Lincoln-Way East leaps to No. 1 after a season-opening win over Brother Rice and Mount Carmel’s loss to East St. Louis.
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Last week’s rankings in parentheses.
1. Lincoln-Way East 1-0 (9): Quarterback Evan LeFevour, who got his feet wet late last season when Jonas Williams was injured, engineered a huge upset of Brother Rice in the opener.
NEXT: Friday at Kankakee.
2. Batavia 1-0 (4): Quarterback Michael Vander Luitgaren may be underrated, but he has some great targets in Darin Ashiru (Western Michigan), Brennon Zeng (NIU) and Thomas Prescott (Wyoming).
NEXT: Friday at Rochester.
3. Mount Carmel 0-1 (1): Focus will be on quarterback after Plainfield East transfer Brady Cloherty finished the Caravan’s loss to East St. Louis following starter Ryder Startz’s injury.
NEXT: Friday vs. St. Joseph Regional of New Jersey.
4. Montini 1-0 (3): Before beating Hoopeston, the Broncos dedicated their field in the name of longtime coach Chris Andriano, who won six state titles.
NEXT: Friday at Sandburg.
5. Brother Rice 0-1 (2): Nice debut for freshman quarterback Sam Holcomb, who split time with senior Rocco Galasso against Lincoln-Way East.
NEXT: Friday vs. UC Woodlawn.
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6. Oswego 1-0 (7): Running back Ammar Banire followed strong blocking to gain 235 yards, including a 93-yard burst, against Neuqua Valley.
NEXT: Friday at Geneva.
7. Loyola 1-0 (8): Carmelo Maldonado and Jayden Garrett each rushed for 100 yards for the Ramblers, who led Warren 21-0 after one quarter.
NEXT: Friday at Indianapolis Cathedral.
8. Providence 1-0 (10): Broden Mackert scored the game-winner on a 5-yard run with 4:25 left to clinch the Celtics’ hard-fought win at St. Rita.
NEXT: Friday vs. Kenwood.
9. IC Catholic 1-0 (NR): Quarterback Nate Lang threw for three touchdowns and running back Jakobe Baldwin gained 204 yards in the Knights’ impressive win over Nazareth.
NEXT: Friday at St. Mary’s South Side of Missouri.
10. Glenbard West 1-0 (13): Tight end Brady Johnson (Northwestern) pulled off one of the all-time Randy Moss-style catches for a touchdown against Lockport.
NEXT: Saturday vs. St. Rita.
11. Hersey 1-0 (16): Quarterback Jake Nawrot (Kentucky) opened with 273 passing yards against Carmel, while running back Jackson Travis rushed for 116 yards.
NEXT: Friday at Hoffman Estates.
12. Homewood-Flossmoor 1-0 (24): Defensive line, led by Ryan Koprowski and David Hill, caused problems in the Vikings’ shutout of Bolingbrook.
NEXT: Friday vs. Richards.
13. St. Francis 0-1 (6): Spartans opened with a loss to New Palestine, a two-time defending Indiana state champion, but Tivias Caldwell Jr. rushed for 148 yards.
NEXT: Friday vs. Clemente.
14. Geneva 1-0 (17): State champion sprinter Bennett Konkey (Illinois) rang in the new season with a 100-yard kickoff return, followed by two long receiving touchdowns.
NEXT: Friday vs. Oswego.
15. Downers Grove North 1-0 (15): Backup quarterback Joe Goodwin delivered a clutch 65-yard TD pass to Grant Georgas to secure a narrow win over Morgan Park.
NEXT: Friday vs. Downers Grove South.
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16. Fenwick 1-0 (18): On the first play of the season, quarterback Myles Hill found Jimmy Watts for an 84-yard touchdown pass against Joliet Catholic.
NEXT: Friday at Oak Park-River Forest.
17. Prospect 1-0 (21): Matthew Donnelly rushed for 175 yards and two touchdowns and added a long kickoff return for a score in a convincing win at Stevenson.
NEXT: Friday vs. St. Laurence.
18. Lyons 1-0 (NR): EJ Kuhlman ran for 132 yards, while the Lions defense had a solid plan to slow down Barrington’s rushing attack.
NEXT: Friday at Wheaton Warrenville South.
19. York 1-0 (20): Quarterback Zack Assaad threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as the Dukes held off Glenbrook South.
NEXT: Friday at Nazareth.
20. Sandburg 1-0 (19): Max Fahey threw four touchdown passes in place of injured starter Sean Ruisz, securing a victory over Riverside-Brookfield.
NEXT: Friday vs. Montini.
21. Nazareth 0-1 (5): Quarterback JJ Chapman, a transfer from Wisconsin, threw for 303 yards against IC Catholic.
NEXT: Friday vs. York.
22. Maine South 0-1 (12): Run game was effective in the Hawks’ loss to Batavia, as Payton Donaldson and Matthew Schlenhardt each gained 100 yards.
NEXT: Friday vs. Warren.
23. DePaul Prep 1-0 (NR): Tyson Hooks rushed for 160 yards, while George Farrell had three interceptions in the Rams’ win over Richards.
NEXT: Friday vs. Lane Tech.
24. New Trier 1-0 (NR): Throy Nightingale Jr., a transfer from Notre Dame Prep, raced for a 67-yard touchdown the first time he touched the ball against Naperville North.
NEXT: Friday at Waubonsie Valley.
25. St. Charles North 1-0 (NR): Senior Landon Conroy and sophomore Dashel Von Qualen split time at quarterback in the North Stars’ victory over playoff regular Minooka.
NEXT: Friday at South Elgin.
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Others to watch: St. Patrick, St. Rita, Fremd, Wheaton Warrenville South, Downers Grove South, Lockport, Hinsdale Central, Marist, Crystal Lake South.