Daily Herald football expanded Top 20

1. Downers Grove North (2-0) Beat Downers Grove South 45-7 / at Hinsdale Central

Fresh off their 11th straight win over the Mustangs, another lopsided one that saw the Trojans average 14 yards a play in the first half, Downers North opens West Suburban Silver play against another 2-0 team. DGN’s Joey Goodwin threw a pair of TD passes last week and Kevin Jay ran for two scores.

2. Hersey (2-0) Beat Hoffman Estates 42-6 / at Neuqua Valley

Hersey’s Kentucky-bound quarterback Jake Nawrot tossed four more touchdowns last week. Jaxon St. Paul caught a pair of them, and that duo will try to stay hot in a new matchup with the Wildcats. Neuqua Valley rebounded from a season-opening loss to Oswego by scoring two touchdowns in the final three minutes to beat Minooka, 27-14.

3. Prospect (2-0) Beat St. Laurence 44-7 / Naperville Central

Another new matchup for a MSL school after the conference’s long-standing week three and four matchups vs. the Central Suburban League came to an end. The Knights have looked good the first two weeks led by Matthew Donnelly who already has scored seven touchdowns. Naperville Central is coming off a good win over Lockport.

4. St. Charles North (2-0) Beat South Elgin 56-21 / at Geneva

There’s going to be a lot of entertaining, high quality matchups in the DuKane Conference this fall, and the North Stars will be in one of those right off the bat. Dashel Von Qualen (4 of 4, 153 yards) and Landon Conroy (4 of 6, 120 yards) continued to both put up strong numbers at quarterback in last week’s win.

5. Fremd (2-0) Beat Glenbrook South 35-21 / Metea Valley

Every good quarterback needs a talented wide receiver, and Will Clark has one this fall at Fremd. Carter MacDonald caught eight passes for 191 yards last week including 55- and 18-yard touchdowns. Fremd has a big MSL crossover matchup next Thursday when the Vikings travel to Prospect.

6. Montini (1-1) Lost to Sandburg 35-28 / at Marist

Week 2 saw the top three teams in last week’s Daily Herald Top 20 all lose, starting with the Broncos. A couple turnovers put Montini in a 21-7 hole, and despite Israel Abrams throwing for two touchdowns and running for another, the Broncos couldn’t come back — ending a 25-game winning streak.

7. Glenbard West (1-1) Lost to St. Rita 36-35 / Oak Park-River Forest

Injuries are mounting for the Hilltoppers, especially on defense with five starters out for the year. St. Rita capitalized with a pair of 100-yard rushers, yet it still took a two-point conversion in the final minute to sink Glenbard West. Big plays from A.J. Rayford, Keyante Johnson, Bryce Ellens and Finn Sheeley almost won the game for the Hilltoppers.

8. Batavia (1-1) Lost to Rochester 44-16 / at Glenbard North

Batavia coach Dennis Piron called the Rochester community and game-night experience “unique and special.” Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, four turnovers and turning the ball over on downs three times led to a rather surprising final score. The Bulldogs will need to fix that quickly with the 2-0 Panthers up next.

9. Geneva (1-1) Lost to Oswego 44-42 / St. Charles North

If fantasy football ever reaches the high school level, it would be hard to argue taking Geneva WR Bennett Konkey first off the board. After catching four passes for 178 yards and two TDs in Week 1 (plus a 96-yard kick return), the Illini recruit followed with 10 catches for 217 yards and four scores last week. Here’s guessing this year’s matchup with St. Charles North will see more points than the North Stars’ 10-7 win in 2025.

10. St. Francis (1-1) Beat Clemente 48-0 / at Brother Rice

The Spartans’ schedule is no joke, and this week they get Brother Rice, 13-1 a year ago and Class 7A state champions. Lincoln-Way East did beat them 22-21 in Week 1. St. Francis rolled from the opening kick last week, Tavian Talton returning that kick 63 yards for a touchdown. Blayke Lohmann also scored on a punt return.

Week 2 result/Week 3 opponent

11. Maine South (1-1) Beat Warren 54-14 / Maine West

12. IC Catholic Prep (2-0) Beat St. Louis St. Mary’s South Side 42-14 / at St. Ignatius

13. York (1-1) Lost to Nazareth 27-3 / at Proviso West

14. Palatine (1-1) Lost to Evanston 14-13 / Waubonsie Valley

15. Wheaton Warrenville South (1-1) Lost to Lyons T. 18-9 / St. Charles East

16. Burlington Central (2-0) Beat Crystal Lake South 41-7 / at Cary-Grove

17. Carmel Catholic (1-1) Beat Lake Forest 30-9 / St. Laurence

18. Antioch (2-0) Beat Lake Zurich 34-21 / Grant

19. Hinsdale Central (2-0) Beat West Aurora 35-14 / Downers Grove North

20. Glenbard North (2-0) Beat Benet 49-7 / Batavia