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.

St. Patrick's Edges DePaul Prep in Homecoming Thriller

By Jack Lydon

 

“We believe in our offensive line. We believe in our run game. That's the identity of our team. If we need to pass with the quarterback that can pass, but we love running,” said St. Patrick Shamrocks first year coach and former NFL player Tom Zbikowski.

That belief and that running game carried the Shamrocks to a 31-28 homecoming victory at Triton College Friday evening over conference rival and the defending IHSA 4A state football champion DePaul Prep Rams.

The environment at Triton football stadium was electric. The overflowing student section was loud. These two largely evenly matched teams battled back and forth driven by big plays and untimely penalties. The Rams jumped out to an early lead on an 81-yard catch and run by sophomore running back Tyson Hooks.

The Shamrocks answered on the next possession with at 6-yard touchdown run by Shamrocks’ senior running back Anthony Catron.

Midway through the third quarter, the game stopped after St. Patrick lined up for a game tying extra point. A Rams’ defensive lineman was carted off the field after the long 40-minute delay.

Late in the fourth quarter, one could feel the momentum change. The Shamrocks’ run game took charge after punishing the Rams all night long.  

With 2:47 remaining with the score 28-24, despite being stopped by the Rams on the previous drive, St. Patrick’s ground game offence moved that ball down to the 6-yard line. With 44 seconds remaining, Shamrock’s junior running back Jayden Miranda smashed his way up the middle for the winning touchdown.

“I don't think I could put it into words. How far they've come in one year, just from the wintertime,” Zbikowski said of his team after the game.

“The resiliency that they have and what they're willing to go through to win. I'm almost speechless.”

The Shamrocks are 3-1 on the young season and 1-0 in the Chicago Catholic League/East Suburban Catholic Conference’s Purple Division. The future looks bright for Zbikowski and his Shamrocks.

“One game at a time. It’s a good start,” Zbikowski added. “We’ve got to keep rolling. We got to keep getting better. We’ve got a long road to go.”

Some readers may remember Tom Zbikowski from his days as a star linebacker for the University of Notre Dame in the 2000s. He also had five seasons in the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens, Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears.

Zbikowski has bought into St. Pat’s and St. Pat’s has bought into Zbikowski.

“It’s a great school. It's a special place, the alumni, the people that go here. The people I was on the fire department with that went to St. Pat’s. It's a certain kind of certain kind of persons. It’s hard to explain it. They believe in themselves and they believe in the school.”

DePaul Prep’s coach Mike Passarella was not quite as exuberant as Zbikowski after the game for obvious reasons.

“Struggling right now; struggling in the finish,” said Passarella.

“Fourth quarter was kind of entire game. Not being able to put the ball in the end zone. Not being able to tackle and stop drives. I think this just shows our youthfulness right now.”

The Rams are coming off a state championship in the 4A class last year. Last year’s talented senior class were with Passarella all four years and put together a dream season after rallying from losing records before Passarella took over.

“You can tell we have moments but we can't finish right now. And that's a problem. When you have a lead then a couple of miss field goals, left six points and everything else. You have to finish the game. We just weren't able offensively with the same some stuff, and then it gives them the momentum. They score. A couple silly penalties. It's a lack of composure which shows our maturity and lack of the mental state and where things are at,” Passarella added.

Gardiner Leads Shamrocks Past Elgin Larkin

Sports Spotlight by John Montgomery

St. Patrick’s varsity football program has never won a state championship or a Prep Bowl. The Shamrocks qualified for the state playoff eight times under former coach Dan Galante. They have advanced to the quarterfinals only twice in school history.

Maybe that could change with the tandem of coach Tom Zbikowski and quarterback Gavin Gardiner.

Gardiner, a junior, was impressive on Saturday night at Triton College, completing 8 of 10 passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns to set a school single-game completion record in a 49-14 running-clock victory over Elgin Larkin.

“He’s going to be the best player in the state,” said Zbikowski after recording his first triumph as head coach.

“I believe in (Zbikowski) because he is a great leader,” Gardiner said. “He has taught me so many things. This is our first victory together. I am really excited for the future.”

Offensive coordinator and former St. Patrick quarterback Tom Barrett, who set school records by passing for 512 yards and six touchdowns in an epic 48-45 loss to Joliet Catholic in 2005, also echoed Zbikowski’s praise of Gardiner. “He is going to be a special quarterback,” Barrett said.

