The game everyone circled

Brother Rice at Loyola was the Week 4 matchup Chicago high school football fans had been waiting for, and it delivered.

Loyola wins it late

The Ramblers took it 27-24 on a 46-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Lee to Joe Haughey with 1:10 on the clock.

Two real defenses

Both teams played high-level defense, which almost nobody is doing this season. Scoring across the area has climbed for years and has jumped again in 2026.

No offense until the third

Defenses owned the first half. The first offensive touchdown of the game did not come until late in the third quarter, and then both teams started trading scores.

A freshman named Holcomb

Brother Rice quarterback Sam Holcomb, a freshman, broke a 71-yard run and looked every bit the future star he has been hyped as.

Loyola kept cramping up

The Ramblers lost a player every few minutes to cramps and injuries, and coach John Holecek took the blame for it himself.

“I'm not doing a good job conditioning our team, obviously. Way too many cramps.”

Mettee was the difference

Linebacker Will Mettee, a Boston College recruit, was the star of the game and rates among the best players in the area.

“We had some guys go down, but we kept fighting.”

Lee and Haughey deliver

Haughey caught six passes for 94 yards and Lee was clutch when the game was on the line. Loyola's defense has less star power than Brother Rice's and played just as well.

Two different state paths

Crusaders coach Casey Quedenfeld was frustrated by late mental lapses, but his team is the clear local favorite in Class 7A. Loyola plays in 8A, so they may not meet again.

A loss that moved them up

Brother Rice's performance in Wilmette was good enough to lift the Crusaders from No. 6 to No. 4 at 2-2.

Winners who dropped

Montini and Geneva both won and both fell. Sandburg has beaten Montini but lost at Homewood-Flossmoor, so Sandburg slots under H-F and still above Montini.

Bolingbrook shakes the board

The Raiders' 21-7 win over Oswego jumped them to No. 14. Oswego drops to No. 15, and Geneva, which lost at home to Oswego in Week 3, falls to No. 19 behind three unbeaten teams.

Fenwick and Fremd out

Fenwick exits after losing to St. Ignatius. Fremd is gone too, beaten by Prospect by two touchdowns.

Two debuts at 4-0

Wheaton North enters at No. 23 after a 34-17 win at St. Charles North. Morris comes in at No. 25 off a 35-6 win over Kaneland. Both are unbeaten and both are new to the list.

Why 1-3 Nazareth stays

All three Roadrunner losses came against ranked teams: IC Catholic, Mount Carmel and Montini. They were competitive in two, and they beat York 27-3 in Week 2.

Zion-Benton's best start

The Zee-Bees are 4-0 and beat Stevenson for the first time since 1988. Ohio recruit Jamere French ran for 297 yards and four touchdowns in that game. Still not ranked.

The top three hold

Loyola stays No. 1 at 4-0. Mount Carmel is No. 2 after a 56-26 win over Marist. Lincoln-Way East sits third at 4-0 following a 50-7 win over Bradley-Bourbonnais.

What to watch in Week 5

Lincoln-Way East visits Sandburg, Providence travels to Nazareth, and Glenbard West goes to Lyons. Loyola heads to Benet on Saturday.