Michael O’Brien’s final Super 25 Chicago high school football rankings

The season is in the books. Picking one undefeated state championship team over another undefeated state championship for the final No. 1 spot is one of real perils of this job.

In the end, Lincoln-Way East’s postseason gauntlet where it knocked off Notre Dame, Homewood-Flossmoor, Marist and Warren convinced me to go with the Griffins in the top spot.

It’s been a remarkable three-year run for Lincoln-Way East. The Griffins were undefeated and won the state title in 2017-18, they finished 12-1 and lost in the semis last last season. That’s 40-1 with two state championships.

Prairie Ridge gets bumped up a few spots in the final rankings. The Wolves really did give East St. Louis all it could handle on Saturday. The game was tied at halftime and if a couple breaks fall Prairie Ridge’s way in the second half, who knows what happens.

Next season seems to be set up nicely, with Mount Carmel and Nazareth jockeying for the preseason No. 1. The Caravan returns Justin Lynch and Kenenna Odeluga and the Roadrunners have JJ McCarthy and Tyler Morris back. Probably a good bet we will see both schools add a player or two as well.

Want to see how the final rankings compare with the preseason rankings?

Preseason record is also listed after the records below.

1. Lincoln-Way East (14-0) 3

2. Mount Carmel (14-0) 14

3. Nazareth (13-1) 1

4. Warren (13-1) 15

5. Prairie Ridge (12-2) 18

6. Brother Rice (8-5) 12

7. Marist (8-5) 25

8. St. Rita (10-4) NR

9. Willowbrook (11-2) NR

10. Rolling Meadows (12-1) NR

11. Loyola (8-4) 2

12. Homewood-Flossmoor (10-2) 10

13. Glenbard West (10-1) 16

14. Hillcrest (10-2) NR

15. Neuqua Valley (9-2) NR

16. Notre Dame (8-3) NR

17. Cary-Grove (9-3) 24

18. Minooka (11-1) 20

19. Bolingbrook (8-4) NR

20. Batavia (9-3) 5

21. Deerfield (10-3) NR

22. Richards (10-2) 6

23. Providence (8-4) 22

24. Huntley (9-2) NR

25. Maine South (7-3) 4