Zbikowski/Gardiner could be an unforgettable combination. The Bears certainly believe the football marriage between coach Ben Johnson and quarterback Caleb Williams will lead go success. Bill Belichick and Tom Brady won six Super Bowls. Sean Payton and Drew Brees won 161 games and a Super Bowl. And Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes have won 161 games and three Super Bowls and are still counting.

To say that St. Patrick was frustrated after losing its season opener at Yorkville 14-7 would be an understatement. Its offense failed to launch and score points. The Shamrocks amassed 310 yards while Gardiner passed for 210 in his varsity debut,but he was intercepted on the final play of the game.

Against Elgin Larkin, there were no problems with offensive execution. The Shamrocks scored seven touchdowns and didn’t have to punt the football.

“We were on point tonight,” Barrett said afterward.

Gardiner threw for two touchdowns and completed passes to five different receivers. The passing game set up the running attack, which accounted for five touchdowns. Jayden Miranda scored twice as St. Patrick ran for 150 yards on 17 attempts.

St. Patrick built a 28-0 lead in the first quarter. The Shamrocks opened with an impressive 75-yard drive as Gardiner completed three passes for 40 yards and Tim Schayer scored on a 17-yard run. Later, Gardiner threw a pass for a touchdown and Miranda scored on runs of 15 and 16 yards. Gardiner was 7-of-9 for 123 yards in the first half while the offensive line prevented him from being sacked and the defense intercepted three passes. Offensively, the Shamrocks finished with 312 yards.

Barrett continued to praise Gardiner’s performance. “He plays above his age. He works hard on his own. He makes my job calling plays easy,” Barrett said.

To prepare for the 2025 season, Gardiner spent his summer working on the passing game at Brooks Park.

“Our receivers are great,” he said. “They make it easy for me. They played awesome tonight.”

St. Patrick led 35-6 at halftime, then started the third quarter with a 25-yard touchdown pass from Gardiner to Schayer. Afterward, Zbikowski pulled his starters. The second unit, led by sophomore Kierre Wilson, drove 59 yards to account for the Shamrocks’ last touchdown, a six-yard run by Sean Bay, setting the stage for a running clock in the fourth quarter.

“Those kids work hard in practice and deserve to play,” Zbikowski said of his decision to give the reserves a considerable amount of playing time.

The schedule will get tougher as St. Patrick will face Chicago Catholic League rivals Leo, DePaul Prep, Brother Rice and Benet during the next four weeks.

Volleyball Outside in Football Stadium, DePaul Prep Defeats St. Ignatius

By Jack Lydon

 

DePaul Prep elevated girls’ volleyball and girls’ sports in general to a new level Saturday evening. The DePaul Prep Rams defeated the St. Ignatius Wolfpack in two sets under the lights in DePaul Prep’s football stadium before 1,500 fans.

There was an energy and excitement in the stands, on the field and on the court rarely experienced in high school sports.

In a thrilling back and forth rematch of last year’s sectional final, DePaul Prep defeated St. Ignatius in two sets, 27-25 and 30-28.

The Rams edged the Wolfpack in the first set 27-25. Well into the second set, DePaul had Ignatius on the ropes leading 19-13 swiftly moving toward winning the match. The Wolfpack steadily rallied running off six unanswered to even the score. No more than one point would separate the teams for the until the Rams managed a 30-28 victory.

“We took our foot off the pedal for sure. I think they allowed the moment to get the best of them. They felt the pressure of the end being so close and I think we got a little tense and a little stressed,” DePaul Prep’s head Caroline Gajzler said.

“I [told the team] we got this far, we know that we can beat them. We've been earning points the whole time. I just reminded them to take a deep breath and to simplify it. We were just trying to do too much at one time,” Gajzler continued.

“On paper, Ignatius probably should have taken the match. They had seventy-five percent of their varsity players returning and we graduated eleven seniors. But I know that this team is dedicated to our goals, to our culture. They're all in. They trust the coaching staff, they trust each other. It was beautiful to see that come to fruition tonight, especially bouncing back from losing earlier today,” Gajzler said.

This historic event has been in the works for a while. It would never had happened without a total buy-in by the athletic director, the coaches, the players, the parents and the administration.

