DePaul Prep Throttles Marian Catholic 20-7; Improves to 3-0

Preview of this week’s article in the Booster.

DePaul Prep defeated Marian Catholic 20-7 Friday in Chicago Heights. The Rams improved to 3-0 for the first time in the DePaul Prep era.

DePaul Prep had Marian playing their game. The Rams knew Marian Catholic could run the football. Spartan six foot, 173 lbs, junior tailback Kyle Scott was a load, and fast. Early in the game, the Spartans strung together a couple first downs in each of their first quarter possessions. The Rams stiffened, forcing the Spartans to throw the ball.

An ebullient head coach Mike Passarella gushed about his squad. “Stop the run. That was the game plan,” Passarella said. “They moved the ball on us. I said, ‘let’s just play base football . . . Let’s get after them.’ We are confident in what our guys can do. They know their business,” Passarella said after the game.

“We wanted to force them to throw.”

And they did. Except the Spartans throw the ball to the Rams. Two early interceptions thrown by Marian quarterback senior Joey Baranski killed the Spartans drives without ever moving deep into DePaul Prep territory. Multiple illegal formation penalties contributed to the Spartans troubles. The Rams committed penalties of their own contributing a slow, mistake plagued half for both teams.

It wasn’t until the end of the first half before either team put together a scoring drive. With 3:27 left in the half, having moved the ball down to the Marian Catholic eleven-yard line, Rams’ senior quarterback Fernando “Juju” Rodriguez, a three-year starter, rifled a pass to junior wideout Matthew Osterman at the goal line in the middle of the field. Osterman caught the pass in a crowd for the first score of the game. The PAT gave the Rams a seven- point lead.   

 The Spartans took the subsequent kick but again throw an interception. The Spartans through a total of four interceptions in the game. The Rams took their 7-0 lead into the half.

 The second half was a different story. The Rams took the kickoff and moved right down the field. Halftime adjustments on the offensive line led to Rodriguez being able to connect with Osterman and Rams’ senior running back Nick Martinez for big gains. The drive culminated with a 25-yard strike to senior wide receiver Justin Sterner early in the third quarter.

Rodriguez added a touchdown late in the third quarter on a two-yard quarterback sneak up the middle. Marian blocked the extra point attempt making the score 20-0 at the end of the third.

The Spartans scored on a 73-yard pass reception touchdown that was mostly run-after-the-catch with 1:18 left in the game against the Rams’ second team defense but the game was decided at that point.

This was a huge game for the Rams. They haven’t started a season with three wins since the Gordon Tech days. The Rams move closer to making the IHSA playoffs which takes six wins to be assured a playoff berth. The Rams finished last year’s the regular season 4-5 and missed the playoffs

DePaul Prep started this season with two convincing wins over Deerfield and Marian Central Catholic, 35-28 and 35-7 respectively. The Rams moved up a division in the combined Chicago Catholic League and East Suburban Catholic League. Moving from the lowest “Red” division into the Purple. The CCL/ESCC Purple includes Benet Academy, St. Viator and Northside rival St. Patrick.

The Rams will face St. Patrick next Friday at home. After that will be Loyola at home. The Ramblers lost a shocker at St. Francis 35-21 on Friday. A playoff berth is by no means assured for the Rams. Only tough games remain on the schedule. After Loyola is St. Viator, Carmel, St. Francis and Benet.

Sparked by last year’s huge upset win over Fenwick at home and squad loaded with experience and talented seniors, including expected Division One talent of senior wide receiver Braden Peevy and sophomore offensive tackle Carlos Rios, the Rams football program is on the rise.

“I am excited for [the rest of reason]. This is kind of what we wanted. The goal is to continue to build up the program. We talked about it a few years ago. Where we wanted to go and what we wanted to do. We never wanted to stay down in the Red. We wanted to move up. If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. I am excited for it. This is what it is all about,” Passarella said.

