The News-Gazette’s football Top 10: Bulldogs still the team to beat | Sports

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Sports Editor Matt Daniels returns with another attempt at ranking the areaā€™s best high school football teams during our latest weekly poll:

1. Mahomet-Seymour

āžœ Record: 6-1 āžœ Prev. ranking: No. 1

āžœ 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 donā€™t expect a close game in Coles County.

2. LeROY

āžœ Record: 7-0 āžœ Prev. ranking: No. 2

āžœ The skinny: Bo Zeleznik has a field day in essentially every game for the Panthers. But LeRoyā€™s quarterback/linebacker and his teammates could face a tough test on Friday night at Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley in LeRoyā€™s second road game this fall.

3. Sullivan/Okaw Valley

āžœ Record: 7-0 āžœ Prev. ranking: No. 3

āžœ 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

āžœ Record: 7-0 āžœ Prev. ranking: No. 4

āžœ 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

āžœ Record: 7-0 āžœ Prev. ranking: No. 5

āžœ The skinny: Reid Craddock and the Sabers are averaging 35.6 points, with three straight games of at least 50 points. Theyā€™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

āžœ Record: 6-1 āžœ Prev. ranking: No. 6

āžœ 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

āžœ Record: 5-2 āžœ Prev. ranking: No. 8

āžœ 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

āžœ Record: 5-2 āžœ Prev. ranking: No. 9

āžœ 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

āžœ Record: 5-2 āžœ Prev. ranking: No. 7

āžœ 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

āžœ Record: 5-2 āžœ Prev. ranking: NR

āžœ The skinny: Dane Eisenmenger and the Rockets host Paxton-Buckley-Loda in an intriguing Illini Prairie game on Friday.

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