DePaul Prep Defeats Marist 59-43 at When Sides Collide

People are sitting around waiting for the Rams to lose but they keep winning. The penultimate game at this year’s When Sides Collide shootout at Benet featured the No. 2 ranked DePaul Prep Rams (20-3, 6-0) against the No. 7 ranked Marist Red Hawks (19-3, 2-0). This game and the following game between Benet and Warren might have resulted in a shakeup of the rankings and impact on the upcoming seeding for the 4A state playoffs.  

Had Marist taken down DePaul Prep and Warren overcome Benet No. 1 and No. 2 would have to be replaced. There was actually very little explicit discussion about such a scenario before the games amongst the collected observers, but it was obviously on everyone’s mind.

Maybe it’s just a yearning to see an underdog win or perhaps just a boredom with stagnant rankings and storylines that fuels such thoughts. DePaul Prep and Benet would have none of it. The Rams and Redwings put up convincing wins in the face of tough challenges.

The Marist Red Hawks opened the season at No. 4 and have moved between three and seven ever since. The Red Hawks, a skilled veteran group, have run through their schedule including wins over No. 10 Evanston and Brother Rice. Top ESCC matchups against St. Patrick and Benet have yet to be played.

The Rams however, have fought through a formidable schedule with their only losses coming at the hands of No. 1 Benet in the Pontiac Championship game, national powerhouse La Lumiere in the Chicago Elite Classic and Arlington, Virginia’s Bishop O’Connell, in their own Pappas Shootout in overtime. The Rams opened the season at No. 1 and dropped to No. 2 after the loss to Benet.

There was a little controversy, at least in my head, about the point total for DePaul Prep’s Rykan Woo. I am a little sensitive about this since I initially misreported Woo’s point total after the Mount Carmel game. I had him with 26 points including four three-pointers. Another guy had him with 24 so that is what I reported. Matt Now also had him with 26. I went back and added up my totals again and it shows 26. That’s what I am going with—26.

It was a close game until the Rams broke it open in the fourth quarter with five inside points and free throws by senior forward Rashaun Porter and, of course, 13 of Woo’s 26 points including 3 three-point coffin nails in the final couple minutes. Rams 59, Red Hawks 43.

Seven games left for the Rams. First and foremost are Brother Rice and St. Laurence to salt away the Chicago Catholic League. Then Deerfield, Christ the King, IC, Warren, and finally Ridgewood.

No. 6. Warren will be an obvious challenge with the best player in the state, Jaxson Davis. This could be a preview of a state final game but the seedings will be out by then so it won’t affect that. A final tune-up to a four-peat.

If the past is any guide, the Rams will finish. Champions finish.

DePaul Prep Rallied to Defeat Mount Carmel 58-50

[Preview of this week’s Inside—Booster article.]

By Jack Lydon

Down five at the half at Mount Carmel, the DePaul Prep Rams dialed up the energy in the third quarter, went on a 14-2 run and stayed away to take an important Chicago Catholic League victory Thursday evening. Key to the victory were the 30 points scored by Rams’ senior shooting guard Rykan Woo, a high school career high. 

Mount Carmel’s young group has gained some attention in recent weeks rising in the rankings, currently No. 14, as they gain experience at the highest levels of basketball in the state. The Caravan (15-7, 4-2) starts two freshmen, Da'Kylen Heard and Ronald Johnson. Both are big, tough, can score and are getting better by the minute.

The Rams (19-3, 6-0) are focused first on winning the Chicago Catholic League and then winning a fourth consecutive state championship. The trip to 64th and Dante for the Rams was key to that first goal. They needed this tough win against the rising power that is Mount Carmel.

It did not start in the usual fashion for the Rams. The usual formula for a DePaul Prep victory is to grab a first quarter lead, survive a second quarter rebound by the opponent, build a big lead in the third quarter and coast to victory in the fourth taking time off the clock and putting the bench players in the last couple minutes.

Not Thursday. The Caravan came out rolling, trading buckets with the Rams and draining threes to take a 14-10 first quarter lead. But it was the third quarter that proved the difference.

“We picked up the energy [in the third quarter]. The first half, honestly we were just huffing and puffy out there,” said Rykan Woo.

“We weren’t bringing the energy and the excitement. When Blake [Choice] got that [dunk] we weren’t going crazy. We had to change the tempo, play with more energy.”

And so they did, the Rams dialed up the pressure, forcing multiple turnovers leading to fast break layups. They put together the 14-2 run to close out the third.

“Coach was telling us the whole day that is was a senior leader game. Our senior leaders, me, AJ [Chambers], Rashaun [Porter], Zion [Lee], we stepped up. That’s why we won the game,” Woo added.

“We had to change it up from the first half. We started trapping a little bit. [Woo] is clutch. He’s an all-state player. He’s a division one player. He stepped up for us,” said DePaul Prep head coach Tom Kleinschmidt.

Woo’s 30-point game was not the only record he had that game. He also became a 1000-point scorer for his high school career.

“One of our coaches pointed out that they had a big 14-2 run. I didn’t realize it was that big. They turned up the pressure. . . . Some of our youth showed. We just didn’t take care of the ball,” said Mount Carmel head coach Phil Segroves.

With nine games left in the regular season, the Rams are still a couple games away from their first goal of winning the Catholic League. Tough CCL games remain against Brother Rice and St. Laurence. Not to mention Saturday’s matchup against No. 7 ESCC powerhouse Marist at the When Side Collide shootout at Benet. The Rams will also face No. 6 Warren Township on February 19th.

St. Viator Takes on Alcott

After all these tournaments and shootouts, I feel like I have seen Curie a hundred times, and Benet, and Ignatius, and the rest of the top ten, not to mention the DePaul Prep Rams. So I was looking to see some teams I haven’t seen.

I haven’t seen St. Viator this year and I have heard some good things about the Lions from some commentators that saw them at Wheeling. I looked at Jack Gleason’s website, best website in America today, hsbball.com, and saw that the Lions were playing Alcott High School Tuesday evening.

I have been driving past Alcott High School at Wellington and Hoyne for decades. Frankly, I never really thought about its sports teams. It a little off the radar if not exactly off the map.

Alcott (1-11, 1-5) is in the Chicago Public League’s While North Division with teams such as Schurz, Uplift, Jones and Von Steuben. They don’t play at the school. They play at the Neighborhood Boys and Girls Club at the Lathrop homes. I was actually in that building once years and years ago but it was a polling place; no basketball that day.

Great light in that little gym even with two lights being out. The color of the light was pretty white and there was of it. Better than in many big time gyms.

Michael O’Keefe’s St. Viator Lions came into the game with a respectable 10-6 records and a young team. Only two seniors, juniors and a bunch of sophomores. It wasn’t a good game to judge the strength of the Lions. Frankly, the Wildcats only had eight players and struggled to compete. The difference was the shooting. The Lions were making shots inside and out. The Wildcats hurried shots very few of which fell for points.

