Taft Stuns Von Steuben 52-50

The Von Steuben Panthers (7-7, 4-1) hosted rival Taft Eagles (13-5, 4-1) at Northeastern Illinois University for an important game between leaders of the CPS White North Division.

Taft lead the game for only 3.2 seconds. But when those are the last 3.2 seconds, well that’s the important part.

The Eagles tied the game at 50 with 58 seconds to play. The Panthers brought the ball up and were content to run down the clock and take a last shot.

With thirteen seconds on the clock, Panther point guard Sr. Jerry Karr drove the right side of lane. Taft guard Alexei Vlahos tipped a pass. Taft’s Dexter Stigall grabbed the deflection and raced up court for a layup to give Taft its first lead of the game. He missed.

Trailing the play was Taft’s senior guard Matt Leach who in one motion, rebounded the ball and dropped it in the hoop giving Taft its first lead of the game with 3.2 to play.

Stunned, Von Steuben didn’t call time out. They inbounded the ball for a full court last shot. It missed. Taft had pulled off the unlikely comeback after not playing defense or shooting well throughout the preceding thirty minutes.

Taft 52, Von Steuben 50.

The White-North now sits in a four-way tie at the top between Taft, Schurz, Von Steuben and Mather.

Curie Defeats Bogan 69-66

Last year’s 4A third place finisher #1 ranked Curie Condors (13-1, 4-0) hosted last year’s 3A runner-up #4 Bogan Bengals (14-2, 4-1) in a showdown of the current top teams in the CPS Red-South Central Division. The Condors came into the game hot off their victory at the Pontiac Holiday Tournament with a 3-0 conference and a 12-1 overall record. Bogan was hot too, and confident. I am not sure I have seen a team with such swagger as Bogan.

Bogan showed up for their 5:00 p.m. game at 4:56. When I pointed this out to someone at the game, he said, “You must not get to too many Public League games.” Well, now that I think about it, a lot of the games do start late. I must not have I noticed because I am rarely early myself.  

The first quarter was tight with neither team seeming like it could get in any rhythm. In the second quarter, Curie took control going on an 21 to 9 run and took a 39-30 lead into the locker room.

In the third, Curie charged back despite Raheen Hinton’s cold shooting. Elijah Pickens and Saiveon Williams came through for the Condors with clutch defense and inside points done the stretch. The Bengals did not help themselves with missed free throws late in the third quarter which would come back to haunt them.

The officials called a lot of fouls in this game. It seemed like every player on the floor was playing with four fouls at the end. Both coaches were going crazy over the foul calls. I don’t think the problem was the lack of fouls but the lateness of the whistles.

But that is just me. I am not really watching the refs through my camera lens. Neither am I in any position to criticize the refs. It’s a very tough job. (I officiated a parents v. grade school kids game years ago. Even that was hard. I took a lot of grief—in a kids v. parents game. Can one imagine a CPS game between top teams? No thanks.) 

Curie held off furious charges by Bogan throughout the fourth quarter. The Condors stayed just out of reach and closed with a 69-66 victory to take the lead in the Red-South Central Division.

Still plenty of basketball to play including the City Championship. Looking forward to it.

As for the photos, I like the Curie gym. It was my first trip there. There is not a great deal of light but it is better than most and has good color. I boosted the ISO higher than I would like but the photos looked okay. I hope you like them.

DePaul Prep Handles Ridgewood 74-41

The second half of the 2019-2020 high school basketball season began Monday evening with the DePaul Prep Rams hosting the Ridgewood High School Rebels. The Rams defeated the Rebels 74-41. The Rebels were frankly just out-manned by the #11 ranked DePaul squad. The early first quarter pressure helped the Rams jump out the an early lead. The eventual outcome never seemed in doubt.

DePaul moved to 13-2 overall and 5-0 in the Chicago Catholic League Blue. It is a busy week for the Rams. The St. Rita Mustangs come to the Tom Winiecki Gym on Friday and the Steve Pappas Shootout is Saturday with the Rams facing Deerfield at 7:30 p.m. Don’t forget to set your DVR's to record the game which will be televised on WCIU. After you come out and see the Rams victory over Deerfield, you can go home an rewatch it.

Best of 2019

The photos in this gallery are my “Best of 2019” which actually means they are my favorite photos of 2019. No one told me they were my best. I don’t not necessarily mean these photos are exceptional, or even good for that matter, just that I like them. I hope you have enjoyed my photos through the year. I have enjoyed taking them.

DePaul Prep Season So Far, What's Next?

