DePaul Prep Wins Playoff Game 48-8 over Dyett

[A preview of my story in Inside—Booster.]

By Jack Lydon

The DePaul Prep Rams (7-3) defeated the Dyett Eagles 48-8 Saturday afternoon at Stagg Stadium on the South side. The Rams had a 42-0 halftime lead on the Eagles so there was a running clock in the second half.

The Rams defense opened the game with an impressive start that set the tone for the rest of the game. Dyett had -17 years of total offense on the first two drives. The Rams offense answered with two quick touchdowns making the score 14-0 before Dyett had a first down.

Even with the two quick touchdowns, the Rams’ offense was not hitting on its usual strength the passing game and the passing and scrambling talent of senior quarterback Fernando “Juju” Rodriguez.

“I would say I was just antsy,” Rodriguez admitted after the game.

“I saw [Juju] after the second drive I grabbed him. I said dude, ‘you’ve gotta calm down.’ He was late. They ran a little bit of a different defense than what we say on films. So that was new and he was probably just trying to work through some adjustments,” said Rams’ head coach Mike Passarella.

Not that this was a big deal. They lead 14-0. And the defense was playing at a level they have not been at in weeks. A few incomplete passes is hardly a huge problem or even something unusual.  

The second quarter was a whole different story. Rodriguez calmed down. He scrambled around, avoiding tackles and making big throws. The Rams put up four touchdowns and extra points in the second quarter and took a 42-0 at the half.

While the final score of 48-8 might suggest that the Rams would be a heavy favorite coming into the game, which they were, the peculiarities of the IHSA seeding system had the Eagles as a #8 seed and the Rams as a #9 seed making Dyett the home team. The seeding system doesn’t take into account strength of schedule.

For instance, Sullivan High School finished the season 9-0 in the Chicago Public League’s White-North Division and earned a #1 seed in one side of the 4A bracket. However, Sullivan played only other CPL teams and no team from the CPL’s top division, the Red Division. Sullivan lost 42-0 Saturday at Winnemac Stadium to Geneseo, a rural school from Western Illinois just outside of the Quad Cities.

Geneseo, now 6-4, will be the Rams’ next opponent next Saturday as the 4A playoffs continue. This time the Rams’ will be a home team in playoff game for the first time in decades. Geneseo will once again have to travel across the state to Chicago for a playoff game. This game will prove a good deal more competitive for both squads.

The Geneseo Green Machine comes out of the Western Big 6 Conference, which has seven teams, where they finished in fifth place with a 5-4 record. Don’t be fooled by that. There are very good teams in that conference, including Quincy and Moline, both playoff 7A teams.

Geneseo employs a double wing offense that is difficult for teams to stop. The offense is something of an old-school run-heavy offense that controls the ball in three yards and a cloud of dust fashion. Old school or not, this offense can be very effective. Lane Tech head coach Dedrick Dewalt proved that a couple years ago when he dialed it up for Champions who won six straight with it and made the playoffs. The Rams coaching staff will have to be coaching up their players on how to stop the double wing.

Even more disconcerting about Geneseo has to be their uniforms. The Green Machine’s uniforms are basically the same as the Green Bay Packers. The mere sight of those yellow and green helmets are bound bring out a mix of hatred, anger and dread amongst the Rams players, coaches and fans.

Lane Survives Late Charge by TF South 21-20

The plodding lackluster contest became an unlikely thriller with three quick touchdowns, a made two-pointer and a missed two-pointer all in the final three minutes of the game. The Lane Tech Champions (1-1, 0-0) traveled to Lansing, Illinois to take on the Thornton Fractional South Red Wolves and survive a late comeback by the Red Wolves to win 21-20 Friday night.

Let’s just say that until the final three minutes, this game was not exactly football at it finest. Both teams were plagued by mis-queues, injuries and penalties, and the occasional dustup too. The ineptitude both squads displayed gave way to clutch plays at the end.

Down late 14-6 late in the game, there was no quit in TF South. With three minutes left, Red Wolves’ senior quarterback Nicholas Ford launched a deep ball up the far sideline. Sophomore wide receiver Amari Dukes caught it in stride for a 63-yard touchdown to bring the Wolves to within two points. What looked like an eventual Lane win suddenly was one play away from a tie.

With the game on the line, Ford found his other wide receiver David Nkwogo at the back of the endzone for the two-point conversion to tie the game.

The Lane sideline was stunned. I think the TF South sideline was a little stunned too but cheered and danced all the same.

With 2:35 left on the clock, Lane Tech fielded South’s kickoff and returned it to their own thirty-three-yard line with time to take the lead.

This is not the three yards and a cloud of dust Lane Tech Champions of recent years. On the very next play, senior quarterback Noah Mayra took the shotgun snap and quick rifled a strike down the middle to junior wideout (and baseball player) Alex Lagges. Lagges shock a couple tackles and raced up the Lane sideline for the go-ahead score. The PAT made it 21-14 Lane. 

“This year we have some pretty good skill [players]. That was just a double post to the middle of the field and Alex [Lagges] took it 80 yard (67 actually) for a touchdown,” Lane Tech head coach Dedrick Dewalt said.

“I had the post on that,” Champion’s Alex Lagges said of his winning touchdown after the game. “I just trusted that my quarterback Noah [Mayra] was going to see it, read it. That’s what he did. That’s what we do. Great play call by my coach. He saw the middle was open. We knew if we got the shot, we could make things happen.”

