DePaul Prep Wins 4A State Championship with Blowout 40-6 Win over Mt. Zion

[Preview of my Inside-Booster article this week.]

By Jack Lydon 

The DePaul Prep Rams (11-4) finished off their historic IHSA 4A playoff run with a convincing 40-6 victory over the Mt. Zion Braves (10-4) at Hancock Field in Normal, Illinois, Friday evening.

The Rams weren’t supposed to get this far. They finished second to Benet Academy in the CCL/ESCC’s Purple Division. They lost their last two games of the regular season. They have not qualified for the playoffs or even had a winning season in nine years. Some observers thought this game would be close. DePaul Prep was not a Chicago Catholic League powerhouse the way Montini, Mount Carmel and Loyola are. Mt. Zion runs a high-power offence fueled to two top division one prospects.  

The preceding three championship games were blowouts. In 1A, Althoff Catholic defeated Lena-Winslow 57-14. In 2A, Chicago Christian defeated Maroa-Forsyth 47-0. In 3A, Montini defeated Monticello 49-9.

If you thought would not win this game, you don’t know these Rams. This is a special group of seniors. When Mike Passarella took over the DePaul Prep football program six years ago, the teams improved year after year even if their records didn’t reflect it. But they never seemed to get over the hump and into the playoffs. Instead of finding a way to win, they found a way to lose.

But not this senior class, as freshmen this group was focused. They intended to win. Despite having a 4-6 record last year, they were in games last season even if they lost at the end. It was not going to be that way this year.

“In the last couple years, we have been close. There was nothing that could stop these guys. They were determined. You saw it out there the whole year. We had three loses but we should have won two. These guys have battled through a lot. They fought through a lot. They wanted to be champions. They said this was their goal and here we are right now,” said Rams head coach Mike Passarella.

Friday’s state championship game was a lopsided affair. The Rams controlled the game from the start offensively and defensively. The Rams held a 20-0 lead at the start of the second quarter. DePaul’s defense completely throttled the Braves.

The Rams showed dominance in the playoffs in all three phases: offense, defense and special teams. The DePaul Prep defense showed early that the division one players on the Braves squad, Brayden Trimble and JC Anderson, would not be a factor.

The DePaul Prep offense was led by senior quarterback Fernando “Juju” Rodriguez. Ordinarily, Rodriguez throws for touchdowns. Early in the first quarter, after Mt. Zion managed only a three-yard punt. On the very next play, with Mt. Zion and everyone in the stadium looking for the Rams to throw deep for a quick strike touchdown, Juju ran straight of the middle of the field for a 29-yard touchdown giving the Rams a 13-0 lead.

The Rams’ balanced attack is usually equal measures running and passing. That has been their key to success this year. But Friday, it was the run game that carried the Rams. Senior running back and three-year starter Nick Martinez had 100-yards rushing on 19 carries for a 5.3 yard per carry average and three touchdowns. Ram’s senior running back and defensive back Nicholas Hathcoat had 91-yards rushing on only four carries for a whopping 22.8 yards per carry and one touchdown. Rodriguez himself added 47 yards on 7 carries.

It wasn’t all running. Rodriguez was 5 for 12 passing for 64 yards and one touchdown to wide receiver Braden Peevy.

While the Rams have rebounded from years of losing seasons to win a state championship, DePaul Prep had the winning tradition of Gordon Tech football to show it’s possible. The students and players know about Gordon’s history. Former DePaul Prep head coach Bill Jeske was a member of the 1980 Gordon state championship team and frequently attends the football games. His son Emmit just recently played football at DePaul. Bill’s son Liam is a teacher in the school.

After last weekend’s victory over Coal City, Bill Jeske said, “Even though the name [of the school] has changed, the Rams’ traditions continue. I spent last night with my friends [from the 1980 championship team]. I said this team is just like us. They are a team of destiny.”

Bill is right. This year’s DePaul Prep Rams are indeed a team of destiny.

DePaul Prep senior quarterback runs for touchdown in 40-6 win over Mt. Zion. Michael Felish photo credit.

DePaul Prep Advances to State Title Game with 21-14 Win Over Coal City

[Preview of my Inside—Booster Article]

By Jack Lydon

DePaul Prep is in the state championship game. Not basketball. Football.

That’s right. The DePaul Prep Rams football team went to Coal City, Illinois, and defeated the traditionally good Coalers football team 21-14 Saturday afternoon. The Rams will face Mt. Zion on Friday in the IHSA State Championship at Illinois State University’s Hancock Field.

