High school football: Michael O’Brien’s Super 25 rankings for Week 10

Naperville North returns. South Elgin and IC Catholic debut.

By Michael O’Brien

Mount Carmel’s Damarrion Arrington (1) catches a pass for a first down on a fake punt.

Mount Carmel at Loyola lived up to the hype, providing a spectacular ending to the regular season. The Caravan’s win also keeps things simple at the top of the Super 25.

Everything remains stable to No. 20, where Naperville North returns. The Huskies were highly ranked in the preseason and looked very good picking up a road win at Naperville Central on Thursday. The Redhawks have dropped out.

Two other teams fall after losing in Week 9: St. Francis and Kankakee.

The decision to drop St. Francis was easy, the Spartans lost to IC Catholic. The Knights are one of the most consistent programs in the state and slot into the rankings in St. Francis’ place.

It was more difficult deciding what to do with Kankakee. The Kays are loaded with individual talent and played in the Class 5A state championship last season. Kankakee lost to Nazareth early in the season and to Crete-Monee on the road in Week 9. Both games were close, but the Kays didn’t look like a team ready for playoff success on Friday. Too many penalties and far too much reliance on big plays. They remain a threat in Class 5A, but are out of the rankings for now.

Week 10’s Super 25
With record and last week’s ranking

1. Mount Carmel (9-0) 1
7A: vs. Buffalo Grove

2. Loyola (8-1) 2
8A: vs. Plainfield South

3. Lincoln-Way East (9-0) 3
8A: vs. Conant

4. York (9-0) 4
8A: vs. Oswego East

5. Simeon (9-0) 5
6A: vs. Oak Forest

6. Glenbard West (8-1) 6
8A: vs. Lockport

7. Hersey (9-0) 7
7A: vs. Argo

8. Lemont (9-0) 8
6A: vs. Eisenhower

9. Prospect (8-1) 9
7A: vs. Reavis

10. Marist (6-3) 10
8A: at No. 20 Naperville North

11. St. Rita (7-2) 11
7A: vs. Geneva