Lane Beats Amundsen 7-3 for Northside Bragging Rights; Both Move on to IHSA Playoffs

“We still run the north,” was the refrain of the Lane players after the game. Last Wednesday’s newspaper and television stories of the ascendence of the Amundsen football program on the Northside were on the minds of the Champions before and after the game.

The Lane Tech Champions made their case for that claim Friday evening with a victory 7-3 over a very good Amundsen Vikings squad at Lane Stadium.

This was about as close as games get. Both teams evenly matched. Both moved the ball at times. Amundsen Sophomore running back Reginald Mitchell was able run for some yards in the middle of the field. Lane junior quarterback Noah Mayra had a sixty-yard touchdown run called back on a penalty but still provided the Campions with a ton of rushing yards. Both defenses stiffened around the goal line.

 With the Vikings up 3-0, the turning point came at the 10:32 mark early in the fourth quarter with Amundsen deep in their own end. The Amundsen punter bobbled the snap and could not get the punt away. The Lane rushers tackled him at the seven-yard line where the Champions took over on downs.

 “We call it the brotherly shove,” Lane junior quarterback Noah Mayra said of the next two plays. The Champions lined up in their best imitation of the Philiadelphia Eagles now famous quarterback sneek play. Mayra carried, or was actually pushed forward from the Amundsen seven down to the two-yard line. Lining up quickly, the Champions ran the same play in from the two for the game’s only touchdown.

“We have been running that all year. We’ve gotten like four or five touchdowns on it. Two-point conversions,” continued Mayra after the game.

There was still plenty of time left for the Vikings to come back. The Vikings moved the into Lane territory but gave up an interception. The Champions gave up an interception of there own with under four minutes.

 Holding penalties plagued the Vikings as they struggled to rally for the win.

 “We must have had seven or eight holding penalties that really stalled drives. It’s hard to overcome penalties when you are playing good teams,” Amundsen head coach Nick Olson said after the game.

 “I fell like we just didn’t execute tonight, poor execution on the offensive side. Football is a game of inches. We had a bad snap on a punt deep in our own territory and that was the difference. They ran two quarterback sneaks and got the easy touchdown. We kind of just gave this game away. Our defense did a really good job. Our defensive coordinator and coaches had a really good game plan. We moved the ball at times and we kept stalling out before we punched it in. We had a big drop in the endzone before halftime. It just continued to spiral down. Great play; bad play. Great play; bad play. We really have to work on our consistency. Inconsistency is what cost us tonight.”

 Olson was a little hard on himself and his team. They played very well but make no mistake, Lane came in ready.

“We have a pretty good gauge on these guys from Amundsen. We kind of know what they like to do. We kind of know how to cut off the water to the things they like to do the best. That’s what we did tonight,” said Lane head coach Dedrick Dewalt.

“We kept a corner in the box, up in the flats the whole game. It disrupted what the wanted to do. We know they are not going to through the ball down field. So we liked to take way the screens and play well against the run. They may be a little bigger than us up front but we are quicker so we just looked to beat them to the punch.

A jubilant Noah Mayra continued after the game, “We lost Antonio [Bombe] our senior running back. We have our freshman running back Sam [Boadu]. He is great but we can’t give him the ball every time. He is still developing. He is still learning. So I am trying to take it upon myself to run the ball and get the ball to my teammates. Some I should have thrown. Some I should have just given to Sam but we pulled it off.

 The game was a fitting cap to good seasons for both teams, a really exciting game for both teams with each team finishing 6-3 and earned playoff appearances.

The Vikings will face the Belvidere North “Blue Thunder”, 7-2, third place in the Northern Illinois Conference behind Hononegah and Boylan Catholic. Amundsen’s playoff opponent from last year, Harlem, came out of that same conference. Amundsen lands the thirteenth seed in the 6A northern bracket. Belvidere with the fourth seed.

The Champions on the other hand are in 8A by virtue of being one of the largest schools in the state. They will face South Elgin on Friday night in South Elgin, which I learned is its own town interestingly. Who knew? The South Elgin “Strikers” were 8-1 in the Upstate Eight Conference (which actually has 10 teams). The Champions land the 26th seed out of the 32 teams in 8A. South Elgin comes in with the seventh seed.   

DePaul Prep Football and Cross County Senior Night

Before last night’s historic beatdown of Fenwick, DePaul Prep honored its senior football players before their last regular season football game.

At halftime, DePaul honored its Cross County team seniors as well.

Here are photos from the introductions.

DeLaSalle Defeats St. Viator in 29-23 in Season Opener

The Chicago Catholic League/East Suburban Catholic Conference reshuffled the divisions this year. DeLaSalle and Marian Catholic were moved from the Purple Division into the Red Division. I wanted to get a look at DeLaSalle who I haven’t seen in a couple years so I can see what the Red will be dealing with.

And of course I wanted to see St. Viator—the mighty mighty Lions! My beloved alma matter.

I will spare you the blow-by-blow. Let’s just say it was sloppy first half for both teams. DeLaSalle lead 14-7 at the half.

The second have was better but St. Viator’s play calling left something to be desired. In the fourth quarter the Lions started running between the tackles and finally met with some success. St. Viator scored.

St. Viator scored again but missed the extra point. 20-14 Lions.

With 9:03 left in the 4th, DeLaSalle’s talented sophomore quarterback scored on a keeper from the five. The extra point was good. 21-10 DeLaSalle.

Cooper Kmet, Cole’s younger brother, put together a nice drive for the St. Viator moving the Lions down to the DeLaSalle 23 yard line. St. Viator’s Gabe Glodz put in a 30 yard field goal with 3:28 to play to lift the Lions to a 23-21.

The Meteors had the ball and chance to will. Lewis took them down the field moving backwards and forwards. A long pass to the goal line and a keeper for the touchdown. Then a two-point conversion and the Lions fell to the Meteors 29-23.

DeLaSalle has loads of talent. The Red is well advised to take notice.

Helluva August

It’s gonna be a helluva August.

I basically took July off from photos and sports writing; a much-needed break. It began to feel like a job.

I’m going to LA on August 1st for an overdue vacation, then the football season starts. I am gonna be taking photos and writing again. I am very jazzed about that.

I have wanted to go to Los Angeles for a long time. I was there in 1974 as a boy. I thought it was so cool. My dad bought a map of the stars homes and we drove around Beverly Hills. We drove past Lucille Ball’s house. When we came upon Paul Newman’s house down the street, there he was standing on the sidewalk out front in a white t-shirt drinking a Budweiser talking to a man I assumed was his neighbor.

My sister shrieked, “Paul.” She was all about Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid at that time.

He looked up, smiled and waved. My dad kept driving.

How cool was that?

Well that was 50 years ago. Paul is gone, God rest his soul. But there must be others like that to see. Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, somebody like that.