DePaul Prep Beats Fenwick 44-43 in Double Overtime

The biggest win in school history for DePaul Prep? It’s not Gordon Tech’s State Championship in 1980 but it sure feels like the biggest win for the new DePaul Prep Rams in ten years of being DePaul Prep.

The DePaul Prep Rams (4-4, 1-1 in CCL/ESCC Red) beat the Fenwick Friars (4-4, 1-1 in CCL/ESCC Orange) 44 to 43 in double overtime Friday night at DePaul Prep.  

In talking to some fans before the game, I asked, “How is Fenwick?’

“It’s Fenwick, but it not Fenwick Fenwick,” I was told.

 The Rams had a chance. And they believed. What’s new about this year is that they can score. They have big-play players. And they score a lot. In their last five games, they have scored 38, 28, 36, 35 and 44 points. I don’t know what Rams’ junior quarterback Fernando “JuJu” Rodriguez did over the summer but whatever it is, somebody should bottle it. His play at quarterback has improved 100%. His throws are on time and on target and the Rams are scoring.

Rams’ senior running back Titus Bautista provides the perfect counter-punch to Rodriguez big arm. Recievers Bradon Peevy, Michael Bloom and Jack West catch the ball and they are only juniors.

Even so, the Rams struggled in the first quarter playing the entire quarter in their own end. They gave up two early field goals and a touchdown falling behind 12-0. But actually it didn’t feel bad. The Rams can score quick and that they did.

On the first play of the second quarter, a perfectly executed screen pass to Bautista flipped the field position bringing the Rams from deep in their own end to the Fenwick redzone. A couple play later it was 12-7.

After having given up a field goal to the Friars with 6:14 to go in the fourth, the Rams trailed 23-29. They took over at their own 21 after Michael Bloom’s kickoff return. With third down and five on their own 26, a quick hitch from Fernandez to junior wide receiver Braden Peevy, then a lateral out to Bautista who sprinted out of the backfield and down the sideline to Fenwick’s 40 yard-line.

A fourth and five scramble by Rodriguez down to the 28-yard line kept the Rams alive. A couple plays later, another fourth down, still from the 28-yard line. This is the Rams’ shot. After coming so close against Providence, after giving late scores against Marian Catholic and being unable to score on a game ending driving, could the Rams make it happen? After years of incremental improvements and confidence building, could this be the hump the Rams get over?

With 4th and 10 and the game, the season and the future on the line, they stood there looking to the sideline for the play. The play clock ticked down; the Rams took the play and lined up. With Rams’ head coach Mike Passarella running down the sideline calling for a time out, the side judge blows his whistle as the Rams snap the ball.

Time out.

Back out on the field. 4th and 10 from the 28. The ball placed on the far hash mark. Senior wide receiver Michael Bloom split out to Rodriguez’s left. Junior Bradon Peevy to his right. Junior running back Nick Martinez in the slot left next to Bloom, junior Jack West in the wideside slot next to Peevy.

Will we look back on this play as the turning point for the football program, or will the losing continue?

Martinez goes in motion to wide side. Bloom launches up field and dips in toward the post, then bolts straight up the sideline past the Fenwick corner like he was standing still.

The offensive line pushes the four Fenwick pass rushers outside and Rodriguez moves up in the pocket. Fenwick’s stud defensive tackle Nate Marshall breaks back up the middle to meet JuJu and stop the pass. Rodriguez lets it fly. Bloom slows up to get the ball. He catches the game tying touchdown in the endzone just before the Fenwick corner can break up the pass.

Huge. Great call. Clutch throw. Tremendous catch. Touchdown Rams!

The game is tied. 

Of course, Fenwick gets a tremendous push up the middle and blocks the Rams extra point. Still tied with 2:03 to play.

Fenwick moves the ball into DePaul Prep territory and with two seconds on the clock, the Friars line up for a 40-yard field goal.

No good. To overtime we go all tied at 29.

Rams have it first from the 10 yard-line in the South end. They score, adding a PAT. Rams 36, Friars 29.

