs. Hersey
24. Maine South (6-3) 24
8A: at Naperville North
25. Sycamore (9-0) 25
5A: vs. Bulls Prep