DePaul Prep Defeats ITW Speer 16-1 on Senior Night

DePaul Prep Boy Lacrosse Defeated Oak Forest on Senior Night

I confess this was my first lacrosse game. I was impressed. It takes a unique athletic to play well. Kind of a cross between soccer and hockey. Very entertaining.

It was a new experience taking the photos. Very much like soccer photos. I will be doing more lacrosse. I hope you like the photos.

DePaul Prep Defeats Taft 54-25 (Three Months Ago)

I am a little late in posting these photos, three and a half months. The processing of these photos waw just over taken by events and then slipped past me until now.

But that’s okay. It just gives us more opportunity celebrate a state championship. A sweet one at that. The regular season was a punishing with losses. Tough close loss after tough close loss against the best teams, especially the teams in the Catholic League Blue.

The Benet game showed me something. I had seen Benet a few times before the regular season finale against the Rams. The Rams played right with the Redwings. It was a seven point game, just within reach, for most of the fourth but ended with a Rams four point loss. I’ll take that against the No. 2 ranked team.

This Taft game was senior night. An early senior night in mid-January but that’s the way the schedule played out. With Jaylan McElroy back in the line up the Eagles were having trouble. The Rams braintrust started all senior line up who jumped out to an early lead. When the younger starters got in the game, it was worse for Taft.

To have Jaylan back in the lineup with better than a month before the playoff run would give him time to get back in game shape and knock off the rust. I was glad, optimistic to have him back without respect to how he was playing at that moment.

As we know now, it worked out. Jaylan played like a champ down the stretch. And so did the rest of the Rams. But we already know that.

This January 14th evening against Taft, we didn’t know. But we had could see how it might end.

So here are the Senior Night photos.

Lane Tech Broadcaster Alex Burstein set to Graduate and Conquer the World

A preview of my upcoming Inside—Booster article 

By Jack Lydon

Alex Burstein is going to be famous someday. That day may be soon. The eighteen-year-old Lane Tech senior is a young man on a mission and that mission is well underway. Alex broadcasts Lane Tech football, basketball, volleyball and baseball games on Lane Tech’s You Tube channel.

“Tonight (April 24 game against Von Steuben) was my 163rd broadcast,” Alex said. “I do every baseball home game. And for basketball it’s home and away. I also do home games for girls’ volleyball and football. I also did one or two flag football and boys soccer games. I’ve done the boys basketball games since freshman year. I have done the baseball games since sophomore year.”

To prepare for each broadcast, “I keep notes. I email the coach a week in advance. I talk to the opposing coach in advance. I look up the opposing players on Twitter and news articles. Even if it’s one or two notes about a player. Parents really love when they hear me say something about a player,” said Alex.

The Rogers Park eighteen-year-old, whose brother Simon is a junior at Lane, has known what he wants to do from an early age.

“Growing up I was always interested in sports, but I was not great at sports. In fifth grade, I realized that I wanted to do this as a career. I wanted to find a way to work in sports,” Burstein said.

“Before [Alex] even started at Lane, I was in the stadium for a state soccer game. He hunted me down trying to talk about next year’s football team,” said Lane Tech men’s basketball coach and former athletic director Nick LoGalbo.

“Broadcasting is my thing that I do out of school. I put a lot of time into it. Basketball season is usually three games a week. Baseball is three to four a week. I also work with the school newspaper as a co-editor-in-chief,” Alex said.

In addition to broadcasting, Alex is one of three editors-in-chief for the Lane Tech school newspaper, the Champion. Oh, and his grade point average is 5.07 on a four-point scale. His tireless work in and out of school has landed Alex a full ride scholarship to Syracuse University where he will major in broadcast journalism with a minor in political science.

Alex has a gained a certain celebrity in the Lane Community. “The parents, a lot of them watch. But also the coaches. LoGalbo doesn’t love it because a lot of the coaches get film on him. So a couple times this year we “privated” video. There is not a lot of programs like this in Chicago. It’s nice to get recognition,” Alex said.

As for the players, “they all think it’s pretty cool.”

“I have been doing this now for almost 20 years. He is one of the most special people that has come out of our school,” LoGalbo said.

“For what he does, he is driven by such a clear north star and sense of purpose. It’s really crazy to see that. To have a young man like that who has had a such a clear sense of purpose and direction, he’s done wonders for our school and our athletic department.”

“Him getting a full scouting report on us for other teams when they watch his live broadcasts hasn’t been awesome but if you are a good coach you are going to do your scouting anyway,” LoGalbo admitted.

“Alex does his homework on the other teams too. He has called every coach that we have played for the last four years to get their starting lineup, to get their story to get their records. It’s no wonder he’s got a full ride to Syracuse. We’ll see him on ESPN one night.”

Last year after Lane’s varsity basketball game at Whitney Young, legendary Dolphins’ head coach Tyrone Slaughter went over to Alex who was broadcasting from a table on the sideline and said to Alex, “I am a huge fan. I watch you on You Tube. You do a great job. I find it very helpful.”

Lane head baseball coach Sean Freeman praised Burstein as well. “He is a huge piece of Lane. Not only does he do all the sports games; he is head of the paper. He does a lot for the community as far as getting out all the good things that are happening. He has been an invaluable piece of our program, the football program, the basketball program and covering school wide news.”

