The latest rankings are in...

...and, while there aren't many changes to the Trib or Sun-Times, there are some big surprises over at MaxPreps.

Both papers dropped Bolingbrook after the Raiders' 44-33 loss on Friday night; the Sun-Times added Waubonsie and the Trib Neuqua, above.

At MaxPreps, however, Neuqua moved up to the number two spot, Cary-Grove moved up to No. 4, and Glenbard North vaulted eight spots to No. 10 after defeating Stevenson.

Inexplicably (to me, at least), Marian Central dropped twenty-five spots down to No. 31! (I guess they didn't like the Hurricanes' 41-20 victory over Woodstock North.)

As for me, after last weekend I would have to include Neuqua in my top four somewhere, along with Lincoln-Way East, Loyola and Glenbard West. (I could see the Wildcats going all the way.) After that it's a muddle, but Maine South, Mount Carmel, Palatine (and/or Waubonsie) could join them after this week's contests.

On to the rankings:

MaxPreps:

1. Glenbard West (11-0) *
2. Neuqua Valley (11-0) *
3. Loyola (10-1) *
4. Cary-Grove (11-0) *
5. Mount Carmel (10-1) ^
6. Lincoln-Way East (11-0) *
7. Waubonsie Valley (10-1) *
8. Palatine (10-1)
9. Lake Zurich (9-2)
10. Glenbard North (10-1) *

Chicago Sun-Times:

1. Glenbard West (11-0) *
2. Mount Carmel (10-1) ^
3. Maine South (11-0)
4. Lincoln-Way East (11-0) *
5. Loyola (10-1) *
6. Neuqua Valley (11-0) *
7. Palatine (10-1)
8. Glenbard North (10-1) *
9. Waubonsie (11-1) *
10. Crete-Monee (11-0) *

Chicago Tribune:

1. Maine South (11-0)
2. Loyola (10-1) *
3. Lincoln-Way East (11-0) *
4. Glenbard West (11-0) *
5. Mount Carmel (10-1) ^
6. Crete-Monee (11-0) *
7. Glenbard North (10-1)* 
8. Neuqua (11-0) *
9. Palatine (10-1)
10. Wheaton North (10-1) *

* Indicates teams I've seen play. ^ Indicates teams I've seen on television.

Just a few final thoughts...

...as a postscript to my weekend of football:

* First of all, you can't beat Choo Choo Johnny's in Frankfort for a pre-game dinner. The restaurant is conveniently located just beyond the Lincoln-Way East stadium, and they bring your food to you on a model train. Awesome!

* Aside from Friday night's contest between Neuqua Valley and Bolingbrook, the games I attended this weekend weren't all that great. Waubonsie and Lincoln-Way East dominated their opponents much more than the scores would indicate. And the Griffins - Celtics game was one of the most penalty-strewn I can remember. Come on, guys!

* During last night's game one of the Lincoln-Way defenders tackled a Providence ball carrier in such a way as to elicit the comment from a guy not too far from me: "Hey, that's a Catholic League hit!" I'm not sure if he was being sarcastic or not, but it's almost axiomatic among some fans in Illinois that Catholic League kids hit harder than their counterparts in other conferences. (Yeah, and the DuPage Valley is the best. Or is it the West Suburban Silver? Yadda, yadda, yadda.)

* I just found out that two of the best running backs in the state, Joey Rhattigan of Neuqua and Austin Guido of Waubonsie, played in the same backfield in middle school and are best friends off the field. Cool!

* I also can't believe I'm going to miss the rematch this weekend between Neuqua and Waubonsie (I'll be traveling) after having  missed their first meeting in Week Seven. (The universe does not want me to see these two teams play.)

* Oak Park River Forest's field is one of the few in Illinois that runs east and west instead of north and south. (Don't ask me why.)

* And as I mentioned, I'll be out of town but will have my picks for next weekend by Wednesday. Quarterfinals already?

For those of you who...

Minnesota-bound Chris Streveler.

...don't read the Chicago papers, here's a wrap-up of some of the games I didn't get to this weekend.

First of all, Fenwick was defeated on the road by defending 7A champion Rockford Boylan, 22-21, with no time left on the clock. Peter Cimino fielded a Friar punt on his own 10-yard line with ten seconds remaining and dashed 90 yards for a touchdown. The Titans then converted for two points for the win. Sounds like a great game, huh? But even though Fenwick's season is over, new head coach Gene Nudo turned the program around and will have them in the hunt next year.

