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Thirteen games are in the books….and it looks like we expected it to back in August. There’s always heat involved with doing rankings, so it is fun to take a victory lap when things work out.

The Class 7A title game features preseason No. 1 Mount Carmel against preseason No. 4 Batavia. The Class 8A title game is preseason No. 2 Lincoln-Way East vs. preseason No. 3 Loyola. Prairie Ridge, the preseason No. 8, is in the Class 6A title game against East St. Louis.

All five teams took different roads to Champaign, but there isn’t a surpise in the bunch.

That sets up a tremendous Saturday in Champaign. The state’s two Class 8A heavyweights facing off and Mount Carmel vs. Batavia is a rematch of last seasons’s great playoff game.

East St. Louis has to be dreading facing a triple option attack once again. Can Prairie Ridge pull of another stunning win for the Fox Valley?

Week 14’s Super 25With record and last week’s ranking

1. Mount Carmel (13-0) 17A: vs. No. 4 Batavia

2. Loyola (12-1) 28A: vs. No. 3 Lincoln-Way East

3. Lincoln-Way East (13-0) 38A: vs. No. 2 Loyola

4. Batavia (10-3) 97A: vs. No. 1 Mount Carmel

5. Prairie Ridge (12-1) 86A: vs. East St. Louis

6. York (12-1) 4Season complete

7. Lemont (12-1) 7Season complete

8. Glenbard West (11-2) 5Season complete

9. St. Rita (10-3) 6Season complete

10. Nazareth (9-4) 125A: vs. Peoria

11. Lake Zurich (11-2) 12Season complete

12. Sycamore (12-1) 11Season complete

13. Maine South (9-3) 13Season complete

14. Crete-Monee (9-3) 14Season complete

15. St. Charles North (10-2) 15Season complete

16. Warren (10-2) 16Season complete

17. Lyons (9-3) 17Season complete

18. Marist (8-3) 18Season complete

19, Simeon (11-1) 19Public League champs

20. Hersey (10-1) 20Season complete

21. Providence (9-4) 224A: vs. Sacred Heart-Griffin

22. St. Ignatius (10-3) 21Season complete

23. Morris (10-3) 23Season complete

24. IC Catholic (12-1) 243A: vs. Williamsville

25. St. Francis (11-2) 25Season complete

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ATLANTA — Bears right guard Teven Jenkins will return from his one-week absence because of a hip injury, and rookie wide receiver Velus Jones will dress after being a healthy scratch the last two weeks.

Jenkins has been the Bears’ starter at right guard most of the season. he was drafted to play left tackle, moved to right tackle in the offseason, then shifted to right guard shortly before the season started.

He missed last week against the Lions because of the hip injury and was out of practice Wednesday and Thursday before returning as a full participant Friday.

Here are the Bears’ inactives:

WR N’Keal HarryOL Ja’Tyre CarterOL Alex Leatherwood

CB Justin LayneCB Larry JacksonS Dane Cruikshank

Harry is out because of an illness that kept him out of practice Thursday and Friday. He was not expected to travel with the team to Atlanta.

Harry has four catches for 44 yards and a touchdown and was a healthy scratch last week against the Lions.

Cornerback Kyler Gordon (knee) and tight end Cole Kmet (thigh) missed practice time this week, but were full-go Friday and are active against the Falcons.