I am glad I went. The kids, coaches and even the parents were there for the spirit of the game. Alcott had students and cheerleaders there. It was good because high school basketball can be just that. It doesn’t have to always be about winning state championships.

After the game, I drove up Clybourn a few blocks then up California to DePaul Prep’s Tom Winiecki Gym for the DePaul Prep game Chicago Catholic League crossover game against Providence St. Mel.

Interesting shift to top high school basketball in the state.

St. Ignatius Handles Lane on Friday afternoon 68-44

I had my story in for the week after the Whitney Young v. Lincoln Park game on Thursday. I was free to take in whatever game interested me on Friday. I hadn’t seen Lane in a while and the Lane/St. Ignatius game is alway fun so I went over to Lane.

The Champions are young and have struggled a little this year against top tier teams—DePaul Prep, New Trier, Whitney Young, Lincoln Park, Brother Rice. I saw them early in the season a couple times and I wanted to see how they are coming along.

And also, Lane’s Matt Szafoni and Ignatius’s Chris Bolte are similar players. They even look alike. How would they match up against each other?

The Wolfpack built a lead throughout the first half. The difference seemed to be that both teams were moving the fall effectively and getting open looks. The Ignatius players shots were falling and the Champions shots were not. Szafoni outscored Bolte 9-4 in the first half.

The Champions ball movement improved from early in the season. They matched up well against the No. 5 ranked Wolfpack. They were moving the ball with more purpose and confidence than they did in the early season. It was the shooting that come up short. Not enough shots were not falling.

The Wolfpack broke the game open in the fourth quarter. Ignatius stand out sophomore Amir Tucker piled up the points finishing with 21. Bolte got his points, 12. Ignatius junior Duke Ross had 12.

As for the Szafon/Bolte match up, Szafoni had more points (15) but Bolte (12) got the win.

“The greatest strength of our team, is our team. When we are at our best, we are playing for each. Playing together. We have a lot of guys that can step up and have really big days,” said St. Ignatius head coach Matt Monroe.

“We’ve got fourteen guys on this team that put winning first. The biggest agenda, the most important agenda is they all want to do well as a team.”

The Wolfpack will face some tough Chicago Catholic League games but the other ranked teams are behind them. They will need some help if they want to win the Catholic League. The DePaul Prep Rams will need to drop some games. Don’t hold your breath. The Rams are focused on the CCL at the moment.

After that, Ignatius will land in the toughest sectional the state. The 4A “TBD Sectional” of Southside teams including St. Laurence, Curie, Kenwood, Mount Carmel, Simeon and Whitney Young. Another one of teams is capable of an upset.

Stay tuned. Don’t be surprised if St. Ignatius gets back to the finals in Champaign.

St. Ignatius Stuns Unbeaten St. Patrick 46-32 to Win Jack Tosh Holiday Classic at York

SPORTS SPOTLIGHT BY JOHN MONTGOMERY 

St. Ignatius has been one of the surprising basketball teams to start the season. The Wolfpack are now 14-2 after upsetting unbeaten St. Patrick (13-1) to win championship game of the Jack Tosh Holiday Classic at York High School.

St. Ignatius has impressive resume with wins over reigning 4A state champions Benet Academy (17-1) and Metamora (10-4) while losing to titleholders DePaul Prep (14-2) and Curie (11-1). Benet beat Curie and DePaul Prep on the last day of the year to win prestigious Pontiac tournament for first time in school history. The realigned Chicago Catholic League should be competitive next season with all four teams competing against each other in regular season and postseason play. 

“I haven't seen the schedules of the other teams," St. Ignatius head coach Matt Monroe said after winning title of 32-team event at York.

“I would put our schedule up against anyone in the state. We have competed against some of the best programs in the state.”

In a matchup between two of the best teams and two of the best big men R.J. McPartlin and Chris Bolte, two sophomores stole the show for St. Ignatius. Amir Tucker led the Wolfpack with seventeen points including a championship game record five three-point baskets while sophomore D. J. Caldwell added thirteen points. 

McPartlin finished with fifteen points but was limited to only one basket in the second half by Bolte and his teammates. Bolte was eventually named MVP after collecting 74 points and 35 rebounds in five games while McPartlin had 80 points and 45 rebounds.

“I took it personal that first half,” Bolte said as he scored only three points in the fourth quarter but stood out with his defense against McPartlin in second half.

The Wolfpack had eleven long range hoops while forcing 13 turnovers as the Shamrocks shot only 12 of 41 against St. Ignatius.

Ignatius took over the contest in the final quarter outscoring Shamrocks 17-5 as Tucker had two more treys. 

“He is an amazing player,” Monroe admitted about Tucker. “He is going to be a star because he is a good basketball player and good person off the court."

St. Ignatius is probably considered the Northwestern of the Chicago Catholic League, but the Wolfpack went downstate in basketball in 2022 and 2023. 

The Wolfpack starts three underclassmen and have four sophomores on the squad.

“The future looks bright,” Monroe said.

Meanwhile it is back to drawing board for St. Patrick who will now prepare with Saturday showdown against Curie at Malcolm X College. The Shamrocks have had their share of success recently with back to back appearances in the Elite Eight before taking third place in 3A.

“This team expects to win,” Head St Patrick head basketball coach Mike Bailey said in the preseason. “This team knows how to win. This team has a chance to be a special group.”

St. Patrick will be ready for March Madness in 4A with five matchups at neutral sites. The new year will be challenging with contests against Benet and Marist (12-1), Hyde Park (10-4) and Loyola (15-2). These games will prepare team for postseason play while impacting seeding for upcoming sectional with potential playoff game against the Rams in sectional championship game.

“Our first goal is to as well as we can in the state tournament,” Bailey said recently.

The Shamrocks played a tough schedule last season with seven losses and still advanced to semifinals for first time in school history. 

Glenbard East (13-2) beat Perspectives Leadership 71-49 to take third place while York (12-2) (topped 8A football runnerup), Oswego 55-45 to win the consolation championship.

DePaul Prep Defeats Bradley-Bourbonnais 57-28

These are some photos from the Bradley-Bourbonnais game from last Monday. It was kind of overtaken by events, Christmas and all. The DePaul Prep Rams defeated Bradley-Bourbonnais 57-28 in the Tom Winiecki Gym.

It was an afternoon game on a Monday. I like afternoon games.

The Rams handled Bradley. They just had no answer for Gus Johnson and Zion Lee on the glass.

I post this on Sunday, six days after the game. Pontiac starts tomorrow. It’s serious now. 11-1 through the first part of the season. 3-0 in the Catholic League with two of the big ones, Loyola and St. Ignatius navigated successfully.

