St. Ignatius Edges DePaul Prep 42-41

The No. 25 DePaul Prep Rams (3-2, 11-3) travelled down to Roosevelt Road to take on St. Ignatius (3-2, 10-7) in a Chicago Catholic League crossover game. I tweeted earlier in the day that it was too early talk about must-win games but it felt like it this evening in St. Ignatius’ Gentile Gym. CCL teams cannot afford conference losses in pursuit of a championship. Both schools had large and loud student body contingents in attendance.

This was a well-played and well-coached game. Not many fouls. Not many turnovers. Tons of passes. The teams matched up well. They know each other. Precious few surprises. Just tough quality basketball.

As these CCL games usually go, there was not much scoring in the first quarter. It was 9-6 after one quarter. DePaul sophomore guard Payton Kamin had four of his thirteen points in the first quarter to pick up a struggling Rams offense. The tight bucket for bucket matchup continued in the second quarter as the teams traded scores. 18-17 at the half.

In the third quarter, the Wolfpack were able to open a little margin on the strength of inside buckets off the dribble by Senior forward Kolby Gilles.  

“Kolby (Gilles) is a really tough matchup for a lot of guys because he has perimeter and post skills. So if he has a smaller guy on him, he is able to post up and score around the rim but if he’s got a bigger guy on him, he is able to stretch the floor, create off the bounce and shoot the three a little bit,” said St. Ignatius coach Matt Monroe.  

The Wolfpack stretched the margin to nine points at one point in the third quarter. But the Rams were not going away. Tom Kleinschmidt and his team are too good and too experienced for that. It was a two-possession game most of the fourth.

With 1:20 left the Rams pulled within three points. Under a minute, it was two points. With 18 seconds the Rams were only down one—42-41. Excellent foul shooting and a key turnover gave the Rams the ball and a chance to win on a final shot. Senior guard Alex Gutierrez took a good shot. It rimmed out.

Final: Wolfpack 42, Rams 41.

After the game, Monroe spoke highly of DePaul Prep.

“I knew that these guys were going to be very well prepared. They run a great system and are very effective in what they do. For us the game was making sure we knew are scout coverages. We were able to navigate all the sets that they run. And that we were able to team guard (Dylan) Arnett because he is really, really effective post player. He is a fantastic player.”

But it is the Wolfpack that are clawing their way back from a disappointing start to the season. After opening the year ranked No. 4 in the Sun-Times Super 25, Monroe’s squad dropped 5 of their first 11 games.

“Five of our losses have been by 2 or 3 points and they have all come down to the final possession of the game. When I was talking to our guys after some of those close losses, we talked about how our struggles were going to be the reason for our success later. I think going through that gauntlet, playing some incredible teams and falling short a few times, has prepared us to be in that situation again.”

Richard Barron and Kolby Gilles each had 15 for the Wolfpack. Payton Kamin led the Rams’ scoring with 13; Dylan Arnett with 11 and Jaylan McElroy with 7.

DeLaSalle Defeats DePaul Prep 40-37

The DePaul Prep Rams (3-1, 10-2) fell to the DeLaSalle Meteors (0-3, 4-13) Friday evening (January 7, 2022) 40-37 at the Tom Winiecki Gym.

The Rams were without their head coach Tom Kleinschmidt but were ably led for the evening by assistant coach Michael Sneed. Coach Kleinschmidt is expected back for tomorrow’s Steve Pappas Shootout.

The Meteors came out shooting well and jumped out to an early first quarter lead on the strength of three three-pointers. At the start of the second quarter it looked like the Rams might do what they usually do—pull ahead but despite taking a 19-16 lead, the Rams could not hold their lead.

DeLaSalle’s coach Gary DeCesare is just one of those coaches that can impact a game by the shear force of his will. Maybe it’s just me, but he is as much fun to watch as the action on the court. He returned to coaching in the Chicago Catholic League this year after coaching out of state last season. He formerly coached at St. Rita where he met with considerable success during his tenure. I caught up with him after the game.

“DePaul’s a great program. They were the number one team in the state last year and those kids that played tonight were on that team; so they know how to win,” DeCesare said.

