Maine South rolled past Warren Township 54-14 on Friday, Aug. 28, in the Hawks' home opener at 1111 South Dee Road in Park Ridge.

The win evens the Hawks' record at 1-1 after a 49-35 loss at Batavia on Saturday, Aug. 22. Head coach Dave Inserra's squad entered the Warren game ranked No. 22 in High School On SI's Illinois Top 25, having dropped five spots following the Batavia defeat.

The ranking outlet had called the matchup "already a must-win game for the Hawks" if they hoped to stay in the Top 25. SI also described Warren Township as "considered Top 50 caliber in Illinois," making the 40-point margin all the more decisive.

The Hawks answered.

Against Batavia, Maine South had shown a punishing ground game, piling up 271 rushing yards, 157 passing yards and 64 receiving yards in the loss, according to MaxPreps. Quarterback Jameson Purcell, an Indiana recruit, leads the offense. Entering the Warren game, the Hawks held a No. 16 state ranking and a No. 4 spot in Illinois Division 8A on MaxPreps as of Aug. 24. Updated rankings reflecting the 54-14 win have not been released.

Warren Township came to Park Ridge winless after Loyola Academy shut out the Blue Devils 31-0 in Week 1 at Warren, according to Shaw Local's Friday Night Drive. In that game, Loyola's Melo Maldonado rushed for 136 yards and a touchdown while Jayden Garrett added 111 rushing yards and another score. Shaw Local had also listed the Warren-Maine South contest among its Week 2 games to watch.

The home opener marked the first game under the lights at Maine South this season.

Maine South hosts Maine West on Friday, Sept. 4, at 7:30 p.m. for the Hawks' third game of the season.