The Rams finished second in the CCL/ESCC Purple Division this year with a 6-3 record. They only elevated out of the CCL/ESCC’s lowest division last year with a record 4-6. DePaul Prep has had exactly one playoff appearance in ten years of existence. They were pasted 40-0 in 2015 by Elmwood-Brumfield.

Not anymore. No hiding it. No denying it. No avoiding it. Believe it. These Rams are legit.

They have very good players and excellent coaches. The team can run and pass. They can run up the middle. They can run wide. They can pass deep. They can pass short. They come back when they are behind. They can play defense. They stop the run. They stop the pass. They sack the quarterback. They bend but not break. They hold a lead.

The Rams had a few miscues in the first half that keep the game within reach for the Coalers. Rams highly regarded senior quarterback, Fernando “Juju” Rodriguez, scrambled out of trouble for a nice gain only to turn the ball over while going down. A little while later, after an amazing run through the Coal City defense, Rams’ senior running back Nick Martinez fumbled the ball just outside the endzone only to have it recovered by Coal City for a touchback.

The Rams defense handled the Coalers in the first half. The Coalers never threatened.

There was plenty of fight left in the Coalers. They took the second half kickoff and drove down the field, six and seven yards at a time, to tie the game 7-7.

The Rams answered in three plays. A 39-yard pass to touchdown pass from Rodriguez to senior wide receiver Matthew Osterman gave the Rams the lead 14-7.

One never felt like the Rams would lose the game. It just took too much for Coal City to score. The Coalers put up another touchdown. The Rams answered again.

“Juju is the best quarterback in the state,” said a fan in the celebration after the game.

“I am just focused on us winning. Just getting to this moment and winning next week,” said Rodriguez. Juju’s probably not the best quarterback in the state. He’s probably not the best quarterback in the Catholic League. Just ask Mount Carmel’s Jack Elliott and Loyola’s Ryan Fitzgerald.

But maybe Juju is. If taking an underdog, overachieving 6-3 team to the state championship game counts a lot more than leading a perennial powerhouse program, he just might be the best quarterback in Illinois. You’ll get no argument from me on that point. 

It wasn’t just Juju who won the game. One cannot overstate the work of the defense, especially the stellar play of senior defensive lineman Michael Casper and linebacker Jett Reese. When Coal City was forced to throw in the closing minutes, the Rams’ defensive backfield, led by senior cornerback Shae Griffith, turned them away. 

The 4A state championship game will be Friday evening, the day after Thanksgiving, at 7:00 p.m., at Illinois State University’s Hancock Stadium. The Rams will face the Mt. Zion Braves. The Braves (10-3) from the Apollo Conference defeated University High from Normal in Saturday’s other 4A semi-final.

“It hasn’t sunk in. I talked to the boys. I talked to the coaches. I’ve got people coming up to me. I am trying to embrace the moment but I am starting to think about getting back to work,” Rams head coach Mike Passarella said.

DePaul Prep is unique. It is a new school but has, or shares, an old tradition. The tradition of Gordon Tech. One of Gordon Tech’s legacies, maybe its most well-known, is a state championship in 1980. Gordon was a big school then. 2000 boys in class 6A, the largest class. DePaul Prep’s head football coach before Passarella was Bill Jeske, a member of that 1980 state champion Gordon Tech team.

“It was 44 years ago yesterday,” Bill Jeske said after the game. “Even though the name [of the school] has changed, the Rams’ traditions continue. I spent last night with my friends. I said this team is just like us. They are a team of destiny.”

DePaul Prep Dominates Geneseo 38-13 in 3A Playoff

By Jack Lydon

The DePaul Prep Rams dominated the Geneseo Maple Leafs 38-13 Saturday afternoon in the IHSA 3A second round playoff game. The Rams’ offense scored on all five of their first half possession with four touchdowns and a field goal.

No one knew what to expect in this game. Geneseo (6-5), a team from western Illinois by the Quad Cities, in the Western Big 6 Conference runs an old school double wing “three yards and a cloud of dust” type offense that offense that gives teams trouble who don’t regularly see it. The double wing expects to run the ball and control the clock. Geneseo did neither.

