Michael O’Brien’s Super 25 high school football rankings for Week 13

Brother Rice celebrates during the game against Mount Carmel. | Kirsten Stickney/For the Sun-Times

The quarterfinals delivered excellent games. There weren’t many blowouts in the area. Even though some of the final scores were slightly lopsided, the games were closer than they appeared.

Lemont even kept things respectable against mighty East St. Louis, losing 42-21.

This is kind of an awkward week for the rankings. I like to keep the teams that are still playing higher than the ones that aren’t, in general. But it’s impossible to ignore that squads like Batavia and Neuqua Valley would likely beat many teams still alive. So bear with me for a week or two. Everything will iron out in the final rankings.

It’s been a long while since the top five changed, hasn’t it? There hasn’t been an earth-shattering upset yet in the playoffs.

IC Catholic, Wilmington and Sycamore are still playing for state titles so they’ve made season debuts in the rankings.

In case you don’t follow things on Twitter religiously, Kaleb Brown is back scoring touchdowns for St. Rita. All of a sudden the preseason No. 1 team is looking very dangerous again.

Week 13’s Super 25

With record and last week’s ranking

1. Loyola (12-0) 1

8A: vs. No. 8 Lockport

2. Joliet Catholic (12-0) 2

4A: at No. 20 Richmond-Burton

3. Brother Rice (10-2) 3

7A: at No. 6 Wheaton North

4. Maine South (11-1) 4

8A: at No. 10 Marist

5. Cary-Grove (12-0) 5

6A: vs. No. 18 Lake Forest

6. Wheaton North (11-1) 6

7A: vs. No. 3 Brother Rice

7. St. Rita (10-2) 10

7A: vs. No. 17 Prospect

8. Lockport (11-1) 12

8A: at No. 1 Loyola

9. Fenwick (10-2) 9

5A: vs. No. 19 Sycamore

10. Marist (9-3) 18

8A: vs. No. 4 Maine South

11. Neuqua Valley (10-2) 7

Season complete

12. Lincoln-Way East (9-3) 11

Season complete

13. Mount Carmel (8-4) 8

Season complete

14. Glenbard North (8-4) 14

Season complete

15. Kankakee (12-0) 15

5A: vs. Morton, IL

16. Crete-Monee (9-3) 16

6A: vs. East St. Louis

17. Prospect (10-2) 20

7A: at No. 7 St. Rita

18. Lake Forest (10-2) 23

6A: at No. 5 Cary-Grove

19. Sycamore (9-3) NR

5A: at No. 9 Fenwick

20. Richmond-Burton (12-0) 24

4A: vs. No. 2 Joliet Catholic

21. IC Catholic (11-2) NR

3A: vs. Byron

22. Wilmington (12-0) NR

2A: vs. Tri-Valley

23. Lemont (11-1) 13

Season complete

24. Batavia (10-1) NR

Season complete

25. Warren (9-2) NR

Season complete