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.

Lane Tech Defeats Whitney Young 67-51

Preview of my story this week in Inside-Booster.

The biggest win for Lane Tech in decades. The Lane Tech Champions (14-10, 7-2) defeated the Whitney Young Dolphins (12-10, 5-2) 67-51 in a jam-packed crosstown rivalry and conference showdown. No one could remember the last time Lane defeated Young. One would never have known that from the energy in Lane’s gym. Two overflowing student sections and the rest of the gym packed with spectators were rocking at a deafening pitch from before the game even started.

Lane’s senior shooting guard Shaheed Solebo was the story of the first half. He had 11 of the Champions’ 14 first quarter points and kept it up with 11 more points in the second quarter.

“[Shaheed’s] been on a run the last two weeks. He put on a show Monday [against Lincoln Park,] said Lane Tech head coach Nick LoGalbo. Lincoln Park (17-8, 6-3) was ranked #15 coming out of the holiday tournaments but that Champions dropped Lincoln Park 75-64 in the Lion’s tiny (and poorly lit) gym.

“He knew what this game was. He battled and battled the entire game. He was super aggressive for us. He made the kicks when he needed to. He commanded so much attention, it opened things up for other guys especially in the second half. He was awesome,” LoGalbo said of Solebo.

Solebo knew what this game was and was determined to beat Whitney Young in his last try at them. This game had more intensity a playoff game. It was personal. The two student sections cheered back and forth at each other. The Champions and their fans were sick of losing to Whitney Young and this was the night to end it. The players were focused but a little tight to open the game missing usually makable shots.

“We had high expectations coming in. We had a preseason ranking which did wonders for our team’s ego. We struggled through injuries. We really didn’t have our team the whole month of December with Dalton being out,” LoGalbo said.

The Champions and their big man in the middle, junior center Dalton Scantlebury, did a great job limiting Whitney Young to one shot in the first half.

“That’s been an all-season struggle. I was really impressed with the way we rebounded as a team. We have struggled this season boxing out as a unit. I get a majority of our rebounds so sometimes other people lag a little. Today we all really come together,” Scantlebury said.

Despite the Solebo’s huge first half, Lane went into halftime only up 31-26. Halftime adjustments by Whitney Young’s legendary coach Tyrone Slaughter might spell disaster for the Champions who might struggle to keep up their intensity in the second half.

“Dalton came out a little flat. He missed some [shots] that he has been putting in for us pretty consistently,” LoGalbo said of Scantlebury.

Scantlebury proved his place as a top public league player in the second half. Dalton dropped a three-point play inside early in the third quarter freeing up Solebo to keep up his scoring.

“Best one-two punch in the City when those two guys are playing well together,” LoGalbo said about Solebo and Scantlebury.

The second half was not all Solebo and Scantlebury. Timely open three-pointers from senior guard [name redacted] and senior guard Jackson Labkon took the life out of any third quarter comeback by the Dolphins. Junior guard Kenneth Rosario added a three-pointer to start the fourth quarter.

Even so, the Dolphins were hanging around keeping the Champions’ lead under ten points.

“We had [the lead] to ten or eleven and just didn’t turn the corner until the fourth quarter. That is a sign of what we are still trying to prove. If we are going to be the team we say we want to be we have got to smell the blood in the water and put them away,” LoGalbo said after the game.

This was Lane’s night. The energy in the gym never dissipated. There would be no let down. Good teams finish. And that’s what these Champions did.

“We felt like let’s get into our delay game then they will start fouling. We will get some easy ones at the line. At about thirty seconds, we would run our stuff. If it is not there on the back door, let’s just reset. And that’s what we did. One time we got in the set and we scored. The other times we got a few back doors and it worked out,” said LoGalbo.

The last points were scored by Whitney Young with 1:18 left in the game. They would get no closer with the final score 67-51. It was a convincing win for Lane over Whitney Young. One that was decades in the making.

Even with the contributions of Scantlebury and timely threes by Labkon and Rosario, make no mistake, it was the force of will and the 34 points by senior standout Shaheed Solebo that brought home the historic victory to Lane. His presence, production and leadership on the floor made the difference.