After the Rams took the opening kick off down the field for an early score, a three-yard touchdown run by Rams’ senior running back Nick Martinez, Geneseo answered. On a classic quarterback option, Maple Leafs’ junior tail back Kye Weinzert took the pitch and raced up the Rams’ sideline 75 yards to Rams 12 yard-line. On the next play, Geneseo junior quarterback Braxton McAvoy threw for a 12-yard touchdown on a pass to the middle of the endzone. Not exactly three yards and a cloud of dust.

But Fernando “Juju” Rodriguez and the powerful Rams offense were too much for Geneseo. The one-two punch of Juju’s passing and the gashing runs of Nick Martinez had the Rams scoring every time they had the ball in the first half: four touchdowns and a field goal. A double-wing offense simply can’t overcome that.

It wasn’t just the conservative offense that doomed Geneseo. The Rams’ defense had something to do with it. The Rams forced six turnovers and allowed probably not that many first downs. The Rams recovered four Geneseo fumbles and intercepted two passes.

It was the Rams that ran the ball. Senior running back Nick Martinez returned to the Rams backfield after aggravating a hamstring injury in the final regular season game against Benet and sitting out the first playoff game against Dyett.

“We held [Nick Martinez] out last week on purpose. We wanted him to get healthy. He felt good all week long. He was back. With him and Juju [Rodriguez] in that backfield, they get it humming,” said DePaul Prep head coach Mike Passarella.

They did indeed. Martinez’s runs kept Geneseo off balance and opened up the passing lanes for Rodriguez who threw for two touchdowns and ran for another.

“Missing a few games really affected me. I still had to stay disciplined to make sure I had a good recovery. My plan was to come back for this game and dominate,” said Martinez.

The Rams will face St. Laurence (7-3) in the 4A quarterfinal game at DePaul Prep Stadium next Saturday at 1:00 p.m. St. Laurence defeated Wheaten Academy (9-1) in something of an upset with the Vikings being the 12th seed defeating the #4 seed, Wheaton Academy 26-14.

St. Laurence is out of the Chicago Catholic League/East Suburban Catholic League White Division. The White Division is stacked with two other top teams Fenwick and Montini. Fenwick upset Brother Rice last week but lost to Downers Grove North in a close game 13-10. Montini, a 3A team, defeated #1 seed Byron and is a favorite to win 3A.

St. Laurence and DePaul Prep did not play this year. Their common opponents included only St. Patrick and Carmel. Both St. Laurence and DePaul Prep won those games.

It's had to say who will be a favorite in the DePaul Prep v. St. Laurence game. The Rams come in with the higher #9 seed to the Vikings #16 seed. But that doesn’t much matter as it does not take strength of schedule into account. The CCL/ESCC White would be considered a higher division in the conference but not by much. But the Rams are 4-1 at home this year losing only to Loyola at home.

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.

Lincoln Park Survives Payton; DePaul Prep Falls to Benet; Amundsen Drops Lane Tech

[Preview of my article in this weeks’ Inside—Booster]

By Jack Lydon

The high school football regular season is in the books. Lincoln Park finished 8-1 with one of the the best records on the Northside. With a 6-3 record, DePaul Prep had its best season in thirty years stretched back into the Gordon Tech era. Amundsen continues its winning ways in recent years with a 5-4 record. All three teams’ season will continue with games in the IHSA Playoffs.

The Lincoln Park Lions (8-1) survived a late charge Walter Payton College Prep (5-4) winning 14-7 Saturday afternoon at Winnemac Stadium earning a #8 seed in the 7A IHSA football playoffs.

Lincoln Park jumped out to 7-0 lead on Payton with 2:15 left in the first quarter but stalled after offensively after that. Payton’s offense was just as toothless through three quarters of the game. But with 8:19 remaining in the game, the Grizzlies faked a punt and connected on a 21-yard pass for a first down on Lincoln Park’s 25-yardline. With 2:58 remaining, Payton connected a fourth down touchdown pass to tie the game at 7-7.

On the very next play, the Lions answered. Junior wide receiver and basketball player, Jayden Dickerson, in his first year ever playing football, took the kickoff for 72 yards to the Payton 8-yardline. The huge play, symbolic of the Lions’ Cinderella season, all but sealed the Lions victory. A few plays later, the Lions pushed the ball into the endzone for a 14-7 victory.

The Lions are the surprise team of the year. “I don’t think anybody expected us to do what we’ve been doing. I am pretty sure that if you took a poll before the season started, everybody would probably pick us to finish last, Lincoln Park head coach Andres Flores said.