Ten games into the 2019-2020 season so far and the DePaul Prep Rams sport an impressive 9-1 overall record and 5-0 in the Chicago Catholic League. The Rams only loss was to #3 ranked Notre Dame. At this point last year, the Rams had an identical record with their only loss being to Benet Academy.

On the eve of the second phase of the season, the Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic, the Rams record is not entirely unexpected given the schedule so far. But I am particularly impressed with how the Rams have won. They have not played like a young team making a lot of mistakes. They rarely trail in games. They just go about their business and methodically take down opponents. Not flashy. Not frantic. Businesslike, steady and determined.

Tyler Johnson has stepped up as the team’s main scorer. And score he does. I don’t have exact stats (which is a weakness of this report but I can’t take photos and keep stats). Tyler must be averaging over 20 points a game. Lance Mosley is solid as a rock in terms of points, defense and rebounds. His three point shooting propelled the Rams to victory against Leo on Friday.

Rasheed Bello has impressed as well. I didn’t get to sophomore games last year. I heard he was good and that the coaches were very high on him, but I hadn’t seen him. I have seen him now. There was a moment in the Providence game early in the third quarter when the Rams were in the midst of a 22-0 run, with the game well in hand and the Rams in no real danger of losing, when I saw Rasheed Bello take off done the court trying to get back on defense as if his life depended on it. He was playing as hard as he could with the game well in hand—extra effort that one might expect at the end of an important game, late in the season.

I ought not have started writing about individual players. I don’t have the ink to write about every player. My leaving out the others is no reflection on them. It’s more of a reflection of the amateurishness of this blog. But I will say that the whole team shows a maturity that belies its tender years. 

Looking ahead to the upcoming phases, we have the Christmas tournament, the CCL schedule and then the 3A playoffs. I know I shouldn’t get ahead of myself, but that is what I do here. I indulge in the foolish luxury of playing out the season in my head and examining the possibilities.

The Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic is a good tournament. It’s well run and spectator friendly. (There is no media room with tables to work at but that’s a problem for only a few geeks like me—but a problem nonetheless that ought to be addressed!) The field is large with a couple ranked teams, DePaul, Marian Catholic, Stevenson. St. Rita, also. The Rams have made it into the final four of the tournament that last couple years, falling to eventual champion St. Rita in the semi-final in 2017 and Marian Catholic last year.

Joe Henricksen just published his holiday tournament preview basically suggesting anyone of the ranked teams, Stevenson, Marian Catholic or DePaul Prep could win. He also wrote some complimentary words about Tyler Johnson. The HCHC will be another test for the Rams.
As the bracket lines up, the Rams face Richards tomorrow night, then probably home team Hinsdale Central or Westinghouse on Thursday evening. If they get past those teams, they will have #8 ranked Marian Catholic (7-2, 1-1) on Friday night at 8:30. That will be tough. I saw Notre Dame handle Marian Catholic. Given they way the Rams played Notre Dame, I don’t see any reason to be too afraid of Marian Catholic. Get past Marian and you’re looking at #18 Stevenson or #9 Homewood-Flossmoor. Definitely doable but quite a feat if done.

Then the bulk of the season comes after the tournaments. Fourteen games in January and February including tough non-conference games against Deerfield, Peoria Manual and Benet. At the end, come the all-import Chicago Catholic League deciding games against Fenwick, Loyola and St. Ignatius. I have to think there will be a couple upsets in conference play and the top teams will come into the final games with at least one loss each leaving the head-to-head matchups to decide the League champ. It seems to always come down to beating Loyola, Fenwick and St. Ignatius. Achieving an accomplishment like winning the Catholic League is hard. Winning the Catholic League has been the goal of the season to me. When I was a kid I remember my dad talking this his school, St. Phillip, now long closed, playing in the Catholic League. It meant something him even as an old man. I have written it before and I will write it again, “First things first; win the Catholic League.”

I am not going to preview the playoffs with two thirds of the season to play. That day will come. And sooner than I would like. Only seventy-three days left in the season. Enjoy them while they last.

And as always, Go Rams.  

DePaul Prep Defeats Leo 71-54

The DePaul Prep Rams traveled to Leo to take on the Lions in a Chicago Catholic League Blue crossover game. It was a tight game until the third quarter when the Rams went on a run and ended up with the Rams winning 71-54.

Team Rose Shootout 2019

It was a busy weekend of basketball. Whitney Young v. Lincoln Park and DePaul Prep v. Providence on Friday night. Then the Team Rose Shootout on Saturday and Sunday.