“We knew how good we were since last Spring. We knew it. Now we are just showing everybody else,” said Shaheed Solebo.   

DePaul Prep Beats Marian Catholic 54-39 to Win Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic

[A preview of my next story in Inside Publications]

If there is one thing a DePaul Prep Rams basketball team knows how to do, it’s finish. The #7 ranked DePaul Prep Rams (15-0, 2-0) defeated the Marian Catholic Spartans (10-5, 3-1) 57-35 Saturday night to finish off its first Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic championship.

The Rams’ emotional victory over Oswego East in the semi-final game less than twenty-four hours before the championship game was the issue. The Oswego East game was certainly the Rams’ toughest game of the year. DePaul’s usual scoring formula—outside shooting and inside putbacks—was not working. They were 0-6 from three-point range. The big men inside, center senior Jaylan McElroy and sophomore Rashawn “Shawn” Porter, carried the load with some inside scoring but the Rams trailed at the half. They overcame their struggles in the second half and won going away, 54-39, but had it taken an emotional toll on the 14-0 Rams?

Having survived Oswego East, would the Rams suffer a letdown? Would the Rams’ struggles shooting the ball in the first half continue?

If there was going to be a letdown, it did now show as the championship game started. The Rams opened an early lead on the strength of two early three-pointers. One from senior guard PJ Chambers and the other from Shawn Porter. There was no letdown in the Rams. Chambers struggled against Oswego East but he was back to his reliable self against Marian. The Rams opened a ten-point lead by halftime.

Marian Catholic wasn’t going away. They are too well coached and too skilled for that. The Spartans cut the lead to seven at the start of the fourth.

Itt was time for the Rams to finish. 

“We just guarded. We try to start and finish quarters. The kids are buying into that. They did a nice job of finishing the quarter. We practice [finishing games]. We have some calls we make. The kids are aware of it. They are very attuned to it. We have been doing it for a while. We used to do it because we had to do it to win. We shorten possessions. Now we feel if we get a lead, we can make teams foul us and we make some free throws. If we get the lead, we can spread them and make the lead bigger,” said DePaul Prep head coach Tom Kleinschmidt.

That’s what happened. The Rams shortened their passes, drew out the defense and the minutes ticked off. They either got some layups or drew fouls. But it was the other end of the court that made the difference. The Rams held Marian to three points in the fourth quarter. They did not give up a single field goal in the fourth quarter.  The man-to-man defense forced bad outside shots. The Spartans had just three points all on the foul shots.

PJ Chambers lead all scorers with 22 points. McElroy had 14. Junior guard Makai Kvamme had 12. Porter had 14. Sophomore AJ Chambers (PJ’s brother) had 2. Junior forward George Richardson also had 2.

This is the Rams’ first Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic championship in seven tries. They have been in a final four four times, including a second-place finish in 2019.

The Rams take their #7 ranking and their 15-0 record into January but those might not be around long. In the first three weeks of January, the Rams host #2 ranked Homewood-Flossmoor in the annual Steve Pappas Shootout at DePaul’s Tom Winiecki Gym. And then it will be #3 ranked Mount Carmel at home. And then 15 win, and conference rival, Brother Rice. Oh, and then powerhouse Normal Community High School after that. 

The Lane Tech Champions (10-7, 3-1) also competed in the Hinsdale Classic. The Champions lost a close opener to Maine South 65-52, then wins over Morgan Park 71-37 and Morton 63-30 but fell to Lincoln-Way Central 51-47 in the final game.

The #15 ranked Lincoln Park Lions (12-4, 3-0) have made a splash this year. They advanced to the championship game in the Proviso West Holiday Tournament losing to #4 ranked Warren Township High School, 78-52.

The Walter Payton College Prep Grizzlies travelled to Centralia for its holiday tournament. Despite picking up an early season upset victory at home against Lane Tech, the Grizzlies dropped all three games in Centralia to Mt. Vernon 56-34, Belleville West 63-48 and Cahokia 63-57.

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.