Michael O'Brien

Michael O'Brien's Super 25 high school football rankings for Week 8 Loyola hangs on after the Providence loss while the Celtics and Carmel join the Super 25 for the first time this season.

The new Super 25 high school football rankings for Week 8.

A tough week with a lot of movement. It's late in the season and time to face the truth about several public school conferences.

-Loyola hangs on
-Providence and Carmel debut
-Fenwick, Montini rise

Bogan stuns Bowen on sophomore Jaylen Brown's TD catch with 44 seconds left Bogan’s players celebrated with screams and back flips. The jubilation is well-deserved. The school didn’t have enough players to field a team Week 1 and was forced to forfeit against Hubbard. The Ben...

Bogan didn't have enough players and forfeited Week 1.

But they didn't give up. Coach Ernest Bryant recruited the building...and then won the next 6 games.

It's been kind of an amazing season for the Bengals. They won a stunner tonight vs. Bowen.

Top-ranked Mount Carmel stays humble and hungry, knocks off St. Rita Jordan Lynch’s top-ranked team is living up to all the preseason hype, but doing it with a different attitude this season.

Mount Carmel is living up to the preseason hype, but this is certainly a different group from the last three years.

Less swagger, more humbleness. And they sound hungry. That's a dangerous combination.

The Caravan beat rival St. Rita last night.

No. 11 St. Rita at No. 1 Mount Carmel kicks off at 7:30.

-Rivalry began in 1924.
-The Caravan leads with a record of 69-33-3.
-St. Rita last won in 2017.
-Mount Carmel coach Jordan Lynch is 7-0 vs. St. Rita
-The Caravan beat St. Rita in the regular season and playoffs last year.

The 10 best high school football teams that haven't cracked the Super 25 rankings this season The Chicago area is loaded with promising teams. These ten are just a win or two away from landing in the rankings.

It's always tough to decide on 25 teams for the preseason rankings. Several of the state's best programs missed the cut. And many other teams impressed Week 1.

Here's a look at the 10 best teams that haven't been ranked in the Super 25 yet this season:

Michael O'Brien's Super 25 high school football rankings for Week 2 Lyons, Glenbrook South and Hinsdale Central join after impressive wins in Week 1.

The new Super 25 high school football rankings for Week 2:

-Maine South and York tumble but stay in
-Glenbard West vaults into the top 10
-Lyons, Glenbrook South, Hinsdale Central join
-Nazareth cracks the top 5

Downers Grove North junior Baker Glomb's field goal beats Morgan Park as time expires Morgan Park and No. 5 Downers Grove North staged a defensive battle for four quarters.

Downers Grove North and Morgan Park battled it out on defense until the final drive, then Owen Lansu led the Trojans downfield and Baker Glomb was the hero, nailing a game-winning field goal as time expired.

No. 5 DGN survives Morgan Park.

How the Super 25 high school football teams fared in Week 1 Results from all the ranked teams.

How the Super 25 high school football teams fared in Week 1

Lincoln-Way East makes a season-opening statement with a shutout, running-clock win at Maine South By the middle of the third quarter, that home stand was nearly emptied out. Jonas Williams and No. 3 Lincoln-Way East demolished the No. 4 Hawks 40-0.

Lincoln-Way East makes a season-opening statement with a shutout, running-clock win at Maine South

High school football schedule for Week 1 The complete Chicago-area schedule for the first week of the 2025 football season.

High school football season has arrived. I'll be at Gately tonight for two games:

Ag. Science vs. Evergreen Park at 4:15
St. Francis vs. Kenwood at 7:30

Here's the full schedule for Week 1:

Michael O'Brien's preseason Super 25 high school football rankings A look at the best teams in the area heading into the upcoming season.

The high school football season starts on Thursday. Get ready for all the action with the preseason rankings:

Top-ranked Mount Carmel has the most talented team in Chicago history, led by eight Power Five recruits So much winning, so much history. The Caravan are the kings of Illinois high school football. But they’ve never had a team loaded with talent like this year’s squad.

JUST IN: Mount Carmel opens the season as the top-ranked team in the Super 25.

On paper, the Caravan is the most talented high school football team the Chicago area has ever seen, with eight Power Five recruits.

No. 2 Loyola will lean on coaching, tradition and talented sophomores in four-peat attempt The Ramblers are trying to win a fourth consecutive Class 8A state championship this season. But this is an entirely new team.

No. 2 Loyola will lean on coaching, tradition and talented sophomores in four-peat attempt.

Jonas Williams is nearing multiple state records, but he's focused on a title for No. 3 Lincoln-Way East Star power is a big deal, but great high school football teams are built with depth. That’s where Lincoln-Way East has always excelled.

Jonas Williams is nearing multiple state records, but he's focused on a title for No. 3 Lincoln-Way East

Quarterback Jameson Purcell and an experienced defense make No. 4 Maine South a major contender in Class 8A The Hawks have Class 8A state-championship ambitions, and Purcell is a big-time Player of the Year candidate.