I love the Team Rose Shootout. It has a real gym-rat feel. The Chicago Elite Classic is fancy. Wintrust has fabulous light. But for pure basketball pleasure, the Team Rose Shootout is it. So many knowledgeable people to talk to. So many good players and good teams. Had some blowouts but all well played games.

Of the 900 games (14 actually), I got to see six. I really wanted to see Bloom and Orr, neither of whom I had not seen yet this year. Bloom is something—big and athletic. Well deserving of their #1 status. Orr looked really good. Evanston was just too good for the Spartans. The Wildkits handled Orr’s pressure. Not many others could. Orr will be there for the CPS championships.

I got to see Leo in advance of the Friday’s Chicago Catholic League game against DePaul Prep. And St. Laurence too. I like to see as many Chicago Catholic League teams as I can. I still haven’t seen Fenwick. It will be strange to see St. Joe’s without Gene Pingatore.

Notre Dame amazed me with a huge win over an extremely talented Bogan Begals squad. I still don’t know how they did that. Troy D’Amico played two positions at once. He was bringing the ball over the time line and then passing it to himself under the basket to score.

Okay, I know everybody contributed—Louis Lesmond, Jason Bergstrom, Jimmy Murphy, Frank Lynch and Mac Ross all made it happen without Anthony Sayles.

And the inspired coaching from Kevin Clancy and Shay Boyle. They had the Dons ready and did not fold under the intense pressure from Bogan. It was an interesting move to put D’Amico at point guard after the rash of turnovers. And the murderer’s row schedule too. As a St. Viator grad, I am not one to say nice things about the Notre Dame Dons if I can help it. But I have to take my St. Viator baseball cap off to them. It was very gutsy to put this schedule together and even more impressive to go out and back it up with high quality wins.

I couldn’t speed a lot of time there on Saturday so I missed OPRF and Stevenson. I will get to see Stevenson at the Hinsdale Holiday Classic coming up.

Michael O’Brien wrote in the paper today (or maybe it was Twitter) that the season is one quarter over. It seems like it just started to me. It has been very enjoyable so far.

Well, on to the Christmas tournaments.

Photos from:

Tinley Park v. Schaumburg

Bloom v. St. Laurence

Leo v. Kenwood

Notre Dame v. Bogan

Orr v. Evanston

Whitney Young Hold Off Lincoln Park 56-50

The #5 Whitney Young Dolphins (3-1, 3-0) holds off #10 Lincoln Park (7-1, 3-0) 56-50 in the the painfully loud gym at Lincoln Park on Friday afternoon (December 13, 2019).

DePaul Prep Throttles Providence 59-22

The #19 DePaul Prep Rams (6-1, 3-0) dispatched Providence Catholic 59-22 Friday evening (December 13, 2019). A 22-0 run by the Rams over the second and third quarters did in the Celtics (4-4, 0-3). The Rams defense and poor shooting by the Celtics made for the lopsided score.

The Rams face Leo next Friday at Leo before the Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic starts up the week of Christmas.

Notre Dame Grabs Early Advantage in ESCC with 48-36 Victory over Marian Catholic

The #11 Notre Dame Dons (7-1, 1-0) grabbed an early lead in the East Suburban Catholic Conference with an impressive 48-36 victory over #7 Marian Catholic (5-2, 1-1) in Niles on Tuesday evening (December 10, 2019). Both Notre Dame and Marian Catholic are considered top contenders to win the ESCC.

Making it even more impressive was doing it without star point guard junior Anthony Sayles. The Dons bounced back from a frustrating defeat at the hands of #4 Evanston on Friday in the Chicago Elite Classic. The maddeningly difficult schedule for the Don continues Friday when they take on Loyola at Loyola.

Lane Handles New Trier 57-47

The Lane Tech Indians pulled off an impressive victory over the New Trier Trevians 57-47 in their inaugural game at the Chicago Elite Classic.

It was my first game seeing Lane this year. The Elite Classic did not have rosters for the press so I don’t know the players. But it didn’t much matter. The Indians picked up right were they left off victory over a historic programs.

The pictures will have to do for this game. I was concentrating on the photos and not so much on the story.

I hope you like the photos.

Evanston Defeats Notre Dame 62-53 in Chicago Elite Classic

The #9 Evanston Wildkits (5-0) came into Friday night’s game at the 2019 Chicago Elite Classic against the #7 Notre Dame Dons (5-1) ready. The Wildkits have been in big games against good teams before. But this time, they were a little pissed off.