One play and the Champions had the lead back with 2:16 on clock. But still plenty of time left for South. But no time outs for the Red Wolves. A couple plays for small gains took time off the clock. Then Red Wolves QB Ford scrambled and found senior wide receiver Tariq Meggs-Hood underneath the coverage who sprinted up the Lane sideline to the Lane 45-yard line.

With time ticking down to 35 seconds, Ford dropped back and launched a perfect strike to senior RB/WR Christian Streeter at the goal line for another unlikely touchdown against a prevent two deep zone defense to make the score 21-20. This time the South faithful believed it and stadium erupted.

TF South head coach Bob Padjen, never hesitated. They were going for it. Win or lose, the extra points try would decide the game.

With no time outs, the Red Wolves would need run the play quickly. Padjen called a cut back run up the middle from an overloaded and decoy formation. But the quarterback audibled to a Philadelphia Eagles style “tush push” run up the middle from the three-yard line. Initially, it looked like it was working but the Champions defensive line stiffened and stopped the Wolves a half-yard shy of victory.

The Champions move into Chicago Public League play. CPL has created a 16 team Red Division super-conference. Lane will not have to face Kenwood and Simeon this season but will have to face Morgan Park. The games against Whitney Young, Taft and Amundsen give the Champions a chance to prove undeniable mastery of the Northside. Stay tuned.

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.

IHSA Playoffs Preview—Lane Hosts Neugua Valley, Amundsen Hosts Harlem, Payton Hosts ITW Speer

By Jack Lydon

The IHSA released its football playoff pairings Saturday evening. Five area teams made the playoffs: Lane Tech, Amundsen, Payton, Lincoln Park and Senn.

In 8A, the Lane Tech Champions (7-2, 6-1) will play the Neuqua Valley Wildcats (7-2, 5-1) from Naperville at Lane Stadium on Friday night in 6A football playoffs. Neuqua Valley comes out of the DuPage Valley Conference, perhaps the top conference in the state with powerhouse programs such as Naperville North, Naperville Central, Metea Valley, Waubonsie Valley and DeKalb. Neuqua has 3522 students, a little smaller than Lane with 4273. The Wildcats last made the playoffs in 2018; Lane in 2013.

Lane’s coach Dedrick Dewalt knows his team of Champions have their work cut out for them.  “We got a tough draw. I pretty familiar with what they are and who they are. They have been a pretty stout program for years. Very well coached. They have a history of winning. They play in a very tough conference probably tougher than the Catholic League in some respects,” Dewalt said.

“It will definitely be an electric atmosphere,” Dewalt said of Friday evening’s home game. “We’ll get the student body to support us. I am so happy for these kids. A lot of these kids have endured losing seasons for so long. It kind of makes everything worth it.”

“When you are playing teams like Neugua Valley, you get the total package. You get the athletes, you get the disciplined football player, you get the strong football player, you get the special teams, the outstanding coaching. You get everything,” Dewalt added.

Maybe so, but Lane’s double wing offense requires a special discipline to stop. Lane will add in plays its been practicing but don’t appear on film. Stopping the four plays that Lane runs can be taught but Neuqua Valley will see more than those four plays Friday.

“I have plenty of things up my sleeve that we were going to use [against Simeon], but I thought we were just going to hold for for next week,” said Dewalt.

In 6A playoffs, the Amundsen Vikings (7-2, 5-1) will play the Harlem Huskies (6-3, 5-2) from the Rockford area next Saturday. The final details of when and where still needs to be worked out but the game will probably be next Saturday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. at Winnemac Park.

The Harlem Huskies from Machesney Park, Illinois, are something of a mystery to Chicago coaches and fans. Located just north of Rochford, Machesney Park has 22,000 residents, 1739 of whom are in Harlem High School. The ten team Northern Illinois Conference placed five teams in the playoff. Harlem is coached by Robert Moynihan, one time star defensive lineman at St. Viator High School who went on to play at Southeast Missouri State. In his three seasons, Moynihan’s Huskies have only lost five games.  

Amundsen comes into the IHSA playoffs for only the second time. The Vikings only previous appearance was in 2018. The Vikings put together an amazing season with only two non-conference tough losses to area schools Lane and DePaul Prep. Moynihan’s Harlem Huskies better not overlook the Vikings which features top area prospect wide receiver Adam Muench and talented linebacker John Norton.  

The Payton Grizzlies (7-2, 5-1) will host Noble/ITW Speer (6-3, 5-2) in the 5A playoffs at a time and place to be determined. The Grizzlies may have the best chance of any of the area teams to advance without having to face a suburban powerhouse. Although the Payton program struggles for numbers, they have very good players lead by senior wide receiver Charlie Newton and senior quarterback Kyle Osterman. Noble/ITW Speer is a charter school located on West Grand Avenue in Chicago. Speer finished second to Maria-Catalyst in CPS’s Red-Central Conference.

In 7A, the Lincoln Park Lions (7-2, 6-1) will face Downers Grove North Trojans (6-3, 3-3) from the West Suburban Silver Conference. The Trojans only losses to top teams in their conference: #4 York, #6 Glenbard West and 8A #14 seed Lyons. The talented Lincoln Park Lions were have their paws full.

In 6A, the Senn Bulldogs (5-4, 4-3) travel to Grayslake North to take on No. 3 seed Knights (8-1, 6-1) from the Northern Lake County Conference.

Lane Tech’s double wing offense approaches the line of scrimmage.

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.