“I think it’s a great thing [that Alex broadcasts our games]. We have people all over the country that are now able to watch our games. My parents live in Colorado. Up until last year, neither of them had seen any of our games live, now they are able to watch every home game because he puts those on-line. If the other teams get a little scouting edge on us, in my book, it’s worth it overall,” said Freeman.

“I am not surprised that [Alex] has a high GPA. He’s been part of our publication here for his four years. He did not take journalism as a freshman but he contacted me” to get involved, said Lane Tech English and journalism teacher and newspaper advisor David Strom. 

“Alex became the sports editor pretty early in his sophomore year. He has been co-editor-in-chief his junior and senior years. He has a ton of experience with reporting and writing. That’s a huge advantage. He is a leader in our classroom and our staff. He collaborates with first year journalism students. He will go along on an interview with someone who is new. That is hugely valuable for me as a teacher,” Strom said.

“He carries himself like a professional and he has just been there. And he does really good work. I have seen the improvement he has made. People recognize that and think highly of him because of it,” Strom said.

Favorite experience as a Lane broadcaster, “probably Wrigley Field. That’s hard to beat. So the City Championship last year for baseball, that was pretty cool. For basketball, I’ve done the Chicago Elite classic every year. My freshman year, they had me on radio row at DePaul’s Wintrust arena. That was early on but that was hard to beat. This past summer I went to Israel to cover the Maccabiah Games. Just calling games there was really cool. That was probably my favorite,” Alex said.

As for favorite broadcasters, “I would say it’s Pat Hughes, the Cubs’ radio broadcaster. That’s my dream job, Cubs’ radio. For basketball, it’s Adam Amin, Bulls’ TV broadcaster. He also does a lot of national work with Fox Sports. That’s my other dream job because he does so many other sports,” Alex added.

“Broadcasting has been my main extracurricular. That and the school newspaper. I am the editor-in-chief of the school paper. Those two are the heart of my college applications. I think it helps a lot. I have a demo real that I submitted to a couple schools. I wrote my essay about going to Israel and transitioning from being an athlete to be a broadcaster. I am going to Syracuse. I am majoring in broadcast digital journalism. My goal is to do this professionally. I really like sports journalism but I really like political journalism. I am probably going to do minors in sports analytics and political science.”

As for a color commentator on his broadcasts, “it’s hard to find someone to do it. The biggest thing is that the kids who care most about sports that could be a color commentator are the kids playing. It would be ideal to have a color commentator, but I think it’s good practice [for me] to do both rolls,” Alex said.

As for the equipment used, “it’s a mix. I bought a lot of the audio equipment,” Alex said. [The school has] helped with a couple GoPros and stuff so it’s a mix.”

“They are all really supportive. The broadcasts are on the school’s You Tube channel. They kind of have let me do whatever I want to do with it. All the administrators know about it and they watch. There is a lot of support. And obviously, with the coaches too.”

You can find Alex’s broadcasts on the Lane Tech You Tube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@lanetechathletics743/videos

DePaul Prep Defeats St. Ignatius 6-2

The DePaul Prep Rams defeated the St. Ignatius Wolfpack 6-2 at the brand new baseball field at Rice Park in a Chicago Catholic League showdown.

“We’ve been talking about it the last two weeks. We’ve got to produce with runners in scoring position. We have struggled a little bit with that,” said Rams’ manager Sam Colon.

Up 3-0 in the top of the fourth, with two down and two strikes on him, freshman catcher and left fielder Addison Latko rifled a shot between third base and the third baseman. Oliver Vigerust, Kevin O’Connor and AJ Garcia came around to score putting the Rams up 6-0.

“That was big time for the freshman for sure,” continued Colon.

DePaul’s senior pitcher Dylan Kaminski (3-0) continued his dominance only giving up two hits and no runs through five innings. However, with two outs in the bottom of the sixth, up by six runs, Kaminski found a little trouble.

Kaminski gave up a sharpe single to center, then a walk, then another single on a ground ball to left. A throwing error allowed a run in, then another run scored when no one covered home on the throwing error.

That was that. The next batter popped up and the inning was over with two Wolves left on base.

Dylan set down the next Wolves from the Pack in order in the bottom of the seventh for a complete game Rams’ victory.

Rams move on to face Harvest Christian tomorrow and then start an important two game set against Montini.

Lane Tech Defeats Whitney Young 6-1

Lane Tech Champions are on a roll. Josh Katz keep his foot on the gas with a 6-1 complete game over the Whitney Young Thursday at Kerry Wood Field. Katz gave up one run on threes hits with eleven strike-outs.

Last Friday evening, the Champions dropped the Dolphins at Whitney 16-2 with an impressive outing by Jack Davis. Davis gave up two runs on seven hits. A scoreless six up, six down save by Zach Sharpe sealed the victory.

The Campions look to continue steamrolling the Public League with games against Walter Payton College Prep on Wednesday and Thursday.

Lane and DePaul Prep Win Thrillers Back-to-Back Friday at Kerry Wood Field

Kerry Wood Field is a neighborhood treasure. Friday night featured four excellent teams in two great (seven inning) games, no pitch clock. Why people sit home binging dopey TV shows when live quality baseball is free just a few blocks away is a mystery to me.

