By Ryan Quigley
Illinois Scouting Director

Climbing

The Class 1A and 2A Super Sectionals will be played around the state today, with four winners from each class advancing to Peoria’s Dozer Park for the State Finals on Friday on Saturday. With rain washing out a majority of Saturday’s Class 3A/4A Regional Finals we waited until today to release our updated Power 25, which has major changes thanks to several upsets as four of our top 10 teams and 10 of the top 25 have been eliminated from playoff contention.

Edwardsville stays firm at No. 1, undisputed thanks to their 35-1 record, and tough regional final victory over No. 11 Alton and their ace lefthander Bryan Hudson.

Mount Carmel remains at No. 2 with their regional final win on Saturday over Whitney Young. Then things get interesting. No. 3 Joliet Catholic lost a nine-inning pitcher’s duel yesterday to Garret Acton and Lemont, thus slipping to No. 12, as Lemont climbs back into the Power 25 at No. 11.

Rockford Boylan rises to No. 3 thanks to a regional final victory over rival Rockton Honengah. The Titans currently sit at 31-1-1.

St. Rita rises a spot to No. 4 thanks to a 16-6 regional final win over Lyons. The Mount Carmel sectional is loaded, with Mt. Carmel taking on No.  21 Simeon (28-3) at 4:30 on Wednesday, and St. Rita taking on St. Laurence at 4:30 on Thursday.

St. Charles North rises from No. 8 to No. 5, as the North Stars have continued their winning ways with a 7-0 win over Schaumburg, awaiting Glenbard North on Wednesday at 4:30 in the St. Charles East Sectional.

Regional champions Providence, Downers Grove South, Metamora, and Plainfield North, all members of the top ten at some point this season round out the current top ten.

Downers Grove South and Plainfield North potentially could meet on Saturday at 10 am in the Romeoville Sectional Championship if they both win their semifinal contests on Wednesday and Thursday respectively at 4 pm. South squares off with rival Downers Grove North, while Plainfield North takes on streaking Naperville Central, who may have sophomore ace Ryan Eiermann on the hill.

Providence takes on Marist on Thursday at 4:30, and would take on the winner of Marian Catholic and Lincoln-Way North for the Marist Sectional Championship at 11 am on Saturday.

New to the Power 25

+ Lemont (won Lemont regional 2-1 over Joliet Catholic)
+ Lincoln-Way North (won regional 4-0 over Stagg)
+ St. Laurence (won regional 3-2 over Oak Lawn)
+ Fenwick (won regional 2-1 over New Trier)
+ Jacobs (won regional 3-0 over Cary-Grove)
+ Quincy Notre Dame (beat Sacred Heart Griffin 3-2 in Regional Final)
+ Simeon (won regional 20-5 over Reavis)
+ Normal West (won regional final 11-0 over Moline)
+ Champaign Centennial (beat Champaign Central 6-1 in Regional Final)
+ St. Joseph-Ogden (won 2A sectional final 3-0 over Bloomington Central Catholic)
+ Oak Forest

Dropped Out

+ Chatham Glenwood
+ Champaign Central
+ Lincoln-Way West
+ Prairie Ridge
+ Alton
+ Brother Rice
+ Morton
+ Cary Grove
+ Waubonsie Valley
+ Sacred Heart-Griffin
+ Glenbrook North

IHSA Playoff Brackets

+ Class 4A
+ Class 3A
+ Class 2A
+ Class 1A

CLICK HERE to View the Complete Power 25 Rankings, complete with up to date records.