“It was literally Pat Mahoney and I sitting in the office [in March or April]. I saw either an article, or Twitter or Instagram, about that outdoor Nebraska game,” Gajzler said. (On August 31, 2023, the University of Nebraska held a women’s volleyball match outside in their football stadium and set a widely regarding record for a woman’s athletic event with an attendance of 92,008.)

“Spur of the moment I said it out loud and Pat said, ‘Let's do it.’”

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“Ya, let's start looking into it,” he said.

So she did. Gajzler started making phone calls and trying to get info about courts. Early on she got the parents involved.

“The parents have been phenomenal, Herman Vigerust, Ryan Kroth. They have led with me. They have made calls. They got quotes. They come up with ideas. They have helped with rentals. They did the communications. They got the parent volunteers. They have helped with everything. The parents are awesome,” Gajzler said.

“We are trying to rent courts. And we eventually came to the realization that we had to buy a court. And I thought that was gonna be where this entire idea deflated.”

“But Mahoney is like, ‘let's talk about it. Let's get some quotes. Let's try to get some ideas.’ And so I got a bunch of quotes. I was on a mission.”

“Thanks to this guy over here [pointing to DePaul Prep Athletic Director Pat Mahoney], we purchased it.”

The impact of the outdoor match in the football stadium need not be overstated. It quite literally moved girls’ volleyball to the status of boys’ football—at least for one evening.

“I think it's iconic. I really do. I live seven blocks away. This is my neighborhood. I'm so proud of this. On so many levels, everyone is involved,” Gajzler continued about the impact of the outdoor event.

Gajzler and her assistant coaches Bobby Hughes and Rys Green have elevated DePaul Prep volleyball in six short years from a four-win season to a thirty-nine win season and a fourth place in last year’s IHSA 3A Finals.

“I don't want our success last year to be one and done. I want it to continue. I don't want people think [our success last year] was a fluke,” Gajzler said.   

“The buy-in has been great,” said Ryan Kroth, father of DePaul Prep junior Kalia Kroth who recently committed to attending and playing volleyball at the University of North Carolina.

“My daughter Kalia has been playing on varsity since freshman year. I've already seen some of the senior parents for last year come [here tonight], it’s almost like a family. . . For the program itself, [tonight’s event] is another stepping-stone to make this program one of the tops in the city, if not the state,” Kroth said.

“If you look around right now, this is our entire program here tonight,” Gajzler said of volleyball at DePaul Prep.

“It's not just J.V., it's not just varsity. The freshman girls were here at eleven o'clock. The freshman coaches were here at eleven o’clock. They were working their tails off. They allowed varsity to go home to rest, to recoup and they ran the show. I am all in on the program.”

DePaul Prep Girls Volleyball Defeats Whitney Young

By Jack Lydon

Volleyball is underway and the DePaul Prep Rams have picked up where they off after last year’s first appearance in the IHSA State Finals. The Rams were in 3A last year but with the application of the “multiplier,” a mathmatical increase at a factor of 1.65 to a school’s enrollment for classification purposes, DePaul Prep lands in 4A, the highest classification in girls volleyball.

The Rams have matches against in the young season, losing to Glenbrook North 1-2 on Tuesday and beating Whitney Young 2.0 on Thursday.

The Rams have a busy week ahead. They play Lane Tech on Tuesday evening at Lane, then three games in the Evergreen Park Tournament on Wednesday and the much anticipated outdoor match on the football field against St. Ignatius on Saturday evening.

More about the outdoor match to come. For the moment, you will just have to settle for the photos from the Whitney Young match.

Tom Zbikowski Returns to St. Patrick

By John Montgomery

Welcome back. Welcome home.

Zbikowski is BAAAAAAAACK in Chicago at St. Patrick.

Tom Zbikowski is hoping to use his life experiences on and off the field to revitalize the football program at St. Patrick High School in Chicago. He has compiled an impressive resume from his playing days at Buffalo Grove, Notre Dame and the Baltimore Ravens in the NFL. Zbikowski, who grew up wanting to be the next Mike Tyson and was even unbeaten in eight bouts as a professional boxer, also hopes to start a boxing program at St. Patrick after the football season. His next major goal is to fight actor Jake Paul.