Friday evening featured the #1 ranked Lane Tech Champions against the #2 ranked Von Steuben Panthers in game one and the DePaul Prep Rams hosting the Riverside-Brookfield Bulldogs in game two.

Champions senior righthander Jacob Maza struggled early giving up one in the second and two in the third. He fought through his early troubles and the Champions rallied in the bottom of the third to draw even at two each. After that I stopped keeping score when Mike Clark arrived and I filled him in. I went down to the field to take some photos leaving the reporting to the professional.

Even at three going into the last of the seventh, with one down, Champions Teo Greco singled to right. Lane senior and Penn commit Josh Katz rifled a single over the shortstop’s head advancing Greco to second with one out.

The next batter, senior third baseman Louie Dereschin, went down swinging bringing up sophomore and Boston College commit Henry Murray with two down and the winning run at second base. In the third inning, Murray drove in two runs on a double over the head of the right fielder. Could he outdo that with a gaming winning walk him hit to score Greco?

Of course. On a 1-2 count Murray laced a gaper to right-center. No doubt about it. Give him a single and a game winning RBI.

Champions remain atop the Jackie Robinson North Division with huge win over rival No. 2 Von Steuben.

You can watch the game with Alex Burstein’s expert call on the Lane You Tube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmvSIgU9phc

For the nightcap, Rams’ skipper Sammy Colon brought his 9-4 DePaul Prep Rams across the parking lot to Kerry Wood Field to face the Riverside-Brookfield Bulldogs.

The Rams faced an even bigger hill than the Champions going down 5-0 in the second. Rams’ junior pitcher Kevin O’Connor settled down shutting down the Bulldogs thereafter.

The Rams chipped away until the sixth inning when senior centerfielder A. J. Garcia showed why his is a much sought after D-1 recruit driving in the go-ahead run in the bottom of the sixth and then coming up two amazing catches in center field to secure the victory of the Rams and first year head coach Sammy Colon.

Great free entertainment at Kerry Wood Field. Tell your friends and neighbors. I even saw a great parents with a picnic set up just outside the right field fence. Still plenty of time to enjoy some games.

Election Day in the 48th Ward

Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth was likely elected today as the next 48th Ward alderperson with a 601 vote lead over Joe Dunne.

Full story to follow shortly.

DePaul Prep v. St. Rita

41 degrees is about as cold as I can take when photographing a baseball game.

The DePaul Prep Rams faced the St. Rita Mustangs at Kerry Wood Field to open Chicago Catholic League conference play.

I left after the fourth inning when the Rams were down 6-2. Other things to do unfortunately so I don’t know who won the game.

I am getting back into the swing of shooting baseball. I did not have my 300mm lens with me so these were taken from some weird angles from behind the screen. I had the GoPro going so I will get that video up soon also.

48th Ward Aldermanic Debate Shows Contracts in Candidate Priorities

Preview of my Inside Publications article.

By Jack Lydon

The Aldermanic Runoff in the 48th Ward is only a week away. Lifelong resident and affordable housing developer Joe Dunne and small business owner and progressive activist Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth faced off last Tuesday in a debate hosted by the Edgewater Chamber of Commerce in the basement at St. Ita’s on Broadway.

“Leni and I agree on a lot of things. We have the same progressive ideals. The difference is that I have the experience, the skill and the plan to realize those ideals. I have the experience to be an effective leader for the Ward on day one, to step in and start taking action to improve the lives of all the residents of the 48th Ward,” Joe Dunne summarized his candidacy.

“I am running for the 48th Ward [alderperson] because I love this ward. I want it to be a place where my kids will consider settling down for generations to come. I have been a coalition builder for many years. But for far too long we have been using band-aids for issues that we really need systemic, permanent change. I know we can do many things together because we have already done it before. Equity has to be at the center of everything. And when we think about community, it means all of us. And I will be honored to be your next alderwoman of the 48th Ward,” Manaa-Hoppenworth summed up her campaign.

Fairly standard political stuff, but differences were apparent throughout the course of the evening. Moderator Pat Whalen, from the Jackalope Theatre Company, did a great job asking the questions and keeping the candidates within the rules.

The most contrast on issues came on the issue of public safety. The candidates were asked to identify the most pressing safety issues and what specific strategies would he or she use for public safety.

“This is going to take leadership,” Manaa-Hoppenworth said. “We need a mayor that is going to prioritize structural change and include putting people in place that can do the job, including a new police superintendent who has a citybroad strategy . . . We need to work together along with the police department, with the fire department, with the schools, with the teachers, with the chambers of commerce, to find ways that we can all be safe.”

In response, Joe Dunne said, “public safety has been the number one issue as I have gone across the Ward. There are two approaches we need to be taking at the same time. One of them is trying to address the root causes . . . . But was also need address crime on the streets. . . . We need the police reengaged in our community. We need to active re-invigorated community policing in the 48th Ward. We need to be working together in partnership to make sure that we know where the crime is happening. We need to have police officers out and about who know us, who know people in the neighborhood, who came make sure that crime is not happening,” Joe Dunne said.

