When my friend texted me...

...on Friday night that Deante and Devonte Harley-Hampton, Homewood-Flossmoor's twin running backs, were "unstoppable," I replied, "They'll play Loyola in the 8A finals." (And Mike Helfgot of the Tribune agrees.)

It's too early, of course, to make such a prediction, but it does seem like 8A is taking shape, with the four best teams also including Glenbard West and Naperville Central. (And with Stevenson and Barrington waiting in the wings.)

Having said all that, my two Games of the Week will both be on Saturday, Brother Rice (2-0) at Loyola (2-0) in the afternoon, and Phillips (2-0) and Simeon (1-1) at Gately Stadium in the evening.

I'll be up in Wilmette to see if the Ramblers are as formidable as everyone says. This week may be a good test. Last year the Crusaders were one of only three teams to beat Loyola, 16-13. How will the Southwest Siders' offense, which is averaging over 50 points a game, stack up against Loyola's notoriously stingy defense?

To refresh your memory, here are the results from Loyola's first two games (home team in CAPS):

LOYOLA 35, Marquette (WI) 0
Loyola 49, MAINE SOUTH 8

The Ramblers are ranked No. 2 in the Tribune, No. 10 in the Sun-Times and No. 1 in MaxPreps.

Brother Rice, on the other hand, is ranked No. 14 in the Trib, unranked in the Times (what?) and No. 13 in MaxPreps. Here's their schedule so far:

BROTHER RICE 56, Brother Rice (MI) 20
Brother Rice 49, CRETE-MONEE 21

From Sachs Stadium on the North Shore to Gately on the South Side is only a 30-mile or so drive. (Plenty of time to stop at Top Notch Beefburgers in Beverly for dinner.) This should be a great Chicago Public League matchup between Phillips, 2014's runner-up in 4A, and Simeon, which lost to H-F in last year's 8A semifinal.

Hard to believe, but these two have never met. (At least not in the last ten years.)

Phillips returns fourteen starters from last season's squad, but the best reason to go is quarterback Quayvon Skanes (above), a Connecticut recruit who moved over from wide receiver after last year's star signal-caller Dewayne Collins graduated. Phillips coach Troy McAllister seems to like putting his fastest and best athlete at quarterback where he can touch the ball on every play. I love that! 

Can the Wildcats compete with an 8A power like Simeon? I saw them manhandle Naperville North in Week Three last year, 40-7. Saturday night should be a good game.

So far, the Bronzeville squad has defeated one team from the Catholic League and one from the East Suburban Catholic Conference:

PHILLIPS 40, Fenwick 16
Phillips 41, CARMEL 7

The Wildcats are No. 8 in the Trib, No. 11 in the Times and No. 5 in MaxPreps.

Simeon, meanwhile, is No. 17 in the Trib, No. 9 in the Times and No. 23 in MaxPreps. The Wolverines dropped their opener before traveling down south to beat an 0-3 team:

East St. Louis 28, SIMEON 21
Simeon 42, GREENVILLE (MS) 6

Can't wait 'til Saturday? Then check out one of these great contests Friday night:

St. Francis (2-0) at Marmion (1-1)
The Cadets beat St. Francis, 17-13, in the final seconds last year. Will the Spartans get revenge?

Waubonsie Valley (2-0) at Neuqua Valley (1-1)
Always a great Upstate Eight showdown; now a great DVC showdown.

Lincoln-Way West (2-0) at Lincoln-Way Central (1-1)
How many Lincoln-Ways are there?

Richards (0-2) at Lemont (2-0)
Can the Bulldogs avoid going 0-3? The Indians have bested Richards four out of the last five meetings.

St. Rita (1-1) at Montini (2-0)
Mustangs need to prove that the Malvern game in Week One was a fluke.

Providence (0-2) at Mount Carmel (2-0)
Celtics can't go 0-3 with St. Rita, Loyola and Brother Rice still on the schedule.

Enjoy the games!

P. S. As always, I'll be live-tweeting @BoringOldWhtGuy.