“For our program, taking over, trying to change the culture, we are learning how to win. We played some really tough competition. Our last seven games have been out-of-state. We played in [Las] Vegas and Arkansas. We went 0-7. I told the kids when you come back, you are going to meet teams just like we played. Everybody in the Catholic League is good and well coached. We’ll be prepared.”

As so they were.

They came ready to play. There were precious few inside buckets for the Rams. DePaul’s senior center Dylan Arnett had difficulty getting the ball inside. And when he did, he was mobbed.

“Dylan’s a really good player. We have some bigs and I told everybody, ‘Use your fouls. Use all five fouls.’ We have three guys that are 6’6” or better. We gotta put a body on him and be physical. We know he is physical. Every time he touches the ball, he has to earn his points.

Despite Arnett being roughed up, the Rams were always within striking distance. With 10 seconds to go and only down two, the Rams got a turnover and had a chance to win with a three or to tie with a bucket in the paint.

It wasn’t to be. The Rams turned it over with a few seconds left without getting up a shot. A foul with 1.8 to play lead to a DeLaSalle made free throw making the final 40-37.

The Rams host the Steve Pappas Shootout on Saturday (January 8, 2022) and will take on Homewood-Flossmoor.  

As for the photos, I tried something a little different. I used a 50mm, f1.8 prime lens on a second camera body instead of the usual 24-70mm, f2.8. I wanted to do something different. I don’t think it made any difference. At least know I know.

DePaul Prep Defeats Montini 66-41

No game recap today. Just too much to do. I hope you like the photos.

DePaul Prep Defeats Marmion 44-32

In all these years I had never been out to Marmion. Our guy Paul Chabura is the athletic director there now. There are few people in the world that I respect more than Paul Chabura. He is just a great man for so many reasons. It was great to see that he is doing well.

The DePaul Prep Rams traveled out to Aurora to face the Marmion Cadets in a Chicago Catholic League crossover match up. Last year’s No. 1 ranked team, DePaul Prep Rams, lost all five starters to graduation. No rebuild here, just reload with new talented players—Dylan Arnett, Trevon Thomas, Julian Greene, Payton Kamin and Alex Gutierrez.

The Cadets came ready to play. They have some players too. #3 Collin Wainscott, #23 Trevon Roots and #2 Jabe Haith showed me something. They can move up and down the floor and hit shots. It was tie at the half. And I don’t think it was because the Rams took them lightly. It was just a boxing match with both teams trading punches.

The fact that the Rams were not moving the ball well—or at least as well as they can—had more to do with good play by Marmion than bad play by the Rams. The Rams did however, give up some points off back door passes. I haven’t seen that in years.

Even so, I never got the feeling the Rams were in much danger of losing the game. When the team is not playing well, I have seem Tom Kleinschmidt take over the game from the bench and get them on track.

This day was a little different. It was half time defensive corrections that did the trick. There was not a lot of shouting from the bench.

The Rams shut down the Cadets in the second half holding them to just nine points. A 23-23 tie at half turned into a 44-32 Rams victory. Whatever Coach said at half time, he needs to bottle it and sell it.

The photos were something of a challenge. Marmion has a nice big gym/auditorium but the lights are straight out of 1976. I boosted the ISO a little too much so the photos are much too grainy. I did not get the color balance right. But that is my fault. I just did not work at it enough in the processing. I should probably color balance when I go to a gym for the first time. Enjoy!

Glenbard West Survives Glenbrook South 57-54 at Ridgewood Shootout

The Ridgewood shootout featured top teams and top players: No. 1 Glenbard West, No. 5 Glenbrook South, No. 19 Yorkville Christian, Branden Huff, Caden Peirce, Nick Martinelli, Bobby Durkin, Paxton Warden, Jade Schutt and Timaris Brown.

This shootout did not disappoint. The marquee matchup between Glenbard West and Glenbrook South was one of the most well played games that I have seen in a long time. The teams moved the ball well, shot well and hit free throws. I was at the Chicago Elite Classic on Friday and Saturday and I was struck how poorly everyone was shooting. I suspect it was because it was in an arena venue as opposed to a gym setting. The first quarters tended to be brutal but the teams settled into more normal play.