My daughter Mary is going with me. She is totally into the trip but prefers to visit the reality TV locations like Sur restaurant from Vanderpump Rules. That’s fine. Reality TV is the one thing that she doesn’t mind me being around for, and the Cubs too. We religiously watched all the 2016 playoff games together.

I have never looked forward to a vacation as much as I have this one. I just want to go to LA and look around. I want actually see the places whose names I have been hearing my whole life. The San Fernando Valley, Malibu, Compton, Sunset Strip, Hollywood Walk of Fame, Orange County, Long Beach, etc.

Then when I get back football season starts. I am looking forward to covering the area teams again. Amundsen should be good again. Lane will be good. I really enjoyed Lane coach Dedrick DeWalt’s old school double wing offense last season.

DePaul Prep will give it another try. That school has become the premier Catholic School high school on the Northside. It’s up to about 1100 students. Mary Dempsey and her team are opening a new classroom building when school starts. It’s only a matter of time before Coach Mike Passarella’s Rams move up divisions and take over the CCL/ESCC the way Tom Kleinschmidt’s basketball teams have done with multiple state final appearances and a state championship.

I am gonna get out to as many St. Viator football games as I can as well. My brother Steve is not coaching football this season and promised to come in for a game. My brother Dan, Fr. Dan Lydon, CSV, for those non-family members out there, is the president of the school so I suppose I should show them some love. There was a time when St. Viator won the ESCC every year. But that was like forty years ago now. Dan and the St. Viator staff have plans to build an on-campus stadium. That will make a big difference for the school and the football program.

Once football runs its course, we are right into basketball. The Battle of the Bridge will be here before one knows it. That’s when the real funs begins. It should be a great new high school basketball season.

Great time to be alive.

Lane Tech Broadcaster Alex Burstein set to Graduate and Conquer the World

A preview of my upcoming Inside—Booster article 

By Jack Lydon

Alex Burstein is going to be famous someday. That day may be soon. The eighteen-year-old Lane Tech senior is a young man on a mission and that mission is well underway. Alex broadcasts Lane Tech football, basketball, volleyball and baseball games on Lane Tech’s You Tube channel.

“Tonight (April 24 game against Von Steuben) was my 163rd broadcast,” Alex said. “I do every baseball home game. And for basketball it’s home and away. I also do home games for girls’ volleyball and football. I also did one or two flag football and boys soccer games. I’ve done the boys basketball games since freshman year. I have done the baseball games since sophomore year.”

To prepare for each broadcast, “I keep notes. I email the coach a week in advance. I talk to the opposing coach in advance. I look up the opposing players on Twitter and news articles. Even if it’s one or two notes about a player. Parents really love when they hear me say something about a player,” said Alex.

The Rogers Park eighteen-year-old, whose brother Simon is a junior at Lane, has known what he wants to do from an early age.

“Growing up I was always interested in sports, but I was not great at sports. In fifth grade, I realized that I wanted to do this as a career. I wanted to find a way to work in sports,” Burstein said.

“Before [Alex] even started at Lane, I was in the stadium for a state soccer game. He hunted me down trying to talk about next year’s football team,” said Lane Tech men’s basketball coach and former athletic director Nick LoGalbo.

“Broadcasting is my thing that I do out of school. I put a lot of time into it. Basketball season is usually three games a week. Baseball is three to four a week. I also work with the school newspaper as a co-editor-in-chief,” Alex said.

In addition to broadcasting, Alex is one of three editors-in-chief for the Lane Tech school newspaper, the Champion. Oh, and his grade point average is 5.07 on a four-point scale. His tireless work in and out of school has landed Alex a full ride scholarship to Syracuse University where he will major in broadcast journalism with a minor in political science.

Alex has a gained a certain celebrity in the Lane Community. “The parents, a lot of them watch. But also the coaches. LoGalbo doesn’t love it because a lot of the coaches get film on him. So a couple times this year we “privated” video. There is not a lot of programs like this in Chicago. It’s nice to get recognition,” Alex said.

As for the players, “they all think it’s pretty cool.”

“I have been doing this now for almost 20 years. He is one of the most special people that has come out of our school,” LoGalbo said.

“For what he does, he is driven by such a clear north star and sense of purpose. It’s really crazy to see that. To have a young man like that who has had a such a clear sense of purpose and direction, he’s done wonders for our school and our athletic department.”

“Him getting a full scouting report on us for other teams when they watch his live broadcasts hasn’t been awesome but if you are a good coach you are going to do your scouting anyway,” LoGalbo admitted.

“Alex does his homework on the other teams too. He has called every coach that we have played for the last four years to get their starting lineup, to get their story to get their records. It’s no wonder he’s got a full ride to Syracuse. We’ll see him on ESPN one night.”

Last year after Lane’s varsity basketball game at Whitney Young, legendary Dolphins’ head coach Tyrone Slaughter went over to Alex who was broadcasting from a table on the sideline and said to Alex, “I am a huge fan. I watch you on You Tube. You do a great job. I find it very helpful.”

Lane head baseball coach Sean Freeman praised Burstein as well. “He is a huge piece of Lane. Not only does he do all the sports games; he is head of the paper. He does a lot for the community as far as getting out all the good things that are happening. He has been an invaluable piece of our program, the football program, the basketball program and covering school wide news.”

“I think it’s a great thing [that Alex broadcasts our games]. We have people all over the country that are now able to watch our games. My parents live in Colorado. Up until last year, neither of them had seen any of our games live, now they are able to watch every home game because he puts those on-line. If the other teams get a little scouting edge on us, in my book, it’s worth it overall,” said Freeman.

“I am not surprised that [Alex] has a high GPA. He’s been part of our publication here for his four years. He did not take journalism as a freshman but he contacted me” to get involved, said Lane Tech English and journalism teacher and newspaper advisor David Strom. 

“Alex became the sports editor pretty early in his sophomore year. He has been co-editor-in-chief his junior and senior years. He has a ton of experience with reporting and writing. That’s a huge advantage. He is a leader in our classroom and our staff. He collaborates with first year journalism students. He will go along on an interview with someone who is new. That is hugely valuable for me as a teacher,” Strom said.

“He carries himself like a professional and he has just been there. And he does really good work. I have seen the improvement he has made. People recognize that and think highly of him because of it,” Strom said.

Favorite experience as a Lane broadcaster, “probably Wrigley Field. That’s hard to beat. So the City Championship last year for baseball, that was pretty cool. For basketball, I’ve done the Chicago Elite classic every year. My freshman year, they had me on radio row at DePaul’s Wintrust arena. That was early on but that was hard to beat. This past summer I went to Israel to cover the Maccabiah Games. Just calling games there was really cool. That was probably my favorite,” Alex said.

As for favorite broadcasters, “I would say it’s Pat Hughes, the Cubs’ radio broadcaster. That’s my dream job, Cubs’ radio. For basketball, it’s Adam Amin, Bulls’ TV broadcaster. He also does a lot of national work with Fox Sports. That’s my other dream job because he does so many other sports,” Alex added.