Lincoln Park draws a playoff game against #8 seed Hoffman Estates Hawks (6-3) from the Mid-Suburban West conference. This is an interesting match-up for the Lions. A top team from CPS facing a fourth-place team from a good suburban conference. The Hawks’ losses this year came at the hands of Fremd, Palatine and Barrington—all ranked in the Super 25. The Lions will have their work cut out for them. But they will host the game, probably Saturday afternoon at Lane Stadium.

Lions head coach Andres Flores likes his underdog status. Before the brackets were announced, Flores said, “that suburban team is probably going to be licking their chops . . . We have been underestimated all year and our athletes have shown up all year. I know people are probably overlooking us despite the record. I think we will match up fine with whoever we get in the first round.”

On Friday evening, the 6-2 DePaul Prep Rams travelled to Lisle to face Benet Academy in the game that would decide the CCL/ESCC Purple Division. The Rams gave up five turnovers, two of which went for Benet touchdowns and came away short with a 31-24 loss.

“You can’t win football games when you have five turnovers,” said DePaul Prep head coach Mike Passarella. “And two of them went for scores.”

Despite the five turnovers, there is no quit in these Rams. The Rams tied the game at 17 each with 4:33 remaining in the game, only to give up an 80 touchdown on the very next play from scrimmage run by the Redwings.

The Redwings added another pick-six to push their lead to 31-17. No quit in the Rams. Fernando “Juju” Rodriguez connected on a 40-yard bomb to Justin Sterner to make the score 31-24. It wasn’t to be. The Rams came up short falling to 6-3 on year and losing their chance for Purple Division championship.

“We struggled today on a number of fronts. Miscues, penalties on the offensive side, big plays on the defensive side, You’ve got to take advantage of what’s given to you and we just didn’t do that tonight which is not like us,” said Passarella.

Even with the loss, the Rams are still in the playoffs. They earned the #9 seed in 4A and will play #8 Dyett Eagles (7-2), possibly next Friday at Gately Stadium. The Rams and the Eagles had no common opponents. The Eagles did not pay any ranked teams and their losses came against conference foes Corless and King.

The Amundsen Vikings (5-4) defeated the Lane Tech Champions (3-6) on Friday afternoon 14-7, earning themselves a playoff berth. It was the first time the Vikings defeated in the ten years that Amundsen head coach Nick Olson has been coaching the Vikings.

The Vikings lead the Champions 7-0 at the end of the first quarter and added another after a long drive late in the second quarter taking a 14-0 lead into the halftime break. Amundsen burned six minutes off the clock after intercepting Lane’s replacement quarterback on the first drive of the second half.

Lane’s usual starting quarterback Noah Mayra reentered the game halfway through the third quarter. Moving the Champions steadily down the field, Mayra rifled an eighteen-yard touchdown pass to fellow senior wide receiver Julian Vickery to get Lane back in the game 14-7.

The Vikings run game and defense proved too much for the Champions to overcome. Reggie Mitchell ran the ball for first downs and the defense intercepted Mayra midway through the fourth and recovered a Champions’ fumble with 1:13 on the clock lock up the victory and a playoff berth.

Vikings’ head coach Nick Olson was a bit emotional after the game. “We are graduating 15 seniors, this is a special group for me,” he said.  

The toughest playoff draw has to go to Amundsen. The Vikings will play Geneva (8-1) from the DuKane Conference, who are currently ranked #5 in Michael O’Brien’s Super 25 rankings of area schools.

“This will be the best team we have played all season. We are well aware of that. Once you get in the playoffs, everybody is good,” said Amundsen head coach Nick Olson.

“We are gonna just try and do what we have been doing all year and that’s trying to run the ball, stay ahead of the chains and keep the ball away from their offense.”

Amundsen’s Reggie Mitchell scores touchdown against Lane Tech.

DePaul Prep Comes Back to Defeat Carmel 25-22

Preview of this week’s Inside—Booster article:

By Jack Lydon

DePaul Prep just keeps winning. The Rams 25-23 come from behind win over Carmel Catholic on Friday lifts the Rams to 6-1 overall and 2-0 in the CCL/ESCC Purple division. This is the best record in DePaul Prep football’s eleven seasons. The best record for 32 years reaching back into the Gordon Tech era when Tom Winiecki was the coach. In 1992, the Rams finished 10-1.

If you were in the DePaul Prep stadium Friday during the first half of the game, you wouldn’t have been thinking about that. The Carmel Corsairs (3-4) are extraordinarily talented. Their quarterback Trae Taylor is a high major division 1 college prospect. He is among the most gifted quarterbacks in the state even as a sophomore. Both their lines are huge and talented. Carmel won two games in the playoff last year. Frankly, the Rams were not the favorite and it showed in the first quarter.