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ALAH 51, Casey-Westfield 30

Amboy 39, Oregon 23

Amundsen 42, Regina 40

Andrew 42, Kankakee 33

West Aurora 62, Morton 24

Barrington 67, Maine South 63

Limestone 68, Eisenhower 38

Buffalo Grove 44, Grayslake Central 40

Burlington Central 49, Prairie Ridge 38

Calumet Christian, Ind. 41, Alden-Hebron 40

Resurrection 56, Hope Academy 12

Cullom Tri-Point 49, Milford 25

Deerfield 63, Schaumburg 39

Dupo 34, Marissa/Coulterville 29

Fieldcrest 65, Seneca 42

Havana 40, Macomb 30

Herrin 52, Carbondale 43

Hersey 82, Crystal Lake Central 31

Hinsdale South 56, Stagg 48

Hyde Park 78, Rickover Naval 25

Illini West (Carthage) 47, Rock Island Alleman 32

Jacksonville Routt 42, Pleasant Hill (P.H.-Western Coop) 35

Jacksonville Routt 44, Liberty 24

Lake Zurich 48, Sycamore 45

Lanark Eastland 49, Forreston 35

Larkin 50, Belvidere North 38

Lincoln-Way West 71, Joliet West 68

Loyola 44, Stevenson 42

Lyons 47, Conant 21

Macomb 47, Rock Island Alleman 44

McGivney 49, Columbia 32

Monmouth-Roseville 70, Biggsville West Central 39

Morris 33, Reed-Custer 29

Mt. Pulaski 43, Clinton 23

Nazareth 61, Neuqua Valley 29

New Trier 40, Fenwick 23

Niles West 46, L.F. Academy 39

Normal 54, Normal West 32

Northside 51, Walther Christian 30

O’Fallon 44, Young 43

O’Fallon 64, Decatur MacArthur 35

Oregon 42, Mendota 21

Ottawa 63, East Peoria 23

PORTA-Ashland-Chandlerville Central 44, Eureka 37

Pana 65, Okaw Valley 22

Peoria Notre Dame 72, Fairbury Prairie Central 27

Peotone 46, Crete-Monee 35

Pleasant Plains 39, Illini West (Carthage) 25

Quad Cities 40, Trinity 28

Rochester 46, Mt. Zion 37

Rockford Boylan 56, Dundee-Crown 21

Rockford Guilford 56, Naperville Central 51

Roxana 40, Metro-East Lutheran 24

Sacred Heart-Griffin 35, Quincy 22

Sacred Heart-Griffin 60, Peoria Manual 35

St. Francis 71, Oak Park 38

St. Laurence 62, TF North 27

Stillman Valley 53, Winnebago 48

Taft 46, Round Lake 33

Taylorville 66, Jacksonville 33

Tri-County 64, Westville 26

Valmeyer 45, Madison 27

Vandalia 59, Pawnee 22

Vashon, Mo. 90, Lanphier 15

Waterloo 51, Althoff 36

Waubonsie Valley 91, Oswego 25

West Chicago 45, Rockford East 37

West Prairie 45, Beardstown 41

Westinghouse 62, Maria 3

Young 61, Edwardsville 30

Willows 47, Harvard 10

Dundee Crown Tournament

Huntley 55, St. Viator 40

Galesburg Shootout

Galesburg 51, Chatham Glenwood 45

Mundelein Tournament

Glenbrook South 62, Grayslake North 36

Paris Tournament

Terre Haute North, Ind. 57, Champaign Central 47

Championship

Paris 43, Terre Haute North, Ind. 33

Taylorville Tournament

Rochester 58, Hillsboro 41

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BOSTON — While sitting out sick, Jason Dickinson spotted a pattern connecting some of the Blackhawks’ recent goals against. Many of them were being scored by opposing players left open in the slot or in front of the net.

Coach Luke Richardson spotted the same pattern. He pushed the Hawks through a practice drill Friday that emphasized collapsing tighter toward the middle of the defensive zone to protect those dangerous areas.

But it’s one thing to identify a weakness. It’s another thing to take action to strengthen the weakness. And it’s another thing to make it no longer a weakness at all.

Facing on Saturday a Bruins team riding one of the biggest waves the NHL has seen in some time, the Hawks’ weaknesses were not only still present but also exploited time and time again in a never-in-doubt 6-1 blowout loss.

No amount of practice, good intentions or saying the right things could save them.

“When they were able to recover pucks off of battles, we got sucked into puck-watching a little too much,” Connor Murphy said. “They’re good at using our triangles and making passes through us. I don’t think we stayed as patient and as together in the center of our ‘D’-zone [as we needed] to keep those seam passes out.

“It almost looked like they were running a bit of a power play on some of our five-on-five [plays]. That can’t happen.”

In fairness, it was a nearly impossible matchup from the start. The Bruins are 16-2-0 this season, including 11-0-0 at home, having outscored their opponents 75-37. David Krejci’s return from Europe, Brad Marchand’s earlier-than-expected return from offseason hip surgery, Patrice Bergeron’s continued agelessness and David Pastrnak’s continued rise to superstardom have made them by far, so far, the NHL’s best team.

The Hawks, meanwhile, have floundered after their surreal early-season streak. They’ve now lost nine of their last 11, and that losing is starting to dent locker-room morale.

“[When] you go through a stretch where you’re not winning games or things aren’t going your way, then you start tightening up a little bit,” fellow defenseman Jarred Tinordi said. “We have to revert back to that feeling in the room where we were all believing in each other.”

Richardson told his team during morning skate they’d need to give full effort for 60 minutes, because the Bruins will “somehow make you pay” during any one minute of relaxation.

Instead, the Bruins dominated all 60 minutes themselves. Scoring chances favored the hosts 15-1 after the first period and 47-17 overall — the most chances the Hawks have conceded in a game since October 2021.

“I don’t think we played with enough confidence,” Murphy said. “I don’t think we attacked the game enough. We let them dictate plays.”