“Broadcasting has been my main extracurricular. That and the school newspaper. I am the editor-in-chief of the school paper. Those two are the heart of my college applications. I think it helps a lot. I have a demo real that I submitted to a couple schools. I wrote my essay about going to Israel and transitioning from being an athlete to be a broadcaster. I am going to Syracuse. I am majoring in broadcast digital journalism. My goal is to do this professionally. I really like sports journalism but I really like political journalism. I am probably going to do minors in sports analytics and political science.”

As for a color commentator on his broadcasts, “it’s hard to find someone to do it. The biggest thing is that the kids who care most about sports that could be a color commentator are the kids playing. It would be ideal to have a color commentator, but I think it’s good practice [for me] to do both rolls,” Alex said.

As for the equipment used, “it’s a mix. I bought a lot of the audio equipment,” Alex said. [The school has] helped with a couple GoPros and stuff so it’s a mix.”

“They are all really supportive. The broadcasts are on the school’s You Tube channel. They kind of have let me do whatever I want to do with it. All the administrators know about it and they watch. There is a lot of support. And obviously, with the coaches too.”

You can find Alex’s broadcasts on the Lane Tech You Tube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@lanetechathletics743/videos

Amundsen Battles Harlem Coming Up Short 35-21

Preview of my piece in Inside Publications coming out Wednesday:

The Harlem high school Huskies (7-3, 6-3) defeated the Amundsen Vikings (7-3, 7-0) 35-21 at Winnemac Stadium on Saturday. Huskies’ third-year head coach, Bob Moynihan, brought his team from Machesney, Illinois, (just north of Rockford) down to Chicago, expecting to take care of business against a CPS team and get out of town.

Bob is actually a high school classmate of mine. He was a legendary defensive lineman for the St. Viator Lions a few years back—okay, a few decades back—who later played college football at Southeast Missouri State.

Speaking to Moynihan before the game, he asked me what to expect.

“Watch out for #11 [Adam Muench],” I told him. “Teams have been trying to stop him all year. And Amundsen will score. You will need to run the ball,” I added.

“That we can do,” Moynihan said. And so they did. The Huskies ran the ball effectively all day. Keeping the productive Viking offense off the field.

The Huskies opened the scoring midway through the first quarter on a rushing touchdown by sophomore running back Jahmani Muhammad.

The Vikings answered on the next drive. Amundsen’s Jamarion Hemphill ran in a 15-yard touchdown at the 4:42 mark of the first quarter. The 7-7 score at the end of the first quarter was something of an anomaly for playoff games by CPS teams this year. Amundsen put up more of a fight than other similarly situated teams. Lane, Senn, Lincoln Park, Schurz, Perspectives and Bulls Prep all suffered blowouts at the hands of suburban powerhouses.

The Vikings blocked a punt early in the second quarter but could not capitalize. The also traded interceptions. Even so the Huskies rushing attack proved effective and they put up two more rushing touchdowns making the halftime score 21-7. 

Despite giving up two more touchdowns in the third quarter, the Vikings never quit. Early in the fourth, Jamarion Hemphill burst up the middle and down the west sideline for a 50-yard touchdown.

The Vikings were not done. A second interception and lengthy return by Amundsen’s sophomore safety Edwin Soto set up a 10-yard touchdown by Adam Muench on a brilliantly executed sweep. Jamariam Hemphill followed with a two-point conversion. The Vikings were within striking distance at 35-21 with plenty of time left in the fourth.

It wasn’t to be. Moynihan and his Huskies did what they intended to do—run the ball and take time off the clock. The Huskies finally took a knee down at Amundsen’s goal line as the game ended.

Amundsen’s head coach Nick Olson was emotional after the game. Taking a long time to talk to his players and take some photos with his group of seniors, he thanked his players and coaches.   

“I always tell the boys wins and losses are a dime a dozen. I can live with losing. I am going to win some more in life; I am going to lose some more in life. It’s how you handle it. It’s just so heart breaking because these seniors are never going to suit up for this level of football again. That’s the toughest part of it. It’s over. This team will never be the same. But they are leaving a legacy. Every year after we get in the playoffs, we have gotten better. We are not getting blown out anymore. Teams have to respect us,” said Amundsen head coach Nick Olson.

“I attribute a lot of our success to the support of our administration, the full support they have in me to run the program the way I see fit,” continued Olson.

“The assistant coaches have made all the difference this year. Those are the guys behind the success this year. This is not on me; this is on the team.”

This is if for the Vikings. They will be participating in the CPS city championship playoffs.

Harlem moves on to play Grayslake North at home in the second round of the 6A playoffs.

Lane Falls to Phillips 38-7

Lane Tech fell to Phillips 38-7 Friday night a Lane Stadium in a dominate performance by Phillips in all three phases: offense, defense and special teams.

Lane came into Friday evening game against the Phillips Wildcats with a 6-0 record, its best record in as long as anyone could remember. It was evident from last week’s game 24-6 victory over a talented Clark football team that the Lane Tech Champions have bought into Coach Dedrick Dewalt’s double wing offence. Not only bought in but they invested a lot of work into making it work.

Then Phillips came to Rockwell and Addison. A few seasons removed from their 2017 5A state championship and having lost their head coach Troy McAllister, the Wildcats nevertheless, have had 9-3 records, won their Land of Lincoln conference and advanced deep into the state playoffs every year since.

But three straight losses to open the seasons? What’s become of the program? The first two losses were to Batavia and Mt. Carmel. Then a loss to Morgan Park. Maybe the Wildcats have fallen back to the pack.

It quickly became evident that the Champions had tough task in front of them. The Wildcats took the and methodically marched the ball from their own 25-yard line to the Lane 12-yard line, overcoming several penalties along the way. Senior running back Dwayne Williams took a handoff up the middle into the end zone for the first score of the game. Taking a page out of the Lane playbook, the Wildcats’ opening drop took 10 minutes and 50 seconds off the clock. The two-point conversion attempt failed.

The Champions struck back quickly after the ensuing kickoff. On the first play of the second quarter, Lane’s senior wingback Casey Joyce took a counter handoff from Phineas “Finn” Merrill and bolted up the middle 49 yards for a quick answering touchdown. Senior kicker Mugdim Kreho added the extra point. Lane had a 7-6 lead.

That was about as good as it would get for the Champions. After Joyce’s touchdown run, Lane struggled in moving the ball.

“We watched their film. We know we had to get push up front. A team 6-0 scares you. Their six or seven plays that they run, they are very good at it. So way have to play assignment. We watched film, we matched up. ‘This is your guy, This is your guy.’ Discipline is everything,” said Phillips head coach Joseph Winslow.

