
Chase Pankey and Archbishop Moeller have racked up four impressive wins to remain No. 1 in the Midwest Top 25 rankings.
Photo by Wayne Litmer
In the fourth edition of the weekly Midwest Top 25 football rankings, the first 11 teams remained the same, but newcomers appear at No. 19, 22, 23 and 25.
Be sure to check out the new
MaxPreps Metro pages for some of the regions listed below.
MaxPreps Midwest Top 25 Football Rankings1. (1 last week) Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati) 4-0Moeller defeated St. Xavier (Louisville, Ky.) 24-12 behind the running of
Jack Gruber (108 yards and one touchdown) and
Gus Ragland (96 yards and one touchdown). Sophomore
Matt Coghlin added a 44-yard field goal.
Next: Friday vs. No. 6 St. Xavier (Cincinnati) at the University of Cincinnati
2. (2) Colerain (Cincinnati) 4-0Senior linebacker
Aric Johnson made 11 tackles during a 35-7 victory over Lakota East (Liberty Township, Ohio).
Kelvin Cook ran for 120 yards and
Jalen Christian returned a fumble for a 90-yard touchdown despite heavy rain.
Next: Friday vs. Hamilton (Ohio)
3. (3) Mount Carmel (Chicago) 4-0The Caravan avoided an upset on coach Frank Lenti's 62nd birthday by defeating rival Brother Rice (Chicago) 28-20.
Matt Domer ran for 121 yards and scored three touchdowns, while
Brian Kane kicked two field goals.
Next: Friday at St. Rita (Chicago)
4. (4) St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio) 4-0The Eagles flew past previously unbeaten and No. 23-ranked Elder (Cincinnati) 48-7.
Brett Kean completed 14 of 21 passes for 229 yards and one touchdown. Junior
Shaun Crawford scored on a 76-yard run and a 63-yard punt return.
Matt Ramser kicked a pair of field goals.
Next: Friday vs. McDowell (Erie, Pa.)
5. (5) Cass Tech (Detroit) 4-0Mike Weber ran 18 times for 204 yards and three touchdowns during a 30-6 victory over Cody (Detroit). Senior linebacker
William White made 14 tackles, five for losses, while also making an interception and recovering a fumble.
Next: Friday vs. Central (Detroit)
6. (6) St. Xavier (Cincinnati) 3-1The Bombers defeated Cathedral (Indianapolis) 15-6 in a driving rainstorm. Junior
Ben Glines shook off the bad weather, however, to carry 44 times for 251 yards.
Next: Friday vs. No. 1-ranked Moeller (Cincinnati) at the University of Cincinnati
7. (7) Brother Rice (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) 4-0The Warriors nipped De La Salle (Warren, Mich.) 26-24 on the final play of the game. De La Salle went up 24-20 with 24.1 seconds left, but double-covered
Jason Alessi snared a 34-yard pass from
Alex Malzone as time elapsed to supply an absolutely electric finish. Malzone completed 16 of 27 passes for 200 yards.
Next: Saturday at unbeaten Central Catholic (Novi, Mich.)
8. (8) Center Grove (Greenwood, Ind.) 5-0The Trojans impressed with a 42-10 thumping of then No. 12-ranked Lawrence Central (Indianapolis). Senior quarterback
Luke Calvert did the bulk of the damage by completing 12 of 17 passes for 277 yards and three touchdowns.
Next: Friday at Lawrence North (Indianapolis)
9. (9) Wheaton-Warrenville South (Wheaton, Ill.) 4-0The Tigers raced past Aurora West (Aurora, Ill.) 42-7 as
Zack Moberg ran seven times for 114 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Isaiah Campos also scored twice.
Next: Friday at North (Naperville, Ill.)
10. (10) Blue Springs (Mo.) 4-0
Dalvin Warmack, Blue Springs
Photo by Sam Soliday
The Wildcats avenged last year's only loss with a 42-35 victory over previously unbeaten West (Lee's Summit, Mo.).
Dalvin Warmack ran 24 times for 198 yards and two touchdowns — including the winning three-yarder with 5:45 left in the game.
Next: Friday vs. Liberty (Mo.)
11. (11) Eden Prairie (Minn.) 4-0The Eagles won their annual homecoming game with a 37-20 victory over Edina (Minn.). Troy Preston passed for 214 yards and two touchdowns, while
Mason Gligor ran for a pair of touchdowns.
Next: Oct. 4 at Minnetonka (Minn.)
12. (13) St. Ignatius (Cleveland) 3-1Despite going to their No. 3 quarterback, the Wildcats routed McDowell (Erie, Pa.) 49-10.
Christian Klink completed eight of 16 passes for 226 yards and two touchdowns in his first varsity game. He replaced
John Thomas (injured shoulder), who had replaced another injured quarterback,
Peter Mahoney, to start the season.
Enzo Cannata, who ran for 115 yards and three touchdowns in the first half, suffered a concussion in the third quarter.