I saw Glenbard West at the Riverside-Brookfield summer event. They impressed as one might imagine. The summer events are interesting and informative but not like a real game. This game against Glenbrook South was a real game.

Glenbard West’s full-court trap was something to watch. It was passing the ball through a forest of moving and attacking trees. The sheer size of the Hilltoppers was daunting.

Nevertheless, Glenbrook South managed it and got the ball up court without many turnovers. But I was exhausted just watching. The Titans then had to try to score.

Despite Glenbard West having a comfortable lead most of the game, the Titans pulled within three within three points at the very end on the strength of three-point shooting by Cooper Noard and inside points by Nick Martinelli.

With five seconds left, the Titans got off two three pointers but missed both.

Very entertaining. I will have to get out to see both of these teams a couple times more this season.

Lane Drops Taft 50-40 in Chicago Elite Classic

The Lane Tech basketball team defeated the Taft Eagles Friday (Dec. 3) 50-40 at the Chicago Elite Classic. The Lane basketball team gained the edge on the Eagles as the CPS Northside leader.

The game started slowly with both teams missing shots they would ordinarily make in their home gyms. Senior point guard Sean Molloy took early control for the Lane Basketball Team (5-1, 0-0 CPS Red West/North) with seven first quarter points. Lane grabbed a 12-9 first quarter lead that it would never relinquish.

It just seemed like the kind of game Lane wanted to play. Tough aggressive defense, control the tempo, score inside and kick out for open jumpers. It all worked, except for the open jumper part. The Basketball Team could barely find a bucket from beyond the arc, going 2 for 18 for the game.

Even so, Taft (3-2, 0-0, CPS White-North) never went away. Tons of effort on the offensive and defensive boards kept the Eagles in the game, out rebounding Lane 49 to 31.

The difference in the game was turnovers. The Eagles gave up the ball 25 times with Lane scoring 27 of its fifty points off Taft turnovers.

Molloy led all scorers with 14 points. Sean also had an impressing block in the first quarter swatting a ball away above the rim.

Interestingly, Lane’s scoring was spreadout throughout its roster. In addition to Molloy’s 14, Sophomore forward Shaheed Solebo had 9, Senior forward Stephen Goonan had 8, Junior guard Jack Tzur had 5 and three other players had 4 points each.

Taft’s 6’3” Junior forward Armin Aliloski lead the Eagles with 13 points and 18 rebounds.

With the Basketball Team lifting its record to 5-1 and Taft falling to 3-2, Lane looks to be the best CPS team on the Northside.

Lane Coach Nick LoGalbo wanted none of that, downplaying the rivalry with Taft.

“It’s another game,” LoGalbo said. “We improved tonight. We got better. Hats off to Taft. They played a great game. The got a new coach. He’s doing a great job. But it’s just another game for us. We prepared the same way we prepare for everybody. We did what we needed to do tonight one possession at a time.”

Modesty aside, Lane’s appearance in the prestigious Chicago Elite Classic is no accident. The Chicago Elite Classic started ten years ago by Whitney Young coach Tyrone Slaughter and Simeon coach Robert Smith. The legendary CPS coaches wanted to showcase top programs in bring in some out-of-state teams to amp up competition. This year’s out-of-state teams include Vashon High School and Chaminade College Prep from St. Louis, Evangel Christian from Louisville, Gonzaga from Washington, DC, and Mater Dei from California.

“It means a lot [to win in the Chicago Elite Classic,] Lane Senior guard Sean Molloy said. “We’ve been trying to get ourselves on the map. We started a few years back and we are getting more and more noticed from the local tournaments. To win in this, just proves that we should be here.”

“It was very clear tonight that it meant a lot to our boys to be here,” LoGalbo continued. “It meant a lot for our school to be here. We had a big crowd. We had alumni come out. I thought we represented well tonight.”

The Lane Basketball Team will get no rest next week with Steinmetz on Monday, North Lawndale on Wednesday, Schurz on Friday and Oak Forest on Saturday.

Likewise for Taft, from one high profile shootout to another. The Eagles will face host Ridgewood at the Ridgewood Shootout on Sunday (Dec. 6).