The Wildcats were ready for Lane’s double wing offense. The thing about the double wing is that it is pretty much and all or nothing defense. If the offensive line can move the defensive line off the ball and pick up four yards a carry, it is difficult to stop. If they can’t well, the double wing offense is going to struggle and better hope their defense can hold. There isn’t much quick strike, comeback potential in the double wing.

Winslow and his Wildcats were ready for the double wing. “I ran the double wing in high school. We rarely passed the ball. We knew we had to play slobber-knocker football. We’ve got to get down a hit every play,” Winslow continued.

And that they did. The Wildcats’ defensive line took over the game. Lane’s offensive line did not get any push. Not only did the Wildcat get a push of their own, they “stayed home.” Each defensive player stayed in position ready to tackle the Lane backs on the misdirection plays.  

“Everybody just assumed that we were just a terrible team. We’re young. 85% of this team is coming back. I only have twelve seniors. My receivers are all seniors which is a plus with a junior quarterback. But other than that we are young. People took us for granted. They didn’t think that we are the same team that we have always been. The kids bought in after we lost the game to Morgan Park. We feel like that was a game we should have one. We had too many mistakes,” Winslow said.

Lane did not take Phillips for granted. The coaches and commentators knew quite well what Phillips could bring. We all got to see that Phillips is an excellent team and Lane is not invincible. 

Lane Tech Throttles Clark 24-8

By Jack Lydon

Lane Tech’s double wing offense throttled Michelle Clark 24-8 at the newly dedicated Fritz Pollard Field at Lane Stadium Saturday afternoon. Lane Coach Dedrick Dewalt’s has his team of Champions totally invested in the double wing offence and the Champions did what champions do—take care of business.

 “I express to my kids everyday, we are not going to out-talent people, we are not going to out-speed people, one thing we can do is out-work people. We come with that workmanlike attitude. And it’a not just on game day. It’s during the week. It’s during practice. We work hard. This is probably the hardest working group that I have ever coached,” Dewalt said.

 “Trust me. When we first introduced this offense. [The players] were like, ‘Coach, we like to throw the ball.’ I have a bunch of great kids here. Whatever we require of them, they do it with no complaints. We asked them to learn this offence and now they are seeing the benefits of it. We are winning games. It’s keeping our defense off the field. [Our] defense is playing lights out because we are fresh. We can hold the ball nine or ten minutes in a quarter.”

The hard work has paid off.  

Lane’s double wing offense came out firing on all cylinders Saturday and by firing on all cylinders I mean, grinding on all 22 legs. Four yards and a cloud of dust turned into quite a bit more. Early in the first quarter, the Champions had an illegal procedure penalty making it first and fifteen, deep in their end of the field.

First and fifteen in the double wing offense designed to get four yards per carry is not a good situation. No worries, just run a counter on third down and Lane senior wing back Phineas “Finn” Merrill will pick 12 yards for the first down. On the next play, Lane wing Casey Joyce burst through the line for a 51-yard touchdown.

On the next possession, after a Lane interception, Lane’s Phineas “Finn” Merrill ripped off a 46-yard run up the middle. A few plays later, Lane senior running back Yiannis Katsogridakis would not be denied as he barreled up the middle into the end zone for a touchdownn. Lane’s place kicker Mugdim Kreho added his second PAT making the score 14-0 Lane with plenty of time left in the first quarter.

Lane Tech’s ball control, really “clock control,” offense keep Clark’s athletic offense off the field. Clark’s dozen or so offside penalties just gave the Champions help getting first downs all game long. Lane senior quarterback Mark Seward used a two-count to snap the ball. With Lane’s one wing moving on the first count, the Eagles repeatedly went offside. At one point in the late in the fourth quarter, one Clark player loudly admonished another after one such penalty, “you can’t do that.”

The third quarter was all Lane. Seriously, like almost all of it. The Champions took the second half kickoff and with twelve plays, aided by three Clark penalties, held the ball for 11:03 of the twelve-minute quarter.

“Our first goal is always get the four yards. The second goal is always get the first down. I challenge these guys and they take that challenge to heart. We hate punting,” said Lane offensive coordinator Elbert Revina.

The third quarter also featured a little Lane trickery—a forward pass. “The safety was way in. [Clark] really had no corners. They were playing a lot of outside linebackers. We had the wind at our backs. So I figured let’s just toss it and keep them honest. After that I opened up some more off-tackle,” Revina continued. The passed used to open the running game instead of the other way around. Who woulda thunk it?

Lane’s Mugdim Kreho added a 37-yard field goal to make it 17-0 lead in the third.

Late in the fourth quarter with the game out of reach, Clark sophomore quarterback Tysean Perkins took Lane’s kick at the nine-yard line. Starting to his left he cut back making his way across the whole field at what looked like half speed while waiting for his blockers to open a path. There wasn’t so much path opening but there was trailblazing by Perkin. Shedding would be tacklers the up the Clark sideline, Perkins kicked it into high gear and scored continuing to shed Champions as he cut back toward the middle of the field. A two-point conversion made the score 24-8.

Lane’s 6-0 start qualifies them for the IHSA playoffs for the first time since 2005. No one could remember the last time, if ever, Lane Tech had a 6-0 record. They do this year.

Phillips is next. Then Westinghouse. Then sixth ranked 6-0 Simeon. Then the playoffs, for sure this year.

Alex Burstein’s call of the game on Lane Tech Athletic’s You Tube channel Is available here.

DePaul Prep Rams Defeat Leo Lions 14-12

The DePaul Prep Rams edged the Leo High School 14-12 on September 16, 2022, to improve to 3-1 and win the two team CCL/ESCC Red Division. A nice win for the Rams against a very tough Leo team with a lot of heart.

DePaul Prep v. St. Viator Photo Gallery

Most times when I take photos I just do the best I can in the moment. I can usually tell if the photos will be any good. Sometimes—rarely—when I open photos I have taken, I am surprised at what I find, surprised how much I like the photos. This is one of those times.

My thanks to Pat Mahoney and the other designers and benefactors of the as yet unnamed DePaul Prep Stadium. The light is wonderful—truly outstanding. Thank you.

A proper article about the game will follow. I wanted to get these photos up by themselves first.

I hope you like them.

Lane Smothers TF South 10-6

By Jack Lydon

 Lane Tech defeated Thornton Fractional South 10-6 on Friday evening at Lane Stadium. Lane head coach Dedrick Dewalt switched offensive styles this season moving to a wing T offense in order to take advantage of the strength of his roster—big lineman and quality running backs—which carried the day for the Champions.

A huge crowd at Lane Stadium including two student sections, one at each end of the field, saw the Champions march the ball toward the north endzone ball at the end of the first quarter for a 22-yard field goal by Mudgim Kreho, senior kicker and varsity soccer player from West Rogers Park.