But now it’s Pontiac. Just another thing. Just another couple games on the schedule. Even so, it’s a challenge. Serious business. Benet and Curie. The granddaddy of all Christmas tournaments. It’s a chance to make a statement, to make some friends, to show people how good this group is. And hopefully add another sentence in the story of DePaul Prep basketball.

If you haven’t been to Pontiac, you should make the trip. It’s a little over two hours done there. Very nice facility. The light in the gym is okay. It could be better but there are worse places.

DePaul Prep Defeats St. Ignatius 59-40

[Preview of this week’s piece in the Inside—Booster.]

By Jack Lydon

The No. 1 ranked DePaul Prep Rams are rolling and just getting better. Friday night’s 59-40 victory over No. 6 St. Ignatius (9-1) at the Tom Winiecki Gym on the former Gordon Tech campus moved the Rams to 10-1. Earlier in the week, the Rams defeated the No. 3 team, Kankakee Kays, 56-49 at the Team Rose Shootout.

The Rams are 11 games into their 29-game regular season and they look every bit the part of the No. 1 team. This success comes as DePaul Prep seeks its fourth straight state championship. One of those championships was in class 2A and two in class 3A but this year the Rams have graduated into the top class, 4A and will face the top competition in Illinois high school basketball.

First things first. The Rams needed to get past the St. Ignatius Wolfpack which is on a bit of a historic run of its won in recent years having advanced to the state finals multiple times. Coach Matt Monroe has his Wolfpack stalking again this year coming into this key Chicago Catholic League match up with a gaudy 9-0 record which includes a win over Benet Academy. 

“We want to establish the inside with Shaun [DePaul Prep’s senior forward Rashaun Porter],” said Rams head coach Tom Kleinschmidt of his plan for St. Ignatius

“We do want to establish the paint first, then we work inside out. We were trying to put Rykan’s guy in ball screens or down screens with Shaun [Porter] because Shaun’s a big body; it’s hard to get around him,” he said of his plan for the Wolfpack.

That’s largely what happened. Rashaun Porter put up eights inside in the first quarter. After committing his second foul late in the first quarter, junior forward Gus Johnson, younger brother of former Ram and now DePaul University Blue Demon basketball player Jonas Johnson, came in. Then it was Rykan Woo’s turn. The Rams’ senior shooting guard dropped in nine points of his own in the second quarter and the Rams lead 38-17 at the half.

“Gus Johnson came in and give up big minutes. He had four quick points. He had two big rebounds and a block. I am trying to find him more minutes. Sometimes when we play a spread team, it’s hard to have three bigs out there but he played great, great minutes for us,” Kleinschmidt of his junior forward.

It’s tough to erase even a small deficit against DePaul Prep but 21 points would be tough for the Wolfpack to overcome in the second half.

Rashaun Porter was fired up after the victory.

“We all just wanted to come in with a passion. We know its’s a big game. It’s a big rivalry game. We just wanted to go for the kill. The best thing to do is win at home with your guys,” Rashaun said.

DePaul Prep’s first goal every year is the win the Chicago Catholic League. It’s no different this year and the Rams have already taken two big steps in that direction with wins over No. 8 ranked Loyola Academy and No. 6 ranked St. Ignatius. But there is still a long way to go with Mount Carmel, St. Laurence and Brother Rice still to come.

“It’s another big one. We needed Loyola and Ignatius early. To have those two in our rearview mirror helps that we can kind of catch our breath, work on our weaknesses now before we get into the dogdays of January,” Klienschmidt said.

State championships or not, the Rams are still focused on two-thirds of the season yet to play. They will need to be, Pontiac, the mother of all holiday tournaments, is next.

DePaul Prep defeats St. Francis de Sales 72-59

The DePaul Prep Rams (9-1) hosted the St. Francis de Sales Pioneers (0-6) Tuesday evening at the Tom Winiecki Gym.

One can imagine what might happen. The Rams jumped out to an early lead and cruised.

Big Tim Shabazz told me that St. Francis was pretty good and is a contender in 1A. They obviously struggled against the number one team in the state but They can score. They shot the ball well. Pioneers’ senior Kalvin Leonard scored 19 points. He can play.

I decided to do something a little different with the photos. I used a 300mm and shot from the stands behind the scorer’s table during the first half. I just wanted to do something different. But I did keep score. I couldn’t help myself.

Final score was Rams 72, Pioneers 59.

DePaul Prep defeats No. 3 Kankakee 56-49

Lincoln Williams and EJ Hazelett are two of the best high school basketball players I have ever seen, certainly this year.

And the Rams beat them. By seven points. Even though the Rams uncharacteristically got in a little foul trouble, they beat Kankakee in a similar fashion to the way they usually win—ball security, tough switching defense, free throws and taking time off the clock at the end.

Twenty-one points including fourteen free throws for Rams’ senior guard Rykan Woo. Eleven straight free throws in the first half by Woo blunted the physical smackdown Kankakee was trying to put on the Rams. I only remember Rykan missing one free throw.

Woo was ebullient after the game. “I am confident in myself. I know what I am capable of doing. I have played at the highest level. State championship games. Played on the UAA circuit. It prepared me,” Rykan said.

When asked about the No. 1 ranking, “practice is all we focus on. Having good practices and stacking them. That’s all we focus on,” Woo said.

“We are a physical team too. We are not going to back down in a fight.”

Free throw shooting was the difference in the game. “We were 25 of 28 from the line. That’s what won the game for us,” Rams’ coach Tom Kleinschmidt confirmed.

“We wanted to make sure that [Kankakee’s Lincoln] Williams saw two. Meaning we tagged him and when he went to drive we came early and doubled him. Hazelett we didn’t do it as much on. We figured we had to give something up. Williams is averaging 32 a game in his last four games so made him work and I think it showed,” said Kleinschmidt.

Some others have said that the result might have been different with a shot clock. I am not so sure about that. DePaul has played with a shot clock and still won.

It’s early in the season. There is a long way to go. Boy has it been entertaining. One big game after another. And next No. 6 St. Ignatius and then Pontiac after that. (I shouldn’t look past St. Francis de Sales but I am not too worried.)

We will just have to work through the schedule and see what happens at the end of the year. But, honestly, the possibility of four straight state championships never quite goes away. Part of me wants to enjoy this thing in real time, or appreciate it at least. So I will indulge myself, but only a little.

St. Francis de Sales tonight at the Tom Winiecki Gym.

DePaul Prep Pastes St. Francis 67-22; Lane Handles St. Rita 71-32

[Preview of this week’s article in Inside—Booster.]

By Jack Lydon

It was a weekend of blowouts for Northside neighbors DePaul Prep and Lane Tech. The No. 1 ranked Rams (7-1) handled St. Francis (Wheaton) 67-22 Friday evening. The Champions (4-5) handled St. Rita 71-32 at the Team Rose Chicagoland Shootout early Saturday morning.