DePaul Prep Wins Battle of Bridge Defeating Notre Dame 66-51

The DePaul Prep Rams (4-0, 0-0) defeated the Notre Dame Dons (3-1, 0-0) at DePaul Prep 66-51 at DePaul Prep’s Tom Winiecki Gym to win the Battle of the Bridge Thanksgiving Tournament.

The Battle of the Bridge, a combination of the traditional Lane Tech Thanksgiving tournament and the then Gordon Tech Thanksgiving Tournament started in 2014, featured Lane, Notre Dame, Jones and Englewood STEM at Lane and DePaul Prep, Niles North, Lake View, and Legal Prep at DePaul. The winners of each division, DePaul Prep and Notre Dame, faced off Friday evening (November 26, 2021) at DePaul.

DePaul Prep is coming off one of its most successful seasons ever—sort of. The COVID season of 2021 saw the Rams end the season winning the only prize available, the Chipotle Clash of Champions, a season ending invitational tournament organized by Rick Malnati and Joe Henricksen and hosted by Notre Dame College Prep and St. Patrick. The Rams finished the season ranked No. 1 in the Sun-Times Super 25. Not a state championship but as close as one can get in the COVID year.

The Rams graduated all five starters from the championship team. Although entering the season ranked 14th, it was still something of an unknown as to how these players would mesh. The first test for the new Rams was Niles North. Niles North is always tough. Glenn Olson always has his time ready and motivated. The Rams eventually overcame the Vikings’ pressure winning 62-50 on Wednesday evening.

On the Lane side of the bracket, Lane and Notre Dame also faced off on Wednesday evening also. Similarly, despite a hard fought first half by Lane, Notre Dame’s shooting and relentless defense subdued Lane with the Dons winning, 67-44.

Friday evening the Rams faced the Dons, a clash of the two teams that had historic seasons earlier this year. The Dons also graduated an historic team including three division one players, perhaps the three best players in school history, Troy D’Amico, Anthony Sales and Louis Lesmond. While the Dons did not come into the season ranked, they have one the top players in the region, Sonny Williams. They are also extremely well coached by former Don, Kevin Clancy. And they also beat the Rams in this tournament championship in 2019.

With these two defensive minded and not terribly experienced teams, the game started as one might imagine—some tentative shots, missed layups and makable inside shots missed. The Rams opened a modest lead in the second quarter which the Dons closed with three free throws by ND’s Sonny Williams to end the first half with a 25-24 lead.

The third quarter was entirely different. The Rams defensive pressure and methodical ball movement put a 24-7 run on the Dons. Tom Kleinschmidt teams usually do this to teams in the second quarter. It might have been a little late but it got done. The Rams opened 48-32 lead at the end of the third quarter. Once the Rams get a lead, they rarely give it up on the strength of excellent foul shooting. Another test passed by the young—well, new—Rams.

“This is a good tournament for us,” said Kleinschmidt.

“We played two physical really talented teams in Niles North and usually Notre Dame every year. We set it up that way because we feel we are prepared every year having played those teams win or lose.

“This is a new team with a starting new five. They have been in practices for two years against some talented kids but the lights haven’t been on them. So the lights were on them a little earlier. We made some hiccups. We didn’t have our division one player out there, which makes me even more proud. We were down one at halftime. We fouled a three-point shooter at the half. So to be up or down one going in showed me a lot.

“[Jaylon McElroy] is unbelievable. He is the most talked about person this week on our team, with Gutierrez. He has a very high ceiling.

“They are groomed well. For [last year’s team], Perry [Cowen] and  Raheem [Anthony] did it for them. And then Tyler [Johnson] and Rasheed [Bello] did it for these guys. Hopefully, these guys are going to do it for Jaylon and Payton and those guys.

The Rams face Evergreen Park on Friday at home and start Catholic League play against Marmion on Tuesday.

Lane Tech pulled off an impressive win over Niles North to take third place in the Battle of the Bridge. Lane faces Bulls Prep on Tuesday, and then another high-profile appearance in the Chicago Elite Classic against Taft on Friday at 9:00 p.m. at UIC’s Credit One Arena.