In 5A, Minnesota recruit Chris Streveler, above, led Marian Central to a victory over Woodstock North, 41-20. The Hurricanes will now face Montini, the team that eliminated them from the playoffs in each of the last three years. This time could be different, however, as Marian Central already beat the Broncos in Week Seven, 49-24.

In 8A, Maine South defeated Conant, 27-13, and will host Glenbard North next week. This could be the first big test of the year for the Hawks as the Panthers have won their last ten games in a row. Loyola, meanwhile, beat Bartlett, 31-7, and will host Palatine next week. Finally, Lyons bested O'Fallon and will entertain Mount Carmel in LaGrange.

I expect at least one of these 8A games to end in an upset. Either Maine South, Loyola or Mount Carmel is going down.

(The other contest in 8A next week is Waubonsie Valley at Neuqua Valley, which is a shame, because either team is capable of taking the crown in Champaign.)

Finally, in 7A, Benet defeated Oswego, 28-13, and will now travel to Downers Grove North. If the Redwings keep their Cinderella drive alive they could face Lincoln-Way East in the semifinals. (But I'm not sure they'd want to.)

The quote of the day...

...is from Maureen Dowd's column in the Times (my emphasis):

Even some of Mitt Romney’s own campaign advisers confess they don’t really know who he is. Is he the pragmatist who would curb Grover Norquist, John Bolton and Dan Senor, or the severe conservative who would let them run wild? It’s sad when you are hoping someone is an opportunist and a liar.

How many times have you asked a Romney supporter about his stance on such-and-such an issue only to be reassured, "Oh, that? Don't worry, he doesn't mean a word he says."

Waubonsie Valley defeated...

...Oak Park River Forest yesterday, 28-7, to earn a rematch with Upstate Eight rival Neuqua Valley. (The Warriors fell short in Week Seven, 35-34, in overtime.)

If both teams I saw this weekend show up next week in Naperville I think the Wildcats will prevail again. Running back Joey Rhattigan is that good. (By the way, a guy sitting next to me last night said that if you want to attend that game you'd better arrive about four hours early. Why don't they just play it at North Central College again?)

Elsewhere, Lincoln-Way East beat Providence, 24-14. The Griffins are now 6-0 lifetime against the Celtics. They'll play Edwardsville (whoever they are) next week at home.

Oh, and for you Rambler fans, Loyola defeated Bartlett, 31-7. The Wilmette squad will host Palatine next week. (And my sources are telling me the Pirates are the Real Deal.)

More later.

Joey Rhattigan ran for...

...344 yards and scored five touchdowns last night as Neuqua Valley upset defending 8A champion Bolingbrook, 44-33. (The picture above tells the whole story: the senior running back was carrying several Raiders on his back all night.)

Rhattigan is without a doubt the best running back I've seen all year (and I've seen twelve games so far). I can't remember an individual dominating a game like this since, well, Tom Fuessel did against these same Raiders in Week Six. (In hindsight, that should have been foreshadowing.)

What about quarterback Aaron Bailey and running back Omar Stover? Were they at full strength last night? A guy in the stands next to me indicated otherwise. But, really, it didn't matter. Bailey ran for over 200 yards and three touchdowns. He looked just fine to me.

No, the problem last night was the Raider defense. You can't give up 44 points and expect to win the game. (I saw the defending champs only twice this year and they surrendered a total of 86 points.) And, as impressive as Rhattigan was, if you can't stop a one-dimensional attack like that you've got bigger issues.

But Coach John Ivlow will have the entire off-season to work on that. In the meantime, I'll really miss watching Bailey play. Last night was his last in a Raider uniform and I felt kind of bad walking back to my car. (I know what you're thinking: Jeez Louise! Get a life, will you?) But last year was a great season and Bailey was really fun to watch. Oh well, maybe he'll have a big career with the Illini.

But today, it's on to Oak Park River Forest to see the Huskies take on Waubonsie Valley (the winner of which will face Neuqua next week) and Lincoln-Way East to see the Griffins host Providence. I can't wait!

Mitt Romney was heckled...

...yesterday by a protester carrying a sign that said, "End Climate Silence." He was quickly drowned out by the crowd, which chanted "USA!, USA!..."

And I've noticed this before; hecklers at Republican rallies are often countered with the "USA!" chant. And I wonder: is it unpatriotic to heckle Republicans? Or is it unpatriotic to talk about climate change? Why, exactly, do these crowds always chant "USA?" What does that have to do with anything?

Do they think, somehow, that only Republicans love America?