“When we think about public safety, we also need to think about who is living in violent conditions every single day including those who live on the south and west sides where disinvestment has happened for decades. So I look to young black and brown people who are putting together ordinances including the Peace Book Ordinance.  . . . We need to work with the new Police Council, we need to work with the Mayor, the new Police Superintendent, to make all of us safe. There is a cares program that is piloted in Uptown and Rogers Park that we can look to for alternatives to policing. We need treatment not trauma so that we can meet mental health resources that the need,” Manaa-Hoppenworth said.

Both candidates agreed that economic development is important.

“We see a lot of empty store fronts across the ward. . . . We also see a lot of suffering on our streets, on our sidewalks, in our parks and in our transit system. People are not getting what they need. There is a crisis with our housing and also with our health care,” said Manaa-Hoppenworth in her opening statement.

“We need treatment on trauma and alternatives to policing. We need to listen to the youth, especially the black and brown youth who are in the most disinvested parts of our city and to pass the Peace Book Ordinance which is the opposite of the game database to show people a pathway to economic stability especially our youth. We need to fix our systemic issues and talk the root causes. Stop criminalizing poverty. We need a permanent funding stream for our houselessness,” continued Manaa-Hoppenworth.

Joe Dunne focused on his connection to 48 and his skills and experience to get things done.

“I am running . . . because this is my home. I was born and raised right here in the Ward. I am the third generation of my family to live here. I am raising my kids in the house I grew up in. My kids are the fourth generation of my family to live there. I’ve got deep connections across the Ward. There are people here that I have known my entire life. I have also been very active in the Ward. I served three terms on the [Peirce Local School Council]. I served on the fundraising board. I have helped to build that school be become a destination school. I ran the principal selection committee. I served on the Edgewater Community Council when that still existed. I think it is missing in the community. We need to bring something like that back.

“Professionally, I have been building affordable housing across the City. I have devoted my professional career to trying to address that. Stable housing is one of the first things we need to turn people’s lives around. Given them stable housing, help them turn their lives around, then they can focus on education, they can focus on economic development. Then we can focus on all the things that address the root causes of poverty.”

I want to be the alderman of the 48th Ward so that I can implement those things that I have been doing across the city right here . . .. It’s important to see positive change to take care of people that are least able to take care of themselves, whether it is people with mental health issues or people with addiction or people living in the parks. I have got the experience to do it. I have been doing it for 20 plus years. I want to do it right here where I grew up. This community means a whole lot to me, a whole lot to my family. I want my children to recognize that, to embrace it and raise their families here as well.

As for priorities as alderperson, Manaa-Hoppenworth said, “the three issues that keep coming up at the door include housing affordability, economic development and health care including mental health support. All of those things need to be viewed through an equity lens and a wholistic approach.”

In contrast, Joe Dunne said, “my vision for the 48th Ward is to see the Ward remain the welcoming diverse community that it is. We need a bold plan. We have got some headwinds. Inflation, rising property taxes, rising rents. I see opportunities for affordable housing along the Red Line. . . . I think we can do that here. When [the Red Line reconstruction] is completed, there is brand new space under that where the embankment used to exist. That is the perfect opportunity to build out the infrastructure for electric car charging stations so we can move away from fossil fuels and promote the use of electric vehicles. We need to rebuild the Bezazian Library with senior housing above like exists at Pratt and Western.

Moderator Pat Whalen asked each candidate to identify the top infrastructure opportunity in the ward.

Leni said, “we have a very pedestrian friendly ward. But we also have roads that separate us. Lake Shore Drive, Ridge, Broadway. These are like rivers that cut through us. And people are not safe. We should all be able to use our roads, and our sidewalks, whether we walk, or bike, or use and assistance devise.

In response to a question about aldermanic staffing, Joe Dunne said, “I am happy to say that when I am alderperson Dan Luna will remain as my chief of staff. My staff will reflect the racial make-up of the community.

Manaa-Hoppenworth said, “80% of the job of an alderwoman is constituent services. That has to be the priority. The only way to do that is to be in touch with constituents. I will do that everyday as alderwoman of the 48th Ward.”

The candidates were asked what would be their process for reviewing and approving zoning changes.

“When someone is coming into the Ward to do a development, we will have a document to give them and say, ‘here is what we want to see.’ Don’t tell us what you want to put there; understand what we want to see in the community. The community voice has got to be there and it’s got to be proactive—looking forward. As alderman, I will have a zoning advisory committee that will transparent open meetings. I don’t want to see a process where one block club is the deciding factor,” said Dunne.

“The community has to be involved. I plan on having a community commission. We need policies in place to preserve the character of our neighborhood, Manaa-Hoppenworth said.

Reaction in the crowd after the debate were mixed as one might imagine with supporters of both candidates in attendance. Former 48th Ward aldermanic candidate and founder of Green Element Resale, Brian Haag, echoed the sentiments of other in the crowd about the lack of specifics from Manaa-Hoppenworth.

“Joe really highlighted the difference between a show pony and work horse,” Haag said.

One can watch the debate in its entirety on You Tube at: https://youtu.be/vMcGo5BaOi8.

Rams Win State Basketball Championship

No one wanted to say it out loud but the DePaul Prep Rams came into the 2A state final game the favorite. Their defense throttled previous playoff opponents. The leadership of Maurice Thomas, the can-do-everything play of the PJ Chambers, the in-the-paint dominance of Jaylan McElroy, the scoring of Payton Kaymin and the point guard skills advanced beyond his tender years of Makai Kvamme would be tough to overcome. With defense and free throw shooting, sprinkle in some three pointers and the occasional dunk or layup off turnovers, and no team beats Tom Kleinschmidt’s DePaul Prep Rams.

