#1: Bishop Luers
Record: 3-0
Last Week: #3
Week 4: vs Concordia
In a thrilling 45-42 victory over Homestead, the Knights find themselves in first place for the first time ever in our power rankings. It’s pretty easy to see why, since Luers has the two best wins of the year so far, beating Carroll and Homestead on the road. On top of that, the offense has been outstanding, with Carson Clark guiding his team with 950 yards passing and 10 touchdowns, to go along with a 66% completion percentage. His favorite receiver Brody Glenn has also been fantastic with 425 yards receiving and 4 touchdowns. While having arguably the best quarterback and wide receiver in the conference, Luers also possesses one of the SAC’s best running backs. Sir Hale has been a monster, rushing for 389 yards and 6 touchdowns. He’s ran for more than 100 yards in all three of his games. And while the defense hasn’t shut other teams down, they’ve played opportunistic football, such as when Evan Linker was able to pick the ball off on a crucial third down against Homestead, allowing Luers to drive down the field and score the game-winning touchdown. Yes, this is your team to beat right now.
#2: Bishop Dwenger
Record: 3-0
Last Week: #1
Week 4: vs Homestead
To no fault of their own, Dwenger falls to second in this week’s rankings. Does Dwenger have an argument to be #1? Absolutely. Are they a better team than Luers? Dwenger fans seem to think so, and they make a good case. Though the Luers offense has been talked about as the best offense in this conference, Dwenger’s offense has actually outscored them 132-130 this year, not to mention how well the Saints defense has played. Yes, there is a case to be made but Luers has beat Carroll, Wayne, and Homestead, while Dwenger has wins over Wayne, North Side, and South Side. Those are two very different ways to open the season. But if we’re being honest, we’re not going to know who’s truly better until a month from now when these two hated rivals meet on the gridiron.
#3: Homestead
Record: 2-1
Last Week: #2
Week 4: at Bishop Dwenger
The Spartans were perhaps a play away from staying perfect on the year. However, Peyton Slaven’s interception at the goal line breathed new life into the Knights, allowing them to drive down the field and score. Even though they didn’t come out on top, Homestead played a great game, specifically in the second half when they rallied back down two touchdowns to take the lead. Slaven completed 15 of his 22 passes for 173 yards and a touchdown. Gage Sparrow had a breakout game at receiver, with 10 catches for 99 yards and running back Desmond Smith Jr continues to get it done on the ground with a 115 yard, 2 touchdown performance. This team is still positioned well to make another run at a conference title. They’ll need to be at their best against Dwenger next week and Snider the following week.
#4: Carroll
Record: 2-1
Last Week: #4
Week 4: vs Northrop
Carroll turned in a terrific all-around performance in their game against North Side. Jeff Becker threw and ran for over 100 yards and had 4 total touchdowns. However, for as good as the offense played, the defense was even better. To go along with the shutout, the Chargers forced 5 turnovers, including a pick six by Dylan Bennett which now gives him 3 interceptions on the year, one in each game. Carroll has had no problem shaking off their opening loss and should continue to surge as they head back to their home field to face Northrop.
#5: Snider
Record: 2-1
Last Week: #5
Week 4: vs South Side
Snider has made it clear that they’re going to run the football down your throat. Just to get that point across, the Panthers decided to rush for 485 yards and 5 touchdowns on the ground at Concordia, Friday night. This includes an even 200 yards and 2 touchdowns for Tyrese Brown and 146 yards and a touchdowns for Langston Leavell. But perhaps the craziest stat is that Brown averaged 10.5 yards per carry, while Leavell averaged 11.2 a carry! That’s called having your way in the trenches. There’s reason to believe that this trend will continue into this week against South Side, as the Panthers continue to utilize their huge offensive line.
#6: North Side
Record: 0-3
Last Week: #6
Week 4: at Wayne
For as good as this team looked in Week 1, it’s quite shocking to see this team get shut out 40-0 on their home field. The loss came with a plethora of turnovers, stalling the offense for the entirety of the game. The Legends knew that things would be tough having to play Snider, Dwenger, and Carroll out of the gate. And while they were unable to pull off the upset in any of those matchups, this team remains at #6 simply because of how talented they still are. There’s a lot of games left for North Side to finish the season with a winning record.
#7: Concordia
Record: 1-2
Last Week: #8
Week 4: at Bishop Luers
While the Cadets’ defense was overwhelmed by Snider’s ground attack, they also couldn’t seem to find an answer on offense. They struggled in just about every category, and even though they were able to force 2 turnovers, they committed 2 themselves. While quarterback Eli Mattox has put up some good numbers, such as 594 yards and 6 touchdowns through 3 games, he’s also had 4 interceptions including 2 against the Panthers. If he can limit some of those mistakes, this could be a potent offense.
#8: South Side
Record: 1-2
Last Week: #9
Week 4: at Snider
While the Archers were feeling really good after their win last week, they happened to run into the buzzsaw known as Bishop Dwenger. South Side simply could not get the offense going and were held to just 128 yards of total offense. They scored two late touchdowns to make the 50-14 final look a little better, but the Archers were clearly outmatched from the beginning of the game. It won’t get any easier for this team, with Tyrese Brown and the Snider Panthers coming up next.
#9: Northrop
Record: 1-2
Last Week: #10
Week 4: at Carroll
Northrop bounced back from last week’s surprising loss to South Side to beat Wayne 13-12. CJ Davis was responsible for both Northrop touchdowns, including the game-winner on an end-around play that he was able to take in for the score. This was a key win for the Bruins as they notched their first victory of the season, which should help them to relax and play loose the rest of the way.
#10: Wayne
Record: 0-3
Last Week: #7
Week 4: vs North Side
Wayne fell to the bottom of this week’s rankings, after losing to last week’s #10, Northrop. In a game that both teams desperately wanted to win, the Generals came up just short, despite Shawn Collins and Lamarion Nelson rushing for a combined 246 yards and 2 touchdowns. Both backs have played well this season, but it just hasn’t been quite enough to get them their first win of the year. Next week however, presents an opportunity for the Generals, as they go up against another winless team in North Side.
