Stateline Preps: Football Power Rankings (Week 4)
Welcome back to the Stateline Football Power Rankings.
It definitely was an interesting and entertaining Week 4. There was some good news/bad news as well as some surprises.
All in all, it was a week that pretty much determined where the area teams stand in terms of clinching a possible postseason berth.
(Disclaimer: This is my opinion only, so if you don’t agree with it, feel free to send me a comment on the bottom of the page. Otherwise, it’s not a life-and-death situation.”)
1. HONONEGAH (4-0): Hononegah continues to roll through the bottom tier of NIC-10 teams as the Indians stomped Rockford Jefferson, 46-6, last Friday. Chase Robinson continued to improve and the running game proved it isn’t one dimensional. But, now the real/true test comes. Hononegah will travel to Harlem for its fourth road game in its first five contests. However, this figures to be the toughest challenge to date. In last year’s matchup of unbeatens, Harlem flattened Hononegah 48-28, racking up 524 yards of offense. You figure the Indians’ secondary will be tested against a potent Harlem attack. NEXT: Friday at Harlem, 7:15 p.m. Last week’s ranking: No. 1.
2. BIG FOOT (4-0): Big Foot survived a scare from a tough Jefferson team on Friday night, pulling away for a 14-7 victory. Trailing 7-0 in the fourth quarter, it was the Chiefs’ passing game that ignited the comeback — specifically Alec McGreevy’s diving 31-yard TD reception that tied the game 7-7. Mike Walker finished it off with a 1-yard TD run as Big Foot will probably look back at this game and realize how good a test it truly was. While the offense may not be the best every week, the third-ranked Chiefs’ ‘D’ gives Big Foot hope of repeating as RVC South champs. NEXT: Friday at Clinton, 7 p.m. Last week’s ranking: No. 2.
3. BRODHEAD/JUDA (4-0): What a difference Ethan Douglas makes. Weeks after missing games due to an injury, Douglas returned to the Cardinals with one of his best games, rushing for 243 yards on 29 carries with five — five! — touchdowns against East Troy. The eighth-ranked Cardinals will get a good test from an improved Palmyra-Eagle team this week. NEXT: Friday at Palmyra-Eagle, 7 p.m. Last week’s ranking: No. 3.
4. PARKVIEW (3-1): OK, OK I was skeptical of Parkview’s 2-0 start to begin the 2009 season. I was even more skeptical when Big Foot ran all over the Vikings (36-0) in Week 3. But, now, I feel like a Monkey. Yes, I’m a believer! In one of the more impressive victories of the year, the Vikings pulled out a 28-27 overtime thriller over Evansville. Nick Melton amassed 248 yards of total offense including the game-winning 7-yard run in OT. Picked to finish last in the RV South by WisSports.net, the Vikings seem like a good bet to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2002. NEXT: Friday at Beloit Turner, 7:15 p.m. Last week’s ranking: No. 1.
5. BELOIT MEMORIAL (1-3): Beloit Memorial’s offense was much better in last week’s 42-28 loss to Madison La Follette. However, the defense left a lot to be desired. The Purple Knights ‘D’ surrendered 420 yards of offense to the Lancers, including 196 on the ground. If not for the newly-discovered rapport between Jeff Hollenbach and Robert Douglas, the Knights would have been left with an even bigger sinking feeling. NEXT: Friday at Madison West, 7:30 p.m. Last week’s ranking: No. 5.
STAR SYSTEM
(I award stars to the top five players in the past week, checking out who had star performances in Week 3).
1. ETHAN DOUGLAS (BRODHEAD/JUDA) — Douglas is one of the big reasons that Big Foot should worry about repeating as RV South champions. The senior all-everything showed his talents on Friday night, rushing for 243 yards and five TDs, leading the undefeated Cardinals to a 42-7 win over East Troy. If Douglas can bounce back from his injuries, the Cardinals could be the team to beat in the RV South.
2. NICK MELTON (PARKVIEW) — If Parkview gets into the WIAA playoffs, the Vikings should look back at Week 4 — and at the play of Melton. He was sensational again on Friday night, netting 248 yards of offense, completing 13-of-20 passes for 158 yards, while rushing 18 times for 9o yards to lead the Vikings to a 28-27 OT win over Evansville. It was a good response game for Melto, who was 3-for-17 in the Vikings’ loss to Big Foot the week before.
3. ROBERT DOUGLAS (BELOIT MEMORIAL) — All season long, it seemed like a natural instinct to throw to a 6-4 player. Last Thurday, Beloit finally discovered that player in Douglas. The Beloit senior caught nine passes for 180 yards and a touchdown.
4. ALEC McGREEVY (BIG FOOT) — McGreevy came up with the catch of the year as Big Foot staved off an upset bid by Jefferson. Although he finished with only 71 yards on six receptions, McGreevy is one of the most consistent weapons in the Stateline. If you don’t believe, just ask Big Foot QB Steve Dowden — or the rest of the RV South teams.
5. CHASE ROBINSON (HONONEGAH) — While no one on Hononegah truly stands out as a stud, Robinson is probably the closest thing. His evolution from a decent quarterback to a good quarterback is becoming more and more evident each week. He was 8-of-10 for 137 yards with two touchdown passes in the Indians win over the J-Hawks. He also had 11 carries for 36 yards and a touchdown.
I just hope the Lena-Winslow player didn't bite Steve Gray's fingers. That's definitely a different kind of facemask.