The signature play of the game and the new offense had to be a second quarter run by Lane’s senior running back #9 Yiannis Katsogridakis. Katsogirdakis took a simple dive up the middle smashing his way forward for ten or so yards. He appeared to be stopped by five or six TF South Red Wolves but refused to go down. Literally dragging and carrying the group for an additional twelve yards before eventually collapsing under the weight of the defenders.

“Our kids came in thinking, ‘Hey it’s an easy game. We won by 20 last year.’ We tried to tell them, they pound the ball. They come off tackle. They’ve got good backs. If you don’t tackle them, they are going to go for five yards. If you put them in 3rd and short or 4th and short, they are going to win the game,” said TF South head coach Bob Padjen.

“You gotta stop the [wing T offense] by having linebackers that can read the guards. When the guard and tackle pull, they have to [go] with them. Our guys weren’t doing that in the first half. They were watching the backfield action. You can’t watch the backfield action. And our guys were.”

“That’s our Wing T Offense. Last season we had a bunch of receivers that we could throw the ball around to. This year, our strength is our running backs and our offensive line. So we switched up our offense a little bit to feature our strength. We are going to ride those big boys all season,” said Lane Tech’s third-year head coach Dedrick Dewalt.

A Wing T Offense takes a lot of trust, a team cannot make mistakes, one cannot have negative plays. The Campions didn’t.

“It’s something that we rep every day in practice. We preach no turnovers, no penalties that get us off schedule. With this offense, you have to stay on schedule. Three or four yards a carry. We won this game tonight because were able to control the ball and keep their offense off the field,” Dewalt continued. 

Leading 3-0 at the half, Lane picked up where they left off when play resumed. On the strength of repeated carries by Lane’s powerful senior running back Phineas “Finn” Merrill, the Campions marched down the field. Katsogridakis capped the drive with a two-yard touchdown making the score 10-0.

Even so, the Red Wolves were not done. After a penalty marred third quarter, Padjen rallied his crimson canines. Opening up the offense, the Red Wolves marched down toward the south endzone with repeated passes in the flat. South’s Seneca Smith scored with 9:52 left in the fourth on a four-yard run making the score 10-6. PAT failed.

Lane’s ball control scheme took time off the clock until finally giving that ball back to Red Wolves with plenty of time on the clock for a go-ahead score. South moved the ball up the field with the help of some penalties by Lane.

With 33 seconds to play, Lane’s senior linebacker Zach Shashoua picked off a pass in the flat that have been give the Champions fits throughout the fourth quarter to seal the victory.

The casual football fan might not appreciate the finer aspects of a wing T offense in action. Few passes, not much scoring but run faithfully by a coaching staff and executed by a disciplined offensive group with a stingy defense, it’s beauty to behold. This year’s newly created CPS Red-North better study up and hit weight room. Lane is going to put them to the test.

Interestingly, both Lane Tech and TF South officially adopted new team names early this year. Lane dropped “Indians” several years ago and just this year adopted “Champions.” TF South, formerly the “Rebels,” are going with “Red Wolves” starting this school year.

Lane takes on Hubbard next Saturday at noon at Lane Stadium before staring conference play the following week.

TF South looks to turn around their 0-2 season start against archrival TF North.

DePaul Prep Comes Back to Defeat Payton 42-21

{Preview of my story in Inside Publications)

Sloppy but effective. The DePaul Prep Rams came back from an early 14-0 deficit against the Payton College Prep to defeat the Grizzlies 42-21 at DePaul Friday evening’s season opener.

The Rams did not play well in the first half. The Grizzles did.

DePaul sophomore quarterback Fernando “JuJu” Rodriguez was picked off on a late throw down the middle early in the first quarter. After the interception and a couple Rams penalties, the Grizzlies scored on a nineteen-yard screen pass.

The ensuing kickoff was thing of beauty. The Payton kicker popped the ball up to the Rams twenty-yard line. The ball hit the field turf and bounced back like a punt. Rams returner Lavelle Hardy had no change. Payton sophomore Steveon Bynum recovered the ball.

On the next play, Payton quarterback Kyle Osterman laid out a beautiful fade pass to sophomore wide receiver Finn Ryan at the goal line for a twenty-two-yard touchdown. Just that fast, Payton was up 14-0 and was rolling.

DePaul moved the ball but just could not get in sync. With 1:35 left in the first half, the Rams rallied. JuJu Rodriguez hit standout junior wide receiver Lavelle Hardy on a skinny post. Hardy did the rest, running it in from 55 yard out.

With an onside kick of their own, DePaul’s junior linebacker Danny Kelly recovered the ball. JuJu hit junior wide receiver Michael Bloom in the endzone to tie the game. The Rams were back in it despite looking terrible in the first half.

Not halftime yet.

On the last play of the half, Osterman launched the ball up the visitor sideline to, as Payton head coach Craig Knocke described as, “the only D-1 player on our team,” Columbia commit Charlie Newton. Newton split two defenders, comes down with the ball, broke a couple tackles and score as time runs out. 21-14 Payton at the half.

Reset.

“At halftime we talked. We talked. We calmed down. A lot of guys had some first game jitters. A lot of guy were starting for the first time. We had some sophomores out there. You could see it in the kids eyes. There were some heart beats going. There was some nervousness. We calmed down and you saw the real football team in the second half,” said DePaul Prep head coach Mike Passarella.

The Rams may have calmed down but in the third quarter, the Grizzlies cramped up. “A lot of cramps, not very many injuries, a lot of cramps,” said third year Payton head coach Craig Knoche.

“We can’t mimic a game in practice. We don’t have enough people to hit. This is all four classes. We have freshmen through seniors here.”

Between the cramps and the numerous penalties, the third quarter took time. Time the Rams coaching staff used to wear down the Grizzlies.

“If you look back at the first half we beat ourselves,” explained Ram coach Passarella.

In the second half, “we knew they had a bunch of guys playing both ways. We knew we had them gassed. They started pinching the middle. That’s when we started taking advantage” by running wide.

With the ugly third quarter almost done, the Rams moved the ball behind work horse running back junior Titus Bautista down to the five-yard line. JuJu tossed a perfect quick slant to senior wide receiver (and basketball forward) Henry West to bring the Rams to within one. The PAT tied it up at 21.

Third quarter was not over yet.

The Rams pulled off an onside kick of their own. A similar putsch kick halfway up the home sideline. Rams’ junior linebacker Griffin Horne came up with the ball. The Rams were in business. From the fifteen, Henry West ran a quick out. JuJu’s throw was perfect. The first year football player West had his second touchdown in 15 ticks off the clock to put the Rams in the lead for good.

The Payton Grizzlies look to be the favorite in the reshuffled CPS Red-West conference. Coming off last year’s 6-4 record and an IHSA playoff appearance, Coach Knoche’s Grizzlies looked every bit the part to open the season even with mostly all new starters. Perhaps a little undermanned but their starting group can play.