Despite the loss to national powerhouse La Lumiere at the preceding weekend’s Chicago Elite Classic, the DePaul Prep Rams are rolling. The Rams smothered the Spartans forcing outside shots and getting all the rebounds. Scoring inside and outside DePaul Prep’s size advantage was evident. They jumped out to a 19-0 lead on St. Francis (3-4) holding the Spartans scoreless until seconds left in the first quarter. And it wasn’t that close.

Despite the lopsided score, it was interesting to see the starting lineup for the Rams emerge after shifting starting lineups early in the season. The Rams have three returning starters from last year’s 3A state champions, Lashaun Porter, Rykan Woo and AJ Chambers. Rams’ sophomore forward Blake Choice and senior Sacred Heart—Griffin transfer, Zion Lee have grabbed the starting roles for the Rams. Even so, junior forward/center Magnus “Gus” Johnson and senior guard Pat Lovell are quickly off the bench.

Choice’ performance against St. Francis helped his effort to cement that place in the lineup with a big game that included four three-points field goals in the first half and five total in his three quarters of play. Rams’ head coach Tom Kleinschmidt confirmed he has settled on the starting lineup complimenting Choice on his improved shooting in recent games.

“I have been working on my shooting, it paid off today,” Humboldt Park resident Choice said.

“It’s a learning process,” Choice said of his starting role. “I am willing to do what my coaches tell me to do starting on defense and eventually my offense will come.

The Rams have some big games coming up this week with a late Sunday matchup against No. 3 ranked Kankakee and the Kays top rated players No. 1 ranked Lincoln Williams and No. 8 ranked EJ Hazelett at the Team Rose Chicagoland Shootout.   

The blowouts continued Saturday morning at Team Rose. The Lane Tech Champions rallied from string of tough losses against good teams, New Trier, Whitney Young and Lincoln Park, with a convincing 71-32 win over Chicago Catholic League White’s, St. Rita Mustangs.

“We have a lot of guys that can get to the rim and be effective. We have had a really tough stretch. Eight games and five top 25 teams. We told our guys, it’s gonna pay off. Today we showed that playing that tough schedule is helping us,” said Lane head coach Nick LoGalbo.

The Champions were led by 6’8” senior forward Matt Szafoni with 26 points in three quarters of basketball. Szafoni leads his Champions squad this year which contains seven sophomores. One of those sophomores is starter forward Cole Christian who finished with 18 points against St. Rita.

“Opening the game with a make definitely helps the confidence. That is something that I have struggled with the last couple games. But hitting a three with one of the new sets that we have just implemented is good for the team but also good for my confidence,” Szafoni said.

“[Matt] is evolving as a leader, him evolving as a playmaker and evolving as a rebounder are all things we are excited about,” LoGalbo said of Szafoni.

“We start four sophomores. But what’s really fun is that the sophomores are buying in and being stars in their roles. The seniors are leading and we are playing together.”

St. Ignatius Wins Prep Bowl 40-12

SPORTS SPOTLIGHT BY JOHN MONTGOMERY

There is no doubt that the Prep Bowl has lost prestige and importance with the football teams from Public League and Chicago Catholic League deciding to participate in the state football playoffs that began in 1974. It is unlikely that your current preseason goal in ChIcago is to win the Prep Bowl.

 “It was a great experience to play and coach in the Prep Bowl at Soldier Field,” Jay McDonagh said about the annual matchup which is now 95 years old. McDonagh played quarterback in the 1990 Prep Bowl for Gordon for Gordon and won two Public League pigskins with Curie losing to Loyola and Mt. Carmel in back-to-back seasons 2014 and 2015.

 The Catholic League has dominated the game winning 65 times. Mount Carmel is king of football in our state with 16 state championships and 15 Prep Bowl wins while Simeon has won twelve CPS championships and made 41 appearances in the state football playoffs. Mt Carmel won first matchup in 1927 6-0 over Schurz.

 There is football talent in the Public League, but only one city team Phillips has been able to win state football championship. The Public League football teams went 0-15 in the first round of this year's state series.

St. Ignatius (5-7) stunned Morgan Park (9-5) 40-12 to win this year's event before a small crowd on Black Friday at Hanson Stadium. The Wolfpack were delighted to be playing football after a 2-7 regular season.

“The Prep Bowl is a great tradition in Chicago,” St. Ignatius head coach Matt Miller said after winning his second straight Prep Bowl. Miller in in his tenth season and has now won 67 games.

St. Ignatius, who brought its football program back in 2005, certainly had challenges after sophomore starting quarterback Reid Hites broke his arm in a preseason scrimmage. St Ignatius was recently moved into the Blue Division of the Catholic League which is one of the toughest sections in the state featuring former state football champions St. Rita, Brother Rice, Loyola, and Mt Carmel. St Ignatius got moved up after losing in the 6A semifinals to Prairie Ridge 21-19 during 2022 football season. The Wolfpack who have made nine appearances in state playoffs lost in the quarterfinals the followіng season in 2023.

“I would love to play at Soldier Field,” Miller admitted after the game. “I heard the bill was pretty high. Playing the game at Soldier Field made the game special.”

Until 1974 it was the only football event on Thanksgiving weekend a game that aired on local television and drew large crowds. The biggest thing youngsters from the Public and Catholic League faced each other at Soldier Field home of Bears who had great players like Dick Butkus and Walter Payton. Many people today still talk about the 1985 Super Bowl Chicago Bears.

This season's game at renovated Hanson Stadium was close until the final quarter. Senior Rob Connor who scored three times and rushed for 90 yards helped St Ignatius build a 19-12 advantage heading into the fourth quarter. Connor who has been one of the top players in the new Catholic League for the last two years was named Prep Bowl MVP.

The Wolfpack capped their incredible season by forcing three turnovers in the fourth quarter as Charlie Klaas scored twice, and Hites added a touchdown toss in only his second start of the season.

Morgan Park (9-5) was hoping to finish season on a high note after avenging regular season loss to Kenwood by beating the Broncos 30-19 to win CPS football crown for fifth time in school history. The Mustangs won the the Prep Bowl in 2005 over Brother Rice with current head football coach Chris James at quarterback.

“We were there in the game at halftime,” James said after the loss. “We left some plays on the field. Our inexperience showed in the second half.”

One example was beginning of game when all- stater Darrell Mattison for Morgan Park returned opening kickoff 88 yards for touchdown which would have been unprecedented in Prep Bowl history. Play was called back due to holding penalty.

Morgan Park lost this season in the opening round of the 5A playoffs to Wheaton St Francis (10-3) 35-28. The Mustangs will try to rebuild around sophomore quarterback Ronald Smith who completed 16 of 26 passes for 165 yards with two second quarter touchdowns and two interceptions in fourth quarter.

 Even though Morgan Park lost the game for fourth time the Mustangs were looking forward to playing in the Prep Bowl against St. Ignatius after losing in opening round of state playoffs.