Even so, this game was by no means a done deal for DePaul. The Rams were favored to win last year too but didn’t. Bloomington Central Catholic’s standout junior forward Cole Certa and his supporting cast had beaten plenty of good teams. Certa, one of the top-rated players in the state, just might put together a huge game and with some contributions from his saintly brethren, the Rams might well be beaten.  

Nevertheless, the Rams (23-12, 6-7) won the IHSA 2A state championship in convincing fashion with a 65-41 defeat the of the Bloomington Central Catholic Saints (26-12, 6-3) Saturday in Champaign.

The Rams jumped out to a 12-8 lead holding Certa to just three points in the opening frame. The Rams didn’t exactly light up the arena with their typically modest twelve points but encouraging signs were present. The Rams did not turn the ball over and spread the ball around. Four of the five starters scored. They were able the score inside and outside.

During the convincing playoff run, no game every being in doubt. It wasn’t always that way this season. Coming into the season, the Rams posted a second third-place state finish in three many years, plus having won a number 1 ranking after winning the Chipotle Championship in COVID year. The Rams were expected to compete for a title in a tough Chicago Catholic League Blue. The early season injuries to junior standouts Jaylan McElroy and Payton Kamin crippled the Rams chances in the CCL Blue.

The opening season victories at the Battle of the Bridge, including a title game victory over Notre Dame l, gave way to four straight losses in the Chicago Catholic League Blue, a demoralizing start to the season.

Coach Kleinschmidt and his team refocused. They would use this time to play the younger players. Sophmore forward Jonas Johnson and guard Rob Walls benefited from minutes and talented opponents that they would not have otherwise seen so much of.  

Butit’s not like the Rams had a bad season. They put together a win against IHSA 3A third-place finisher and rival St. Ignatius. And a nice win against Marmion who had its best season in decades. Telling though, was the close four-point loss to second-place 4A finisher Benet. This was a a harbinger. At full strength, the Rams are very good.

“If we got healthy, we knew we had the team. We thought we were one of the better teams in the state, no matter what class. We just played Benet two weeks ago. It was a four-point game. Payton and Jaylan, as well as they played, still aren’t at their best,” said DePaul Prep head coach Tom Kleinschmidt.

“We never doubted it. We had two injuries but we never let that get to us. We kept our heads high. We kept fighting,” said junior forward Jaylon McElroy.

“During our losing streak, we were trying to focus on our goals. We knew we wanted to win state but the first the task at hand was the Catholic League. It was all just trusting the process, trusting in the team and each other,” said junior guard PJ Chambers.

“I never lost hope. I knew the team we had and I knew we were capable of winning it,” said sophomore point guard Makai Kvamme.

“We all showed Kai how to lead in terms of setting the offense. As far as everyone else, we all kind of learned everything together and throughout time, we got better at it,” said Maurice Thomas.

The Rams headed into the halftime with a 16-11 lead. Not overwhelming but encouraging to have held Cole Certa, one of the best players in the state, to 8 points in the half.

Kleinschmidt must have given his players a talking-to about scoring in the locker room. The Rams put it on ‘em in the third, in the third with a 14-5 run, lead by PJ Chambers with six points. The Rams held a 42-24 lead to open the fourth.

That’s pretty much over when facing a Tom Kleinschmidt team. The Rams simply do not lose a lead. More than eight, never. They shut out Teutopolis in the fourth quarter of the semi-final.

But Bloomington Central Catholic never gave up. The fourth quarter had a lot of fouls and a lot of foul shots.

The fourth went in topical fashion the Rams were fouled and the Rams made their foul shots but not before all the Rams got in the game including Miles Stewart, Henry West, Will O’Shields, Jack Hoste, Dane Barkley, Cole Jungwirth, Jack Kenessey and Rashaun Porter.

“We shoot a lot of free throws. I shoot a lot of free throws with my dad. We also shoot a lot as a team. At the gym, we start off with free throws. In between water breaks, we shoot free throws. Then another water break, we shoot free throws. And at the end of practice, we shoot free throws. We shoot a lot of free throws,” said Maurice Thomas who finished 11 of 13 from the line.

On a personal note, I would like to thank the team and the coaches for winning the state championship. I had a great time connecting with my son Dan who played on the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 varsity teams and reconnecting with his pals, particularly Greyson Sanchez, who at one point was a manager. I loved every minute of the weekend in Champaign. I apologize for being more of a fan than a professional photographer. I confess I was concentrating more on a Rams victory than making good photos.

On to baseball season now. Go Rams!

DePaul Prep Advanced to 2A State Championship Game with 45-17 Defensive Gem over Teutopolis

The DePaul Prep Rams are peaking at the best time of the season. They handled the Teutopolis Wooden Shoes 45-17 in the IHSA 2A semi-final in Champaign. I was told that 17 points is the lowest point total in IHSA playoff history. Teutopolis struggled to even get shots up. This was probably the Rams best performance of the year.

