Break it down: Week 4

Updated: September 16, 2011 3:03PM

Year in and year out, the Catholic League Blue likes to consider itself the state’s premier football conference.

Some years are better than others and other leagues such as the DuPage Valley and West Suburban Silver can make credible claims to being the best as well. But a third of the way through the 2011 season, the Blue is clearly the best right now.

The league’s five teams are a combined 14-1, with the only loss being St. Rita’s 7-0 defeat to unbeaten Whitehaven of Memphis, Tenn., in Week 2. Every other Catholic Blue team is a perfect 3-0 heading into the first weekend of league play, and the league boasts plenty of signature wins and game-changing athletes.

Here’s a quick rundown in alphabetical order:

* Brother Rice has rebounded from last year’s up-and-down 6-6 ride behind the running of Martez and Andrew Walker. The Crusaders showed they’re for real by knocking off neighborhood rival Marist on the road in Week 2 and have another big test Friday night when they host St. Rita in a league opener.

* Loyola has been known over the years for its lockdown defense and grind-it-out ground game. But the Ramblers now are one of the state’s most dynamic offensive teams, with quarterback Malcolm Weaver a threat to make big plays with his arm or his feet on every snap and a no-huddle offense that wears down foes. The Ramblers’ best win was 41-24 at home in Week 2 over two-time defending Class 5A champ Montini.

* Mount Carmel hasn’t skipped a beat from last year’s Class 8A state runner-up playoff run, limiting three opponents to a total of three touchdowns. That included a 23-14 opening win over Simeon, a club that dropped 47 points on the Caravan in the 2010 opener. And junior quarterback Don Butkus has made a smooth adjustment from backing up Chris Sujka to running the Caravan option attack, making all the right reads.

* Providence had a lost season in 2010, struggling to an uncharacteristic 2-7 finish that was its worst since going 1-6-1 in 1972. But this year’s Celtics have shown they can both shut down opponents (beating Morgan Park 21-6 and Minooka 7-0) and light up the scoreboard (a 49-31 win over St. Laurence that wasn’t as close as the final score). With a balanced rushing attack leading the way, the Celts appear to have their mojo back.

* St. Rita’s heart and soul is a defense led by safety Charles Elmore and linebacker Will McNamara. But the Mustangs also have several backs who can move the chains and got three touchdown passes from Scott Thomas in a Week 3 shutout of Fenwick.

Trivia question

Which is the highest-scoring team in the area through three weeks? (Answer below)

Best of the rest

* Crystal Lake South 10, Cary-Grove 7: Brad Walovitch, who missed a 52-yard field goal earlier, celebrated his 18th birthday by booting a 51-yarder with 6.1 seconds left to give the Gators a dramatic Fox Valley Valley win.

* Glenbard West 31, Lyons 3: Avery Balogh had three long touchdown runs and the Hilltoppers picked off three passes – including lineman Tommy Schutt’s first career interception – en route to gaining revenge for last season’s West Suburban Silver loss to the Lions.

* Joliet Catholic 63, Richwoods 34: The Hilltoppers avenged their season-ending loss to the Knights in last year’s Class 5A quarterfinals behind another big night from the 1-2 punch of Ty Isaac (20 carries, 273 yards, three touchdowns) and Malin Jones (17 carries, 242 yards, four touchdowns).

* Bartlett 27, Waubonsie Valley 20: The Hawks won the showdown of defending Upstate Eight Valley co-champs as Air Force recruit A.J. Bilyeu passed for two scores and ran for another.

* Montini 13, Marmion 6: The Broncos won the matchup of 2010 state finalists on Jordan Westerkamp’s four-yard scoring run with five minutes left in the game.

Stars of the week

* Matt Randolph, Naperville Central: Gained 271 on 24 carries and had six touchdowns (five rushing, one receiving) in a 48-7 win over Glenbard East.

* Anthony Maddie, Aurora Christian: Passed for five TDs and 326 yards and returned a punt for a score in a 54-7 win over Chicago Christian.

* Luke Duffy, St. Edward: Averaged more than 11 yards per carry, finishing with 245 yards and four TDs in a 40-0 shutout of Wheaton Academy.

* Anfernee Roberts, Homewood-Flossmoor: Ran for one touchdown, caught a pass for another score and picked off two passes in a 42-7 victory over Lincoln-Way Central.

* Mike Leiva, Lake Zurich: Kicked four field goals, including a 40-yarder, in a 33-14 victory over Warren.

Week 4 watch

* Lincoln-Way East at Homewood-Flossmoor, 7:30 p.m. Friday: Two of the state’s top passing attacks go head-to-head in a SouthWest Suburban Blue showdown. LW East’s Blake Winkler has thrown for 681 yards and 10 TDs, while H-F’s Tim Williams has passed for 601 yards and eight scores.

* Montini at Marian Central, 7:30 p.m. Friday: This Suburban Christian Blue clash will pit Montini and the state’s top receiver in Nebraska-bound Jordan Westerkamp against Marian and quarterback Chris Streveler, who has been effective through the air and on the ground.

* Bartlett at Batavia, 7:30 p.m. Friday: Another must-see contest for fans of the passing game, this Upstate Eight crossover pits Air Force-bound quarterback A.J. Bilyeu of Bartlett against Noel Gaspari (713 yards, eight TDs) of Batavia.

Trivia answer

Marshall has scored 168 points, three more than Homewood-Flossmoor.

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