Consecutive goals by Jake DeBrusk and Krejci late in the second period blew open the floodgates and rendered moot Hawks goaltender Petr Mrazek’s valiant efforts to keep the score close.

Krejci’s one-time blast directly resulted from the Hawks, as discussed, spreading out too much in their defensive coverage. All three Hawks forwards on the ice at the time — Jonathan Toews (the Hawks’ lone goal-scorer), Philipp Kurashev and Taylor Raddysh — were caught clustered together above the faceoff dots and completely out of the play.

“We weren’t strong on killing plays early…and then they really have a lot of movement in the ‘O’-zone,” Richardson said. “[When] we start chasing them around, we get out of our zone structure. And when they do that, seams open up, and that’s when things start going.”

“There’s no reason, in this league, [why] you can’t compete with a team like that. We have to make sure we realize that quickly and not be starstruck.”

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Brogan Amherdt is a soccer player. He first started kicking for the football team a bit last year. His best friend is Prairie Ridge quarterback Tyler Vasey, one of the area’s leading candidates for Player of the Year. So Amherdt is a central part of the Wolves’ success this season, but his role is to kick extra points.

The Wolves score touchdowns. They rarely ever have to settle for field goals, so Amherdt entered Saturday’s Class 6A state semifinal game against St. Ignatius having never attempted a field goal.

Despite that lack of experience and despite Amherdt missing an extra point attempt in the second quarter, Prairie Ridge coach Chris Schremp went to his kicker with the game and the season on the line.

Amherdt delivered, crushing a 29-yard field goal with nine seconds left to give the Wolves a 21-19 win and a spot in the state championship game.

“I kind of just blacked out,” Amherdt said. “Tyler got the snap down and it was great blocking from the fellas. I took a deep breath and I don’t remember anything from there. The wind was so strong I made sure I hit it with power to get it through.”

“We knew Brogan could make kicks he just hasn’t had a lot of opportunities,” Schremp said. “He stepped up in that moment, the biggest moment of his football career.”

The cold, windy, snowy conditions hampered both offenses.

“We thought we would have home field advantage because they’ve never played on grass before,” Vasey said. “Well, we have never played on ice before. It was frozen ground today and it was terrible.”

Vinny Rugai’s eight-yard touchdown run with 5:05 to play put St. Ignatius (10-3) ahead 13-12.

Prairie Ridge (12-1) was faced with a fourth and long on the next drive. The game was on the line with just 2:45 left. Vasey connected with Drake Tomasiewicz on a 22-yard TD pass to put the Wolves ahead 18-13. It was the only pass Vasey completed in the game, he had four incompletions.

“My first look wasn’t open,” Vasey said. “I didn’t see Drake until the last second. He’s kind of been my number one all year and he went up and got it.”

St. Ignatius responded quickly, with Rugai ripping off a 34-yard TD run. That gave the Wolfpack a 19-18 lead and set the stage for Amherdt.

“[Friday] Brogan told me that he’s been imagining kicking a game winning field goal all week,” Vasey said. “I was like ‘oh ok. I sure hope not.’ And then he actually goes and does it. It’s awesome.”

Vasey, who broke the IHSA’s single-season rushing record last week, had 39 carries for 175 yards. He had a one-yard TD run in the second quarter and a 49-yard scoring run in the third quarter.

Rugai had 15 carries for 86 yards and two touchdowns for St. Ignatius. Quarterback Jake Petrow had 13 carries for 47 yards and connected with Aaron Stuart on a four-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter.

“They made one more play than us and that’s football sometimes,” Rugai said. “I was kind of surprised they came out to kick it. I was ready for the fake. But he put a good boot into it.”

Prairie Ridge will face East St. Louis, a 32-29 winner against Lemont, in the Class 6A title game on Saturday in Champaign. The Wolves lost to East St. Louis in the 2019 championship game and won state titles in 2017, 2016 and 2011.

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Rylan Bannon has been added to the 40-man roster.

The Chicago Cubs claimed infielder Rylan Bannon off waivers Friday afternoon after the Braves designated him for assignment last week.

Rylan Bannon grew up in Joliet and attended Joliet Christian Academy. He was part of the package sent to the Orioles by the Dodgers in the Manny Machado trade in 2018. It’s the Cubs’ second infield depth addition this week, following the acquisition of Miles Mastrobuoni from the Rays on Tuesday.

Rylan Bannon has moved around the league in recent months. He was a long-time Orioles farmhand who was designated for assignment in early August. He was claimed by the Dodgers and Braves on waivers in quick succession. He didn’t play in the majors with Los Angeles and only appeared as a late-game defensive substitution in one game for Atlanta. Bannon has only played in five major league games, but he has piqued the interest of several teams looking for infield depth.

