1. Carroll (2-0)
Week 2: 28-21 win over Snider
Previous Ranking: #2
Week 3: vs North Side
Week 2 was an emotional and heartfelt victory for the Chargers. It was the first game back at Carroll Stadium without their QB1 Owen Scheele. In a near capacity crowd the Carroll fans were in a “orange out for O” as Snider fans showed mutual respect wearing blue to raise awareness for pediatric cancer. In a game that could end up deciding the fate of the SAC season the Chargers were able to squeak out a 28-21 victory. Sophomore quarterback Jimmy Sullivan who was mentored by Scheele played a phenomenal game having great composure in the pocket all game long going 20/24 with 254 yards and 3 TDs. Braden Steely also made a big impact all night for the Chargers on both sides of the ball including a 40 yard rushing touchdown. Jorge Valdes was another big playmaker as he got 7 Tkls, 1 TFL, and an interception. Camden Herschberger was the leading receiver for the Chargers as he reeled in 5 receptions with 94 yards and a touchdown. Overall the Carroll defense once again was dominant holding the Panthers to only two touchdowns on the night, but the biggest storyline was sophomore quarterback Jimmy Sullivan showing his potential as he controlled the game against one of the best defenses in the SAC. As the Chargers now look ahead to next week it doesn’t get much easier as they will face a talented North Side Legends squad.
2. Snider (1-1)
Week 2: 28-21 loss against Carroll
Previous Ranking: #1
Week 3: vs Concordia
Even though the Panthers drop to 1-1 after a week 2 loss to Carroll there are still a lot of positives to take away from week 2. Such as the Panthers defense’s ability to get in the Charger’s backfield with 8 TFLs and 4 sacks. It was the linebacker core of Zyon Greene, Amarrion Moore, and Lukas Rohrbacher leading the way for the Panthers defense who combined for 4 TFLs and 3 sacks. Junior running back Uriah Buchanan stepped up big in the absence of Langston Leavell rushing for 90 yards on 15 carries. Kamari Juarez also made big plays for the Panthers with 6 catches for 82 yards. Taking a loss in week 2 definitely makes the Panthers quest for a SAC title more difficult but don’t count the Panthers out as they started off the 2021 season 1-1 and ended up with a share of the SAC title.
3. Homestead (2-0)
Week 2: 31-7 win over Concordia
Previous Ranking: #4
Week 3: @ Bishop Luers
Once again Brett Fuchs had a dominant performance for the Spartans and this time he had 134 yards and 2 TDs. Quarterback Peyton Slaven also had a good game with 241 yards and 2 TDs with no turnovers. Defensively the Spartans played fantastic as they held on to a shut out until there were 5 seconds left in the game when Mattox and Washington connected for the lone Cadet score. Through the first two weeks the Spartans have outscored their opponents 81-21 dominating on both sides of the ball. In those two games the Spartans defense has forced 7 turnovers, 3 of which have come from corner Isaiah Elward who has 3 interceptions in just two games. And once again the deep ball connection between Peyton Slaven and speedster wide receiver Mason Auxier was clicking as they connected for a 51 yard touchdown, which is already the second 50 yard plus touchdown connection between the two. The Spartans schedule will begin to ramp up over the next few weeks with their next three opponents being Bishop Luers, Bishop Dwenger, and Snider.
4. North Side (1-1)
Week 2: 32-27 win over Bishop Dwenger
Previous Ranking: #5
Week 3: @ Carroll
The Legends showed true grit this week against Dwenger as they trailed 20-6 they stayed calm and quickly worked their way back into the game. The Legends offensive line played a big factor in the victory as 4 times they were able to make goal line pushes into the endzone with 3 rushing touchdowns coming from quarterback Bohde Dickerson and one from Jontae Lambert. Bohde Dickerson also connected with Bruantae Johnson for a passing touchdown. The Legends defense was also impressive, holding Dwenger to 7 points in the last 29 minutes of game time. The Legends difficult schedule to start the season continues next week as they play one of the two unbeatens left in the SAC, the Carroll Chargers.
