Final Super 25 football rankings for 2018

Nazareth brings home the Class 7A state championship trophy. Nazareth fans hug players after winning the Class 7A state championship. Worsom Robinson/For the Sun-Times.

With the state champions crowned over the weekend, it’s time for the final Super 25 rankings of the 2018 season. Nazareth (13-1), the Class 7A champion, earned the No. 1 spot after it capped a thrilling year with a 31-10 victory over St. Charles North (10-4) in the championship game.

The Roadrunners, led by Player of the Year finalist and All-Area team honoree Michael Love, hung near the top of the rankings all season. They survived a brutal playoff slate including games against previously unbeaten Simeon and Batavia, then flexed their muscles in an impressive victory over the North Stars.

Loyola (11-3) is the only other state champion inside the top five. The Ramblers pulled off an incredible turnaround this season after dropping to 3-3 in September by rattling off eight consecutive wins, including an upset of unbeaten Lincoln-Way East (12-1) in the Class 8A semifinals and a 14-3 win over top-seeded Brother Rice (13-1) in the championship game.

The Ramblers finished No. 2 in the Super 25 to beat out LWE, Brother Rice and fifth-ranked Marist (11-2), which lost in the Class 8A semifinals to the Crusaders.

Here’s a look at the final Super 25 rankings for the 2018 Chicago-area high school football season. Congratulations to the state champions and everyone who participated in another exciting year.

With record and last week’s ranking

1. Nazareth (13-1) 2

CLASS 7A CHAMPION

2. Loyola (11-3) 3

CLASS 8A CHAMPION

3. Lincoln-Way East (12-1) 4

4. Brother Rice (13-1) 1

5. Marist (11-2) 5

6. Batavia (12-1) 6

7. Cary-Grove (14-0) 8

CLASS 6A CHAMPION

8. Maine South (10-2) 15