Not every week can be filled with showdowns like Week 2 was. By comparison, Week 3 in the Southland was a bit ho-hum.
Still, there were some surprising scores. Reavis proved to be a team worthy of keeping an eye on, taking Richards to the limit in a 22-15 win by the Bulldogs. The craziest score of the week — and probably the season? We’ll get to that later.
Meanwhile, there are some off-the-radar teams that keep winning. Which ones are for real?
Here are my takeaways from Week 3.
These 3-0 teams deserve our attention
We are down to 10 undefeated teams across the Southland. Six of them — Mount Carmel, Brother Rice, Sandburg and all three Lincoln-Way schools — have been highly ranked and highly discussed.
So let’s focus on the other four.
St. Laurence has a new coach, Patrick Swanson, and has been utilizing two quarterbacks — senior Jimmy McDermott and sophomore Noah Taylor.
The Vikings pulled out a thriller Friday night, beating Notre Dame 15-14. St. Laurence scored a touchdown with 12 seconds left, then elected to go for the win. Taylor showed poise beyond his years, completing a throw under heavy pressure for the winning 2-point conversion.
Although the Vikings have some tough games down the stretch, their defense is good enough to make some noise.
Oak Forest also has a new coach, Zac Sadek, who has continued the momentum the Bengals built last season, when they went 7-4 and won a playoff game for the first time since 2015.
Senior receiver/defensive back Andrew Dawson did a bit of everything in Friday’s 42-7 win over T.F. South, scoring TDs on a run, a catch and an interception return.
Senior quarterback Daniel Chopp is a steady three-year starter.
Don’t sleep on the Bengals. This team has a ton of experience playing together and is capable of making a playoff run, likely in Class 5A.
Evergreen Park’s competition will ramp up soon, but the Mustangs have taken care of business so far, including Friday’s 39-12 win over Tinley Park.
Senior receiver/defensive back Omarrion Evans is a big-time playmaker.
The jury’s still out on the Mustangs, but they are well-positioned to make a return to the playoffs after missing last season.
Oak Lawn, on the other hand, is one of the best stories in the state. The Spartans entered the season on a 17-game losing streak but have won three in a row.
The highlight victory came Friday night in a 28-27 thriller over Shepard. Alex Soto threw a 28-yard TD pass to Luke Mahoney to give Oak Lawn a late lead and the Spartans held on by stopping Shepard’s attempt at a winning 2-point conversion in the final seconds.
Isaac Gibson and Jayden Schlosser combined for the decisive tackle on the 2-point play.
The Spartans believe now. And with games coming up against winless Bremen and Argo, expect this train to be fully rolling headed into a Week 6 showdown against Evergreen Park.
Homewood-Flossmoor is coming back fast
I was at H-F’s 36-32 loss to Lockport in Week 9 last season and the Vikings’ 28-13 win over the Porters on Friday night.
The Vikings could not have looked more different, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Both the 2024 and 2025 H-F teams had athleticism and size up front, but last season’s team lacked discipline and Lockport exploited it all night as Chris Miller ran for 290 yards and five TDs.
H-F held Miller to 90 yards on 18 carries and kept him out of the end zone Friday night.
The Vikings have had the athletes. Now, with new coach Troy McAllister, they have the structure.
The McAllister turnaround is well underway. H-F is good enough to make some noise this season, but will probably still take a few lumps along the way.
The future, though? That’s very bright.
Most eye-opening score
Sandburg 5, Naperville Central 3.
Was this a huge, high-scoring win for the Eagles’ soccer team? Did we all sleep through winter and baseball season is here?
Nope, this was indeed a football game. Defense and special teams got it done for Sandburg.
Crazy score aside, this was another statement from the Eagles’ defense. Led by senior linebacker Dillon Czerwinski and senior lineman Jaden Weaver, Sandburg has allowed just 19 points in three games.
That unit is for real.