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St. Joseph-Ogden is solidifying itself as the area team to beat, continuing to score a lot of goals while not letting opponents score any. A gap is forming behind the Spartans, but don't count anyone else out just yet. Here's preps coordinator Zach Piatt's latest take:
1. St. Joseph-Ogden
Record: 10-0
Previous ranking: No. 1
Quick take: Business as usual for the Spartans, who outscored their opponents 32-0 over their last four games. Zach Harper led them to a Bomber Classic title with three hat tricks, including a four-goal performance in the championship game. At this point, the top spot is theirs as long as they want it and keep up this level of play.
2. Urbana
Record: 5-3
Previous ranking: No. 3
Quick take: A win in penalty kicks against Mahomet-Seymour and a pair of competitive losses, 2-0 to Bradley-Bourbonnais and 4-3 in penalty kicks to Springfield, landed the Tigers a fourth-place finish in their 12th-annual Urbana Tournament. Tim-Diego Graalheer made the All-Tournament Team for the host school.
3. Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin
Record: 6-1
Previous ranking: No. 4
Quick take: The Blue Devils finally suffered their first loss of the season 3-2 to Danville on Monday, but they bounced right back with a 2-1 win against Rantoul/Paxton-Buckley-Loda. As long as Irving Juarez, Utah Thomas (Name of the Year candidate) and Co. keep it up, they'll be a force to be reckoned with later.
4. Oakwood/Salt Fork
Record: 5-2
Previous ranking: No. 5
Quick take: Fresh off his Athlete of the Week win, Mason Swartz netted a hat trick to lead O/SF to a 6-0 victory against Iroquois West. Owen Rhinehart was the hero on Tuesday, scoring three goals of his own, including the eventual game-winner in overtime, to give O/SF a 4-3 win against Georgetown-Ridge Farm/Westville.
5. Centennial
Record: 4-5
Previous ranking: No. 2
Quick take: Coach Thair Al-Saqri has made it clear that he doesn't craft his team's schedule with a plan of going undefeated. He wants his players to be tested, and the Chargers certainly were in their five-game losing streak against some of the best talent in the state. One thing is for sure: They'll be better after this.
6. Uni High
Record: 3-2-1
Previous ranking: No. 7
Quick take: Back-to-back shutout wins against Monticello and Fisher/Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley had the Illineks rolling, and a close 3-1 loss to Urbana gave them more confidence. Robert Tu continues to score goals on the offensive end, and Muhammad Iftikhar continues to prevent opponents from doing the same.
7. Danville
Record: 4-2-3
Previous ranking: Unranked
Quick take: A 1-2-2 start to the season didn't exactly light up anyone's radar, but the Vikings' 3-0-1 record since then certainly has. This team is showing a lot of grit, with its last three wins coming by scores of 4-2, 1-0 and 3-2. And that tie was with Big 12 Conference rival Champaign Central. Watch out for Danville.
8. Champaign Central
Record: 3-4-2
Previous ranking: Unranked
Quick take: Speaking of the Maroons, they did enough to crack their way into the area power rankings for the first time this season. Central competed in the Urbana Tournament, losing to Springfield and Von Steuben before beating Mahomet-Seymour 1-0 to nab seventh place. Raymond Zhang made the All-Tournament Team.
9. Mahomet-Seymour
Record: 0-4-2
Previous ranking: No. 6
Quick take: The Bulldogs are hanging onto their place in the Top 10 by a thread, and it's thanks to the level of competition they've played. They lost to Urbana, Peoria Christian and Champaign Central in the Urbana Tournament, with Justus Vrona making the All-Tournament Team. M-S plays Charleston on Friday.
10. St. Thomas More
Record: 3-3
Previous ranking: No. 8
Quick take: The Sabers split their two games this past week, falling to Fisher/Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley 2-0 and defeating Cornerstone Christian 4-2. It's been quite the up-and-down campaign for STM so far, and nothing gets easier from here. The Sabers will be tested in just about every game the rest of the way.