The Rams face Amundsen next Friday afternoon at Winnemac Park. Payton takes on Von Stueben at Lane on Friday afternoon as well

DePaul Prep Rams Ready Open Season

“Last year, we didn’t know how to win yet,” said fourth year DePaul Prep head football coach Mike Passarella.

 “Not a push over anymore,” Passarella continued. “Everyone is taking us seriously this year.”

 The DePaul Prep Rams are coming off a disappointing 2-7 season after being on the cusp of turning around the program.

“The goal is to win a playoff game,” Passarella said. That will take at least three more wins. Those wins are out there. Since the closing of St. Joseph, DePaul Prep has played three non-conference games instead of the usual two games to open the season. The Rams have added Chicago Hope Academy this year. Chicago Hope could be another win. And with a victory of over Marian Central Catholic, plus an upset victory over the “mighty, mighty” St. Viator Lions (a play on the St. Viator fight song) and with the strength of schedule points and our Rams probably make the playoffs.

The Rams schedule has changed significantly. Ridgewood and Lena-Winslow are out. Amundsen and Chicago Hope Academy are in. Plus, this year there are only two teams in the CCL/ESCC conference’s Red Division—DePaul Prep and Leo. Marian Central Catholic in Woodstock left the conference and went independent but remains on the schedule.

Circle September 16th on your calendar. The Rams take on the Leo Lions for the CCL/ESCC Red Division championship game. With just two teams in the division, this game will decide who’s champ. Leo and DePaul Prep are developing quite a rivalry in the recent months. DePaul Prep defeated Leo in the 2A basketball super-sectional to earn a trip to Champaign for the 2A state basketball finals.

The future is definitely bright for the DePaul Prep’s football program. The school’s enrollment has just dramatically increased in recent years. This year’s enrollment is up to 1086. With construction of a new wing of classrooms beginning shortly on the campus, enrollment is expected to top out at 1400, roughly the same as St. Ignatius. The Rams are currently 3A for football but an enrollment of 1200 will soon put bump DePaul Prep up two classes into 5A.

Along with the jump in enrollment comes a whole new crop of athletes. The Rams plan the start a sophomore quarterback, Fernando “JuJu” Rodriguez. Also, on offense is senior offensive lineman Emmett Jeske, son of former head coach and Gordon Tech legend, Bill Jeske. Junior offensive tackle Eric Timbo is expected to impress and land some offers from NCAA Division One schools.

At the skill positions, junior wide receiver Lavelle Hardy returns to lead the receiving corps. Hardy is also expected to receive Division One offers and score a lot of touchdowns. Senior wide receiver (and varsity basketball player) Henry West, in his first year of football, will also play wide out. Senior Shane Leonard will also play in Coach Passarella’s receiver heavy spread offense spread offense.

Gordon Tech legend Gary Anish, Jr., has been elevated to defensive coordinator. His defense will be led by senior defensive ends Oliver Vigorest and Dane Barkley (also a basketball player). Defensive standouts junior middle linebacker Griffin Horne and Danny Kelly as well has junior cornerback Jonathan Perez will lead a young and talented defense.

The season starts tomorrow at 7:00 p.m., with a home game against Walter Payton College Prep. Should be a fun game between two teams on the rise.

DePaul Prep Rams practice read option Wednesday at DePaul Prep

Chris Haas Leaves DePaul Prep to Be AD at IC Catholic

We learned today that DePaul’s Prep’s head baseball coach and teacher is leaving to become the athletic director at IC Catholic high school in Elmhurst.

After seventeen years at Gordon Tech and DePaul Prep, Chris is moving up. I know coaches and teachers coming and going from high schools normal but I can scarcely conceive of DePaul Prep without Chris Haas. When my kids started at Gordon, Chris was the Bill Jeske’s offensive coordinator, he was at every home basketball game and of course, he was the manager of the very successful baseball program for GT and DePaul Prep.

With Mike Wieda, Paul Chabura, Sean Connor and now Chris Haas being snatched up by other schools, I hope the loss of all this coaching talent doesn’t hurt too much.

Best of luck Chris. Thanks for teaching and coaching my kids. We will miss you. Don’t be a stranger. I will have to get out to wherever IC Catholic is and photograph some games.

Go Rams!

Crete-Monee Defeats St. Ignatius in IHSA 6A Playoff 15-3

St. Ignatius College Prep Wolfpack football team fell to the Crete-Monee High School Warriors on Saturday evening (November 6, 2021) 15-3 at Fornelli Field.

It was the tale of two halves. The Wolfpack played their game in the first half—run the ball and control the clock. But their drives stalled when getting into the red zone because of penalties and they had to settle for just one field goal.

The Warriors just could not get anything going in the first half. They couldn’t throw; they couldn’t run. They got a few first downs be could not move the ball consistently.

Nevertheless, I just had the feeling that either or both teams would break some big plays in the second half.

It was Crete-Monee that made that happen. Midway through the third quarter, one of Crete-Monee’s interchangeable quarterbacks, Joshua Franklin, got free around end down to the St. Ignatius two yard-line. On the next play, one of the other interchangeable quarterbacks, Terry Elias, Jr., took a pitch around the same end and scored the first touchdown of the game. With the PAT, the Warriors took a 7-3 lead.

The Wolfpack had plenty of time to do what they had down all season, control the clock, run the football and take the lead. So they started to do, but again, penalties stalled them. This style doesn’t allow for many possessions.

The quarter came and as the time ticked away, the Wolfpack failed to convert another fourth and long and turned it over on downs to the Warriors at mid-field.

It looked like Crete-Monee would simply just run out the clock.

Joshua Franklin dropped back and hit Junior wide-receiver Lynell Billups on a skinny post. No one was going to catch him.

A palpable gasp came out of the St. Ignatius sideline. The wind came out of sail on St. Ignatius’ historic season. The Warriors added a two-point conversion off a high snap on a kick attempt. The miracle season would soon end.

The 9-2 season for the Wolfpack is their best in decades—many decades. The future lawyers, CEOs, tech moguls, doctors and priests should be proud. Think of the reunions in 30, 40 and 50 years when they can relive their glory days.

Crete-Monee gets Washington next Saturday with a chance to go to Finals in DeKalb.

As for Crete-Monee, after the game their emotional coach John Konecki told his young warriors that they had given body blow after body blow, and then, a knock out punch to the head and they won the game.

“I have never seen a more gutsy performance by any football team ever,” Konecki said.

I have to say I have never seen a happier group of winners than these young men. They came to Chicago and played tough and well. They had prevailed with their brothers and lived to play another game.

Well done.

Not my finest photos ever. But some good ones. Hope you like them.

St. Ignatius Handles Bremen 42-7 in IHSA 6A Playoff

The game ended 42-7 but it was 7-7 with 1:42 left in the first half.

