[Preview of this week’s article in the Inside—Booster.]
By Jack Lydon
DePaul Prep had just enough. Just enough offense and just enough defense to stop Lane Tech on the one-yard line on the last play of the game to preserve a 6-0 victory Friday evening at DePaul Prep (2-0).
The Champions (1-1) literally walked to game by entering the gate between the back of Lane Tech and the DePaul Prep parking lot. That’s how close these schools are and that’s how close this game was.
Despite the obvious proximity of the schools, this game was a long time coming. The last football game between the Rams and Lane Tech was 37 years ago. That was back when the Rams were from Gordon Tech and Lane Tech were the Indians.
Former Gordon Tech and DePaul Prep athletic director Paul Chabura provided some of the history of the Gordon Tech v. Lane Tech football rivalry. Gordon won the football state champion in 1980. That year included two wins over then the Lane Tech Indians. Rams’ 33-0 victory in the regular season and another Rams’ 15-8 victory in the IHSA playoffs.
Gordon played Lane from 1980 to 1989 winning eight straight. Lane the last two including the 1989 playoff game 21-14.
DePaul Prep head basketball coach Tom Kleinshmidt was a sophomore at Gordon in 1989 and told the story about how a fight broke out after the 1989 playoff and spilled over into the McDonalds parking lot across Addison Street.
The football games between the two schools stopped after that incident. More than one of the former Gordon Tech student told the author that the hiatus was because the Lane coach at the time did not want to play the Gordon teams anymore.
Friday night’s first game of this renewed rivalry was not a thing of beauty. The closest things to scoring plays in the first half were Lane’s missed 49-yard field goal on its opening drive and DePaul Prep’s 47-yard touchdown pass called back for an illegal man downfield late in the first half. The game was marred by frequent penalties on both teams. Frequent cramps afflicted both squads and slowed the game significantly.
A couple big plays in the second half proved the difference. Midway through the third quarter, Rams’ sophomore quarterback and transfer from Joliet Catholic, Andrew Campbell, rolled right and through a screen pass back left to running back, senior and co-captain Zach Stewart. Stewart weaved his way up the sideline braking tackles on his way for a 40-yard gain. A run by Rams junior running back Tyson Hooks brought the ball down to the three. Campbell finished the drive with a 3-yard keeper for the score that proved to be the difference.
The Champions but together what looked like it might be a game winning drive late in the fourth quarter. A beautiful slant pass from senior quarterback Blake Perkins to senior wide receiver Taylor Clay with 28 seconds to play put at the 5-yard line. Three plays followed but the Rams stopped the Champions at the one-yard line on the last play of the game.
Rams won 6-0.
First year DePaul Prep head coach Nick Bizzieri was ebullient, if a little worn out, after the game.
“The defense played lights out. They won the game for us tonight. The offense was sputtering. [Lane] loaded the box with nine guys. We had a hard time getting anything going in the run game. We had an inexperienced quarterback, a sophomore quarterback. But we stuck together,” Bizierri said of his team.
“They have shown up two weeks in a row now in the second half . . . If there is one thing I can say about this roster is that it’s full of fighters.”
Maybe a little lost in the drama of the final minutes was the play of Rams’ sophomore transfer Andrew Campbell—a young man new to Chicago, new to the school and new to being a starting quarterback. This was his first start for DePaul Prep. He made big throws including the 47-yard touchdown that was called back. A couple difficult against the grain screen passes. No turnovers. And a running touchdown.
“I have practiced here since June or July, I look at [Lane Tech] every single day. The passion grows every single day. We play them next year at their house. That’s gonna be a big game. I am part of the program now, it’s my rivalry too,” Campbell said of the new rivalry with Lane.