DePaul Prep Opens Season with 76-18 Win Over Lake View

In the opening game of the 2021 Battle of the Bridge Thanksgiving Tournament, the DePaul Prep Rams defeated the Lake View Wildcats 76-18 at DePaul’s Tom Winiecki Gym on Monday (Nov. 22, 2021) evening.

Opening what feels like a relatively return to normal, the Rams fielded five new starters after their number one ranked finish of the COVID season last spring. Gone were TY Johnson, Rashed Bello, Brian Matthews, Cam Lewis and Jabari Sawyer, not to mention coach Kenny Gryzwa.

That’s not to say we haven’t seen the new starters already. Dylan Arnett, Trevon Thomas, Julian Green and Alex Gutierez all played plenty last year. Plus Payton Kamin and Jaylon McElroy impressed at the R-B Tournament in June. The Rams came into the game #14 in the Sun-Times Super 25, so it’s not like no one had any idea what to expect.

But I was still wondering what we would get. How would they play together? Would the shots fall? Would the punishing trapping defense be there? (TY Johnson and Rashed Bello were beasts on defense.)

What we got was typical opening quarter domination by a Tom Kleinschmidt team. It was 23-7 at the end of the first.

In the second quarter Coach Kleinschimdt put in the second line. This is what impressed me. This is what I didn’t know about. When the new line came in, they dialed up the defense. Jaylon McElroy, Maurice Thomas, PJ Chambers and Ijeg Nwaezapu played defense like their lives depended on it. And scored too.

Something of a signature moment occurred late in the fourth. Granted the game was out-of-hand with the clock running; the Wildcats were struggling. But Junior forward Dane Barkley came to the line. He sunk his first free throw. He put up his second shot; the Lake View players seemed to defer to each other on the rebound. Barkley charged down the lane and grabbed the rebound under the basket. Just pure hustle. He wanted the ball. His head was in the game. It showed me something.

It's gonna be a fun season. And the Rams are in 2A this year. Just saying.

Wheaton North Handles Brother Rice 45 to 27

I traveled out to Wheaton North on Saturday afternoon for the IHSA 7A semifinal matchup between Wheaton North and Brother Rice. I intended to do a full news story. I started taking stats at the beginning of the game. One possession in and it was clear I could not photograph and pay attention to the details of the game.

I already knew this. I don’t know what made me think this game would be different. It wasn’t. I hope you like the photos.

Crete-Monee Defeats St. Ignatius in IHSA 6A Playoff 15-3

St. Ignatius College Prep Wolfpack football team fell to the Crete-Monee High School Warriors on Saturday evening (November 6, 2021) 15-3 at Fornelli Field.

It was the tale of two halves. The Wolfpack played their game in the first half—run the ball and control the clock. But their drives stalled when getting into the red zone because of penalties and they had to settle for just one field goal.

The Warriors just could not get anything going in the first half. They couldn’t throw; they couldn’t run. They got a few first downs be could not move the ball consistently.

Nevertheless, I just had the feeling that either or both teams would break some big plays in the second half.

It was Crete-Monee that made that happen. Midway through the third quarter, one of Crete-Monee’s interchangeable quarterbacks, Joshua Franklin, got free around end down to the St. Ignatius two yard-line. On the next play, one of the other interchangeable quarterbacks, Terry Elias, Jr., took a pitch around the same end and scored the first touchdown of the game. With the PAT, the Warriors took a 7-3 lead.

The Wolfpack had plenty of time to do what they had down all season, control the clock, run the football and take the lead. So they started to do, but again, penalties stalled them. This style doesn’t allow for many possessions.

The quarter came and as the time ticked away, the Wolfpack failed to convert another fourth and long and turned it over on downs to the Warriors at mid-field.

It looked like Crete-Monee would simply just run out the clock.

Joshua Franklin dropped back and hit Junior wide-receiver Lynell Billups on a skinny post. No one was going to catch him.

A palpable gasp came out of the St. Ignatius sideline. The wind came out of sail on St. Ignatius’ historic season. The Warriors added a two-point conversion off a high snap on a kick attempt. The miracle season would soon end.

The 9-2 season for the Wolfpack is their best in decades—many decades. The future lawyers, CEOs, tech moguls, doctors and priests should be proud. Think of the reunions in 30, 40 and 50 years when they can relive their glory days.