Having seen St. Ignatius play a couple weeks ago, I expected the Wolfpack to be able to deal with Bremen. The Wolfpack are solid in every phase. Before the game, I asked St. Ignatius Coach Bob DeCarlo what to expect. He cautioned that Bremen had improved since the Wolfpack handled them the second game of the season.

The Wolfpack scored on their first possession. Jr. Quarterback Jake Petrow had a 70 yard run. Sr. RB Vinny Rugai finished off the drive with a three yard touchdown.

The rest of the half was just the teams trading field position until the final minutes when Bremen put together a nice drive. Bremen senior running back Keyshawn Lewis-Hunt scored with 1:45 left in the half.

Not over yet. The Wolfpack quickly moved the ball down the field. Sr. wideout Jack Molloy took a handoff around the right end and scored a six yard touchdown with 26 second left making the score 14-7 Wolfpack at the half.

Second half was all St. Ignatius. Vinny Rugai added three more touchdowns. I think it was three. Frankly, I lost track of who scored because I am there to take photos. Just too much to keep score and take photos—in the rain.

The Bremen Braves could not manage much offence against the stingy Wolfpack defense. Midway through the the fourth, the bench players came closing out a high school football for many that will never play another game.

Wolfpack moves on to face the winner of the Crete-Monee v. Glenwood game this afternoon.

I got some good photos that I am happy with given the conditions.

St. Viator Overwhelms DePaul Prep 41-7

The disappointment was palpable on his face. Disappointment twinged with a healthy bit of anger.

DePaul Prep’s varsity football coach Mike Passarella spoke to me a few minutes after talking to his team in the wake of the 41-7 loss to St. Viator on Friday, September 10, 2021.

“The biggest thing was defensively we missed a lot of tackles. Offensively, we did not move the ball. Three and outs. We keep going backwards. We put our defense in a tough spot. We had a good game plan. We just didn’t really execute it,” said Passarella.

“You could tell that we can play, but when it gets close, we just can’t compete,” Passarella continued. “We have not learned how to win. That’s the one thing we have to work on, just that growth.”

That’s basically true about the game as a whole but the first half but the first half was close. One had feeling that the game could go either way with St. Viator leading 13-7 when the teams went into the locker rooms.

The DePaul Prep Rams (2-1, 0-0 in ESCC Red) won the coin toss and elected to receive the ball. That showed me an aggressiveness and confidence that many teams give up these days preferring to get the ball opening the second half. The Rams took the ball but their opening drive stalled near midfield.

The St. Viator Lions (1-2, 0-0 in CCL/ESCC Purple) worked the ball down the field with their first possession. Junior running back Jake VanBooven took a handoff at the four yard-line around the right end and scored giving the Lions an early lead.

The Rams answered quickly on the next drive with a 73-yard pass from Grant transfer senior quarterback Chris Perez up the right sideline to sophomore wide receiver Lavelle Hardy. Perez hit Hardy in stride, and no one was near enough to stop him. Perez impressed the opening games of the season with impressive wins over Walter Payton College Prep and Ridgewood High School particularly throwing the deep ball.

Late in second quarter the Lions answered with another touchdown from VanBooven making the score 13-7 at the half.

St. Viator head coach Dave Archibald was on the opposite side from Passarella on the field and on the season. Archibald’s Lions lost two non-conference openers to tough teams. The opened against very strong 3-0 South Elgin team that handled the Lions 48-7. Last week the Lions lost a close game to Morgan Park 30-22.

“I told our guys we are a young team in ways. If we keep climbing, we have wins that we can get on this schedule. Tonight was a great momentum [builder] where they gained that belief in themselves. When we play the way we are capable of playing, we are going to be able to contend and win some big games,” Archbald said.

The early difference in the game was Viator’s Jake VanBooven. “Jake is a phenomenal athlete. He had an injury last season. The first couple weeks for him were weeks where he was growing in confidence. Tonight he showed his best performance as a running back. He is nowhere near his ceiling. You will only see him get better and better.”

The game turned in the third quarter. St. Viator’s VanBooven added a third rushing touchdown. The Rams’ Perez threw a late pick-six to St. Viator’s Sr. linebacker Carson Eggebraten. The Lions started passing and added two more fourth quarter passing touchdowns to put the game out of reach.

I could feel Coach Passarella’s disappointment because he apologized to me before the game for what his Rams were about to do to my alma mater. Having seen the growth in his program over the last few seasons and the amazing growth of DePaul College Prep, I believed him.

The Rams are close. They just need to take that final step and, in Coach Pass’s words, “learn how to win.”

League play begins next week with Leo. The season is young.

DePaul Prep Shuts Out Payton 49-0

High school football started in more-or-less normal fashion last Friday with a double feature of DePaul College Prep vs Payton College and Lane Tech vs Kenwood at a sunbaked Lane Stadium. The near 100-degree temperatures and 90% humidity tested the stamina of the heartiest football fans. This reporter, for one, was thoroughly cooked by the end of the second game.

Despite the heat, a large crowd saw the Payton College Prep Grizzlies (0-1, 0-0) fall to the DePaul Prep Rams (1-0, 0-0) 49-0.

The Rams took the opening kick-off and methodically moved the ball down the field under the leadership of senior quarterback Chris Perez. A mix of short passes and inside running plays brought the ball down to the one-yard line where senior running back Vasco Sierra took a handoff from Perez right up the middle to give the Rams a 6-0 lead they would never relinquish.

On the next series, the Rams defense held the Grizzlies. Grizzlies punted. DePaul’s junior wide receiver and cornerback Shane Leonard fielded the punt at his own 38-yard line, cut up the left side line, broke a tackle and ran it into the North endzone. With both PATs good, the Rams opened and early first quarter 14-0 lead and never looked back.

Remarkably, the Rams hit seven out of seven extra points. I don’t recall ever seeing that in a high school.

The Rams look to take a leap forward as the program and bring themselves back into the football prominence once enjoyed by its processor Gordon Tech. In recent years, it has been difficult for Gordon Tech/DePaul Prep to achieve beyond Chicago Catholic League Red Division championships. Five wins are needed to qualify for the IHSA playoffs—a difficult task for Rams who have played an almost impossible CCL schedule.

This year may well be different. The CCL has combined with the East Suburban Catholic Conference for football. The Rams will not have to play CCL Blue powerhouses like Loyola, Brother Rice or Mt. Carmel. Conference games for the Rams this year are St. Viator, Leo, St. Laurence, Notre Dame, St. Ignatius and Marian Central Catholic.

“The biggest goal right now is just to get in the the playoffs. If we make the playoffs, we don’t have the multiplier on us so we are playing in 3A. We just came out here and beat a 5A/6A  [team], one of the better CPS schools in the area,” said DePaul head coach Mike Passarella.

Five wins is very doable for DePaul. Once in the playoffs, the Rams can do some damage in the 3A playoffs.

The Payton College Prep Grizzlies struggled against DePaul suffering some injuries during the game and having lost some productive players to graduation.