The Corsairs moved right down the field with the opening kick. Sophomore running back Michael Pierre scored on a 33-yard run up the middle. Trae Taylor added a 3-yard touchdown run with 5:07 left in the half making the score 13-0. Maybe the Rams luck had run out.

“I was nervous. I will tell you that. I had a little anxiety going on,” DePaul Prep head coach Mike Passarella said of the early Carmel lead.

With time running down in the first half, it felt like the game might be slipping away. It was fourth down and one from the Rams own 29-yard line. The decision was made to go for it. A nineteen-yard gain later and a big first down, the Rams were looking to score.

“We are a slow starting team. It’s something we’ve got to work on. We know that we’ve got it in us,” said junior wide receiver Matthew Osterman after the game.

“We knew since Monday. We knew since the start of the season. Let’s keep working. Let’s keep going. The game’s not over. The clock has not hit double zeros. We just gotta keep going,” the confident Osterman added.

Rams’ senior quarterback and three-year starter Fernando “JuJu” Rodriguez connected with Rams wide receiver Justin Sterner on perfectly thrown post route right down the middle of the field for a 25-yard touchdown. The Rams were right back in it.

Carmel was not done in the half. They moved right down the field in the 44 seconds remaining and added a 42-yard field goal that hit the upright and fell throw to make the score at half time 16-7.

This group of Rams can play from behind.

“They are not 16-7 better than you,” Passarella told his team at half time. “You are shooting yourselves in the foot. You are making mistakes. Not communicating out there. Go out there and execute. We made zero adjustments. We just lined up and played football the way that we practiced all week long and knew we could.”

The second half was a different story. It felt like a boxing match. Each teams had their drives. The Rams senior wide receiver Bradon Peevy scored on a five-yard pass from Rodriguez midway through the third.

After a gutsy onside kicker recovered by the DePaul Prep, Rams’ sophomore kicker Emmett McCue added a 42-yard field goal of his own.

“I really tried to focus in, focus in on where I need the ball to go. I got it to where it needed to be,” McCue said. The Rams had a 17-16 lead with 5:59 left in the third.

Carmel’s run/pass offense was just too much. With 8:16 left in the game and the clock ticking down, the Corsairs and their talented quarterback and running back methodically moved the ball toward the south endzone. With 3:12 on the clock, Pierre darted ten yards up the middle to retake the lead 22-17.

 “We were both gassed on both sides of the ball. You saw what they did. They drove the ball right down on that last score. We were gassed. We weren’t getting off the ball,” said Passarella.

 With a big stop on the two-point conversion attempt, the Rams come off the field with a surprising confidence. We’ve got the ball and three minutes; no problem.

Rodriguez and his Rams took the field at the 20-yard line after a touchback. JuJu wasted no time is gashing the Corsairs with a couple fifteen-yard passes in the middle of the field. Then a couple determined runs by senior running back Nick Martinez as the clock continued to run.

“[Nick Martinez] is another three-year guy that we trust with the ball in his hands. He is going to make things happen and that’s what he does. He is patient. He lets his blocks develop. He hits the acceleration when he needs to. He makes things happen. He keeps drives alive,” said Passarella.

The dinks and dunks and the runs seemed to slow the Corsairs’ defense. With second and seven from the 20-yard line, JuJu dropped back to pass.

“It was actually a broken play. The cornerback . . . just left [Osterman] open, didn’t guard him. I tried getting it off as fast as I can, just throwing it out to him and letting him make a play. Honestly, I could not even tell you what the play call was. I just saw him. He saw me. So I snapped it and through it out to him and he scored,” said Rodriquez.

Rams’ junior wide receiver Matt Osterman made a great catch with an interfering defender draped all over him for the winning touchdown. His fifth touchdown of the season. This historic season.

Carmel wasn’t done. They put up a tremendous effort with under a minute on the clock but great defensive plays by the Rams would keep them out of field goal range and a chance to tie.

DePaul Prep basketball has become a top basketball program in the state with two state championships in a row. The boys’ cross-country team has a state championship. The girls’ volleyball team has become a top program in recent years. Why not football?

Several football observers I spoke to before the game thought that DePaul Prep would end up in 4A when the classes are officially announced after the season. 4A has a number of top teams in the state but not many. Rochester, IC Catholic and St. Lawrence were the ones that came to mind.