 “It's special for me and the program to be playing in the Prep Bowl,” James admitted. “To be able to take the team to the Public League championship and Prep Bowl means something to me being a former player at Morgan Park.”

DePaul Prep Defeats Loyola 55-45

[Preview of this week’s Inside—Booster article.]

By Jack Lydon

It was an electric atmosphere in DePaul Prep’s Tom Winiecki Gym Friday night. The #1 ranked DePaul Prep Rams hosted the #5 ranked Loyola Academy Ramblers in the first Chicago Catholic League Blue game of the year for each squad. The Ramblers brought a big crowd into the City and the usual DePaul Prep students and supporters showed up en masse. The band was playing. It was high school basketball at its best.

DePaul Prep jumped out to a second quarter lead as they often do. Loyola (4-1) could not catch them. The Rams won 55-45 improving to 5-0 on the young season but more importantly grabbing a big advantage in the struggle to win the Chicago Catholic League’s Blue division, always the Rams’ first goal of a season.

The story of the game has to be DePaul Prep’s impressive defensive effort in the second quarter. Trailing 10-9 at the end of the first, the Rams just dialed up the defense holding Loyola to just two buckets and five points. The lead moved up and down a little from there but the Rams would hold that ten-point lead at the buzzer.

That defensive effort denied the Ramblers the outside shots they would need if they wanted to beat the bigger DePaul Prep team. Loyola got its first points of the second quarter on a three-pointer from senior Charles Ellis two minutes in but the only other points came on an inside putback by senior Broderick Munsey-Johnson with under 10 seconds to play in the half.

“We got down to guarding. It's a tough guard with all that movement and excellent switching. We prepped for it. We had a three-day prep. We feel confident with three days prep but we also have anxiety trying to play Loyola. It’s the toughest guard all year,” said DePaul Prep’s legendary coach Tom Kleinschmidt. 

Defense is great but a team needs to score too. The Rams outscored the Ramblers 17-5 in the quarter. Senior star and Brown University commit, Rykan Woo, lead the Rams with 19 points, including 11 in the decisive second quarter.

It was something of a breakout game for senior transfer from Springfield’s Sacred Heart-Griffin high school, Zion Lee.

“What we do is a lot. It took Z [Zion Lee] a couple games, actually we thought it take him until Christmas, but we glad to see [it tonight]. He had some big buckets tonight for us. He rebounded the heck out a ball. He was great for us. I am very happy for him,” Kleinschmidt said.

DePaul Prep turns right around and faces La Lumiere in the Chicago Elite Classic Saturday afternoon. La Lumiere is a Porter, Indiana boarding school and nationally ranked basketball powerhouse with multiple players committed to play at division one colleges, included Devin Cleveland, a transfer from CPS’s Kenwood Academy. Cleveland was widely regarded a top, if not the top, high school player in the Chicago last year.

The Rams look to repeat their upset win over Mater Dei, a Santa Anna, California nationally ranked powerhouse at last year’s Chicago Elite Classic.

“Mater Dei is good. They are really good. They are nationally ranked. But La Lumiere is a different level,” Kleinschmidt said.

A different level. I guess will see exactly what level DePaul Prep is on early in this season where the Rams look to win a fourth straight state championship.

DePaul Prep Handles Hyde Park 60-28; St. Ignatius Clips Benet 69-65

Went to Tom Winiecki to see the DePaul Prep Rams first home game of the year against Hyde Park then decided to hurry down to St. Ignatius to catch the end of the St. Ignatius v. Benet. Glad I did. The Rams handled a good Hyde Park squad and #22 St. Ignatius upset #2 Benet.

I was a little late making it to Gordon for the game. I got there with a minute left in the half and the Rams lead the Thunderbirds 33-11. The Rams defense was locked in.

Rykan Woo lead the Rams with 17. Lashaun Porter had 10. It was good to see Rams’ transfer Zion Lee put some points on the board. He is fitting into his role the line-up and adding some points. He finished with 8.

Despite the lopsided scores in the Battle of the Bridge, the Rams didn’t exactly look like they were hitting on all cylinders. They looked pretty good today. Defense, offense. I bet they could play special teams too if need be. It was good to see this new team back in the Tom Winiecki Gym playing fast when need be and installing the shut down defense too.

The game went quick so I quickly went down to St. Ignatius to catch the end of the St. Ignatius v. Benet game.

I arrived at the Gentile Gym with a minute left in the third quarter with the Wolfpack trailing Benet 48-49. It was back-and-forth and back-and-forth.

Tied at 59 each at 1:29, Benet grabbed a one point lead. St. Ignatius’ senior guard Nico Harris dropped in a three, giving the Wolfpack a two point lead. Rebounds and free throws would seal the upset victory over the very good #2 ranked Benet Redwings.

I know it’s early. Benet is very good; some say a #1B ranking. This game was more about how good St. Ignatius is. Matt Monroe’s Wolpack are at the top of the Chicago Catholic League with Loyola and DePaul Prep. They will obviously move up in the rankings. I expect them to be around the top at the end of the season too.

We start right into the Catholic League schedule at the end of the week. #1 DePaul Prep faces #12 Loyola at Tom Winiecki on Friday. #22 St. Ignatius will see DeLaSalle on Friday.

Lane Falls to DePaul Prep 53-24

[A preview of this week’s piece in the Inside-Booster.]

By Jack Lydon

Lane Tech had no answer for Rashaun Porter. DePaul Prep senior forward Rashaun Porter, a early candidate for player of the year, put up 26 points against Lane Tech in the finale of this year’s Batte of the Bridge Tournament at Lane Tech. The #1 ranked DePaul Prep Rams (3-0) defeated the Lane Tech Champions (1-2) 53-24 Wednesday night.

The Champions did a great job stopping DePaul Prep’s other Division 1 recruit Rykan Woo (Brown University) holding him scoreless in the first half.

“That was the game plan. But we did not do our game plan with Porter,” said Lane Tech head coach Nick LoGalbo.

“It was the exact opposite last year where we really cut out Porter, but we had Dalton [Scantlebury, playing for Penn this year] and [DePaul Prep senior guard Rykan Woo] really went off on us,” LoGalbo added.

“So I thought we did a pretty good job on [Woo]. That was our game plan to cut those two out as best we could and make others beat us. But Porter really killed us.”

With Lane bringing out the defense to stop Woo, the Lane opened up for Porter.

“It just opened up there really. I didn’t even notice that Woo was cold. I thought he was pretty good. He just did some things that just can’t be put on the stat sheet,” said Lashaun Porter.

Porter, a commit to Division 1 Toledo University, has become one of the top players in the City this season. He is ranked #5 in PrepHoops.com’s class of the 2026 players behind only Whitney Young’s Marquis Clark for top players in the City.

