With 1/2A playoffs underway and 3/4A starting up this week, we won’t be updating our Power 25 until the state runs are complete. With that being said, we still want to take the time to go over some Power 25 action from this past week, along with some notable action from around the state. 

Power 25 Standouts 

+ Brother Rice continues to look like the top team in the state as they now sit at 32-3 on the year. They went 2-1 this past week with a couple wins over Marist (9-2) and Maine South (4-2), but they did fall to conference rival St. Laurence 8-3. 

+ Staying on the topic of St. Laurence, the Vikings look to be back on track after a couple tough losses to Rice last week. They went a perfect 3-0 this week with their aforementioned win over Rice, and they also took down Fenwick 17-2 and No. 13 Lemont 10-1 to win the Do it Stevie’s Way tournament. 

+ With their last loss coming more than a month ago, Normal Community is a team to watch as we look ahead to some playoff action. Riding a 17-game win streak, they haven’t given up a run in four games and are outscoring opponents 293-72 on the year. They took two games this week as they now sit at 31-4, taking down Mahomet-Seymour 11-0 and Plainfield North 2-0. 

+ To no one’s surprise, Edwardsville is another team appearing to heat up. They went 5-1 this past week with a couple quality wins over ranked teams (No. 18 O’Fallon 7-0, No. 6 Triad 4-3), and their lone loss came to O’Fallon in a close 3-2 contest. 

+ Lincoln-Way West, Nazareth Academy and New Trier all went undefeated last week, as West outscored their opponents 38-6 in four games, Nazareth outscored their opponents 17-0 in two games, and New Trier 17-0 in three games. 

+ The Wooden Shoes of Teutopolis are off to a strong start in their 2A playoff action, taking their first two games in dominant fashion with wins over Flora 16-0 and Newton 10-0. 

Out of the Race

+ No. 20 St. Joseph-Ogden and No. 23 Nashville both had tremendous seasons, but are no doubt disappointed with second round losses in the 2A state tournament. Despite the losses, we congratulate both teams on outstanding seasons, as the Spartans of SJO finish at a 32-4 clip, and Nashville at 29-2. 

Teams to Watch

+ East Peoria (27-8) and Dunlap (26-7) are two teams to watch heading into the 3A playoffs. Also conference rivals, these two teams split when they matched up earlier in the year and both appear to be playing some of their best ball currently. East Peoria finished this past week 5-0, seeing wins over Pekin 7-3 & 5-0, Champaign Central 2-1, Kankakee 12-0 and Normal West 14-1. Dunlap also went undefeated on the week, going 3-0 with two wins over Metamora (7-0, 6-4) and a win over Dixon 9-2. 

+ Palatine is a team that has been making some noise lately, sitting at 25-9 on the year now after a 3-0 week. Their big ticket win came over No. 16 Hersey 9-3, and they also took down Elk Grove 8-2 and Niles West 10-4. 

More Teams to Watch (LISTED ALPHABETICALLY) 

+ Andrew (23-11) 
+ Barrington (21-11-1)
+ Downers Grove North (26-7)
+ Eureka (31-4)
+ Hampshire (26-8) 
+ Kenwood (17-2)
+ Lane Tech (25-10)
+ Lyons Township (21-10-1)
+ Marquette (31-3) 
+ Mascoutah (22-7)
+ Monticello (28-6) 
+ Morris (24-8)
+ Normal University (26-7)
+ Oak Park-River Forest (25-10)
+ Plainfield Central (26-8)
+ Plainfield North (22-11)
+ Pleasant Plains (30-7) 
+ Sacred-Heart Griffin (21-8-1) 
+ St. Francis (23-8)
+ Washington (24-10)

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