Central Catholic High School, last year's Class 4A state runner-up, tied for the No. 2 spot in 4A in the Associated Press preseason football poll released Wednesday. | U Pick 'Em

The Saints shared the second spot with Aurora Christian behind top-ranked Addison Driscoll. Driscoll defeated Central Catholic 48-24 in the 4A title game last November.

Other Pantagraph area teams earning top-10 rankings were No. 6 Normal Community and No. 10 Bloomington in Class 6A, No. 8 Pontiac in 5A and No. 5 Fieldcrest in 2A.

Teams rated No. 1 in the statewide poll of sportswriters were Chicago Mount Carmel (8A), East St. Louis Senior (7A), Joliet Catholic (6A), Woodstock Marian (5A), Addison Driscoll (4A), Columbia (3A), Orion (2A) and Galena (1A).

Preseason football poll

CLASS 8A

1. Chicago Mount Carmel (12-1)

2. Park Ridge Maine South (10-2)

3. Carol Stream Glenbard North (9-5)

4. Chicago St. Rita (10-4)

5. Downers Grove South (9-1)

6. Palatine Fremd (11-1)

7. Naperville North (13-1)

8. Homewood-Flossmoor (8-5)

9. Frankfort Lincoln-Way East (9-3)

10. Brother Rice (9-3)

Others receiving votes: Bolingbrook, Bartlett, Barrington, New Lenox Lincoln-Way Central

CLASS 7A

1. East St. Louis Senior (11-2)

2. Wheaton Warrenville South (13-1)

3. Mundelein Carmel (10-3)

4. Geneva (11-1)

5. Mount Prospect (5-5)

6. Glen Ellyn Glenbard West (5-5)

7. Rockford Boylan (11-1)

8. Lake Zurich (13-1)

9. Oak Park Fenwick (5-6)

10. (tie) Wheaton North (5-5)

St. Charles East (8-3) Others receiving votes: Rolling Meadows, Chicago DeLaSalle, Crystal Lake South, Moline

CLASS 6A

1. Joliet Catholic (13-1)

2. Rock Island (10-2)

3. Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin (8-2)

4. Chicago Morgan Park (11-3)

5. Cary-Grove (9-2)

6. Normal Community (12-1)

7. Batavia (5-5)

8. Oak Lawn Richards (11-1)

9. New Lenox Providence (7-5)

10. Bloomington (7-4)

Others receiving votes: Peoria Richwoods, Lemont, Danville, Oak Forest, Crystal Lake Prairie Ridge, Country Club Hills Hillcrest, Chatham Glenwood

CLASS 5A

1. Woodstock Marian Central Catholic (10-3)

2. Metamora (14-0)

3. Morris (11-3)

4. Jacksonville (5-5)

5. Geneseo (8-3)

6. La Grange Park Nazareth (8-4)

7. Washington (7-4)

8. Pontiac (9-3)

9. Lombard Montini (9-2)

10. Sterling (6-4)

Others receiving votes: Marion, Effingham, Champaign Central, Rochelle, Mattoon, Normal U-High, LaSalle-Peru, Troy Triad, Belvidere North

CLASS 4A

1. Addison Driscoll (14-0)

2. (tie) Bloomington Central Catholic (13-1)

Aurora Christian (12-1)

4. Mount Carmel (12-1)

5. Breese Mater Dei (9-2)

6. Quincy Notre Dame (8-3)

7. Coal City (12-1)

8. Mendota (9-2)

9. Plano (13-1)

10. Chicago Leo (6-5)

Others receiving votes: Dunlap, Harvard, Charleston, Chillicothe IVC, Palos Heights Chicago Christian, Mahomet-Seymour, Anna-Jonesboro, Herrin, Mascoutah, Braidwood Reed-Custer, Kankakee McNamara

CLASS 3A

1. Columbia (12-2)

2. Aledo-Westmer (9-2)

3. Sterling Newman (8-3)

4. Decatur St. Teresa (10-2)

5. Carthage Illini West (7-3)

6. Spring Valley Hall (5-5)

7. DuQuoin (8-3)

8. (tie) Tolono Unity (7-4)

Greenville (12-1)

10. St. Joseph-Ogden (11-1)

Others receiving votes: Carterville, Pittsfield, Amboy-LaMoille, Carlinville, Marshall, Wilmington, Oregon, Petersburg PORTA, Newton

CLASS 2A

1. Orion (12-1)

2. (tie) Casey-Westfield (12-1)

Maroa-Forsyth (11-1)

4. Westville (13-1)

5. Minonk Fieldcrest (8-2)

6. Auburn (7-4)

7. Morrison (11-1)

8. Forreston (9-2)

9. Momence (4-5)

10. (tie) Lena-Winslow (5-5)

Lanark Eastland-Pearl City (6-4)

Others receiving votes: Red Bud, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley, Macon Meridian, Elmhurst Immaculate Conception, Flanagan Woodland, Tremont

CLASS 1A

1. Galena (14-0)

2. Dakota (14-0)

3. Greenfield (11-1)

4. Sidell Jamaica Salt Fork Co-op (8-3)

5. Milledgeville (8-3)

6. Cambridge (9-3)

7. Alden-Hebron (9-2)

8. (tie) Cerro Gordo (8-3)

Jacksonville Routt (10-1)

10. Mt. Sterling Brown County (5-5)

Others receiving votes: Tuscola, Heyworth, Lewistown, Polo

---

High School Football Pick 'Em

Can you predict the future? Test your high school football knowledge by predicting the winners of area high school football games every week, and you can win prizes.

Go to www.pantagraph.com/upickem to enter.