Somewhat unbelieveably, Rashaun Porter has been on state championship winning teams every year of high school. The DePaul Prep Rams won the 2A state championship in 2022 and 3A in 2023 and 2024. One might think he would be resting on his laurels, maybe looking ahead to college a little.

Not Rashaun.

“I lost weight over the course of four years. I've lost a lot of weight, trying to get slimmer and prepare for college and bulk up and using more strength instead of fat,” Porter said.

“It’s boosted my game tremendously. Made me quicker and faster. Then I got in the weight room, so I did get stronger.”

It’s early in the year and the Rams are still growing into their new starting line-up. Porter, Woo and senior point guard AJ Chambers return to the starting line-up from last year’s 3A championship team. Added to the starting lineup are juniors Gus Johnson who takes his brother Jonas’ spot. Jonas Johnson now plays at DePaul University. New to the line-up and the school is Zion Lee, a transfer from Springfield’s Sacred Heart—Griffin high school.

While obviously pleased with the win and the performance of his start player Porter, DePaul Prep head coach and Gordon Tech legend, Tom Kleinschimdt was circumspect about the early 3-0 for his Rams.

“We are we are not where we need to be three games in. We are usually a little bit better shape. I think you can see it in our woeful shooting percentage from three,” Kleinschmidt said.

“I think we left a lot out there today. I'm not sitting here knocking my team. I'm just saying I think we got a lot to work on, a lot to improve on. It's got to happen quick. We've got Hyde Park Sunday who's really good. We’ve got Loyola then we’ve got La Lumiere. So it better happened quickly.”

DePaul Prep 70, Niles North 50 in Season Opener

DePaul Prep has something to prove.

The three-peat thing is not a thing. Winning 2A and 3A twice doesn’t mean much when one is in 4A now. It sure seemed like business as usual as the DePaul Prep Rams came out against Niles North.

Well business as usual as it can be against a Glenn Olson coached Niles North squad. The Vikings came ready to fight, as always. All fired up and playing fast in the first half taking a lead into halftime. Niles North dropped in six three-point shots. A little unusual for the Rams to give that up.

“We were very upset about it. We made a change in our line up at half time. It wasn't the kid's fault who we took out. But we couldn't play with three bigs against that offense. They had one three in a second half,” said DePaul Prep head coach Tom Kleinschmidt.

The second half was a different story. All Rams. The Rams put up almost twice as many points in the second half as they did in the first half. Rashaun Porter and Ryan Woo lead the Rams with 26 and 20 points respectively.

It was a good look at this year’s Rams. We are going to see a larger rotation. We will see quite a bit of Blake Choice, Pat Lovell and others. Tom Kleinschmidt likes the four guard line-up but he has a bigger squad this season. We will still see plenty of four guard line-ups.

Toledo commit DePaul senior forward Rashaun Porter was matter-of-fact after the game.

“We just came together as a team [in the second half]. We realized that is simple to be a good defensive team if we just speak. Just saying“switch” can like go a long way to change the game. We did that as a team. We came together and we were able to pull out a wind against a very good team,” said Porter.

The No. 1 rank, the start of a four-peat season just didn’t seem to be a thing to this team. At least not in second half or after the game.

I think it’s because they were playing the why they play, which happens to be championship basketball.

Maybe it’s a little more. Maybe they still have something to prove. 3A is not 4A. It’s just strange to be writing about a team working on a fourth straight state championship at any level, let alone three different levels.

Something to prove is good thing.

Bailey Begins 32nd Season at St. Patrick

SPORTS SPOTLIGHT BY JOHN MONTGOMERY

Mike Bailey is a self-described gym rat at 71 years old who loves the game of basketball. He is addicted to watching basketball games and practices. Bailey also enjoys everything that takes place off the court, like recruiting and game planning and summer basketball. Most of all, he loves teaching the game to his players during practice sessions. And he has no intention of doing anything else.

“I am not retiring at the end of the season,” Bailey said, putting an end to rumors to the contrary. “I’m just getting started.”

“Mike Bailey has all the qualities that you are looking for in a head coach,” said former Weber and Elgin basketball coach Jim Harrington, who had Bailey on his staff at both schools. “He is hard working, loyal and dedicated. Whether Mike is young or old, he is always trying to get better as a head coach.”

Bailey, who began his hjgh school coaching career with Harrington at Weber in 1979, will begin his 32nd year as head coach at St. Patrick in the Shamrocks’ annual Thanksgiving tournament. He has won 583 games at the school on West Belmont and one of his goals is to surpass the record of 658 victories established by his predecessor, the legendary Max Kurland.

“I just keep going,” said Bailey, who recently underwent hip replacement surgery. “As long as I have energy, enthusiasm and health, I will keep coaching. I don’t think I would have retired if I had won a state championship last year. A lot of people ask me that question. Honestly, if we had won, I wanted to come back and coach this group of kids because I had promised them and their parents that I would be their coach. I think that I am a better and more prepared basketball coach now at this stage of my life.”

Last season, Bailey guided St. Patrick to 29 victories and third place in the Class 3A tournament. The Shamrocks lost to Brother Rice in the semifinals, then came back to rout Chatham Glenwood for third place.

“It was probably the most proud I have ever been of any team I have coached, to come back and win third place after losing 24 hours earlier,” he said.

Twelve players return from that 29-8 squad, including starter RJ McPartlin. The Shamrocks will begin their quest for a return trip to Champaign on Monday, November 24, against Chicago Public League power Dyett, the defending Class 2A champion.

“This team knows how to win basketball games,” Bailey said. “It expects to win. They are very motivated to get back Downstate.”

The road back to Champaign won’t be easy. It became more difficult when the Illinois High School Association placed St. Patrick in Class 4A with defending champion Benet and neighborhood rival DePaul Prep, last year’s Class 3A champion, which also has been moved up into Class 4A tournament. St. Patrick might have to beat both schools to reach the championship game.

Meanwhile, Bailey has been proud to follow in Kurland’s footsteps. Kurland built the Shamrocks into one of the state’s most successful programs at St. Patrick playing his signature 1-3-1 zone defense. St Pat's always fell short in conference play, finishing second to coach Gene Pingatore’s St. Joseph teams. The one thing that Kurland couldn’t do was advance to the state quarterfinals and gain ticket play to at Assembly Hall in Champaign. Kurland retired in 1994 after losing to Lyons Township in the York sectional championship.

“It was an honor to be chosen to replace Max Kurland at St. Patrick,” Bailey said. “Max was very nice to me when I came to St. Patrick. I didn’t replace him. I followed him.”

Bailey has a different philosophy playing strictly man-to-man defense.

“Max Kurland was one of the greatest guys in the coaching profession. He had a heart of gold,” Harrington said.

