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

Crystal Lake Central 55, Amundsen 28

Today’s IHSA 6A playoff game Winnemac Stadium, a/k/a Jorndt Field saw the Crystal Lake Tigers defeat the Amundsen Vikings, 55-28.

This game was the Ted Lasso of high school football. When I got there, my long-time friend Erick Norton told me his son John is on the team. How cool is that?

“Sure, I will get all kinds of photos of him,” I told Erick

Amundsen High School at Foster and Damen, a CPS high school in the neighborhood, was coming it off its best season in as long as I have been paying attention. It’s great to see a neighborhood school succeed. I saw that the Vikings were a 5 seed playing a 12 seed. Not good karma as those who follow March Madness know. Now I had no illusions that Amundsen would be contending for a state title but who knows? A playoff win?

I knew exactly nothing about Crystal Lake Central. I remember being there once for a basketball game my son Dan was playing in the summer. It was far away, big and otherwise unremarkable. Nevertheless, I expected them to be good and probably trounce Amundsen.

And that they did. Crystal Lake Central’s sophomore quarterback Jason Penza returned Amundsen’s opening kickoff 80 yards on the first play of the game. The score was 55-28 in the end.

But that’s not the story of the game. There was just too much fight in the Amundsen kids to be overly concerned with the score. They were having too much fun playing the game. Sure, they were overmatched. For the most part, the Tigers were bigger, faster and stronger. And very well coached. The Crystal Lake play calling and execution were exquisite. These coaches did a great job. I do not know what I would have done differently even if I know enough to do something differently.

Even overmatched and outscored, the Amundsen Vikings played to the whistle. The kept cheering for each other while down forty points. They were having fun for the love of the game and for each other. They were having fun just for the chance to play.

Truth be told, the Amundsen coaches did a lot of yelling. But it kind of worked. The young men did not get down. They kept playing. They cheered each other on.

And they did what they could—which was score. Senior wideout Adam Muench is a player. He caught three touchdowns of 65, 60 and 33 yards. Senior quarterback Elijah Hernandez throws a lovely deep ball and hit Muench in stride on long touchdown passes. They made it look so easy at times, one wondered if they could get back in the game.

After the game, senior wide reciever Lamar Lane led his mates in a celebration reminiscent of the Samoan haka. I captured it on Twitter for those how might be interested.

We should all be proud of these young men. All of them, the Vikings and Tigers. They played well and for the love of the game. A good example for the adults in the room, at least this one.

As for the photos, it was an adventure. It was overcast and then bright midday sun, harsh with shadows and glare. You may notice a photo of an official’s back as he ran in front of my camera grabbing the autofocus and taking it with him and away from the touchdown pass that I had clearly in my focus points. It happens. I was not in good position. I just have never taken such perfect photograph of an official’s back to prove the autofocus capabilities of the new Canon.

I love shooting games at Winnemac/Jorndt. The red brick bleachers make for wonderful backgrounds.

I hope you like the photos.