Now the Friars. They score adding a PAT. Double overtime. Rams 36, Friars 36.

Now the Friars have it again. They score adding the PAT. Friars 43, Rams 36.

I never doubted the Rams would score again. They had come too far. But how long could this go on? Titus Bautista around the right end on the first play. Friars 43, Rams 42.

Mike Passarella never hesitated. As soon as I looked back toward the sideline, after Bautista scored, Passarella was raising two fingers. They were going for two points to win the game.

Fenwick called a time out to talk it over.

Two-point conversion attempt from the 3. Peevy split right. Bloom split left. Three backs in the backfield with Rodriguez. Shot gun snap to Rodriguez who gets immediate pressure from his left. Peevy ducks inside into double coverage then slips back toward the sideline. Rodriguez, with a man on him, throws to Peevy breaking to the sideline. TOUCHDOWN. (2-point conversion really.) Rams win. Rams win!

The DePaul Prep Rams defeated Fenwick 44-43 drawing even on the year at 4 wins and 4 losses and chance to make the playoff with a win at DeLaSalle next Friday.

A huge win for a DePaul Prep Rams football team that hasn’t had much to celebrate in recent years. Bill Jeske didn’t know how long it has been since the Rams beat Fenwick. 20 years maybe. Former athletic director Paul Chabura confirmed that the last time DePaul Prep/Gordon Tech beat Fenwick was in 2000 in a Prep Bowl playoff.

“Final was 24-6. Scott Baum was the coach. The Rams came close a few times but that was the last win,” Chabura wrote.

The Rams have improved no doubt. The culture is back. The program is bursting at the seams. They just needed that turn the corner win.

The skies parted literally and figuratively for DePaul Prep football Friday with a huge signature Catholic League crossover win against the Fenwick Friars.

I guess we will have to see if it is the turning point it feels like.

Watch the game for yourself on You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WE0YCfXubw

Senior Night for DePaul Prep MBB

It was a very successful senior night for the Rams. DePaul Prep honored its graduating seniors, Trevon Thomas, Alex Gutierrez, Julian Green, Ijeh Nwaezeapu, Cole Ceravolo, Will Brown and Dylan Arnett. The senior students defeated the faculty and the Rams beat the Friars.

As for the seniors, it may have been senior night but there is plenty of work in the season left to do. More on that in a few days.

At half time, a group of seniors took the floor for a quick basketball game against the faculty. Despite rumors of a substantial number of former NBA and WNBA ringers being brought in to put the students in their place, this reporter found no evidence of that.

The faculty opened an early lead. The students charged back with some fancy inside moves. It quickly became clear that the students controlled the boards. The faulty had no hope. Students win—as it should be. Hope and light prevail. All is right in the universe.

The second half of the varsity game seemed equally odd. Fenwick just came apart. The Friars could not hit a basket. I wasn’t keeping stats but the Rams got nearly all the rebounds and scored at will. The Rams 26-12 half time lead became 35-16 at the end of the third and then a 47-16 final. The Friars did not score in the fourth quarter.

Nevertheless, the Rams and the large crowd were having fun. The students section was cheering for the appearance of senior players with a little less than five minutes left in the game.

The senior night makes me a little sad. The group of seniors will be moving on. I reflect on the season that has been, the CCL games left to play and the IHSA playoffs to come.

The fun and games are over. Serious business from here on out.

As for the photos, I got the flash working just right for the senior photos. That’s like the first time ever.

Vincent D. Johnson from the Tribune was in the gym. Apparently, he took my advise to check out the Tom Winiecki Gym on his photographic tour of high school gyms. I had not met him before. We had a nice talk about cameras and lights. It seems we are both fans of the old but wonderful Canon 7D.

DePaul Prep Handles St. Ignatius 65-34

The DePaul Prep Rams rebounded Friday night (February 21, 2020) from consecutive CCL Blue losses to Fenwick and Loyola in a convincing defeat of the very good St. Ignatius Wolfpack 65-34 at DePaul Prep.