Quarterback Jameson Purcell and an experienced defense make No. 4 Maine South a major contender in Class 8A

Owen Lansu leads No. 5 Downers Grove North's trio of Big Ten recruits A bitter, early ending to the playoffs refocused Downers Grove North in the off season.

After being “kicked in the mouth” in the playoffs last season, No. 5 Downers Grove North is refocused on winning a state title.

Owen Lansu leads the Trojans’ trio of Big Ten recruits.

Quarterback Michael Vander Luitgaren leads No. 6 Batavia's explosive offense Vander Luitgaren started receiving attention from colleges over the summer and impressed Batavia coach Dennis Piron during the first two weeks of practice.

Batavia checks in at No. 6 in the preseason Super 25. QB Michael Vander Luitgaren has wowed Dennis Piron in practice.

“Our offense this year is going to be explosive. We are going to score points and light up the scoreboard" - Vander Luitgaren.

No. 7 Nazareth moves up to Class 6A after winning three consecutive state titles Wide receiver Trenton Walker and cornerback Johnny Colon have stepped into the leadership positions for the Roadrunners.

Can Nazareth win a 4th consecutive state title? The Roadrunners graduated a ton, but a large group of starters return, including Trenton Walker. A new QB from Pennsylvania is fighting for the starting job.

Nazareth checks in at No. 7 in the preseason.

No. 8 Brother Rice will lean on Illinois recruit King Liggins' leadership and CJ Gray's experience Brother Rice is the only team in the CCL/ESCC Blue that returns its starting quarterback. CJ Gray, a 6-foot, 195-pound senior, has committed to Army.

No. 8 Brother Rice will lean on Illinois recruit King Liggins' leadership and CJ Gray's experience

The Dukes lost to Loyola in the state title game last year and in the semifinals the two years before that. But coach Don Gelsomino has a reasonable take on the private/public school debate.

Now an established state power, No. 9 York looks to take the next step behind an experienced offensive line The Dukes are using the same recipe for success as the last three years: a rock-solid running game, an excellent defense and a new senior starting quarterback.

No. 9 York crashed the party and is now an established state power.

The Dukes have reloaded with an experienced, talented offensive line, 1,000-yard rusher Henry Duda, receiver Simon Kodosky and Princeton recruit Hunter Stepanich, a TE/DE.

Dyett coach Jamaal Gill steps down after winning state, faces investigation over altercation with a student The Eagles stormed to the Class 2A state championship in March. It was a statement victory for the school and Gill, who built the program. Gill has now left the school and is under investigation after...

For the second consecutive summer, a successful South Side Public League basketball coach is surrounded by drama and out of a job after winning state.

Dyett's Jamaal Gill recently resigned and now faces an investigation over an altercation with a student that was caught on video.

First day of football practice: New coach Tom Zbikowski makes a splash at St. Patrick The latest big-name college coach to leave for a local high school is former NFL player Tom Zbikowski, who was a standout player at Notre Dame and Buffalo Grove. Zbikowski, who spent time as an assist...

Coaching high school football is the new, cool thing?

Apparently so.

Former NFL players with college and pro coaching options are choosing to stay in the trenches with unpaid teenagers. New St. Pat's coach Tom Zbikowski is the latest to make the switch.

CPS settles lawsuit with former Phillips basketball coach Paris Martin Martin told the Sun-Times on Monday that the settlement is for an undisclosed amount.

JUST IN: Chicago Public Schools has settled the lawsuit brought by former Phillips basketball coach Paris Martin.

Martin, who says he was never paid by CPS in his 2 years at Phillips, led the Wildcats to the state title in 2024 and was fired after suing.

Joliet's Jeremiah Fears selected by New Orleans with the No. 7 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft It's the highest a local player has been picked since Young’s Jahlil Okafor was drafted third by Philadelphia in 2015.

Joliet native Jeremiah Fears was selected No. 7 in the 2025 NBA Draft by the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday.

It’s the highest a local player has been picked since Young’s Jahlil Okafor was drafted by Philadelphia with the No. 3 pick in 2015.

Curie upsets Simeon to earn a spot in the Public League final four The Public League playoffs, widely known as the city tournament, date to 1901. They're a Chicago institution and treasure.

The city tournament is a Chicago treasure. It dates back to 1901 and is one of the oldest basketball traditions in the world.

For 3 weeks in February it heats up gyms all over the city. Curie upset Simeon Saturday in an intense game with 7 technical fouls.

No Shot Clock high school basketball podcast: The stock report It's time for the annual Stock Report, where Mike and Joe decide to buy, sell or hold the stock of each team in the Super 25 and then pick three teams outside the rankings they'd like to buy stock in.

No Shot Clock is back! It's time for the Stock Report, one of our most popular annual features. @joehoopsreport and I decided to buy, sell or hold stock in each of the Super 25 teams. Then we pick three teams outside the rankings to buy stock in.