Notre Dame was completely ignored in the preseason. The Dons were not ranked in the preseason Super 25 and star quarterback Anthony Sayles didn’t make the list of the area’s 50 best players.
Four weeks into the season that looks foolish. Notre Dame is undefeated and has been extremely impressive the past two weeks, beating Marist and Providence on the road.
Sayles has been excellent this season and has a flair for coming through in the clutch. The Dons were 7-of-12 on third down in the win against Providence in Week 4.
Another key for Notre Dame has been running back Julian Schurr. The Dons seemingly had a major hole to replace in graduated all-around star Ty Gavin, but Schurr is stepping up nicely. The 5-7 senior was a regular last season but has now assumed a starring role.
Schurr had 57 and 21-yard touchdown runs against Providence and gained 136 yards.
The Dons host rival St. Patrick in Week 5 and No. 12 Montini in Week 6, so plenty of tests remain.
Naperville Central breaks the losing streak
There was a ton of hype around Naperville Central to start the season and then nothing went according to plan for the Redhawks. They lost their first three games of the season (Hinsdale Central, Lincoln-Way East, Pickerington Central Ohio). Those are all high-quality teams, but 0-3 is especially bad in a system that requires at least five wins to qualify for the playoffs.
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So Naperville Central’s 42-13 win against Metea Valley in Week 4 was huge, especially considering the meat-grinder schedule ahead for the Redhawks .
Junior quarterback Sam Jackson was the catalyst with three touchdown runs and 101 yards on the ground. He was 11-for-13 passing for 174 yards.
Fox Valley confusion
No one is writing off the Fox Valley. It’s been a tremendously successful conference in the postseason over the past few seasons. But this is the first time in awhile that there isn’t a conference representative in the Super 25.
Cary-Grove dropped out after losing to Huntley in Week 4. Put an asterisk next to it though. Starting quarterback Luke Eleftheriou left with an injury after one quarter.
There is currently a five-way tie at the top of the conference between Cary-Grove, Huntley, Jacobs, Prairie Ridge and McHenry.
South suburban showdown
There is only one game in Week 5 between ranked teams but it should be excellent.
No. 6 Homewood-Flossmoor will face No. 1 Lincoln-Way East in Frankfort on Friday. Both teams are undefeated. The Griffins beat No. 15 Bolingbrook 20-10 in Week 4 despite starting quarterback Kyle Quinn missing the entire second half with an injury.
Michigan recruit AJ Henning stepped up and carried the load, shifting from receiver to running back. He finished with 189 yards of offense and scored on a 29-yard run in the third quarter.
The Vikings haven’t been challenged so far this season, beating TF North, Mishawaka, Ind., Andrew and Lockport by a combined score of 164-41.