The Rams difficulties in the Chicago Catholic League, going 6-7 in the Blue, were clearly frustrating, even disconcerting, for the Rams and their fans.

“We got the injuries when we had Rita, Mount Carmel and DeLaSalle so we took our lumps early,” said DePaul head coach Tom Kleinschmidt. “But we learned from that. And now we are a little bit seasoned.”

Advancing in such dominant fashion to the state championship game must be satisfying, even vindicating, for the Rams. But even more than that, the Rams and their coach Tom Kleinschmidt clearly want it. They are driven to get this championship.

The defensive effort of the Rams, particularly in the second half, was something really special--truly a historic defensive effort. Teutopolis did not score in the fourth quarter. Their seventh and final point came midway through the third quarter.

“We executed our game plan. We fronted the post on the big. We wanted to turn them into passers with back side help. We shaded [Teutopolis’s Brayden Niebrugge and Garrett Gaddis]. We wanted to make the other guys score on us. [Teutopolis’s James Niebrugge, Brayden’s cousin] hurt us,” Kleinschmidt continued.

“We wanted to run that clock in the fourth quarter. So we called a longer set. We wanted to take a minute and a half [off the clock with every possession] and have them chase us. We wanted to wear them down where they had to chase and foul. And then we could do what we did, flash and get back door cuts.”

DePaul’s senior guard Maurice Thomas nearly beat Teutopolis himself with sixteen points. Junior forward Jaylan McElroy had ten points. PJ Chambers with seven. Payton Kamin with six. Jonas Johnson and Henry West each with exclamation point buckets at the end. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention senior Dane Barkley’s beautiful no look assist to Henry West with 1:12 left.

The Rams advance to face the Bloomington Central Catholic Saints on Saturday in the 2A state championship game at 12:45.

Be careful what you wish for. Bloomington Central Catholic defeated Rockridge 57-44 in the other semi-final. The Saints have Cole Certa. Certa finished with nineteen points, sixteen of which came in the second half. If you have not heard of Certa, you soon will. The heavily recruited junior guard is the third highest rated 2024 prospect in Illinois behind only St. Rita’s Morez Johnson and James Brown.

Stay tuned. The Rams will have to duplicate, or maybe improve their defensive effort to bring home the school’s first basketball state championship.

DePaul Prep Wins Trip to State Finals Defeating Perspectives 50-46

The DePaul Prep Rams rallied from ten points down late in the third quarter to defeat the the Perspectives Leadership Academy Warriors 50-46 in the 2A Super-sectional. The Rams will be going to the State Finals on Thursday for the second consecutive year and the third time in the last three finals.

What a game.

It started slow. Rams lead 7-4 at the end of the first quarter and it was only 17- 15 Rams ahead at the half.

That all changed in the third quarter. A 14-0 Perspectives run in the third put that Rams down 10, 26-36. Basically, the Warriors did what they are going at, they got some turnovers and rebounds and scored in transition.

It looked grim for the Rams.

But these young Rams showed a poise and determination that I wasn’t sure they had. Junior center Jaylan McElroy scored five straight points to close the third and open the fourth.

But it was the senior leadership of guard Maurice Thomas that rallied the Rams. Nine of Reece’s nighteen points came in the closing minutes including two free throws after a Warriors technical foul for calling a time out that they did not have. Thomas hit both from throws with the game tied at 46.

“I was just thinking about how the team needed the free throws. I was taking death breathes trying to stay call, just knock ‘em down,” Thomas told me after the game.

“We stuck together. We talked it through. We huddled. Through the runs they had, we stuck together and we ended up winning,” Thomas added.

Payton Kamin added two more in the closing seconds.

The Rams are going to State.

DePaul Prep Defeats North Lawndale 50-42 to Win 2A Sectional

Preview of my upcoming Inside Publications article:

The DePaul Prep Rams defeated the North Lawndale Phoenix 50-42 on Friday evening to win the IHSA 2A Christ the King Sectional championship and move on the Super-sectional against Perspectives—Leadership on Monday.

The Rams’ pair of highly rated forwards, Jaylan McElroy and Payton Kamin, have sat out much of the season with injuries but they have been back in the line up together now for a couple weeks. It has taken a while to see if and when the talented pair would regain their dominate form. These last two sectional playoff games against two very good CPS teams have answered those questions. And the answers are yes and now.

The DePaul Prep Rams, 19-12 overall and 6-7 in the Chicago Catholic League Blue, have two third-place finishers in the state tournament in recent years. In 2019, the Rams lost to Bogan in the 3A semi-final and defeated Peoria Manual to take third place. Last year, the Rams lost to Nashville in the 2A semi and defeated Rockridge to take third.

And let’s not forget the Rams functional equivalent of a state title with the #1 ranking and championship in the COVID season’s Chipotle post-season tournament in the absence of the IHSA state finals in the COVID season.

The North Lawndale Phoenix, 15-11 overall and 5-3 in the CPS Red-West/North, have a storied history as well having won a 2A state championship in 2008 under their late coach Lewis Thorpe.

The Rams’ second quarter defensive stand and rebounding performance proved that the junior pair are back and playing together at a high level. After an even 9-9 first quarter, the Rams defense put the Phoenix back on one their heels.

