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Chances are pretty good when we reflect and consider the boys season of 2024, the fifth week is going to be seen and best understood as an inflection point.
Naperville North is no longer perfect after going 1-1-1 at the 20th annual Great River Classic in Bettendorf, Ia.
The tournament became a bellwether with the top three teams (North, Glenbrook South and Evanston) all part of the vast field that brought together some of the elite teams in the country.
Naperville North and Evanston took their first losses of the season. Glenbrook South tied Evanston 1-1 last Tuesday, and went 1-0-1 in Iowa after canceling a third match due to injuries.
One of the big risers in this week’s poll, Chicago Catholic League Blue Division power Mount Carmel defeated two juggernauts of the Illinois 10, no. 2 and previously unbeaten Dunlap, and no.5 Washington (Ill.).
Timothy makes a leap into the Top 25 with a brilliant showing of its own at Iowa, taking out two perennial downstate powers in Althoff and Marquette (Alton), fixtures in both the Illinois 10 and the Class AA Super 7 polls.
Another unbeaten, Plainfield Central, emphatically answered any doubts about their earlier strength of schedule by soundly handling previous no. 7 West Aurora.
Another newcomer, Bartlett, is one of those teams that we’ve been tracking and watching, and they secured a breakthrough victory with the 2-1 win over Wheaton Academy.
Waubonsie Valley and Oswego East also make a leap from the honorable mention to the Top 25. The teams have split their two meetings, with Waubonsie Valley offsetting an early-season loss with a shoutout victory over the Wolves.
As we’ve said before, not all results mean the same, and have the same predictive powers. Keep a lookout for Hinsdale Central. The Red Devils have a negative scoring differential, and remain under .500.
It literally doesn’t matter after the team just knocked out Naperville Central and Oak Park and River Forest. Talk about getting hot at the right time.
A topsy-turvy season looks to take another unpredictable, wild and digressive turn.
Is there any other way?
| Rank | Previous | Team | Record | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Naperville North | 13-1-1 | Jaxon Stokes is an elite and explosive scorer |
| 2 | 2 | Glenbrook South | 14-0-2 | Keeper Israel Rivera has been stellar |
| 3 | 3 | Evanston | 12-1-2 | National power Gonzaga ends 14-game unbeaten streak |
| 4 | 4 | Elgin | 9-1-2 | Beto Gaytan sparks the Maroons' flourish |
| 5 | 5 | Leyden | 11-1-2 | Ryvin DelPilar is a creative and dynamic playmaker in middle |
| 6 | 9 | New Trier | 9-2-2 | Gabe Yoder is a creative and talented scorer |
| 7 | 6 | Naperville Central | 10-3-2 | Shuts out OPRF to capture Iowa bracket title |
| 8 | 11 | DeLaSalle | 17-1-0 | Meteors are ascendant with 15-game winning streak |
| 9 | HM | Plainfield Central | 13-0-1 | Impressive 3-0 win over West Aurora |
| 10 | 8 | Lincoln-Way East | 11-1-2 | Edges district rival Central 1-0 |
| 11 | 7 | West Aurora | 10-3-0 | Showdown with Bartlett Tuesday night |
| 12 | NR | Mount Carmel | 11-3-1 | Takes out Illinois 10 powers Dunlap and Washington (Ill.) |
| 13 | NR | Bartlett | 7-3-2 | Dzemal Dzambegovic makes his name against Wheaton Academy |
| 14 | 3 (Class AA Super 7) | Grayslake Central | 8-2-1 | Evan Swiderski is an athletic talent and shotmaker at the top |
| 15 | 10 | Wheaton Academy | 13-2-0 | Andrew Lopez commands the middle space |
| 16 | 20 | Hersey | 9-2-3 | Nick Mabry keys dominant victory over Stevenson |
| 17 | 12 | Libertyville | 6-1-3 | Jackson Kern is a skilled two-way talent |
| 18 | 18 | Lyons | 8-4-1 | Chris Medina has emerged in the middle attack |
| 19 | 21 | Young | 10-4-3 | Leo Antoniewicz is a skilled and talented finisher in final third |
| 20 | HM | Waubonsie Valley | 9-2-3 | Gabriele Pizzo sparks the Warriors' hot run |
| 21 | 24 | Rolling Meadows | 11-2-1 | Alex Kociubinski has been a revelation for the Mustangs |
| 22 | HM | Oswego East | 9-3-2 | M.J. Hoffman is an intriguing talent to watch |
| 23 | 17 | Morton | 7-4-4 | Dario Cisneros helps stabilize and sharpen the back |
| 24 | 23 | Brother Rice | 9-3-2 | Jimmy Gricus brings power and stability to the back |
| 25 | HM | Timothy | 9-4-3 | Ben Schroeder keys impressive win over downstate power Marquette (Alton |
Look out for: Maine South, Lake Zurich, Glenbrook North, Lincoln-Way Central, Metea Valley, Stagg, Warren, Stevenson, Hinsdale Central, Notre Dame, Lane, Oak Park and River Forest, Palatine, Reavis, Benet