The rankings are becoming a roll of the dice, darts thrown at the wall, drawing pieces of paper out of a hat and a multiple-guess exam.
No. 2 Lincoln-Way East loses to unranked Lincoln-Way Central. No. 3 Lincoln-Way West falls to No. 23 Sandburg. No. 4 New Trier tumbles to No. 11 Barrington. No. 10 Loyola is beaten by No. 14 St. Rita. No. 8 Deerfield is stopped by No. 9 Boylan. No. 21 Bartlett loses to unranked West Chicago. No. 22 Glenbard East loses its way.
Who knows what surprises lay ahead when the IHSA tournament begins a week from today?
Here are the top 25 teams (as best we can reckon) heading into the final week of the regular season.
(previous ranking in parentheses)
1. Marist 32-2 (1)
East Suburban champions wrap up regular season Tuesday with visit to St. Patrick.
2. Glenbard West 30-3 (6)
Henry Curtis, Hilltoppers travel to Lyons Tuesday, host St. Charles North Thursday.
3. Boylan Catholic 31-2 (9)
Andrew Crouch, Titans could see Deerfield again in sectional championship.
4. Lincoln-Way East 25-7 (2)
Griffins visit rival West Tuesday, host streaking Sandburg Thursday.
5. Lincoln-Way West 29-4 (3)
Warriors host rival Lincoln-Way East Tuesday, visit Bolingbrook Thursday.
6. Barrington 25-9 (11)
Broncos re-invent themselves (again) to beat New Trier, Neuqua Valley.
7. New Trier 24-8 (4)
Sue Ellen Haak’s faith in tournament run unshaken by loss to Barrington.
8. Oak Park-River Forest 28-4 (5)
Lucas Schattauer, Huskies close regular season with Thursday visit to Loyola.
9. Minooka 26-7 (7)
AJ Lewis, Indians visit Joliet West Tuesday, hosts Oswego East Thursday.
10. Deerfield 23-4 (8)
Warriors go the distance, but lose to Boylan in Evanston’s Spring Fling finale.
11. St. Francis 27-5 (13)
Bryce Walker leads Spartans to Metro Suburban title with win over R-B.
12. St. Rita 23-11 (14)
Cam Bartmann, Joe Horn lead Mustangs to Catholic League Blue championship.
13. Sandburg 23-9 (23)
Richards’ MVP Luka Vukanic leads Eagles to Richards title, nine straight wins.
14. Palatine 28-4 (12)
After Mid-Suburban crossover Tuesday, Pirates visit Stevenson Thursday.
15. Loyola 26-7 (10)
Ramblers fall in Catholic League title game, close with Oak Park Thursday.
16. Stevenson 25-6 (15)
Thomas Finn, Patriots tune up for postseason push Monday at Grant.
17. Riverside-Brookfield 25-8 (19)
Vejay Cuplinskas, Bulldogs save their best for first at Willowbrook tournament.
18. Niles West 21-10 (16)
Despite loss to New Trier, Niles West trending in right direction for tournament.
19. Neuqua Valley 17-12 (17)
Gabe Scharosch, Wildcats acquit themselves well despite absence of Kevin Kauling.
20. Lake Forest 20-10 (18)
Scouts should get Kevin Lamp back for showdown with Stevenson Wednesday.
21. O’Fallon 21-8 (20)
Downstate hopefuls wrap up regular season with visit to Belleville East Tuesday.
22. Bartlett 23-4 (21)
Hawks cannot seem to solve Upstate Eight Conference rival West Chicago.
23. Hersey 26-7 (24)
Seeks Mid-Suburban League title Wednesday against reigning champ Barrington.
24. Edwardsville 17-8 (25)
Tigers avenge earlier loss to Vianney, travel to Belleville West Monday.
25. Providence 25-8 (NR)
Surging Celtics could cause a little havoc in the Belleville East sub-sectional.
Dropped out: Glenbard East 18-15 (22)
On the bubble: Bolingbrook, Downers Grove North, Glenbrook North, Glenbrook South, Hinsdale Central, Lake Park, Lincoln-Way Central, Lockport, Maine South, Naperville Central, Plainfield North, Richards, West Aurora, West Chicago, Wheaton North, Wheeling.