Crete-Monee gets Washington next Saturday with a chance to go to Finals in DeKalb.

As for Crete-Monee, after the game their emotional coach John Konecki told his young warriors that they had given body blow after body blow, and then, a knock out punch to the head and they won the game.

“I have never seen a more gutsy performance by any football team ever,” Konecki said.

I have to say I have never seen a happier group of winners than these young men. They came to Chicago and played tough and well. They had prevailed with their brothers and lived to play another game.

Well done.

Not my finest photos ever. But some good ones. Hope you like them.

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.

St. Ignatius Handles Bremen 42-7 in IHSA 6A Playoff

The game ended 42-7 but it was 7-7 with 1:42 left in the first half.

Having seen St. Ignatius play a couple weeks ago, I expected the Wolfpack to be able to deal with Bremen. The Wolfpack are solid in every phase. Before the game, I asked St. Ignatius Coach Bob DeCarlo what to expect. He cautioned that Bremen had improved since the Wolfpack handled them the second game of the season.

The Wolfpack scored on their first possession. Jr. Quarterback Jake Petrow had a 70 yard run. Sr. RB Vinny Rugai finished off the drive with a three yard touchdown.

The rest of the half was just the teams trading field position until the final minutes when Bremen put together a nice drive. Bremen senior running back Keyshawn Lewis-Hunt scored with 1:45 left in the half.

Not over yet. The Wolfpack quickly moved the ball down the field. Sr. wideout Jack Molloy took a handoff around the right end and scored a six yard touchdown with 26 second left making the score 14-7 Wolfpack at the half.

Second half was all St. Ignatius. Vinny Rugai added three more touchdowns. I think it was three. Frankly, I lost track of who scored because I am there to take photos. Just too much to keep score and take photos—in the rain.

The Bremen Braves could not manage much offence against the stingy Wolfpack defense. Midway through the the fourth, the bench players came closing out a high school football for many that will never play another game.

Wolfpack moves on to face the winner of the Crete-Monee v. Glenwood game this afternoon.

I got some good photos that I am happy with given the conditions.

IC Catholic Prep Volleyball Wins DePaul Prep IHSA Regional

The Immaculate Conception Catholic Prep defeated the DePaul Prep Rams in two sets to win the IHSA Regional on Thursday evening (October 28, 2021).

I don’t know much about volleyball but the IC Knights played vary well as it appeared to me.

The new configuration of the court limited where I could shoot from. But I found a good spot. I hope you like the photos.

St. Ignatius defeats DePaul Prep 35-0

St. Ignatius defeated DePaul Prep 35-0 Friday evening (Friday, October 15, 2021) at DePaul.

I was looking forward seeing St. Ignatius with the Wolfpack coming into the game with their best season in decades.

I was genuinely impressed with the St. Ignatius’ play calling. And they were in no hurry. They took advantage of the fancy new play clocks at the new DePaul Prep Stadium. They used up the forty second clock then gashed the Rams for six or seven yards. It’s the kind of game I like; run the football and eat the clock.

The Wolfpack’s first possession took up half of the first quarter. It was all runs and short passes; nothing down the field. There weren’t even a lot of long gainers. Just of a lot of between the tackles runs for 5 to 12 yards. They worked the ball down the field and punched it in for a touchdown on the opening drive.

When the Rams got the ball, they had a couple of good gains and I think a first down, maybe two. But were stopped and had to punt.

A short punt gave the Wolfpack the ball near midfield. I felt it coming. Ignatius hadn’t thrown the ball down the field even once. Sure enough. A fade pattern to the pylon. The receiver ran an excellent route getting some separation before the goal line. The well thrown ball resulted in a quick Wolfpack touchdown and a 14-0 lead with plenty of time left in the first quarter.

Not entirely unexpected. St. Ignatius’ 7-0 record is its best start to a season in a long time. People I spoke to did not even know who long. With St. Ignatius not playing football at all for decades in the 1900’s, it could be sixty years since it had a record like this.

I knew coming in they were good, but how good I wasn’t sure. DePaul Prep head coach Mike Passarella told me before that game that Mount Carmel coach Jordon Lynch said, “If we played them ten times, they would beat us ten times.” High praise indeed.

