Lane Tech Drops Lincoln Park 26-0

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

By Jack Lydon

Lane Tech is on a streak winning four games in a row after a three-game skid. It was Lincoln Park’s turn to face the Champions Friday evening at Lane Stadium, and actually a Lincoln Park home game. The sidelines and fan seating sections were reversed. The Lane sideline, as well as the seating for the fans and the bands was on the western side. Lincoln Park, its fans and band were on the east side.

It didn’t make much difference. The Champions in their white road uniforms did what they set out to do winning the game 26-0.

“We saw what [defensive backs] we were going against. We saw matchups we liked. We have 6’5”, 6’4” receivers, so just given that [we liked the] 50/50 ball. Air it out there and see what they can do. We practice that a lot,” said Lane senior quarterback Blake Perkins.

The game started a little slow. Multiple personal fouls on both teams held down the scoring until late well into the second quarter. Despite concentration on throwing the ball, Lane QB Perkins scored on a one yard-keeper midway through the second quarter making the score 9-0 after a blocked extra point attempt.

The Champions dominated the first half. A long drive at the end of the half culminated in a “go route” up the right sideline with 39 seconds left.

“We saw that #7 [Lincoln Park free safety Carson Greco] was playing back, so we thought we got to just throw it up there. We’ve got to head tap him. I just ran up the sideline. Went up there and got the ball. Touchdown. That was it,” said Lane junior wide receiver Aiden Andrich.

16-0 at the half but the seemed like a lot more. The game never felt in doubt. A couple of early interceptions by the Champions in the second half cemented that feeling. Lane added a second field goal be senior kicker Atticus Whitted.

With time ticking down and the Champions running out the clock at that end of fourth, #72, Kanye Williams reported to the referee and a line up at tail back in the offense backfield. Williams took a couple of handoffs and managed to get in the end zone for a touchdown with the help of his fellow offensive lineman.

“That was my first one,” said senior offensive and defensive lineman Kanye Williams, referring to the touchdown.

“Like last year, we tried to just give it to the seniors. This is my last year. We tried to just get me one. Whoever is next up. They gonna get one. It’s just a tradition,” said senior offensive and defensive lineman Kanye Williams.

“Especially in their senior years, we try to get our big guys in the end zone. Let them have a little fun. It always gets the team hyped,” said Coach Conley.

When reminded that Chicago Bears legendary defensive tackle, William “Refrigerator” Perry, also wore number 72, Conley said, “I didn’t even put that together. Kanye picked that number his sophomore year. [Now he is] Kanye “Refrigerator” Williams.”

With five wins and three losses, Lane will be in the new IHSA playoff format. The Champions week nine opponent has yet to be determined. The Chicago Public League will assign an opponent to the Champions for the regular season finale to be played next Saturday at 1:00 p.m.

Lane Earns Berth in State Football Playoffs

SPORTS SPOTLIGHT BY JOHN MONTGOMERY

Lane, you are the champions.

Lane is one of few high schools that can actually say “We Are The Champions,” in reference to the now famous 1977 song by the rock group Queen that is often played after a sports team wins a championship. Lane’s nickname was “School of Champions” with good reason as the North Side school at Western and Addison has won over 500 city championships and 16 state titles since its founding in 1908.

In the Chicago Public League, Lane has been dominant in football, baseball and swimming. Today, it is a contender in a variety of varsity sports.

For many years, the school was known as the Indians. The statue of a symbolic Indian has stood in the school’s courtyard since 1947.

“We are a true College Prep School,” athletic director Brent Bradish told me recently. “Being the athletic director at Lane is an opportunity to work at a great school.”

Unfortunately, despite its distinguished academic and athletic reputation, which reminds many people of Northwestern in the Big Ten, there were some critics, especially Native American groups and former students, who were upset with the school’s nickname and mascot. There also were some students and alumni who weren’t offended and thought the issue was overblown. It all came to a head in 2020 and 2021 with a series of protests.

As in the cases of the Cleveland Indians and the Washington Redskins, the Lane administration bowed to public pressure and voted to change the school’s nickname to Champions. Other nominees were Owl, Bison and Lightning. But Champions at the School of Champions prevailed.

In 2021, current principal Edwina Thompson summarized the issue with this public statement: “Our stakeholders have decided to stand with our name Lane Tech but continue our tradition on being School of Champions by selecting Champions as our symbol of honor.”

“We didn’t just change the nickname,” said Bradish, who grew up in the Chicago suburbs and attended Rolling Meadows High School. “It was a rebranding. The response to the new nickname has been positive.”

First-year football coach Deshon Conley agrees. “The nickname Indians was the nickname (five years ago) and I didn’t get involved with the controversy. I am just the football coach. The new nickname is appropriate. We have been called the School of Champions for years,” he said.

The first great student-athlete at Lane was three-sport star Fritz Pollard, who now is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and was the first black head coach in the NFL. Lane Stadium, one of the jewels of the Chicago Public League, has been renamed Pollard Field. Other standouts who attended Lane were Olympic gold-medal swimmer Johnny Weissmuller, the first Tarzan of the movies, former Chicago Cubs star and manager Phil Cavarretta and lineman Laken Tomlinson of the Houston Texans of the NFL.

During the 2024-25 school year, Lane thrived by winning 12 Public League varsity championships while advancing to the state finals in four sports. In Class 4A, Lane finished in the top four in boys soccer, boys swimming, boys volleyball and girls soccer. Both soccer teams lost in the state championship game.

One of the many jobs of an athletic director is to hire and fire coaches. Bradish may have scored a touchdown by promoting Conley, who was Lane’s defensive coordinator for the last four years. Conley responded by guiding Lane to the state playoff for the 29th time, more than any other Public League school. The Champions (6-1) punched a ticket for this year’s Class 8A playoff by beating Phillips 13-0 last Friday at Gately Stadium. Quite a comeback from last year’s 3-6 finish.

“I didn’t come into this season with any expectations,” Conley said. “Last year, we came in with great expectations and finished 3-6. And we had some great football players.”

This year’s squad features some great players. The offense is led by running back and two-way standout Vernon Cole, who has scored 10 touchdowns and has emerged as one of the leading players in the Public League. The defense, which has allowed only 38 points while posting four shutouts, is led by 5-11, 260-pound junior tackle Kanye Williams, junior linebacker Aiden Boywid, senior end Greg Howard and junior safety Clay Taylor.

“We have had some great turnouts at home games,” Bradish said. “It was great to start 4-0. We had a wide list of candidates (for the head coaching job). Deshon has been here as an assistant coach for four years .He has a great relationship with the kids.”

Lane, whose only setback was a 16-13 decision to Payton(6-1) will close its regular season with back-to-back home games against Westinghouse and King. Pairings for the state playoff will be announced on Saturday night October 25.

“We have won the most championships in football (in Public League history) and we have won the most championships in baseball,” Conley said. “Hopefully I can win a (Public League) championship .”

Like Champions from the past at Lane and add another championship banner.

Lane Tech defensive line. (Photo credit: Jack Lydon.)