 

The #Cubs today claimed INF Rylan Bannon off waivers from the Braves.

The 40-man roster now stands at 39 players.

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) November 18, 2022

According to Anthony Franco “The 26-year-old has had some decent showings in the high minors. He’s a career .227/.337/.415 hitter at the Triple-A level. That includes a more impressive .249/.367/.421 line across 411 plate appearances this year. Bannon strikes out a fair amount, but he hit 13 home runs and walked in a stellar 14.4% of his trips to the plate. He’s also capable of playing either second or third base, making him a versatile depth piece.

Rylan Bannon, who has one minor league option year remaining, can be moved freely between Chicago and Triple-A Iowa next season if he keeps his 40-man roster spot. His signing brings the Cubs’ 40-man roster to 39.

 

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After another unbelievable loss last night against the Orlando Magic, many could be wondering whether the Chicago Bulls should make a trade.

The Chicago Bulls were favored by at least 8 points and were expected to put forth a strong effort on their home court against an Orlando team that was missing one of its young best players in Paolo Banchero. The results were anything short of disappointing, as Zach Lavine finished 1-for-14 from the field and expressed his frustration with Coach Billy Donovan on being benched due to his poor shooting:

“That’s Billy’s decision. He gotta lay with it,” an obviously frustrated LaVine said. “Do I agree with it? No. I think I can go out there and still be me even if I miss some shots. But that’s his decision. He has to stand on it.

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BOSTON — Jason Dickinson felt completely fine last week as the Blackhawks flew to California, played the Kings and took a bus to Anaheim.

Then he woke up in the middle of the night before the Ducks game and felt awful. He ultimately missed that game, as well as the matchup against the Hurricanes this Monday, due to an illness. He lost seven or eight pounds in the process.

“I was throwing up one day, and then I didn’t eat for three days, so [the weight] goes quick,” Dickinson said.

Even once he returned to action Wednesday against the Blues, he was operating well below 100%. He logged 14:25 of ice time, his smallest workload since Oct. 23, with Richardson subbing Jujhar Khaira into his spot in some special-teams situations so as not to overwork him.

“I was feeling really good in the morning, and then once the game came around, I realized how quickly I lost my legs, my step, my lungs,” Dickinson said. “I had to find it again in the middle of the game.

“You sit there frustrated like, ‘Why am I so tired?’ Because it had been a couple days since I’d been feeling poorly, so I was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll be fine. Nothing should be lingering.’ But it really kicked my butt.”

Dickinson finally felt like his usual self again Saturday morning before facing the Bruins, having benefited from several more days of skating, working out and eating full meals. The Hawks have reunited their previous third line of Dickinson, Sam Lafferty and MacKenzie Entwistle.

Mitchell’s chance

Ian Mitchell needed only three AHL games — and some well-timed (for his sake) struggles from the Hawks’ third defensive pairing — to earn a much-needed NHL opportunity.

Mitchell was called up Friday and inserted into the Hawks’ lineup Saturday after Alec Regula was sent down to Rockford and Caleb Jones healthy-scratched following a disastrous minus-five performance Wednesday. It will mark the former top prospect’s first NHL appearance since Jan. 11.

“I’m hoping never to leave now,” he said.

His brief Rockford stint was highlighted by a two-goal, four-point eruption Wednesday against Grand Rapids. In total, he tallied five points in his three games after returning last week from his wrist injury.

“I didn’t really miss a beat,” he said. “[I was] just trying to defend hard and move the puck up. Then in that third game, it translated to some offense, which was exciting. I’m excited to try to bring that here [in the NHL].”

Considering the make-or-break nature of this season for Mitchell, who will turn 24 in January, this chance to demonstrate his growth since his last extended NHL run in 2021 could be crucial.

The point role on the power play is one area where the Hawks have particularly struggled for years, and Mitchell has the necessary skills to potentially carve out a niche there. He and Filip Roos will share the power-play quarterbacking duties Saturday.

Injury updates

Forward Tyler Johnson didn’t play Saturday but has a chance to return from his ankle injury Sunday against the Penguins, a night at the United Center headlined by Marian Hossa’s pregame jersey retirement ceremony. If Johnson doesn’t return Sunday, then Wednesday against the Stars seems very likely.

Goaltender Alex Stalock has now missed more than two weeks with his concussion and hasn’t yet returned to practice, so he’s significantly further away.

“[Alex] has had good days and bad days,” Richardson said. “I don’t think there’s a timeline because everyone’s a little different.”

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