With the Rams officially in with six wins, it is not inconceivable that they could advance beyond an anticipated home game against an area school. An anticipated 8-1 or 7-2 record would likely bring a game against a downstate team or an area powerhouse team.

But the season is not over. It’s not the playoffs yet. St. Francis is next. Then Benet.

DePaul Prep Handles St. Patrick 41-0

[Preview of this week’s Inside Booster article]

By Jack Lydon

The DePaul Prep Rams took apart the St. Patrick Shamrocks 41-0 at DePaul Prep on Friday evening. The Rams improved their 4-0, 2-0 in the CCL/ESCC Purple division. This game against the Shamrocks, 2-2, 1-1, also in the Purple, took on the added significance because it was a division game.

It was a busy evening on the west end of Roscoe Village. DePaul Prep hosted St. Patrick, the only other Catholic high school on the Northside. Lane hosted Whitney Young at Lane Stadium at the same time just a few hundred yards north of DePaul’s field. Parking was difficult to come by.

Before the game, the DePaul Prep fans, coaches and staff I talked to were tightlipped about what to expect.

“They’re good. And big,” a couple people told me.

Another observer told me, “DePaul 20-13.”

“They can run the football, but they haven’t played anyone that can pass the ball like we can,” one coach told me.

It didn’t take long for the Rams show exactly how well they can pass the ball. And score. Less than two minutes into the game, Rams senior quarterback Juju Rodriguez hit senior wideout Justin Sterner on a twenty-five-yard touchdown.

Not long thereafter, Rams’ senior running back Nick Martinez added another touchdown with a 37-yard for a touchdown. 14-0.

Rams’ senior wide receiver Braden Peevy scored a four-yard touchdown with 6:55 left in the second quarter to make the score 21-0. The Rams were rolling.

Then with nine seconds left in the half, Rodriguez connected with junior wide receiver Matthew Osterman on a 23-yard post route at the back of the north endzone for a fourth touchdown and a 27-0 half time lead.

To some extent, that was expected. The Rams and Juju, a three-year starter, can pass the ball and score. What was not expected was the way the Rams defense controlled the Shamrocks. St. Patrick’s strung together a couple first downs in the first quarter but never threated to score in the first half. The Rams defense held on every possession and forced punts. The Shamrocks offensive line is huge. The Rams defensive line stopped the run. The closest the Shamrocks go to scoring as a 52-yard field goal attempt late in the game that was on target but a came up few yards short.

It felt like the Rams were just taking-care-of-business. St. Patrick had a winning record. They are big and skilled. Yet the Rams handled them on offense and defense.

I remember interviewing Rams head coach Mike Passarella several years ago. He said something to me after a tough loss that stuck with me. “We haven’t learned how to win yet.”

The Rams have learned how to win.

“I think it started last year. It started with us losing a game against Providence [Catholic in New Lenox] by a couple points. Then we beat Fenwick in double overtime. We learned how to compete, how to stay in games and how to finish games. When I started here, it was a rough go in the beginning. Then every year it was a steady climb. We grew up last year,” Passarella said.

When one learn how to win, I guess it just feels like taking care-of-business. Check off another game on the schedule.

But the goal of the season is to get into to the playoffs. The Catholic school super football conference, a combination of the Chicago Catholic League and the East Suburban Catholic League, doesn’t make it easy to get to the playoffs. To be assured a playoff spot, the IHSA requires a 6-3 record. Getting six wins in the CCL/ESCC is tough for every team. You just don’t play teams at your level. You play teams from the higher divisions of the conference.

The Rams face Loyola next week from the Blue Division. Loyola has lost one game in the last three seasons. The Rams will play St. Francis (Wheaton) from the Green Division. The Rams will play Carmel Catholic from the White Division. Very good teams with winning programs. And then there are St. Viator and Benet Academy, historically successful programs and new rivals in the Purple Division. To make the playoffs, the Rams have to find two wins in those five games against teams from the upper levels of the Catholic League.

Asked what he is going to change to get ready for Loyola, Passarla said, “Honestly, nothing. Our practice is going to be the same during the week. The kids know that when we are on the road, it’s a business trip. This is the first group that has the ability to flip the switch and be engaged. They want it.”

They turned a corner. They learned how to win.

“Yup, this group is hungry. This senior class wants to be the first class to bring us back to the playoffs for the first time in a decade,” Passarella concluded.

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

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.

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