Updated Illinois Power 25 Team Rankings

The high school season is officially in full swing and the majority of the teams across the state now have played close to 10 games, if not more. 

In our second update of the season, the top-five teams in the Power 25 stay the same with, preseason No. 1 St. Charles North, still sitting undefeated on the season at 12-0. The North Stars had a busy four game week, sweeping a three-game conference series against Wheaton North and then knocking off a quality Libertyville club on Saturday. 

No. 2 Huntley, No. 3 Lincoln-Way East, No. 4 Marist and No. 5 Normal University all won at least three games on the week, with Normal University going a perfect 5-0. 

In this update only two new teams entered the Power 25 with a number of quality teams worthy of a rank, knocking on the door.

Below is a look at the rest of the notable Power 25 action from across the state.

CLIMBING

+ Brother Rice (11-4) - The Crusaders were victims to one of the toughest schedules in the state to start the season and dropped to No. 8 after the first update. However a perfect 5-0 week with wins over Plainfield East, Thornwood, De La Salle, Sandburg and St. Ignatius have Brother Rice on the rise and back up to No. 6 in the state.

+ Homewood-Flossmoor (10-2) - The Vikings jumped from No. 14 to No. 8 after a perfect 4-0 week with big wins against No. 11 Lincoln-Way Central and Stagg. On the week, the Vikings outscored opponents by a total of 51-12. The only two losses on the Vikings record so far are to Huntley and Brother Rice, both of whom sit in the Top-6 of the Power 25. 

+ Edwardsville (13-3) - The Tigers are another on the rise team after a perfect 6-0 week. Up seven spots to No. 9 in the state, Edwardsville swept a two-game conference series against O’Fallon. They also knocked off Alton-Marquette, Columbia, SLUH (MO) and East St. Louis. The Tigers outscored opponents 55-17 on the week.

+ Downers Grove South (8-1) - The Mustangs are up a couple of spots to No. 21 in the rankings after a 3-0 week. They swept a two-game set against Hinsdale South and won a 4-2 ballgame over York on the week. Downers Grove South has been led on the mound by junior RHP Ethan Patera, a Louisville commit. In Patera’s last two starts he has thrown a seven inning no-hitter and a five-inning one hitter. In total, Patera has gone 12 innings, allowing one hit, no runs with 28 strikeouts.

SINKING

+ Nazareth (12-3) - It is hard to say that Nazareth is sinking, still sitting at 12-3 on the year, but they are coming off a 2-3 week with two losses coming to No. 4 Marist and one coming to Carmel Catholic. The Road Runners started the season 10-0 and are still ranked No. 14 in the state. They will look to get back on track this week with two, two-game conference sets, against No. 24 Marian Catholic and St. Viator.

+ Lockport (6-3) - The Porters only played one game throughout last week and it was a 1-0 extra-inning loss to Stagg. Lockport dropped six spots as a result and are now No. 15. They will look to bounce back this week with six games currently scheduled for the week. 

+ Warren (7-4) - The Blue Devils of Warren lost 2-of-3 this week to conference foes Lake Zurich. Despite both losses being one-run games, Warren, now sitting at 7-4, dropped to No. 25 as a result. Warren’s four losses have been by a total of five runs. Warren is yet another team with a busy week ahead, with five games currently on their schedule.

NEW TO THE TOP 25

+ No. 13 Mundelein (10-0-1) - The Mustangs have yet to lose in 2021 and enter the Power 25 for the first time this season. Mundelein went 3-0-1 last week with their time coming in a 14-14 game against Carmel Catholic. The collected two wins against conference-foe Stevenson and a win against Lincoln-Way West. Kentucky commit, Daniel Pacella, had one of the more memorable offensive weeks in recent memory, recording multiple-home run games in three straight games (six total home runs).

+ No. 23 Springfield (9-1) - The Senators have put together an impressive start to the season and had a big 5-0 week last week, catapulting them into the Power 25 for the first time. The new No. 23 team in the state has wins over No. 9 Edwardsville, Glenwood, Rochester, Quincy Notre Dame, Belleville East and Jacksonville, among others. 

DROPPED OUT

+ Oswego

+ Oswego East 

JUST MISSED THE CUT

+ Glenbrook North (10-2)

+ Glenbrook South (10-3-1)

+ Yorkville (9-2)

+ Jacobs (9-3)

+ Harrisburg (9-0)

+ St. Joseph-Ogden (10-1)

+ Illinois Valley Central (7-1)

+ St. Charles East (9-2-1)

+ Prospect (8-2-1)

+ Lake Zurich (7-3)

+ Naperville Central (8-3)

+ Plainfield North (7-1)

UPDATED TOP 10