Bailey, a graduate of Gordon and DePaul University, joined Weber in 1979 as Harrington’s sophomore coach. He was head coach at St. Gregory in 1984-1986, then head coach at Dundee-Crown in 1986-1990. Then he went to Elgin to assist Harrington in 1990-94. In 1992, when Steve Pappas left Gordon to become head coach at Deerfield, Bailey applied for the job.  Rich Kolimas was hired to replace Pappas. When Kurland retired in 1994, he brought his expertise to St. Patrick.

After losing four times in the supersectional round before finishing third in the Class 3A tournament last season, marking the first time that the Shamrocks have qualified for the Final Four. The achievement isn’t lost on Bailey or his staff. Why retire when you still have goals to accomplish?

“It means the world to advance to the state finals for the first time in school history,” he said.

Basketball is a family affair in the Bailey household. Mike’s daughter Kelly is the official scorer for the Chicago Bulls while son Brandon is an assistant coach for DePaul’s men’s basketball team after spending time with the Boston Celtics in the NBA.

After the upcoming Thanksgiving tournament, St. Patrick will open its regular conference season in a televised matchup against Notre Dame of Niles. This is the last season of the ESCC in basketball. The Chicago Catholic League has merged with the East Suburban Catholic. Next season, St. Patrick will join Marist, Benet, DePaul Prep, St. Ignatius, Mount Carmel, Loyola, Brother Rice and Fenwick in a new and very competitive conference featuring three divisions.

Mike Bailey can’t wait to be a part of it.

Cary Grove Ends St. Patrick's Season in State Playoffs

SPORTS SPOTLIGHT BY JOHN MONTGOMERY

               

It all amounted to shattered dreams for the Shamrocks.

Cary Grove ended St. Patrick’s season on Saturday night in the second round of the Class 5A football playoff with a rousing 55-21 victory at Triton College. It wasn’t as close as they score indicates. Cary Grove built a 48-0 halftime lead and coasted.

“Cary Grove played well today,” St. Patrick coach Tom Zbikowski said, stating the obvious. “They were the better team with great coaching. They outcoached me. They have a great program. They have been doing well for a long time.”

St. Patrick, which finished 6-5, knew it was going to be a major challenge to face Cary Grove’s dynamic triple option offense. Led by sophomore quarterback Jackson Berndt, the Trojans didn’t attempt a pass and rushed for 475 yards and eight touchdowns while punting only once.

“We played really well as a team and all 11 guys did their job,” said Berndt, whose 9-2 team will meet Belvidere North (11-0) in the quarterfinals.

If this was a boxing match, it would have been called off in the first quarter. Cary Grove built an early 27-0 lead as Berndt scored on runs of 44 and 70 yards. He finished with five carries for 128 yards.

“They punched us in the mouth in the first quarter,” St. Patrick running back Anthony Catron said. “They are a great team. They are a great program.”

“I knew they would start fast and we would have to make adjustments,” Zbikowski said. “Unfortunately, they made more plays today.”

Leon Zavala, a freshman, made life more difficult for St. Patrick by scoring twice on runs of 66 yards in the second quarter. The Trojans, who have been averaging 37 points per game, also got a solid performance from senior running back Logan Abrams, who scored once and carried seven times for 71 yards.

Cary Grove has emerged as one of the state’s most successful high school football programs. The Trojans have won three state championships and qualified for the state final on six occasions.

So what about St. Patrick who was 2-7 in 2024?

Quarterback Gavin Gardiner had a difficult time as he was intercepted twice in the first quarter and once in the second quarter. He finished with 18 completions in 28 attempts for 132 yards and two touchdowns, both in the fourth quarter. He completed his junior season with over 2,000 yards and 16 touchdowns passing. Certainly, something to build on.

“He is going to learn from this experience,” Zbikowski said. “This is his first year playing on the varsity. You can’t beat experience. He knows now what it is like to play in the state playoff.”

Meanwhile, Catron, St. Patrick’s leading ball-carrier, was limited to only 43 yards on 23 carries by a Cary Grove defense that was led by Abrams, also a standout at linebacker.

So what’s ahead in 2026? St. Patrick’s freshman team won four games while the sophomores won five. Gardiner appears to have a bright future at quarterback but Zbikowski will have to find a new supporting cast with 35 seniors leaving the program.

“I had no expectations for this team,” the first-year head coach said. “There is no point in having expectations. It is not about wins and losses as long as they buy into your philosophy. My kids never quit. They kept fighting. It’s all about the process for me.”

Zbikowski will try to build a winning and successful program in the Chicago Catholic League, considered by many observers as one of the toughest leagues in the state.

St. Patrick Wins Playoff Opener 49-28 over Wauconda

SPORTS SPOTLIGHT BY JOHN MONTGOMERY 

 

When St Patrick quarterback Gavin Gardiner is on top of his game the Shamrocks are hard to beat. Gardiner who had 11 touchdown tosses in his junior season, added three touchdown passes to help his team overcome a wild first half in the Class 5A playoff opener at Wauconda (9-1). The Shamrocks eventually prevailed 49-28 after a wild day in Wauconda after leading 35-21 at halftime after game was tied at 14.

Gardiner might have played his best game completing 16 of 19 passes for 229 yards in the first 24 minutes and finished the contest with 25 completions for 274 yards.

"Gavin can be the best player in the state this year," Anthony Catron stated earlier this season.

"Anthony is an amazing player," Gardiner said on his talented teammate. "He runs so hard.

Anthony Catron, who was named section player of the year in CCL Purple, had another solid performance with 140 yards rushing and two touchdowns.

This dynamic duo for Shamrocks has now combined for 25 touchdowns this season. The Shamrocks went 2-7 last season as Catron broke his leg.

"Wauconda is a tough team," St Patrick first year head coach Tom Zbikowski said after the win. "They played hard. They didn't quit."

Gardiner is blessed with talented group of receivers. Seven different players caught passes. His favorite target this season has been Tim Schayer. Schayer, who has caught 52 passes this season, had 14 catches for 185 yards with two trips into the end zone.

St. Patrick put the unbeaten home team away in fourth quarter by scoring on a 17-yard run by Catron and interception return for touchdown by Kevin Michaelsen.

The Shamrocks amassed 465 yards while allowing 384 yards but forced four turnovers.

Tom Zbikowski was named Coach of the Year as eight players were chosen all section for helping lead the Shamrocks to the division championship while center Eli Valencia was named the best lineman.

St. Patrick will now turn its attention to Saturday night showdown at Triton College against three-time state football champion Cary Grove [8-2] who has one of the best running games averaging 37 points per game.

DePaul Prep Defeats Benet 35-6

[Preview of this week’s article in the Inside—Booster]

By Jack Lydon

The DePaul Prep Rams defeated Benet Academy 35-6 Friday evening at DePaul Prep. The Rams (3-6, 2-1) finished their post-state championship season on a high note with the convincing win over CCL/ESCC Purple opponent and budding rival, Benet Academy from Lisle, Illinois.

The lopsided final score obscures what was a defensive struggle for almost all of the first half. The Rams broke the scoreless tie with only 1:16 left in the first half.