It was not a hot anger. The simmered. It seems like a Mike Ellis kind of anger—quiet, determined, deadly. They never jumped out to a big lead; they just held the Dons at bay throughout the game eventually winning 62-53. The Wildkits scored on their first possession and trailed by one for all of 24 seconds early in the first quarter. After that, it was a methodical take down.

Interestingly, the Wildkits slowed the tempo and showed patience moving the ball around the floor. I guess I was expecting the Kits to run against the bigger Dons. Maybe they wanted to but ND is too good to give up a ton of points in transition. The Wildkits only scored eight fast break points.

Evanston coach Mike Ellis had his team ready. “I thought these guys were so steady,” said Ellis after the game. “Notre Dame never went on a run.”   

But it was not as if the Notre Dame Dons were not ready. The Dons are a very talented team with any obvious weakness. The starting line-up of Louis Lesmond, Anthony Sayles, Troy D’Amico, Jason Bergstrom and Jimmy Murphy and Frank Lynch off the bench leaves little to be desired. The Dons are a clear contender for a state championship in 3A. Notre Dame third year head coach Kevin Clancy has taken the Dons to another level. (Interestingly, the Dons face great competition in the East Suburban Catholic League, but that’s a subject for another day.)

It just seemed that when the Dons would score, Evanston would answer.

There might have been a little more too it.

“That one was the first game I marked on the schedule,” said Evanston junior forward Blake Peters. “We haven’t gotten the press like other teams.”

The much-reported transfer of the French-born Notre Dame junior forward Louis Lesmond from Evanston to Notre Dame over the summer was definitely on the minds of the all concerned. I have to think that this served as part of the motivation for the Wildkits. After the game, Blake Peters downplayed his familiarity with Lesmond and his game, but it seemed quiet evident to me. Despite Lesmond leading the Dons with 15 points, Louis never took over the game like he did against DePaul Prep in the Battle of the Bridge championship game a week earlier.

 “They played harder than us,” said ND’s Anthony Sayles. “We weren’t as conditioned as them.” I am not buying it. Anthony Sayles was a little too hard on himself and his team after the game. I didn’t see signs of a lack of effort or signs of fatigue.

The Evanston shots fell. The Kits were determined and ready. ND played sound defense with tons of effort. Nevertheless, after a good defensive stand by ND, the Wildkits shots fell.

I am really looking forward to seeing more of these teams.

As for the photos, what can I say? The Wintrust Arena has the best light of any high school venue in the City—period. The best.

Frankly, I was not as focused on maximizing the light as much as I was on composing the pictures and telling a good story with the photos. It was pretty standard settings but I was able to drop the ISO pretty low because of the amount and quality of the white light.

I hope you like the photos.

Notre Dame Defeats DePaul Prep 65-60 to 2019 Win Battle of the Bridge

In the first big game of the year for Notre Dame and DePaul Prep, the Dons edged the Rams 65-60 to win the Battle of the Bridge Friday evening. A full house at DePaul’s Tom Winiecki Gym hosted this rematch from of last year’s semi-final.

The first half was mostly even. The Dons got out to small lead in the first quarter but gave up points in transition off missed shots. The Rams drew even at the end of the second quarter. It was tie at 24 at the half.

In the third quarter, Notre Dame’s shooting improved and the Dons opened an eight point lead. The Rams came charging back early in the fourth Quarter, but three consecutive three point shots extended the Don’s lead. The Rams could not make up the difference in the time allotted. Perhaps a playoff rematch in March is in our future.

The Dons are every bit as good as expected. Louis Lesmond shined scoring 22 points including a couple monster dunks. Sayles, D’Amico, Murphy and Bergstrom also played well. The Dons will win many games this year. Benet and Marian Catholic will have their hands full in the ESCC.

Four games into the 2019/2020 basketball season, I am not the least bit disappointed. Tom Kleinschmidt has his Rams prepared to play. They are quick and confident. Junior Tyler Johnson has stepped up as the leader and scorer. Lance Mosley is hitting threes and playing fabulous defense. Brian Matthews is manning the boards and scoring inside. Rasheed Bello is as good as advertised. Cam Lewis contributes in all phases. JD Shower is solid and a great contributor off the bench. The Rams move the ball around the floor almost too fast to follow. It’s going to be fun to watch these kid Rams.

DePaul Prep Drops Niles North 65-54

DePaul Prep defeated Niles North 65-54 on Wednesday to advance to face Notre Dame the championship game of the 2019 Battle of the Bridge tonight at 7:00 p.m., at DePaul’s Tom Winicki Gym.