It’s been a rough couple weeks for the Rams with three Chicago Catholic League Blue division losses in a row. Even so, it’s only 5 losses on the season total but tough losses.

St. Ignatius ran into a buzz saw that cut them up in the first quarter. The Wolfpack worked to get up shots that did not fall. It was 16-2 at the end of the first quarter. The Rams wouldn’t let them back in. It seemed they enjoyed putting it on somebody for once. The Catholic League Blue schedule is brutal.

It was a special night at the Tom Winiecki Gym. Tom Winiecki, the former Gordon Tech football coach, was actually there. I have been in that gym a million times and I don’t remember seeing that many people in attendance. It was the 40th Anniversary of Gordon Tech’s 1980 state football championship. There was special half time commemoration and many members of that team were in the Gym for the celebration.

It was wonderful to see the student section break into Go Gordon Go (the Gordon Tech fight song) at the end of the celebration. One could see what it meant to the 1980 Rams. It was a special moment.

I would remiss not to mention that the girls team won the 2A Orr Sectional and will play in the Super-sectional championship on Monday evening at DeKalb High School. This is big. I believe this is Gordon/DePaul Prep’s first girls sectional championship. The girls’ head coach Sarah Zarymbski is only 23 years old but really has her girls dialed in. It must be her St. Benedict Elementary School training. We could be in Bloomington next week for the State Tournament. Just saying.

Go Rams.

DePaul Prep Season So Far, What's Next?

Ten games into the 2019-2020 season so far and the DePaul Prep Rams sport an impressive 9-1 overall record and 5-0 in the Chicago Catholic League. The Rams only loss was to #3 ranked Notre Dame. At this point last year, the Rams had an identical record with their only loss being to Benet Academy.

On the eve of the second phase of the season, the Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic, the Rams record is not entirely unexpected given the schedule so far. But I am particularly impressed with how the Rams have won. They have not played like a young team making a lot of mistakes. They rarely trail in games. They just go about their business and methodically take down opponents. Not flashy. Not frantic. Businesslike, steady and determined.

Tyler Johnson has stepped up as the team’s main scorer. And score he does. I don’t have exact stats (which is a weakness of this report but I can’t take photos and keep stats). Tyler must be averaging over 20 points a game. Lance Mosley is solid as a rock in terms of points, defense and rebounds. His three point shooting propelled the Rams to victory against Leo on Friday.

Rasheed Bello has impressed as well. I didn’t get to sophomore games last year. I heard he was good and that the coaches were very high on him, but I hadn’t seen him. I have seen him now. There was a moment in the Providence game early in the third quarter when the Rams were in the midst of a 22-0 run, with the game well in hand and the Rams in no real danger of losing, when I saw Rasheed Bello take off done the court trying to get back on defense as if his life depended on it. He was playing as hard as he could with the game well in hand—extra effort that one might expect at the end of an important game, late in the season.

I ought not have started writing about individual players. I don’t have the ink to write about every player. My leaving out the others is no reflection on them. It’s more of a reflection of the amateurishness of this blog. But I will say that the whole team shows a maturity that belies its tender years. 

Looking ahead to the upcoming phases, we have the Christmas tournament, the CCL schedule and then the 3A playoffs. I know I shouldn’t get ahead of myself, but that is what I do here. I indulge in the foolish luxury of playing out the season in my head and examining the possibilities.

The Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic is a good tournament. It’s well run and spectator friendly. (There is no media room with tables to work at but that’s a problem for only a few geeks like me—but a problem nonetheless that ought to be addressed!) The field is large with a couple ranked teams, DePaul, Marian Catholic, Stevenson. St. Rita, also. The Rams have made it into the final four of the tournament that last couple years, falling to eventual champion St. Rita in the semi-final in 2017 and Marian Catholic last year.