“We talked on the sideline. We had been hitting a lot of bubble [screen passes] . . .. So we ran a fake bubble and hit [senior wide receiver] Connor [Barefield] a seam route,” said Rams junior quarterback Jackson Grabinski.

“Jackson did a great job. If he didn't put that sip on the pass, Connor was gonna get lit up. But he put the ball right on the money,” DePaul Prep head coach Mike Passarella said of Grabinski’s touchdown pass to Barefield.

The Rams added a two-point conversion on a pass to junior defensive end Hunter Wahtola to make the score 8-0 at the half. The Rams were two for two on two-point conversions on the season.

That was as close as Benet would get. It was all Rams in the second half.

“We were able to just kind of muscle them up front. So we controlled the run game quite a bit,” said Passarella. The Rams would add four touchdowns giving up a score late in the fourth after the second teams for both teams had come in.

The Rams final two touchdowns of the season were poignant. Two close friends seniors Matt Osterman and Luke Flom each scored. Osterman, a gifted wide receiver who will play college football, got as wide open as this reporter has ever seen on a deep post route. The ball took what seems like a hour to come down in stride to Osterman who gathered it in and continued to the endzone for touchdown late in the third quarter.

“It was hard work and dedication in the off season, crisping up routes and a good quarterback to throw the ball,” said Osterman, downplaying a great route, catch and run for a score—a highlight to put an end to his high school career.

The touchdown by Luke Flom was also a career highlight. Coming not long after Osterman’s masterpiece, senior linebacker/safety and all-around defensive contributor, Luke Flom went into the game on offense as halfback.

“I played running back freshman and sophomore years. I told coach, ‘come on, let me get in there.’ He let me do it. I scored on the first play, so it was fun,” Flom said.

Even so, Flom was emotional after the game.

“I have always loved it here. These boys are all my boys and I'm gonna miss this,” Flom said.

“It was rough start to the season. The first couple plays in the first game, I dislocated my finger. I was out two weeks. I came back and got a concussion. Really bumpy season, but I think we ended on a good note,” Flom said with a hint of satisfaction.

Despite the 3-6 record and missing the playoffs, Passarella was upbeat about the Rams future.

 “There's a very, very bright future. We’ve been comfortable bringing up sophomores to play on varsity. So we're excited for that. We're going to have some additional depth next year,” Passarella said.

Another fun fact about next season is that DePaul Prep will play immediate neighbor Lane Tech in football in the second week for at least the next two years, reprising the neighborhood rivalry from the old days of the Gordon Tech v. Lane Tech games dating back decades. Should be fun.

Catron Leads Shamrocks Past Rams

SPORTS SPOTLIGHT BY JOHN MONTGOMERY

In a projected duel between two young and talented quarterbacks, the brightest star was senior running back Anthony Catron. He rushed 29 times for 241 yards and two touchdowns leading St. Patrick (3-1) past neighborhood rival DePaul Prep 31-28 in the Chicago Catholic League Purple Division opener for both teams.

Catron battered the Rams’ defense but he was bruised himself, suffering a leg injury in the fourth quarter. He was standing on the sideline when teammate Jayden Miranda scored the game-winning touchdown with 44 seconds to play.

“I am fine,” Catron said after the game. “How can I be frustrated? We won the game.”

Miranda has also played well scoring five touchdowns this season on only 31 carries.

“Our kids have heart and they are tough,” St. Patrick coach Tom Zbikowski said after the emotional victory over the defending Class 4A champion. “I am almost speechless.”

DePaul Prep coach Mike Passarella wasn’t speechless. 

“We need to learn how to finish games,” he said.

The atmosphere was electric at Triton College in River Grove. St. Patrick was celebrating homecoming.

The Shamrocks are three victories from qualifying for the state playoff for only the second time in 12 years. The game was physical and intense with 20 penalties being meted out by the officiating crew.

The Shamrocks overcame 10 penalties by amassing 503 yards in total offense while allowing 387. They rushed for 321 yards while junior quarterback Gavin Gardiner, who passed for five touchdowns in the first three games, completed 15 of 26 passes for 182 yards. They punted only three times and stopped DePaul Prep on three possessions in the fourth quarter.

“Anthony (Catron) and Jayden (Miranda) played awesome,” Gardiner said. “Our offensive line played well. They did their job. They had very few missed assignments.”

What a difference a year makes. In 2024, St. Patrick was 2-7 without Catron, who suffered a broken leg. He watched from the sideline as DePaul crushed the Shamrocks 41-0 and went on to post an 11-3 record while winning a state championship in Class 4A.

In this matchup, DePaul junior quarterback Jackson Grabinski opened eyes. After misfiring on his first four passing attempts, he went on to complete 12 of his next 18 for 252 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown toss to Tyson Hicks. A sophomore, Hicks also demonstrated he could be a future star by catching eight passes for 135 yards and rushing for 40 yards.

“I thought Jackson did a great job tonight,” Passarella said. “The kid is really special.”

Meanwhile, Catron praised his own quarterback.

“I think (Gavin) can be All-State this year,” he said. “He is a great player. He is a great leader.”

Ultimately, DePaul Prep couldn’t stop Catron. He negotiated an interesting path to his big night. After missing most of last season with a broken leg, he had only 22 carries in St. Patrick’s first three games while Gardiner threw 65 passes. Catron powered for 144 yards in the first half against DePaul Prep while Gardiner completed 10 passes for 105 yards. Despite the heroics, however, St. Patrick trailed 21-14 at halftime.

“We weren’t frustrated,” Gardiner said. “We knew what we were going to do. We knew with our offensive line we could move the ball against that defense.”

A quarterback’s best friend is a good running game and a solid offensive line. In the second half, St. Patrick proved it. In four games, the Shamrocks haven’t allowed a sack while rushing for 603 yards, thanks to the solid play of senior linemen Joe Chase, Eli Valencia and Connor Malenok.

“We believe in our offensive line,” Zbikowski said. “We believe in our running game.”

“It (stunk) being hurt last year,” said Catron, who played in only two games. “It is amazing to be playing again. It’s the greatest feeling in the world.”

After being denied twice inside the 10-yard-line and Gardiner throwing his second interception of the season, St. Patrick trailed 28-21 at the outset of the fourth quarter. Miranda scored his fifth touchdown of the season on an eight-yard run with 44 seconds remaining to put the Shamrocks ahead. Grabinski drove the Rams 49 yards to give Emmett McCue a chance to tie but he missed a 31-yard field goal attempt with two seconds to play.

Things won’t get any easier for either team. St. Patrick will play at unbeaten and third-ranked Brother Rice (4-0) on Friday night while DePaul Prep (1-3) has a date against defending Class 8A champion Loyola(2-1).

Catron remains optimistic. “We want to make the state playoffs this year. Our main goal is to win the state championship,” he said.