After the trouncing of Mount Carmel early in the season and the favorable press reports, I was anxious to see them.

It would be a long night for the Rams. It was 28-0 St. Ignatius with plenty of time left in the second quarter.

The second half a different story. The game got chippy.

A friend asked, “What does chippy mean?”

It’s kind of hard to define. The players on both sides were in each other’s faces after the plays and finishing blocks after the whistle. Tacklers would take too long getting off the runners. Lots of pushing and shoving after the play.

Many games get chippy right after the outcome becomes obvious. But it usually tappers off and stops. Or the refs put an end to it.

Not this game. It just got worse. At one point, a member of the chain gang on the Ignatius sideline got in shouting match with the Ignatius coaches.

I hesitate to blame either team when this happens because it takes two to tango. The game seemed more about grievance than about the scoreboard.

It is not usually that way in the Chicago Catholic League. It was not that way last week when East Suburban Catholic League powerhouse Notre Dame played the Rams. This is typically not the way the winning team treats the losing team in the CCL.

Several people I spoke to after the game, basically said, “That’s the way they have always been.” One person recounted an exchange of angry words in the press box between supporters of each school.

These things happen I guess. Just an off night. 8-0 is new territory for most teams. I have tremendous respect for the St. Ignatius basketball coaches and players. Matt Monroe is a great coach and a better person. I don’t know the St. Ignatius football coach Matt Miller but I believe he is a good man. Clearly, he is an excellent coach.

I plan the see the Wolfpack again in the playoffs. They are clearly the story in the CCL/ESCC this year.

I also happened into Luke Hales, a recent St. Ignatius graduate and very talented photographer. I got to know him when we would shoot the same basketball games. He is studying communications at the University of Michigan now. He is going to be a famous photographer some day soon. I wanted to be happy for Luke with his beloved Wolfpack having such a great season.

As for the photos, not my best work. I just didn’t feel it tonight. I wasn’t writing a story about the game and publishing the photos any place but here. I also didn’t feel like fooling around with the 300mm. I was taking different kinds of photos tonight. Not typical football shots. So I hope you like them but I will certainly agree if you are underwhelmed.

DePaul Prep Girls Volleyball Falls to Trinity on Senior Night

The DePaul Prep girls varsity volleyball team lost a close match to Trinity on Senior Night Thursday (October 7, 2021).

This was my first time photographing volleyball since my daughter Mary Claire played for Gordon Tech in 2011. That was a good volleyball team, or so I remember. It came back to me after a while. I hope you like the photos.

DePaul Prep Falls to Lena-Winslow 38-27

The stadium was packed, an electric atmosphere for the Rams and their supporters. The presence of 200+ eighth graders and their families signal a boost in future enrollment for the school. Would it mean a boost in the varsity football record starting tonight against one of the top class 1A programs in the state?

The DePaul Prep Rams lost an entertaining game to the Lena-Winslow Panthers 38-27 on Friday night at DePaul Prep Stadium.

The Lena-Winslow Panthers came into the game 5-0. They took an 16-0 lead early in the second quarter when the Rams struck back. Senior quarterback found Rams’ sophomore wide receiver Lavelle Hardy up the right sideline for a 53 year touchdown.  

A break-out game for DePaul’s Sophomore wide reciever Lavelle Hardy. Young Hardy can flat out play. He followed this touchdown with another in the third quarter on a post pattern from Rams senior quarterback Chris Perez.

The Rams added two more touchdowns. One on a 43 yard pass from Perez to senior running back Cole Ceravolo and then another on a run up the middle near the goal line in the fourth quarter.

Final score Lena-Winslow 38, DePaul Prep 27.

I am going to have to go all Ted Lasso on you folks. This team is improving even if the improvement doesn’t show in the wins and losses. I always fell like this DePaul Prep team is just about to break through to winning games and being a playoff team. The effort is there. The coaching is there. The play makers are there. It will come. I am sure of it.

I took more photos than I usually do. 2483 to be exact, with three cameras. I wanted to document the night as much as I could. I wasn’t planning to right a story about it for Inside Publications. It was fun and did not take all Saturday morning to process 120 finalists down to the 50 or so below.

I hope you like them.