“I think our switching bothered them a little bit. And then they got used to it and spread us,” DePaul Prep head coach Tom Kleinschmidt said about the Rams second quarter play. That’s what happened. Interestingly, the Rams and Phoenix play a similar game. They both want to move the ball side-to-side looking the dribble penetration for a layup or a kick out pass for an open three.

The Rams would not bite. DePaul did a great job switching defensive coverages as the Phoenix the ball around which forced long outside shots that missed the mark.

“We did a nice job giving them one shot and keep them off the glass. We limited their possessions. We did what we wanted to do,” Kleinschmidt said of the defensive stand that held North Lawndale scoreless for most of the second quarter while the Rams converted on the other end for an 11-0 run.

It wasn’t all Rams. North Lawndale is too tough and skilled to turned off for long.

“In the second half, we had a hard time containing the ball. They spread us in the second half. Attacked our guards a little bit and got in the paint too much. And that bothered us in the second half,” Kleinschmidt continued.

Down 25-16 at the half, North Lawndale chiseled their way back in the game briefly tying the game late in the third quarter. But the Phoenix physical play get them in foul trouble repeatedly sending the Rams to the line. Not a good place to be against the DePaul shooters. The Rams dropped sixteen free throws in the second half.

“I just think it’s a style they play in the Red West. They press. They are physical. They play a lot of guys. They are in shape. That’s their style of play and we know that going in,” Kleinschmidt said of the Phoenix physical play.

At the end of the game, “we [did] a nice job of spreading [the offense]. We usually have some guys that can make some free throws and that didn’t happen tonight. But we made enough [free throws] to get a win. We got enough stops and rebounds down the stretch,” Kleinschmidt said.

The Rams took their lumps in the Chicago Catholic League regular season without them. The early season four game losing streak to St. Laurence, DeLaSalle, Mount Carmel and St. Rita definitely stung. When asked about what this playoff success means to his team, Kleinschmidt said, “We’ve got two goals. We want to win the Catholic League and we want to win State. We knew we would probably struggle when we had the injuries. We looked at it as a positive. The sophomores (forward Jonas Johnson, point guard Makai Kvamme and guard Rob Walls) would get a lot of minutes and then they could help us in games like tonight. And they did.”

Of the press break and killing the clock, Kleinschmidt said, “we drill it and practice it so they should be good at it. We turned it over one time late that we did not like. If we would have finished some of those layups we had, I think we missed three layups under the rim, that’s what we wanted. We don’t want jump shots under five [minutes]; we want to go to the rim. It makes the game a little easier if you finish those.”

DePaul Prep will face Perspectives Leadership on Monday in the super-sectional at Joliet Central High School. The winner of that game moves on the state championship 2A finals starting Thursday.

DePaul Prep Handles Clark 62-42 in 2A Sectional Semi-final

The DePaul Prep Rams (19-12) defeated the Michele Clark Eagles (19-7) 62-42 Wednesday evening in the 2A Christ the King sectional semi-final.

It was so nice to see Payton Kamin and Jaylan McElroy playing at a high level again. The Rams meshed into the team we hoped we would see when the season started. The injuries to Payton and Jaylan put all that on hold. Until tonight.

Payton had twelve of his twenty-eight points in the first quarter. The Rams really needed that. Getting down in the first quarter hasn’t work out well in recent games. Tom Kleinschmidt teams always play better with a lead. I suppose all teams do. I just mean that I cannot recall the Rams blowing a lead of eight or ten points. And I have seen most of the Gordon Tech/DePaul Prep games since 2013 or so.

Jaylan MeElroy was back too. I had him with eleven points. I don’t know how many rebounds but it was a lot. He was a presence in the lane on defense. Again, I don’t know how many blocks but a good number. A really nice job.

Terry Head’s Clark Eagles are good. Senior Cordy Johnson is a force and not afraid to drive the lane into Jaylan McElroy. The Eagles were taking it to the Rams in first quarter. The Rams were in the bonus not too long into the first quarter. Five of the Rams’ sixteen first quarter points were from free throws. No one is going to out physical the Rams; not with McElroy and Kamin back in the lineup. Such a strategy just sends them to the line. Usually not a good idea.

Ultimately, it was Payton Kamin’s emergence as a dominate scorer that buried the Eagles. Kamin’s twenty-eight on top of the usual production from Reece Thomas, PJ Chambers and Makai Kvamme worked out well. Sophomore point guard Makai Kvamme’s performance deserves a mention. Although Kvamme didn’t lead the scoring he reliably brought up the ball against the Eagles determined full court pressure. He gets better every game.

Eight fourth quarter free throws from Kamin didn’t really seal the victory; the game was mostly decided by the Rams’ third quarter defense. But Kamin’s free throws just took the life out of the Eagles. And it pushed the Rams lead to twenty points.

The Rams face North Lawndale (15-11) on Friday for the sectional championship. The North Lawndale coaches in attendance got a look at a Rams team they might not have expected to be back at full force. The only common opponent for the Rams and Phoenix is Clark. North Lawndale defeated Clark 61-55 in December.

Nice to be playing one’s best basketball going into the sectional championship.

See you Friday.

DePaul Prep Falls to Byron 52-45 in 2A Super-sectional

By Jack Lydon

The DePaul Prep Rams fell to the Byron Tigers 52-45 in 2A Super-sectional at the Elgin Community College Monday night. Two disciplined and evenly matched teams put on an exciting game that demonstrated the high level basketball one expects to see in a Super-sectional match up.