Joe Henricksen just published his holiday tournament preview basically suggesting anyone of the ranked teams, Stevenson, Marian Catholic or DePaul Prep could win. He also wrote some complimentary words about Tyler Johnson. The HCHC will be another test for the Rams.
As the bracket lines up, the Rams face Richards tomorrow night, then probably home team Hinsdale Central or Westinghouse on Thursday evening. If they get past those teams, they will have #8 ranked Marian Catholic (7-2, 1-1) on Friday night at 8:30. That will be tough. I saw Notre Dame handle Marian Catholic. Given they way the Rams played Notre Dame, I don’t see any reason to be too afraid of Marian Catholic. Get past Marian and you’re looking at #18 Stevenson or #9 Homewood-Flossmoor. Definitely doable but quite a feat if done.

Then the bulk of the season comes after the tournaments. Fourteen games in January and February including tough non-conference games against Deerfield, Peoria Manual and Benet. At the end, come the all-import Chicago Catholic League deciding games against Fenwick, Loyola and St. Ignatius. I have to think there will be a couple upsets in conference play and the top teams will come into the final games with at least one loss each leaving the head-to-head matchups to decide the League champ. It seems to always come down to beating Loyola, Fenwick and St. Ignatius. Achieving an accomplishment like winning the Catholic League is hard. Winning the Catholic League has been the goal of the season to me. When I was a kid I remember my dad talking this his school, St. Phillip, now long closed, playing in the Catholic League. It meant something him even as an old man. I have written it before and I will write it again, “First things first; win the Catholic League.”

I am not going to preview the playoffs with two thirds of the season to play. That day will come. And sooner than I would like. Only seventy-three days left in the season. Enjoy them while they last.

And as always, Go Rams.  

Half Over and Plenty Left to Do for DePaul Prep Rams

The season is half over. 29 regular season games with 14 in books. The DePaul Prep Rams record stands at 11 wins, 3 losses and 5-0 in the Chicago Catholic League. The Rams are ranked #12 in the Sun-Times Super 25 and #15 in the Chicago Tribune top 20.

The Rams have wins over #23 Providence St. Mel and #13 Leo. The three loses have been to Benet Academy, (12-3, 4A, currently ranked #16), Marian Catholic (14-1, 4A, #4) and Oswego East, (11-2, 4A, #17) by a total of nine points. So basically, the Rams have a couple good wins and three “good” losses.

It has been a long time since a DePaul Prep or Gordon Tech team has been this good. The Rams last won the Catholic League in 2000. The 11-3 mark is the best in the tenure of Coach Tom Kleinschmidt.

The first part of the year made believers out of those that thought the Rams might not be very good given the loss to North Chicago in last year’s sectional final. The Rams made a believer out of me early when the just appeared to play angry. Serious as a heart attack. Ask Notre Dame and Lane Tech. Those games impressed me. The Rams put those good teams away. Providence St. Mel came into the Tom Winiecki Gym hot and with a lot of hype. The Knights left soundly defeated.

The Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic, while disappointing for the Rams, was not a failure. They lost a close game to a very, very good Marian Catholic team. I have seen a lot of good teams this year: Evanston, St. Viator, Bloomington, Morgan Park, Curie, Uplift and Bloom. Marian Catholic looked just as good as any of those teams. As for losing to Oswego East in a double overtime 3rd place game, that means nothing. Who cares about a third-place game? Not me.

Still, the season is half over. It’s too early to be a good season. There is a great deal of work left to do and many very good teams to overcome.

The best teams left on the regular season schedule are #5 Morgan Park, #21 St. Laurence, #22 New Trier, and then CCL rivals Brother Rice, Fenwick, Loyola and St. Rita. The best is yet to come, a preview game against Morgan Park, a trip to Quincy, a fun one in a big shootout against New Trier and then the Catholic League games. Win the Catholic League. That’s what I want to see. Win the Catholic League.

After that, we’ll just have to see what happens.

