#1: Carroll
Record: 4-0
Last Week: #1
Week 5: vs Dwenger (Sept. 19)
The last remaining unbeaten in the SAC has cruised to a 4-0 record, outscoring opponents by a 218-86 margin. While the offense has gotten most of the attention, and for good reason, the defense has only allowed more than two touchdowns once this year. In their most recent game, against a very solid Northrop running game, they only allowed 163 yards rushing. In the meantime though, a huge conference matchup against Dwenger has arrived and it’s time for QB Jeff Becker (1,207 yds, 64% comp, 16 TD) to prove himself against a stout defense that won’t allow anything easy.
#2: Homestead
Record: 3-1
Last Week: #3
Week 5: at Snider
After beating Dwenger by a matter of inches, the Spartans have overtaken the Saints for the #2 spot in rankings, as well as in the SAC standings. While many people wrote off Homestead as a contender, they’ve made their way back into everyone’s minds. The defending SAC champs have seen their defense play as well as anyone’s this year, with LB Luke Palmer leading the team in tackles with 31 in total and 9 for a loss. If they continue to dominate on that side of the ball, they’ll be hard to stop the rest of the year. Remember, even with 1 loss, they still control their own destiny in the conference.
#3: Bishop Dwenger
Record: 3-1
Last Week: #2
Week 5: at Carroll (Sept. 19)
It wasn’t a lookahead game, but perhaps the Saints were more concerned about facing Caroll this week than they were about playing Homestead. The main issue that’s been holding back Dwenger has been their uncharacteristically low rushing numbers. They only rank 7th in the SAC in rushing with 552 yards total this year. For comparison, Northrop’s Damarius Cowen has 733 yards by himself. They are also only averaging 3.4 yards per carry. That’s good for second worst in the SAC! With their ability to run the football and wear teams down being the foundation of their offense, Dwenger needs to turn those numbers around in a hurry. A good showing and a win against Carroll would go a long way towards doing just that.
#4: North Side
Record: 2-2
Last Week: #4
Week 5: at Luers
The Legends had a much easier task on Friday and were able to pull away after halftime. They have all the confidence in the world in their quarterback Duce Taylor, who’s thrown for 1,262 yards for 14 TD and has completed 60% of his passes. The majority of those have gone to WR Jordan Turner for 418 yards and 2 TD, with his 26 receptions being the most of any receiver in the conference. This week will be another great opportunity to showcase their offense, going up against a team that has allowed upwards of 30 points in each of their first four games.
#5: Concordia
Record: 2-2
Last Week: #7
Week 5: vs Northrop
The return of QB Brandon Davis allowed the Cadets offense to find its groove. Both Davis and his running back Amir Drew went over 100 yards and combined to score 4 touchdowns. The real story though is how well the defense has played. They just collected their second shutout of the season and now have 10 interceptions this year, by far the most in the SAC, led by Kam Vanderbosch who has 4 himself. This Cadets team is very dangerous and has the potential to slow down even the most potent offenses.
#6: Snider
Record: 2-2
Last Week: #5
Week 5: vs Homestead
It was an ugly win for Snider, but a win nonetheless. South Side had their number the whole game, but it was QB Luke Haupert who ran it in to give the Panthers a game-winning touchdown in his second start. They do drop one spot in our rankings, but they’re still right in the thick of things and have a date with Homestead next week. We’ll see if the Panther defense can hold the Spartans under 250 yards on offense like they did on Friday.
#7: Northrop
Record: 2-2
Last Week: #6
Week 5: at Concordia
There wasn’t much that Northrop could do on the defensive side of the ball against Carroll. Still, on offense RB Damarius Cowen was able to carve out 149 yards for himself to bring his total to 733 on the year with 9 touchdowns and a 6.8 yards per carry average. This week they’ll play in a very intriguing game that won in overtime last year. It will be strength on strength as Cowen will try to run through the Concordia defense.
#8: Bishop Luers
Record: 1-3
Last Week: #8
Week 5: vs North Side
It’s been a rough start on the defensive side of the ball. With the amount of points their defense has been giving up, the Knights haven’t allowed their quarterback Carson Clark to win games on offense. His 692 yards and 3 TD have made him a solid option and quarterback, which hopefully translates to this week against Duce and the North Side Legends.
#9: Wayne
Record: 1-3
Last Week: #9
Week 5: at South Side
Playing off of the momentum that had gained in their win over Northrop, the Generals made things interesting, only trailing North Side by 5 at the intermission. While they’re chances of winning slipped away in the second half, Wayne can take a lot of positives from this. QB Aidan Meek played his best game of the year with 154 yards, 1 TD, while completing 57% of his passes and Avant Rogers had 7 tackles, 3 for a loss, and a sack. This week is another golden opportunity to score a win at South Side.
#10: South Side
Record: 0-4
Last Week: #10
Week 5: vs Wayne
A program defining win for Coach Norfleet couldn’t have evaporated in a more gut-wrenching fashion. On the heels of their 14-7 defeat, South Side has another opportunity to notch a win, as they try to make it two in a row against Wayne.
