Well, that was an opening weekend. Six of the preseason Super 25 teams lost: Nazareth, Loyola, Maine South, Batavia, Naperville Central and Simeon. That resulted in a massive shakeup for Week 2.
Dropping out
Barrington (0-1): The Broncos lost 16-6 at Warren. The Blue Devils had one of the area’s best defenses last year and picked up right where they left off. This was probably my toughest dump from the rankings, but there were some teams that picked up big wins and deserved a spot.
Lake Zurich (0-1): The Bears lost on the road to Fremd 24-6.
Oak Park (0-1): Waubonsie Valley knocked off the Huskies 23-14. It doesn’t get any easier for Oak Park, which hosts Willowbrook in Week 2.
Simeon (0-1): There isn’t any shame in losing on the road to Baltimore St. Frances, ranked No. 6 in the country by USA Today. However it is a bit concerning that the Wolverines were shut out 55-0 and were down 42-0 at halftime. It’s way too early to give up on Simeon after one lopsided loss to a great team, but they are just out of the Super 25 for now.
New additions
Fremd (1-0): This was a team that I really wanted to rank in the preseason but I wimped out at the last minute and went with a few more historically successful programs. The Vikings have 14 returning starters (seven on offense, seven on defense) from a group that made the playoffs. They knocked off preseason-ranked Lake Zurich 24-6.
Hinsdale Central (1-0): A new coach and a weird off season were big concerns heading into the season. None of that seemed to bother the Red Devils at all. Hinsdale Central went on the road and shut down what was expected to be a high-octane Naperville Central offense.
Neuqua Valley (1-0): The Wildcats opened the season strong with a 27-10 win against Glenbard North. Junior running back Armani Moreno ran for 105 yards and two touchdowns.
St. Rita (1-0): Kaleb Brown is on his way to becoming a star. The sophomore running back scored two touchdowns as the Mustangs knocked off Joliet Catholic, the defending Class 5A champs, 41-14.
Week 2’s Super 25
With record and last week’s ranking
1. Lincoln-Way East (1-0) 3
Friday at No. 23 Naperville Central
2. Loyola (0-1) 2
Saturday vs. New Trier
3. Nazareth (0-1) 1
Friday vs. Curie
4. Glenbard West (1-0) 16
Saturday vs. Leyden
5. Batavia (0-1) 5
Friday at Naperville North
6. Richards (1-0) 6
Friday vs. No. 17 St. Rita
7. Montini (1-0) 7
Friday vs. Collins
8. Brother Rice (1-0) 12
Friday vs. Perspectives
9. Phillips (1-0) 11
Saturday vs. St. Louis St. Mary’s
10. Homewood-Flossmoor (1-0) 10
Friday at Penn Mishawaka, Ind.
11. St. Charles North (1-0) 13
Friday vs. Carmel
12. Mount Carmel (1-0) 14
Friday at No. 25 Maine South
13. Warren (1-0) 15
Friday vs. Glenbard North
14. Prairie Ridge (1-0) 18
Friday vs. Hampshire
15. Hinsdale Central (1-0) NR
Friday at Morton
16. Providence (1-0) 22
Friday vs. Morgan Park
17. St. Rita (1-0) NR
Friday at No. 6 Richards
18. Minooka (1-0) 20
Friday at Plainfield South
19. Crete-Monee (1-0) 21
Friday at Kankakee
20. Cary-Grove (1-0) 21
Friday vs. Crystal Lake Central
21. Fremd (1-0) NR
Friday at Hersey
22. Neuqua Valley (1-0) NR
Friday at Stevenson
23. Naperville Central (0-1) 8
Friday vs. No. 1 Lincoln-Way East
24. Marist (1-0) 25
Friday at Lake Zurich
25. Maine South (0-1) 4
Friday vs. No. 12 Mount Carmel