Next: Saturday vs. Paramus Catholic (N.J.) at Byeres Field
13. (15) Glenbard West (Glen Ellyn, Ill.) 3-1Senior
Scott Andrews ran 19 times for 217 yards and three touchdowns during a 44-7 victory over Lyons Township (LaGrange, Ill.).
Next: Saturday vs. Hinsdale Central (Ill.)
14. (16) Dowling (West Des Moines, Iowa) 4-0The Maroons overcame a 21-7 deficit to nip previously unbeaten Urbandale (Iowa) 31-27 before a crowd of 7,000.
Ryan Boyle completed 11 of 18 passes for 160 yards and scored on two short runs.
Chase Dowell ran 20 times for 170 yards and one touchdown.
Next: Friday vs. Mason City (Iowa)
15. (17) Lincoln-Way East (Frankfort, Ill.) 4-0The Griffins rolled to a 29-0 first-quarter lead and routed Lockport (Ill.) 50-6. They finished with a 385-82 advantage in total yards.
Jordan Wirtz connected on his first 11 passes, finishing with 16 of 23 for 172 yards and three touchdowns — all in the first half.
Next: Friday at Homewood-Flossmoor (Flossmoor, Ill.)
16. (18) Montini (Lombard, Ill.) 4-0Junior wide receiver
Leon Thornton caught three touchdown passes from
Alex Wills to spark a 30-7 victory over St. Francis (Wheaton, Ill.).
Next: Friday at Marmion Academy (Aurora, Ill.)
17. (19) Xavier (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) 4-0The Saints held Wahlert (Dubuque,Iowa) to 59 yards and two first downs en route to a 38-0 victory.
Quinton Scholer threw scoring passes to three different receivers.
Next: Friday at Kennedy (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)
18. (20) Homestead (Mequon, Wis.) 5-0The Highlanders blanked Nicolet (Glendale, Wis.) 42-0.
Eric Wade scored touchdowns on all three carries while gaining 119 yards in the first quarter.
Cole Murphy gained 136 yards on 18 carries and scored once.
Next: Friday at Cedarburg (Wis.)
19. (NR) Penn (Mishawaka, Ind.) 5-0The Kingsmen rolled up 50 points in the first half en route to a 57-0 victory over Clay (South Bend, Ind.). Junior tight end
Inoke Moala (6-1, 215) showed he was more than a great blocker by spearing two touchdown passes from
Zach Oakley.
Next: Friday vs. Washington (South Bend, Ind.)
20. (21) Carmel (Ind.) 3-2The Greyhounds celebrated homecoming with an easy 49-9 victory over Lawrence North (Indianapolis).
John Lampe led the way by passing for two touchdowns and running for one.
Next: Friday at North Central (Indianapolis)
21. (22) Wheaton North (Wheaton, Ill.) 3-1The Falcons whipped North (Naperville, Ill.) 31-13 behind the passing of senior quarterback
Clayton Thorson. With his future college coach, Northwestern's Pat Fitzgerald, in the crowd, Thorson drilled 21 of 36 passes for 265 yards.
Next: Friday at Lake Park (Roselle,Ill.)
22. (NR) Dakota (Macomb, Mich.) 4-0The Cougars yielded their second touchdown of the year — none by the first-team defense — during a 47-7 victory over Port Huron Northern (Mich.).
Mustafa Abdur-Rahman scored on a 65-yard punt return and a running clock was used in the second half.
Next: Friday at Utica Eisenhower (Shelby Township, Mich.)
23. (NR) Omaha North (Neb.) 4-0Standout junior
Calvin Strong (5-9, 175) carried 24 times for 241 yards and two touchdowns during a 42-10 victory over Southwest (Lincoln, Neb.). Junior quarterback
Payton Nelson passed for two touchdowns and ran for two.
Next: Friday at Papillion-LaVista South (Papillion, Neb.)
24. (25) Lincoln (Sioux Falls, S.D.) 4-0The Patriots routed Watertown (S.D.) 56-24 as
Caden Quintanilla scored five touchdowns and
Connor Burchill passed for 150 yards.
Taylor Salava and
Matt Wagner each made 10 tackles.
Next: Friday at Brookings (S.D.)
25. (NR) West (Shawnee Mission, Kan.) 3-0The Vikings nipped Lawrence (Kan.) 14-13 on an eight-yard pass from
A.J. Verdini to
Andre Maloney and an extra-point kick by
Tyler Thayer with 13.4 seconds remaining. Verdini completed 12 of 18 passes for 211 yards.
Next: Friday at Lawrence Free State (Lawrence, Kan.)
Dropped out:No. 12 Lawrence Central (Indianapolis) lost to No. 8 Center Grove (Greenwood, Ind.) 42-10.
No. 14 Pike (Indianapolis) lost to Ben Davis (Indianapolis) 49-48 in overtime.
No. 23 Elder (Cincinnati) lost to No. 4 St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio) 48-7.
No. 24 Maize (Kan.) lost to Derby (Kan.) 62-13.
The Midwestern region includes all teams from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa,
Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio,
South Dakota and Wisconsin.