5. Bishop Dwenger (1-1)
Week 2: 32-27 loss against North Side
Previous Ranking: #3
Week 3: vs South Side
The Saints had a tight battle in week 2 against the Legends. They had a hot start getting up 20-6 early in the 2nd quarter with a touchdown connection between Sam Campbell and CJ Davis which was their third touchdown connection of the season. The Saints also got three touchdowns on the ground with two from Sam Campbell and one from Toby Tippmann. The Saints offense did struggle a little bit after a hot start being held to only 7 points in the 2nd half. Defensively Christian Lozada made some big plays finishing the game with 7 tackles, Teddy Steele also made some big plays with 4 tackles and 2 pass break ups. Next week the Saints will be looking for a bounce back win against South Side.
6. Bishop Luers (1-1)
Week 2: 38-15 win over Wayne
Previous Ranking: #7
Week 3: vs Homestead
In week 1 the Knights struggled to get anything going against the Chargers defense but in week two they really flipped the script scoring 38 points. Quarterback Charlie Stanski had a great game throwing for 201 yards and 3 TDs. Giovanny Jimenez also got into the endzone with a rushing touchdown. Nick Thompson made big plays on both sides of the ball as he caught 7 passes for 86 yards and a touchdown while also getting a TFL on the defensive side of the ball. Rj Hogue, Damium Jackson, and Jarell Thomas each got a sack for the Knights. As Luers now comes off of a nice win over Wayne they will face a tough challenge of the unbeaten Spartans in week 3.
7. Wayne (0-2)
Week 2: 38-15 loss against Luers
Previous Ranking: #6
Week 3: vs Northrop
The Generals have had a very difficult start to the season but even with the rough start running back Lamarian Nelson has had some great performances including this week’s 91 yards and a touchdown. The Generals also scored through the air as Christian Trimble completed a 26 yard touchdown to Harold Mack. The connection between Trimble and sophomore receiver Jacob Sharin also showed great potential connecting 3 times for 94 yards. Defensively, linebacker Mikelion Ragsdale got 11 tackles for the Generals including one TFL. Next week the Generals play against Northrop as they try and get their first win of the season.
8. Concordia (1-1)
Week 2: 31-7 loss against Homestead
Previous Ranking: #8
Week 3: @ Snider
Early on in the game against Homestead it looked like the Cadets could challenge the Spartans as it was just a 14 point game late in the first half and the Cadets were driving set up with a 1st and Goal but then a goal line stand sent all momentum to the Spartans. From there the Spartans took a 31-0 lead over the Cadets, but there were still lots of good things to take away from this one for the Cadets. Such as the still flourishing connection between Eli Mattox and Ajani Washington that found the endzone late in the ball game for their 4th touchdown on the season just two games into the year. The Cadet defense also made some big plays such as stopping the Spartans on three 4th down conversion attempts and forcing three turnovers on downs. Zach Speilman came up with one of those big 4th down stops with a pass break up as the Spartans were driving all the way down to the Cadet 26 yard line. Next week the Cadets once again face a difficult matchup playing against a Snider team that will also be looking to bounce back after a loss against Carroll.
9. Northrop (1-1)
Week 2: 17-12 win over South Side
Previous Ranking: #9
Week 3: @ Wayne
In week 2 Quentin Bowen got his first win as a head coach as the Bruins were able to win over South Side. Both touchdowns for the Bruins came on the ground as Tavon Freeman and Julante Hinton got across the pylon. Hinton, a junior defensive end who has been All-SAC 2nd team each of the last two years already has two rushing touchdowns now on the season. Coming off of a close win over South Side the Bruins are going to try and ride that momentum into a game against Wayne.
10. South Side (0-2)
Week 2: 17-12 loss against Northrop
Previous Ranking: #10
Week 3: @ Bishop Dwenger
The Archers lost a close week 2 battle against the Bruins but did show some flashes of success. Davian Gentry was able to get into the endzone for the Archers on the ground. The Archers were also able to connect on a 62 yard touchdown between Larrenz Tabron and Isaac Lee. Next week the Archers will take on the task of the Bishop Dwenger Saints.