“We played a really tough team that played well,” said Payton coach Craig Knoche after the game.

“We will find out [what happens with this season] on Monday/Tuesday of next week. We have got to respond to what just happened. They usually respond well.”.

In the second game, home team Lane Tech fall to the Kenwood Academy Broncos 27-9. This much more competitive game saw Lane Tech hang with the Broncos most of the first half.

Lane took an early 3-0 led. The Lane defense impressed with an early goal line stand against a big, fast and athletic Broncos’ offense. Eventually, the Lane defense cracked under the pressure of Kenwood’s speed giving up a long early second quarter touchdown run by the running back Taylen Goodwin.

The Lane offense struggled to move the ball only adding its only touchdown in the fourth quarter bringing the score to 21-9. Kenwood answered with the touchdown making the final score 27-9.

Lane travels to Lansing, Illinois for game against a game against a tough TF South team looking to rebound at home from a shellacking at the hands of Chesterton, Indiana high school.

DePaul Prep Defeats St. Joseph in Last Game

At the strange abrupt end to the COVID football season, I photographed the DePaul Prep Rams football game against the St. Joseph Chargers. It was the last ever football game for St. Joseph High School. The school administration announced earlier that week that the school would close at the end of the school year.

DePaul Prep defeated St. Joseph 44-0, on April 23, 2021. Three early interceptions of St. Joe’s replacement quarterback doomed the Chargers. The Chargers fought hard but the Rams dominated the undermanned Chargers in all phases.

It was an emotional game. I spent a lot of time photographing from the St. Joe’s sideline. I wanted to document the last game as best I could. I have been going to St. Joe’s basketball and football games in 1977 when I was a freshman at St. Viator. Joe’s was in the ESCC then. I distinctly remember Isiah Thomas playing as a senior in St. Viator’s Patrick Cahill Gym when Isiah and legendary coach Joe Pingatore were on their way to a state championship.

Fast forward to recent years when my son Dan played football and basketball at Gordon/DePaul; I have seen many games against St. Joe’s.

It’s always sad when a school closes, especially a Catholic school. I have also liked and respected the people at St. Joseph. I wish them well.

As for the photos, I apologize that it took me so long to get these up. I was writing stories for the Inside Publications in the Spring and I just did not have enough time to do that and photograph non-story games.

A DePaul Prep player inquired about the photos and I realized although I have processed them some time after the game, I never posted them to my website. So here they are better late than never.

I hope you like the photos.

Payton Defeats Phillips JV Squad 21-14

This is a preview of my article that will appear in Wednesday’s Inside Publications.

By Jack Lydon

This COVID delayed and shortened season came to a merciful but satisfying end Saturday afternoon for the Walter Payton College Prep football team against a junior varsity squad put together by CPS powerhouse Phillips. The Grizzlies came up with a 21-14 win against a very talented Phillips squad.

Short and unpredictable though it was, this season showed me one can play simply for the love of the game. It showed me how enjoyable the simply chance to play can be.

Payton was scheduled to play Solorio Academy on Saturday afternoon. Solorio had to cancel the game for none COVID related reasons. Injuries depleted its team to a point where the coach did not feel it was safe to play a game with so few players.

“We were not supposed to play Phillips,” Payton coach Craig Knocke said.

“Monday Solorio informed us that they would not be able to play this weekend. So CPS sports [administration staff] did a great job finding us an opponent that we could [play].

“This is not Phillips’ number 1 squad. They played last night.”

Phillips first team played Taft on Friday (April 23). Rebounding from a 30-0 defeat at Loyola the preceding Friday, the Wildcats defeated at tough and talented Taft team 26-21.

“This [Phillips] team that’s got, I don’t know how many, but has it 2-1 varsity players [as we do]. So the kids that didn’t play in the Taft game, played us,” said Knocke.

“Phillips is a great program. The kids who are not starters on this team, will be next year. They have some really good players.”

Everybody rips CPS. But these coaches, staff and administration found a way for the young men to play a football game when it could so easily have just called it a season.

After receiving the opening kickoff, the Grizzlies punted the ball back to Phillips. Payton senior linebacker and running back Joe Savaiano, who will play college football next year at Washington University, picked off at quick slant from Phillips junior quarterback Avante Savage and returned the ball into Phillips’ territory.

After a clunch third down catch by sophomore wide receiver Charlie Newton, senior running back Jack Dawson took the handoff at the five yard-line and ran it up the middle into the end zone for the games’ first score. Senior kicker Thomas Melecio added the point after.

On the first play of the second quarter, Payton added to its lead with a 60ish yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Eamon Glascott to senior wide receiver Danny O’Connell to push the Payton lead to 14-0.

There was no quit in Phillips talented junior varsity. Quarterback Avante Savage took a keeper up the middle and down the left sideline with 1:49 remaining the in second quarter to keep it close. Phillips added the two-point conversion making the score 14-8.

But the half was not done, Payton received the kickoff. On the second play, Glascott dropped back to pass.

“Basically, it was a slugo—slant go. I was able to get past the defender, it was a perfect throw. That’s what we work on in practice. It clearly paid off,” Payton sophomore wide receiver Charlie Newton said after the game.

He has a gift for understatement.

Newton bolted past the cornerback and got a few steps on him. Glascott’s pass was indeed perfect, dropping right into Newton outstretched arms on a dead sprint. Newton dodged the free safety coming over in coverage and raced toward the goal posts, adding a little flip into the endzone at the goal line which could not have made his coaches too happy.

Payton 21-8 at the half.

Phillips came out of the half a different team. The found energy they did not have in the first have. With this new found energy, the moved the ball up and down the field on Payton but could not punch it in.

Late in the third quarter, Payton fumbled a handoff to the running back. Phillips linebacker Jason Cannon Jr., picked up the ball and raced it into the endzone drawing the Wildcats to within a touchdown.

The teams traded long drives throughout the fourth quarter as the time ticked away.

Inside the last minute, Phillips marched the ball down to the Payton three-yard line. On third-down at the three, Phillips quarterback Savage fumbled the handoff to running back Rayshaun Thompson but recovered the ball.

On fourth and goal from the four, with the game on the line, Payton linebacker Joey Savaiano broke up Savage’s pass to Phillips wide-out Cohen Waters Jr.

Payton went on to win 21-14.

“It’s awesome to go out with a win. Not many seniors can say that. It’s either a state playoff loss or something of that nature. To end the season on a win is really special to me. [This] was a makeshift year. We only had three games,” said Payton quarterback Eamon Glascott.

“But I love coming out and playing football. High school football is the best. This is a great group of guys that might not be the biggest, fastest, strongest guys but these kids have a lot of heart.”

Both teams, their coaches and even CPS sports administration just wanted the play. No championships. Nothing really to play for except for the fun of it.

It was fun. This COVID season showed us the love of the game. Win or lose. Let’s just play.

Refreshing.