This was an exciting game from the outset. The Rams jumped out to a 20-6 first quarter lead. The Rams got every single rebound offensive and defensive. Okay, maybe not every one but it sure seemed like it. They would get the rebound and dish it out quickly for easy points in transition. The Vikings could not hit a shot.

It was a tale of two halves. The Vikings came out from halftime down 35-18 but East Tennessee State commit Aquan Smart was determined to get his team back in the game. That he did. Smart scored 27 of this 30 points in the third quarter bring the Vikings almost all the way back. At a point early in the fourth quarter the Rams only had a 5 point lead.

It was not to be—a successful comeback. I cannot remember a Tom Kleinschmidt team blowing a big lead. They are just too well coached. The Rams made their layups and free throws at the end and keep their lead, winning 65-54.

The Rams advance to the second big test of the early season with the Battle of the Bridge championship game against #7 ranked Notre Dame coming up here in a couple hours.

The Notre Dame Dons are an excellent team. Troy D’Amico and Anthony Sales are a year older and stronger. And then, top area prospect junior Louis Lesmond transferred to Notre Dame from Evanston. Kevin Clancy and Shay Boyle have the Dons primed and ready to dominate the ESCC and make a deep run in the playoffs. Oh, and did I mention that they are in 3A year? The Dons are right there behind Morgan Park as favorites in 3A. I will get my first look at them this season tonight at 7:00 p.m., in the DePaul’s Tom Winicki Gym, come out and join us for a early season matchup between two top 3A teams.

DePaul Prep Handles Vocational 62-46 and Look Ahead

The DePaul Prep Rams defeated the Chicago Vocational Career Academy 64-46 in the Battle of the Bridge Thanksgiving Tournament.

The Rams jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. The Rams defense simply stifled the CVS’s scoring attempts and and turned around and scored layups in transition. It was 20 to 6 and at the end of the first quarter and 43 to 18 at the half.  Rams’ Jr. guard Tyler Johnson finished with eighteen points. Center Brian Matthews had 13. Brian is playing with confidence and he is scoring. Lance Mosley had seven points.

Last year I wrote a season preview so I thought I should again. I am a little late with the Rams having already played two games but I thought I might offer some thoughts anyway.

Last year I wrote, “The Rams are also seen by many observers as among the top teams in 3A with Morgan Park, Bogan, St. Viator and St. Rita. So the expectations are high for a deep run into the IHSA 3A playoffs.” The Rams did not disappoint. They won the Grayslake Sectional over a very good St. Viator team. The Super-sectional game never happened because of a fight in the sectional championship between Farragut and North Lawndale. After falling to Bogan in the 3A semi-final, the Rams won the 3A Third Place last March over Peoria Manual.

In the words of Joe Henricksen, “Under Tom Kleinschmidt, DePaul Prep has arrived as a full-fledged, legitimate basketball program in Illinois.” Last year’s success made believers of Joe Henricksen and the Sun-Times reporter Michael O’Brien. The Rams look to take the next step from upstart to perennial powerhouse.

A look ahead at this year’s schedule has some opportunities for the Rams to pile up wins. The Chicago Catholic League poses its usual problems, Fenwick, Loyola, St. Joseph. I don’t know what to expect out of Br. Rice and St. Laurence with their two stars graduated or transferred. I would say the Catholic League Blue is wide open and the Rams have as good a chance as anybody.

The second major tournament is the Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic. This will be the Rams third year in Hinsdale for Christmas week. Hinsdale has a number of ranked teams including Marian Catholic, Stevenson, Homewood-Flossmoor, Westinghouse and CCL rival St. Rita. The Rams could make a run at this title. It would be difficult and would require some good fortune but they could win.

The Second Annual Steve Pappas Shootout brings Deerfield to the Tom Winicki Gym. Deerfield is good but they are not Morgan Park. Personally, I think it was genius to bring in Morgan Park last year. It got last year’s team into a big game against a potential state tournament favorite. The narrow defeat gave the 2018/2019 Rams the confidence they needed for their deep playoff run.

This year’s St. Patrick Shootout will bring St. Viator. Even without St. Viator’s graduated stars, Hernandez and Calvin, my beloved Lions are more than just dangerous. Lions forward Connor Kochera is drawing rave reviews for his performances over the summer.

Non-conference games include Ridgewood, Peoria Manual, Benet and Mather (for senior night).

