Super 25 football rankings for Week 14: Brother Rice moves up to No. 1 for state title game

By Beth Long

Brother Rice’s Anthony Arquilla (14) outruns the last Marist defender to score a touchdown as the Crusaders go on to win their semi-final game 14-3, Chicago, llinois, November 17, 2018. | Allen Cunningham / for Chicago Sun-Times

The two teams that perched atop the Sun-Times’ Super 25 for most of the 2018 season found themselves on the losing end in the IHSA playoff semifinals. Lincoln-Way East (12-1), which often looked so unbeatable over the past two years, fell to Loyola (10-3) in a rematch of last year’s Class 8A title game. In Class 7A, Batavia (12-1) suffered the same fate in a semifinal loss to Nazareth (12-1).

The result is a much different order to this week’s Super 25 with just one week remaining in the postseason. Brother Rice (13-0), which toppled Marist (11-2) in the semifinals, moves up to No. 1 before it faces Loyola with a state title on the line. The Ramblers leapt up from No. 12 to No. 3 after their thrilling upset of the Griffins.

Nazareth, Lincoln-Way East and Marist round out the top five, although only one of them will be playing next weekend. St. Charles North (10-3) was another big mover from No. 18 to No. 7 after pulling off the upset of Mount Carmel (11-2), which was unable to put the clamps on North Stars senior back Tyler Nubin, who ran for nearly 150 yards in the victory.

Ten of the 16 teams set to play Friday/Saturday in the state championship games are included in this week’s Super 25. Teams from Classes 1A through 3A missed out, but everyone from Classes 4A through 8A made it. Here are the full Super 25 rankings entering championship game week for the 2018 season.

With record and last week’s ranking

1. Brother Rice (13-0) 3

Saturday vs. Loyola

2. Nazareth (12-1) 5

Saturday vs. St. Charles North

3. Loyola (10-3) 12

Saturday vs. Brother Rice

4. Lincoln-Way East (12-1) 1

SEASON OVER

5. Marist (11-2) 4

SEASON OVER

6. Batavia (12-1) 2