5A, 1A have new No. 1
Two classes, 5A and 1A, have new No. 1 teams in The Associated Press state rankings for high school football released Tuesday.
In Class 5A, Montini (7-0) moved up one position to No. 1 after a 33-0 Suburban Catholic road victory over previous No. 1 Woodstock Marian. Montini had 3 interceptions, a fumble recovery and a blocked punt on the way to its third consecutive shutout.
Marian, playing without injured starting quarterback Jon Budmayr, fell to No. 3 after its first shutout loss since 2002.
Metamora (7-0) moved up to No. 2 after clinching at least a share of the Mid-Illini title with a 66-12 victory over Bartonville Limestone. Pontiac (5-2) fell five spots to No. 9 after a 20-12 loss to Bloomington Central Catholic in the Corn Belt Conference. No. 7 Geneseo (5-2) and No. 8 Marion (5-2) rejoined the 5A ranks. Cahokia (5-2) fell two places to No. 10 after a 23-22 loss to Mount Vernon in the South Seven.
In 1A, Dakota (7-0) climbed a spot into the No. 1 position after a 49-14 victory over Orangeville in the Northwest Upstate Illini-Northwest. Derek Schurch threw 2 touchdown passes and Curt Daughenbaugh had first-half touchdown runs of 53 and 49 yards for the Indians.
Defending state champion Tuscola fell to No. 2 after a 35-28 home loss to Maroa-Forsyth in the Okaw Valley-Blue.
Toulon Stark County (6-1) rejoined the 1A ranks at No. 10 after a 21-14 victory at Princeville (6-1), which fell two places to No. 8. Maroa-Forsyth's win over Tuscola was the 21st in a row for the defending 2A state champions, who climbed one spot to No. 3 in 2A.
There were no changes in 7A, where Rolling Meadows (7-0) won 28-19 over Elk Grove (1-6) in the Mid-Suburban East. Lake Zurich (6-1) is No. 2 and East St. Louis (6-1) is No. 3.
In 8A, Mount Carmel (7-0) remained No. 1 and clinched the Chicago Catholic-Blue outright with a 31-24 double-overtime victory over Loyola.
No. 2 Naperville North (7-0), No. 3 Wheaton Warrenville South (7-0) and No. 4 Downers Grove South (7-0) all held their previous positions. Lincoln-Way East (6-1) moved up three to No. 7 after a 16-13 Southwest Suburban victory over rival New Lenox Lincoln-Way Central. Loyola (5-2) fell one position to No. 8 with its loss to Mount Carmel.
In 6A, No. 1 and defending state champion Normal Community (7-0) rolled to a 55-7 victory in the Big Twelve. Chad Hinshaw's 82-yard return of the opening kickoff started the Ironmen on their way to a season high for points.
Joliet Catholic (6-1) remained No. 2 and Richards (6-1) stayed No. 3. The only changes in 6A involved Rock Island (6-1), which fell two places to No. 9 after a 17-14 loss to Moline in the Western Big Six.
In 4A, six-time defending state champion Driscoll remained undefeated with a 62-35 victory over Aurora Central Catholic in the Suburban Catholic.
Mount Carmel (7-0) remained No. 2. No. 3 Bloomington Central Catholic (7-0) wrapped up at least a share of the Corn Belt title with its victory over Pontiac. Decatur St. Teresa (6-1) entered the 4A ranks at No. 9 after a 49-6 win over Clinton in the Okaw Valley-Black.
Harvard (6-1) joined the 4A ranks at No.10 after its sixth consecutive win, 49-6 over winless Marengo in the Big Northern-East. Harvard's only loss was to an out-of-state opponent.
Morrison (7-0) remained No. 1 in 2A after a 40-18 Big Rivers win over Erie/Prophetstown.
Westville (7-0) stayed at No. 2 after 48-13 win over Fithian Oakwood/Armstrong in the Vermillion Valley. Casey-Westfield (7-0) fell to No. 4, swapping places with Maroa-Forsyth, after a 39-22 win over Oblong in the Little Illini. Flanagan/Woodland (7-0) debuted at No. 10 after a 47-18 win over El Paso-Gridley in the Heart of Illinois.
In 3A, St. Joseph-Ogden (7-0) retained the No. 1 spot it has held all season after a 53-13 Sangamon Valley victory over Watseka. Lukas Graves had a touchdown reception and scored on two punt returns for SJ-O. Will Lindsey tied a state record with a 99-yard touchdown run.
Plano (6-1) stayed No. 2 in 3A despite its first loss, 28-14 to 4A No.6 Coal City in the Interstate Eight-Small.
Anna-Jonesboro (7-0) clinched at least a share of the crown in the Southern Illinois River-to-River-Mississippi with a 14-13 overtime victory over previously ranked DuQuoin (5-2). Petersburg PORTA/Greenview (7-0) stayed No. 6 after a 49-0 win over Pleasant Plains on Tuesday and an 84-8 victory over Mendon Unity/Peyson Seymour on Saturday. Genoa-Kingston (6-1) moved into the 3A ranks at No. 9 after a 46-44 victory over Oregon in the Big Northern-West. Monmouth-Roseville (5-2) debuted at No.10 after a 52-39 nonconference win over Rochester.