Updated Illinois Power 25 Team Rankings

April 23, 2018
By Andy Sroka & Drew Locascio
Illinois Staff

This is the third installment of the Power 25 Rankings update and with plenty of action statewide, including four ranked teams representing Illinois at Midwest Select, there was plenty of shifting within this edition of the list. Three teams fell of the board, making way for three new teams to earn their season debuts on the Power 25.

Below is a look at last week's IHSA action:

UPDATED TOP 5

RANK	LAST WEEK	TEAM	CLASS	2018 RECORD
1	1	Neuqua Valley	4A	14-0
2	2	O'Fallon	4A	20-1-1
3	5	Joliet Catholic	3A	12-3
4	3	Lincoln-Way East	4A	14-2
5	4	St. Laurence	4A	15-3

CLIMBING

+ Joliet Catholic - The Hilltoppers have now won six straight games dating back to the PBR Midwest Select, where they beat Cathedral (IN) and Massillon Jackson (OH). This past week Joliet Catholic swept a two-game set against Niles Notre Dame and Marian Catholic. The Hilltoppers have played one of the toughest schedules in the state so far and currently sit at 12-3 and No. 2 in the Power 25.

+ Sandburg - The Eagles have now won seven games in a row including three at the PBR Midwest Select. This past week they knocked off Lincoln-Way West 4-2 and Lemont 6-2. The Eagles climbed six spots and now sits at No. 7 in the Power 25.

+ St. Charles North - The North Stars climbed three spots, up to No. 9, after a perfect 3-0 week. St. Charles North outscored their three opponents on the week 31-3. St. Charles North currently sits at 9-1 and has a three-game set against Batavia this week.

+ Andrew - The Thunderbolts had an impressive 4-0 week and now come in at No. 10 in the Power 25. On the week Andrew knocked off Lockport, Wilmington and took two from Antioch. Senior Scott Youngbrandt twirled a complete game against Lockport, striking out 10. The Thunderbolts are currently 14-2 on the season and have a tough two-game set coming up this week against Lincoln-Way Central.

+ Libertyville - The Wildcats had a four-win week and are enjoying a nine-game win streak overall. Three of last week’s wins came against a capable Lake Forest squad, two in a wild doubleheader on Saturday. They also earned an extra-inning victory over Warren Township, launching them five spots up the rankings to No. 11.

+ Providence Catholic - The Celtics climbed to No. 15 in the Power 25 after a 3-1 week. The Celtics split with Marmion on the week and knocked off two Power 25 opponents and fellow Catholic League Blue members, St. Rita and Mount Carmel. The Celtics are facing a formidable task this week, squaring off against Power 25 members Mount Carmel, Lockport, and Brother Rice. They’ll play the Crusaders twice, too.

+ Lyons Township - Lyons climbed five spots after an impressive 3-1 week. The Lions biggest day of the week came on Saturday, sweeping a double-header against Oak Park-River Forest, who was undefeated heading into the day. Junior RHP Grant Leader was electric in the first game going 6.2 innings of shutout baseball while striking out 14. The Lions also knocked off Richards 3-2 last week and now sit at No. 16.

+ Mundelein - The Mustangs moved up four spots this week to No. 18 after winning four games, and losing none. They pulverized Waukegan, outscoring them 42-8 in three games. Stevenson proved a much more formidable challenge, but Mundelein was still able to walk away with a narrow 5-3 win on Thursday over the Patriots. The Mustangs are now 12-3 this season after last week.

+ Grayslake Central - The Rams are one of two undefeated members of the Power 25. After making their season debut on this list last week, Grayslake Central earned their stripes, taking a win from a tough McHenry team and three wins from their crosstown rivals Grayslake North. The Rams are now 14-0 and they spring six spots up to No. 19 in our revised rankings.

SINKING

+ New Trier - The Trevians dropped six spots to No. 12 after a 1-2 week. New Trier lost to Glenbrook North and Barrington, both of whom are currently sitting on the bubble of the Power 25. New Trier shut out Niles North 10-0 in their one win on the week. On the slate this week are meetings with Glenbrook South and another shot at Niles North.

+ Mount Carmel - It’s not easy to call the Catholic League Blue home, but even with that said the Caravan lost three of its four games last week to Power 25, Blue opponents. Mount Carmel pitching last week never allowed fewer than seven runs. In their two losses to St. Rita, they gave up 22 runs. As powerful as this offense is, that’s a more of a mountain than a hill to climb. In addition to their losses to the Mustangs, Mount Carmel walked off then-No. 4 St. Laurence and lost to 7-6 to Providence Catholic. They’re now ranked No. 14 and are 11-7 this season.

+ Oak Park-River Forest - The Huskies drop two spots to No. 20 this year after a 2-2 week, featuring two notable losses to Power 25 team Lyons Township. Lyons pitching stifled Huskies hitters as they only managed a single run in Saturday’s doubleheader. OPRF did still manage two wins last week: a 7-3 result over Hinsdale South and a monstrous 24-0 victory against Proviso West.

+ Edwardsville - Edwardsville is this week’s biggest faller after an 0-3 week shoves them down the Power 25, from No. 9 to No. 21. The Tigers suffered three tough losses by combined margin of defeat of just three runs. They lost to O’Fallon by a score of 7-6, Collinsville, 5-4, and Francis Howell, 7-6. They just haven’t been able to find consistency this season -- they’ve been bouncing up and down the rankings all spring long and are now 12-7 overall.

+ Lockport - The Porters had their biggest test of the season this past week, with four games against three ranked sides and a bubble team. Lockport dropped their Saturday meeting with now-ranked Plainfield East, 11-9. They also lost to Brother Rice and Andrew after giving up late leads in both games. They did, however, manage to walk off top-five side Lincoln-Way East after scoring runs in the 6th and 7th to win 2-1 -- that critical win wound salvaging the week. The Porters are now on the edge of the Power 25, clinging to the No. 25 spot, and are 11-4 this spring.

NEW TO THE TOP 25

+ No. 22 Plainfield East - For the first time this season, the Bengals are on the board, ranked No. 22. Plainfield East has five straight wins and are 15-2 on the season after yet another sound week of action. With two wins over the formerly ranked Minooka, a win over ranked Lockport, and another win over rivals Plainfield Central, East debuts on this week’s edition of the updated Power 25.

+ No. 24 Marist - The Redhawks only sat out a week in bubble purgatory and surge back onto the rankings after going 4-1 this past week. Except for a 15-3 defeat hosting Nazareth Academy last Tuesday, Marist had a great showing. They ripped off four straight wins after that loss and allowed just six runs in those four victories combined. They swept Marian Central Catholic in a doubleheader on Saturday in which Jason Hodges homered twice. They also notched wins over Niles Notre Dame and Homewood-Flossmoor. They’re back in the Power 25 at No. 24 and are now 12-4 overall this spring.

DROPPED OUT

+ Huntley - Huntley spent just one week on the Power 25 after losing two of their three games with Jacobs. The Red Raiders dodged the three-game sweep on Saturday when Hunter Rumachik slugged a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 8th. Otherwise, Huntley was shut out 1-0 on Friday and fell 4-2 on Saturday to the Golden Eagles. They’re still 12-3 and have a huge three-game series waiting for them with on-the-bubble Cary-Grove on deck.

+ Normal U-High - Normal U-High joins Huntley as teams who only managed to stay on the Power 25 for one week. The Pioneers built a fabulous resume to get themselves onto the Power 25, starting their season 13-1. But that unfortunately crumbled last week when University High dropped four of their five games. They suffered two defeats to Williamsville, one to crosstown Normal Community, and split a two-game series with Sacred Heart-Griffin.