By Sean Duncan
Executive Director

The weather started to come around last week, which meant games were actually played. Some teams have been more active than others, and really, it’s hard to gauge anything when squads are just getting outside for the first time.

Nevertheless, there have been shakeups in the Illinois Power 25 Team Rankings, which is comprised of all classes in the state.

Here’s an overview of some of the happenings of last week that impacted the first re-shuffling of the team rankings:

+ Lincoln-Way North moves up a spot to the No. 1 team in Illinois after defeating No. 10 Plainfield North. That, and previous No. 1 Lyons Township falling to now No. 6 Sandburg. Lincoln-Way North entered the season with the state’s most loaded roster, so the fact the Phoenix are in the top spot now is no surprise. Lyons Township got the slight edge for the simple fact it claimed two state trophies and a runner-up finish in a 13-month window.  The two powerhouses will settle it on the field this Wednesday when Lincoln-Way North travels to Western Springs in a colossal matchup of two of the state’s top teams. Game time is 4:30. If you can’t make, we will have a full game report that night.

+ Not even Mother Nature can slow down St. Rita. The Mustangs are off to a scorching 10-0 start – the most games to our knowledge played in the state. Amazingly, the Mustangs have played all their games in the Chicagoland area. Coach Mike Zunica always puts in the extra work to get his field ready, and it appears his efforts are being rewarded. Buoyed by a balanced offense and the arm of junior LHP Mike Costanzo, the Mustangs jump seven spots to No. 2 in the rankings.

+ Providence vaults to No. 3 after winning the tough WJOL Area Invite this weekend. The Celtics edged No. 24 Lockport in the title game behind tournament MVP Dylan Rosa, a junior 3B/RHP.

+ Mundelein has been one of the early surprises this spring. The Mustangs are always a contender, but after losing a big senior class, we thought they’d experience some growing pains. Not quite. Coach Todd Parola, whose teams are always well-prepared and disciplined, has his club off to a blazing 8-0 start after defeating No. 23 Simeon 8-3 on Saturday, and rolling through competition in Southern Illinois. Mundelein jumps from No. 47 in the preseason to No. 5.

+ Sandburg is off to a quick 3-0 start behind its light-out pitching. The perennially tough Eagles blanked Lyons Township behind Michigan-bound junior RHP Bryan Pall’s complete-game shutout. Sandburg jumps to No. 6 in the state.

+ Alton is another surprise this spring. Ranked No. 31 in the preseason, Alton moves up to No. 11 after jumping out to a 7-0 start. The Southwestern Conference should be a dogfight between Alton, O’Fallon, Edwardsville and Belleville West.

+ Prairie Ridge moves up to No. 13 after sweeping then-No. 23 Maine South on Saturday.

+ Ottawa opened eyes when it downed two previously ranked teams on Saturday: No. 5 Normal West and No. 43 Metamora. Illinois-bound OF Michael Hermosillo is the headliner on Ottawa, which went from unranked to No. 15.

+ Huntley has been hammering the baseball in its 3-0 start. Louisville-bound OF Colin Lyman is off to a torrid start of the season. Huntley moves from No. 26 to No. 16.

+ Much has been made about Lincoln-Way North, and rightfully so. But keep an eye out for No. 17 Lincoln-Way West, which moved to No. 17 after its 3-0 start. The Warriors have the frontline pitching to do damage this season.

+ The Chicago Catholic Blue has four teams in the top seven (once again): No. 2 St. Rita, No. 3 Providence, No. 4 St. Laurence and No. 7 Mount Carmel.

CLICK HERE to view the updated Illinois Power 25 Team Rankings