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

There is a new No. 1 for the first time since 2021.

SHARE Michael O’Brien’s Super 25 high school football rankings for Week 10
Loyola’s Michael Baker (11) celebrates his touchdown against Mount Carmel amongst teammates.

Loyola’s Michael Baker (11) celebrates his touchdown against Mount Carmel amongst teammates.

Kirsten Stickney/For the Sun-Times

Mount Carmel has been the king of the Super 25 for an astounding 426 days. The Caravan has been ranked No. 1 since Aug. 23, 2022. They were the preseason top-ranked team to begin last season. That means Mount Carmel has been No. 1 for 25 consecutive Super 25’s.

It’s been 694 days since another team was ranked No. 1. That was Cary-Grove back at the end of the 2021 season.

Loyola, no stranger to the top spot, takes hold of the crown after beating Mount Carmel on Saturday.

The Caravan doesn’t have long to respond to the loss in Wilmette. They will have their hands full in the first round of the Class 7A state playoffs against rival St. Rita.

The Mustangs, however, are one of the four teams that dropped out of the rankings this week. St. Rita lost to Brother Rice. I resisted the urge to pop the Crusaders back into the rankings, but they should give Batavia a stern test in the first round.

Naperville Central falls out after losing to Neuqua Valley. I don’t know what to do with DuPage Valley teams. It will be very interesting to monitor how they do in the playoffs.

Joliet Catholic drops out after losing to St. Ignatius. It’s very possible the Hilltoppers have been coasting by on their reputation and may have not been a Super 25 caliber team this season.

Geneva, IC Catholic and Kenwood all return to the rankings and Huntley makes its season debut.

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

1. Loyola (9-0) 2
8A: vs. Plainfield North

2. Mount Carmel (8-1) 1
7A: vs. St. Rita

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

4. Batavia (8-1) 4
7A: vs. Brother Rice

5. Maine South (8-1) 5
8A: vs. Lockport

6. Hersey (9-0) 6
7A: vs. Wheaton-Warrenville South

7. Barrington (9-0) 7
8A: vs. Glenbrook South

8. York (8-1) 8
8A: vs. Homewood-Flossmoor

9. Prairie Ridge (9-0) 9
5A: vs. Nazareth

10. Kankakee (9-0) 10
6A: vs. Bremen

11. St. Francis (7-2) 14
5A: vs. Rochelle

12. Morgan Park (8-1) 12
5A: vs. Corliss

13. Warren (7-2) 13
8A: vs. Oswego

14. Carmel (8-1) 17
5A: vs. Lindblom

15. Lake Zurich (8-1) 19
6A: vs. Crystal Lake Central

16. Morris (9-0) 21
5A: vs. Tinley Park

17. Downers Grove North (7-2) 22
7A: vs. No. 25 Kenwood

18. Glenbard West (7-2) 23
8A: vs. Naperville North

19. Wheaton North (6-3) 24
7A: vs. Young

20. Prospect (7-2) 25
7A: vs. Buffalo Grove

21. Geneva (7-2) NR
6A: vs. Senn

22. Sycamore (8-1) 20
5A: vs. Evergreen Park

23. IC Catholic (7-2) NR
4A: vs. Geneseo

24. Huntley (8-1) NR
8A: vs. Niles West

25. Kenwood (6-3) NR
7A: at No. 17 Downers Grove North

The Latest
On Aug. 20,1972, this reporter was assigned to cover the hordes of hippies, yippies, women’s libbers, Marxists, gay rights advocates, Black Panthers, and anti-Vietnam war vets tenting, talking, and toking it up in Miami’s Flamingo Park before the Republican National Convention kicked off.
Restaurants and bars anticipate a big revenue boost from the city’s outdoor dining program — especially with key summer events like NASCAR and the Democratic National Convention.
Vaughn, who slumped most of April, entered Friday’s game in St. Louis batting .308 in his last six games
The Cubs (19-14) and Alzolay need to find answers to his struggles.
If any longtime watchers of the Cubs and Brewers didn’t know which manager was in which dugout Friday at Wrigley Field, they might have assumed the hotshot with the richest contract ever for a big-league skipper was still on the visitors’ side.