DePaul Prep's Season . . . So Far

With DePaul Prep’s regular season in the home stretch, indulge us in a brief recap and look ahead. With five games to go, the Rams have a 18-4 overall record with quality wins over Notre Dame, Leo, Benet, St. Rita, St. Joseph and Evanston. The four loses have all come at the hands of ranked, or previously ranked, teams, Niles North, St. Rita, Lincoln Park and Loyola.

The Rams dominated opponents in the first part of the season except for the game against highly regarded Niles North. Lance Mosley’s last second three pointer sealed the road victory over Benet Academy. Another very nice road win in the Chicago Catholic League Blue division against the ranked Leo Lions impressed fans and critics alike.

Next came the Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic where the Rams scored wins over Crete-Monee and Stevenson. In what had to be the Rams worst game of the year, DePaul did not look good at all against St. Rita—a painful loss to eventual tournament champion. Next was a close loss to a hot Lincoln Park team in the consolation game (which pretty much does not count because it was a tournament consolation game).

The third phase of the season was the Martin Luther King Day tournament with some non-conference games sprinkled in. The Rams won the MLK Tournament with wins over St. Francis (Wheaton), Lindbloom, Riverside-Brookfield and Loyola.

The Rams scored a big CCL rematch win at St. Rita and took care of a very good St. Ignatius team next. The head scratch game of the year was Loyola. Just could not get a shot to drop against a red-hot Loyola team. Another head-scratcher at St. Joseph with only 10 points in the second half saved by a long gaming three-pointer from Raheem Anthony and brought home a key CCL Blue game.

An invitation to Joe Henrickson’s “When Sides Collide” Shootout brought a match-up with Evanston. The Rams scored another season defining 59-52 win over the Wildkits. Perry Cowen putting two 20 plus point totals up in two games.

Looking ahead a little, the Rams have games left against Fenwick, Brother Rice and DeLaSalle in the CCL Blue plus a CCL White crossover game against Montini. Fenwick can take the CCL Blue with two road wins against DePaul and Loyola. Fenwick travels to DePaul this coming Friday and Loyola on February 26th. If Fenwick falls to one of those teams, we may be looking a three way tie between Fenwick, DePaul and Loyola in the Blue.

Don’t hold your breath, Fenwick is ranked 7th and has looked good against the area’s top teams despite suffering some losses. The DePaul/Fenwick is Friday at DePaul. It will be a special night at DePaul’s Tom Winiecki Gym because DePaul is retiring current head coach, former Gordon Tech star and former DePaul University All American Tom Kleinschmidt’s #34. Coach Kleinschmidt enters the game with a 108-59 win/loss record at Gordon Tech/DePaul over the last six seasons.

I know it is bad luck but let’s look ahead to the IHSA playoffs. DePaul Prep elected to move up to 3A where they have been assigned to North Chicago Sectional in the Hoffman Estates Super-Sectional. The Rams avoided the Joliet Central Super-Sectional with the other ranked teams in 3A. There are no Sun-Times Super 25 ranked teams in Hoffman Estates Super-Sectional. Other than DePaul, the best team is probably Carmel, a lesser light in the East Suburban Catholic Conference. DePaul also has the advantage of hosting a regional again this year.

There are some good teams in 3A has ranked teams. Morgan Park, North Lawndale, Hillcrest, Marian Catholic are all ranked. Previously, ranked teams include St. Laurence, St. Rita.

In terms of downstate 3A teams, MaxPreps has Champaign Central, Springfield Southeast and Centralia all ranked ahead of DePaul Prep. But none of those teams are in the Hoffman Estates Super-sectional. In fact, the highest MaxPreps ranked team in the Hoffman Estates Super-Sectional is Carmel ranked #18 in 3A and #78 in the state.

So, here is what’s left to do: take care of Fenwick, win the Catholic League Blue, win the home regional, win the North Chicago Sectional, win the Hoffman Estates Super-Sectional at the Sears Centre, go to Peoria, beat Marian Catholic, Morgan Park and/or Champaign Central and collect state championship trophy. See how easy that is?

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