Prairie Ridge is ranked No. 1...

...in MaxPreps' preseason rankings and No. 23 nationally. Really? I've always loved this program, but that sounds a little generous to me. Could the Wolves beat a Loyola, say, or a Maine South? Doubtful. (Good football stadium, though, above.)

To save you a click, here's the rest of the Top Ten according to MaxPreps (with last year's records in parentheses):

1. Prairie Ridge (14-0)
2. Loyola (13-1)
3. Marist (8-2)
4. Maine South (11-3)
5. IC Catholic Prep (14-0)*
6. East St. Louis (14-0)
7. Sacred Heart-Griffin (13-1)
8. Rochester (13-1)
9. Lyons (8-3)
10. Waubonsie Valley (6-5)

* IC has a really good program, too; last year the Knights went undefeated en route to the 3A title. But let's get real here -- there's no way a 3A school like IC could compete with any of the teams listed below it in that ranking.