Sports Editor Matt Daniels returns with another attempt at ranking the area’s best high school football teams during our latest weekly poll:
1. Mahomet-Seymour
➜ Record: 6-1 ➜ Prev. ranking: No. 1
➜ The skinny: Luke Dyer and the Bulldogs will vie for their seventh straight win on Friday at Mattoon. M-S has outscored its Apollo Conference foes 147-28 and Mattoon has lost five in a row. So don’t expect a close game in Coles County.
2. LeROY
➜ Record: 7-0 ➜ Prev. ranking: No. 2
➜ The skinny: Bo Zeleznik has a field day in essentially every game for the Panthers. But LeRoy’s quarterback/linebacker and his teammates could face a tough test on Friday night at Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley in LeRoy’s second road game this fall.
3. Sullivan/Okaw Valley
➜ Record: 7-0 ➜ Prev. ranking: No. 3
➜ The skinny: Cooper Christensen and the Redskins had to fend off Nokomis last Friday night in Lincoln Prairie Conference action, but should roll past winless Tri-County this Friday night in the final home regular season game for Sullivan.
4. ALAH
➜ Record: 7-0 ➜ Prev. ranking: No. 4
➜ The skinny: Jayce Parsons and the Knights just scored another touchdown. It sure feels that way this season for ALAH, which will make the quick trip to Arcola on Friday night for a critical Lincoln Prairie game that will air on WHMS 97.5-FM.
5. St. Thomas More
➜ Record: 7-0 ➜ Prev. ranking: No. 5
➜ The skinny: Reid Craddock and the Sabers are averaging 35.6 points, with three straight games of at least 50 points. They’ll look to continue that trend on Saturday night when STM travels north to face St. Anne in a 7 p.m. kickoff.
6. Westville
➜ Record: 6-1 ➜ Prev. ranking: No. 6
➜ The skinny: After two straight home wins that saw the co-Vermilion Valley Conference leaders cruise at Memorial Field, Drew Wichtowski and the Tigers hit the road to play at Hoopeston Area/Armstrong-Potomac this Friday night.
7. Centennial
➜ Record: 5-2 ➜ Prev. ranking: No. 8
➜ The skinny: Kellen Davis and the Chargers ended a two-game losing skid with a home win against Peoria Notre Dame. Next up: Decatur Eisenhower.
8. St. Joseph-Ogden
➜ Record: 5-2 ➜ Prev. ranking: No. 9
➜ The skinny: Logan Smith and the Spartans should get to their playoff-clinching sixth win on Friday night when they host winless Rantoul.
9. Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley
➜ Record: 5-2 ➜ Prev. ranking: No. 7
➜ The skinny: Brayden Elliott and the Falcons, after a tough 22-21 loss at undefeated Forreston, host LeRoy on Friday night in what should be a fun matchup.
10. Unity
➜ Record: 5-2 ➜ Prev. ranking: NR
➜ The skinny: Dane Eisenmenger and the Rockets host Paxton-Buckley-Loda in an intriguing Illini Prairie game on Friday.
