Michael O’Brien’s Super 25 high school football rankings for Week 5

The schedule has led to covering way too many CCL/ESCC games and not enough of the rest of the area. That always makes rankings harder, when all you have to judge on is scores and not actually seeing teams.

That will start to change here in Week 5. I’m planning to cover Neuqua Valley at Naperville Central on Friday and Cary-Grove at Prairie Ridge on Saturday.

Several big names dropped out this week after losing. Wheaton Warrenville South, Homewood-Flossmoor, Barrington and St. Charles North are all gone for now.

Palatine returns after knocking off Maine South. Prairie Ridge is back on the eve of the big showdown with Cary-Grove and Crete-Monee and Glenbard North make their season debuts.

Week 5’s Super 25

With record and last week’s ranking

1. Loyola (4-0) 1
Friday at Fenwick

2. Mount Carmel (4-0) 6
Friday at St. Ignatius

3. Brother Rice (3-1) 3
Friday at De La Salle

4. Joliet Catholic (4-0) 5
Friday vs. No. 25 Crete-Monee

5. Naperville Central (3-1) 8
Friday at No. 7 Neuqua Valley

6. Marist (3-1) 4
Friday at Marmion

7. Neuqua Valley (4-0) 11
Friday vs. No. 5 Naperville Central

8. Glenbard West (4-0) 9
Friday at Addison Trail

9. Lincoln-Way East (3-1) 10
Friday at No. 17 Bolingbrook

10. Cary-Grove (4-0) 12
Saturday vs. No. 23 Prairie Ridge

11. Maine South (3-1) 2
Friday at Glenbrook North

12. Warren (3-1) 7
Friday vs. Stevenson

13. Batavia (4-0) 13
Friday vs. No. 24 Glenbard North

14. Wheaton North (3-1) 14
Friday vs. Lake Park

15. St. Rita (2-2) 15
Friday vs. St. Patrick

16. Hersey (4-0) 16
Friday at Elk Grove

17. Bolingbrook (4-0) 17
Friday vs. No. 9 Lincoln-Way East

18. Lockport (4-0) 20
Friday at Sandburg

19. Oswego East (4-0) 19
Friday at West Aurora

20. Lemont (4-0) 21
Friday vs. TF North

21. Hinsdale Central (3-1) 25
Friday at Oak Park

22. Palatine (2-2) NR
Friday at Schaumburg

23. Prairie Ridge (4-0) NR
Saturday at Cary-Grove

24. Glenbard North (4-0) NR
Friday at No. 13 Batavia

25. Crete-Monee (3-1) NR
Friday at No. 4 Joliet Catholic