Byron jumped out to an early 12-4 lead not because they were especially dominating but mostly because DePaul we not hitting inside shots they ordinarily would. The Rams were able to crack the impressive 1-3-1 zone defense the Tigers threw at them; they just rushed some shots and could not take advantage.

On the other end, the Tigers were able to finish just enough layups early when they penetrated the Rams defense to grab the early lead.

“We tell the kids and we have learned the hard way. We want to stay even the whole game. We don’t want to get too high to start. We feel like we play tight if we get too high and you can’t keep the up for the whole game,” Byron head coach Eric Yearly said.

“We also talked about starting fast. When you come to a Super [sectional game], one team is nervous, and if you can jump out early, it makes it tough to come back and overcome a deficit from the beginning. We jumped out early. When you have a seven-point cushion it makes it a little easier.”

Despite the Tigers’ fast start, the Rams settled down and outscored Byron in the second quarter. DePaul senior Nora Leadstrom had thirteen points in the first half keeping the Rams close.

In the second half, the Rams rallied and eventually cutting the Tigers’ lead to two points with under four minutes left in the fourth quarter.

“They brought the pressure up in the zone and they got us,” admitted DePaul Prep Coach Sarah Zarymbski. Down two, the Rams lost a few turnovers resulting in fast break points that stretched Byron’s lead.

As the clock ticked down, “[DePaul] extended their defense and we were able to get some back cut layups. Our kids come over in the huddle and said ‘the back cuts are open so get your eyes up,’”said Yearly.

“Once you get it under two [minutes], you gotta make your free throws. We made enough to win. “They are a good team. They are the best team we have played all year. We are the mirror image of each other. We have great posts and great guard play. We just happened to be the one that came out on top,” Yearly continued.

Losing three super-sectionals in a row is tough for the Rams. An emotional Coach Zarymbski took the loss hard but kept it together after the game. Zarymski, the 26 year-old, fourth year coach, has been impressive in her short tenure.

“We did a lot this season that we have never done. Most wins in program history. A GCAC regular season title and we are young,” Zarymbski said.

Byron moves on to 2A State Final at ISU on Thursday and will face CPS Noble charter school Butler in the semi-final.

DePaul Prep Wins Seventh Straight Regional 56-36 Over Latin

DePaul Prep Wins 2A Sectional Championship 50-25 Over Regina Dominican

Full game story to follow but I wanted to get the photos up as soon as possible.

This group of photos turned out really well. The settings are dialed in. The color is not perfect. The shots are not as sharp as the best photographers out there but they feel better to me.

DePaul Prep Defeated Latin 75-53 in IHSA Sectional Semi-Final

Rams move on to face Regina Dominican in the Sectional Championship on Thursday evening in the Tom Winiecki Gym.

DePaul Prep Comes Up Short 47-43 Against No. 2 Benet

DePaul Prep Rams closed the regular season on Friday Evening falling to #2 ranked Benet Academy 47-44. I have seen Benet play several time this year. I saw them beat Joliet West at Pontiac. Then later that same day Simeon topped them for their only loss. Since then the only Marist and Kenwood gave them games but lost.

So coming into DePaul’s Tom Winiecki Gym to face a DePaul team that hasn’t been the dominant team this year that it has been in recent years, it should have been a easy time for the Redwings.

But it’s hard for any team, any time to come into DePaul’s gym and win. There are close connections between DePaul and Benet. DePaul Prep’s former sophomore coach David Kleinschmidt, brother of DePaul Prep coach Tom Kleinschmidt, is Benet’s sophomore coach now. (By the way, DePaul Prep’s sophomore team beat Benet’s in the first game.) Tom Kleinschmidt and Benet’s Gene Heidkamp are close.

Both teams play a similar style of game, play defense, control the ball, control the clock and run the offense. The score was not going to be in the seventies.

And so it played out, but unfortunately for the Rams, it was Benet that played DePaul’s game. They got an early first quarter lead with smothering defense and, despite a determined fourth quarter comeback by Tom Kleinschmidt’s young Rams squad, the Redwings never game up the lead and prevailed 47-43 in the end.

Honestly, one never felt as though Benet would collapse. The lead in the fourth was moved between 5 and 7 thoughout the final minutes. But is sure did not look like a game between a middle of the pack Chicago Catholic League team and the No. 2 ranked 26-1 powerhouse from the suburbs.

Sometimes the records are out the window, and one is glad just to get out of town with a win. That was Benet’s Friday night.

The DePaul Prep Rams finish the regular season with a good but disappointing 16-12 overall record and a 6-7 record in the Catholic League Blue given the great teams that we have enjoyed in recent years. The Rams suffered no bad losses; but no signature wins. Injuries hampered the Rams but they also gave playing time to young players that would not have seen the floor as much. That will help next year.

The IHSA Playoffs are upon us. DePaul Prep opens the 2A playoffs on Wednesday evening at home against Noble Academy. Noble Academy coach Adrian Rodriguez informed me that Noble defeated Marine Leadership 74-26 yesterday.

Playoffs are like elections. It will all be over on a short schedule. We’ll have a new state champs in three weeks.