The 3A landscape is a little different this year. This is not your father’s 3A. Changing  enrollment classifications have dropped some traditional 4A schools into 3A. Among those schools moving from 4A to 3A are Notre Dame, Deerfield, Benet, Fenwick, Kenwood and Riverside-Brookfield. All these 4A playoff teams in 2018/2019 are in 3A this year. Throw in powerhouse teams like Morgan Park and Bogan and 3A is a whole new world.

So here we go:

1.         Battle of the Bridge

2.         CCL Part 1

3.         Hinsdale Christmas Tournament

4.         CCL Championship

5.         3A Playoffs

How does one eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

DePaul Prep Wins Opener Over Urban Prep--Bronzeville 74-32

The DePaul Prep Rams opened the 2019-2020 season this evening at the Tom Winicki Gym with a 74-32 victory over the Urban Prep—Bronzeville Lions.

The Rams struggled early in the first quarter but quickly started running the floor after Bronzeville turnovers ending in some easy layups for Ty Johnson. Lance Mosley added 4 three-pointers in the second quarter. DePaul Prep had a 41-21 lead at the half.

In the second half, DePaul coach Tom Kleinschmidt went deep into his bench. The Rams widened the lead holding the Lions to eleven points in the second half. The game finished with a 74-32 final score.

As I wrote in a tweet this morning, 111 days until the state championships. I never realized how short the season is. It will go by fast. So the first part of the season is the Lane/DePaul Prep Battle of the Bridge. The Rams will face Vocational, Niles North then probably Notre Dame. I hope to get out to St. Viator to see those Lions take on Evanston.

Marmion Defeats Amundsen 41-12 in 5A Playoff

CCL/ESCC White Division’s Marmion Academy (6-3) traveled to Chicago on Saturday (Nov. 2, 2019) to take on CPS Great Lakes Division’s Amundsen Vikings (7-1) in IHSA 5A playoff opener. Cadets scored on the opening play from scrimmage and never looked back. Marmion 41, Amundsen 12.

Despite the lopsided score in the playoff game, it was a successful 7-1 season for the Vikings and 5th year head coach Nick Olson. The Vikings under Coach Olson has been 19-9 since 2016.

The Marmion Cadets will face #2 seed 9-0 Rockford-Boylan on Saturday at Marmion.

Loyola Survives Maine South 14-6 in 8A Playoff Opener

For the second straight year, the Loyola Academy Ramblers traveled to Park Ridge to take on the Maine South Hawks in the IHSA 8A playoff opener. And like last year, the Ramblers defense throttled a very good Hawks offence holding them scoreless despite Maine South being able to move the ball down the field much of the game.

The first score the game came at the start of the fourth quarter when the Loyola running back plunged into the middle of the line for a short gain. It appeared to most, at least to those on the Loyola sideline where I was at the time, that the play was over, but there was no whistle. Maine West linebacker Liam Barry emerged from the scrum with the ball and raced into the endzone. The referee looked at the other officials for word that someone blew a whistle. Seeing none, he raised his arms signaling a touchdown and Maine South was on the board.

Maine South missed the extra point making the score 6-0.

After a Maine South fumble, the Ramblers QB JT Thomas to star wide receiver Matt Mangan. The PAT was good; Loyola lead 7-0.

The Ramblers added a touchdown with just over two minutes to play on a pass from Thomas to WR James Kyle making in 14-6. Maine South again moved the ball up the field but came up short.

Loyola advances to the second round and will face #2 Glenbard West in Wilmette next Saturday.

Nazareth Blanks Notre Dame 21-0

The Nazareth Roadrunners traveled to Niles Friday night (Oct. 18, 2019) and shut out the No. 8 Notre Dame Dons 21-0. I had to head out of town for the weekend so no story about the game. I should have gotten the photos up sooner. Sorry. Hope you like the photos.

Nazareth Comes Back to Defeat Marist 39-29

Less than three minutes into Friday’s night CCL/ESCC interdivision Blue/Orange matchup, Marist Redhawks jumped out to a 14-0 over #3 Nazareth Academy. A Marist punt return followed by a quick score, then a fumble return for a touchdown and the Roadrunners were down two scores.

Slowly, Nazareth clawed back. It was 14-13 at the half. In the third quarter, the Roadrunners added two more touchdowns. Marist added one as well. In the fourth, despite keeping a Marist drive alive on a personal foul which led to a Redhawk touchdown, the Roadrunners added still two more touchdowns and held the Redhawks. It was pretty much over midway through the fourth.

Nazareth looks as good as I have seen this year. Mount Carmel is close.

i hope you like the photos.