In two Top-10 matchups in the final week of the regular season, Loyola hosts Mount Carmel — and Hersey travels to Prospect.
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Last week’s rankings in parentheses.
1. Lincoln-Way East 8-0 (1): Jacob Onik and Jimeto Okafor had two sacks each as the Griffins recorded their third straight shutout against Lockport.
NEXT: Friday vs. Lincoln-Way West.
2. Loyola 8-0 (2): The Ramblers were knocked on their heels by IC Catholic but recovered to win the second half 24-0 and stay undefeated.
NEXT: Friday vs. No. 4 Mount Carmel.
3. Brother Rice 6-2 (3): Freshman quarterback Sam Holcomb returned after missing a game while the defense recorded the Crusaders’ third shutout against DePaul Prep.
NEXT: Friday vs. Marist.
4. Mount Carmel 6-2 (4): Quarterback Brady Cloherty threw for 291 yards in the first half as the Caravan cruised past Joliet Catholic.
NEXT: Friday at No. 2 Loyola.
5. IC Catholic 7-1 (5): Teams like St. Ignatius and St. Rita couldn’t hang with Loyola. The Knights, ticketed for the 3A playoffs, held a lead against the Ramblers in the fourth quarter.
NEXT: Friday vs. Joliet Catholic.
6. Hersey 8-0 (6): The Huskies have breezed through their schedule behind Kentucky recruit Jake Nawrot, so there’s plenty to prove this week.
NEXT: Friday at No. 7 Prospect.
7. Prospect 8-0 (7): The Knights fell behind 14-0 against Buffalo Grove before cranking up the offense. EIU recruit Jackson Cacini ran for two touchdowns and threw for 238 yards.
NEXT: Friday vs. No. 6 Hersey.
8. Oswego 7-1 (8): Quarterback Drew Kleinhans connected on two long TD passes to South Dakota State recruit Ryan Wynn as the Panthers pulled away from Minooka.
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NEXT: Friday at Oswego East.
9. Geneva 7-1 (9): Nelson Wendell rushed for 133 yards and five TDs as the Vikings scored 42 points against a Wheaton North defense that hadn’t allowed more than 28.
NEXT: Friday at St. Charles East.
10. Huntley 8-0 (10): Chase Hojnacki rushed for 204 yards and four TDs while Malik Carter threw for 162 yards in the Red Raiders’ win over Burlington Central.
NEXT: Friday at McHenry.
11. Providence 6-2 (11): Quarterback Dominic Vita piled up 261 combined passing and rushing yards, accounting for five TDs, in the first half of the Celtics’ win over Marian Catholic.
NEXT: Friday vs. No. 13 St. Ignatius.
12. Batavia 6-2 (12): Western Michigan recruit Darin Ashiru nears 1,000 receiving yards for the season after piling up 10 catches in the Bulldogs’ win over St. Charles East.
NEXT: Friday vs. Wheaton Warrenville South.
13. St. Ignatius 6-2 (13): Charlie Klaas scored a pair of TDs on 63-yard and 21-yard catches as the Wolfpack beat Leo.
NEXT: Friday at No. 11 Providence.
14. Downers Grove North 7-1 (14): The defense delivered another solid effort in a win over Lyons. The Trojans haven’t allowed more than 14 points in regulation this season.
NEXT: Friday at Proviso East.
15. Maine South 7-1 (15): The Hawks scored 51 points in the first half of a win against Evanston. Syracuse recruit Matthew Schlenhardt opened the scoring with a 66-yard run.
NEXT: Friday at Glenbrook South.
16. Bolingbrook 7-1 (16): Quarterback Tyson Ward threw for three TDs and ran for another for the Raiders, who had no problem with Plainfield North.
NEXT: Friday at Minooka.
17. Montini 6-2 (17): Miami recruit Israel Abrams threw for 234 yards in one half of the Broncos’ win over Marmion and has 25 TD passes this season.
NEXT: Friday vs. St. Francis.
18. Homewood-Flossmoor 6-2 (18): Jaylen McDonald‘s blocked punt was the start of a rout at Bradley-Bourbonnais as Layden Williams ran for two TDs.
NEXT: Friday at Andrew.
19. Morgan Park 7-1 (20): William Smith Jr.’s 2-yard TD run with 1:47 left secured the Mustangs’ win over King and clinched the Public League Red Star title.
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NEXT: Saturday vs. Kenwood at Lane.
20. Fenwick 5-3 (21): Jake Thies was responsible for the Friars’ first four scores in a win over St. Viator with a 36-yard run, two TD catches and a safety.
NEXT: Friday vs. Carmel.
21. St. Rita 5-3 (22): John Fennell threw for a school-record 322 yards while TJ Burgos caught three TDs passes totaling 132 yards in the Mustangs’ win over Benet.
NEXT: Friday at Nazareth.
22. Sandburg 6-2 (23): Nasir Dixon ran for three TDs, including a 52-yarder, while the defense tossed a shutout against Stagg.
NEXT: Friday at Bradley-Bourbonnais.
23. Morris 8-0 (24): Quarterback Marion Persich, who transferred from LaSalle-Peru in the spring, returned to beat his old team 50-0.
NEXT: Friday at Cahokia.
24. Lyons 6-2 (19): The Lions controlled the second half against Downers Grove North, but their comeback fell short after they trailed 17-0 at halftime.
NEXT: Friday at York.
25. New Trier 7-1 (NR): Behind Purdue recruit Jackie Ryder, the Trevians beat Glenbrook South for the first time in five years and have seven victories for the first time since 2018.
NEXT: Friday vs. Evanston at Northwestern.
Others to watch: Wheaton Warrenville South, Antioch, York, Nazareth, Naperville North, Jacobs, Plainfield South.