For now, his focus is on Shamrock football after spending the last three football seasons as an assistant coach at Western Michigan and Brown.

Nobody has to remind Zbikowski that St. Patrick hasn’t won a conference championship in football since 2002. For whatever reason, the Shamrocks haven’t been able to achieve success on a consistent basis, usually with at least one team standing in the way. In basketball, it was St. Joseph. In football, it was Joliet Catholic, a 15-time state champion.

St. Patrick is best known for its success in basketball with back-to-back 500-game winning coaches Max Kurland and Mike Bailey, who guided the Shamrocks to third place in last year’s Class 3A tournament.

In football, St. Patrick overcame a 5-4 regular season in 2021 to advance to the Class 5A quarterfinals. Previously, they had won only eight games in the last three seasons. The Shamrocks have won 11 conference championships but never have won a state football title or a Prep Bowl.

St. Patrick alumni, students and fans are hoping that Zbikowski can have the same impact that former Gordon and DePaul basketball star Tom Kleinschmidt has had at DePaul Prep, which has won three state championships in a row. And former Northern Illinois University quarterback Jordan Lynch, who has guided his alma mater Mount Carmel to four state championships, including the three in a row.

Zbikowski has an interesting perspective on his first head coaching assignment.

“I didn’t come (to St. Patrick) to win a state championship but that would be nice,” he said following a recent practice session. “I don’t want to go 0-9, either. I want to win and send kids to college. I will measure my success by the number of kids who receive scholarships to play college football. That number is very important to me.”

The Shamrocks open their 2025 regular season on Friday night at Yorkville. They will entertain Elgin Larkin in their home opener at Triton College in Week 2.

Zbikowski’s new boss, St. Patrick president Dan Santucci, a former NFL player, recalls when he and Zbikowski were teammates at Notre Dame. 

“I had the privilege of having Tom has a teammate and there is no one who has played with more passion and intensity than him,” Santucci said.

“Tom’s experience at the highest level of football will be a tremendous asset to St. Patrick,” said St. Patrick athletic director Matt Reardon.

To generate more interest among alumni, St Patrick has plans to play an alumni football game at newly renovated Hanson Stadium on a yearly basis.

Meanwhile, his focus is on the 2025 season. He hired former St. Patrick quarterback Tom Barrett to run the Shamrocks’ offense and former Holy Cross football player Kevin Walz to run the defense with help from former St. Patrick coach Dan Galante, who won 77 games at the Northwest Side school.

Zbikowski said his team will throw the football while running a 4-3 defense.

“Working with Tom has been a great experience,” Barrett said. “Everybody thought we were getting this Buddy Ryan guru but he knows a lot about the game of football. He is more concerned about impacting young men.”

Zbikowski’s life in the NFL wasn't as glamorous as many people might believe with games practices and meetings every week.

“People don’t understand the loneliness of being a professional athlete,” he said. “There isn’t enough money in the world.”

And he recalls his never-to-be-forgotten experiences as a two-time All-America defensive back at Notre Dame in 2005 and 2006.

“It was more impressive that I graduated from Notre Dame,” he admitted. “I wasn’t a good student.”

For the time being, he is more anxious to prove he is a good coach. To build a successful program at St. Patrick, Zbikowski knows he must compete on and off the field against neighborhood rival DePaul Prep, which won the Class 4A football championship last year.

The Shamrocks are in the Purple Division of the newly realigned Chicago Catholic League with DePaul Prep, Benet and St. Viator. They have only four returning starters and a new quarterback in Gavin Gardner.

Competing in the Catholic League allows Zbikowski an opportunity to fulfill another dream—to play in the Prep Bowl against the Chicago Public League champion in a classic city rivalry that dates to 1934. And if he has any influence in the matter, he hopes to see the game moved back to Soldier Field.

"I would love the opportunity for our team to play in that game,"

But first is the matchup Friday night  at Yorkville. Game 1 of his new career with the Shamrocks

“I am excited about Friday night. I know my boys have worked hard,” Zbikowski said after Monday’s practice. He also was inspired by his team’s performance in a scrimmage against Hersey on August 22 that attracted a large crowd in Arlington Heights.

“That scrimmage was the most beneficial thing we have done,” he said. “I have accomplished many things in my life but having the ability to impact a young man’s life is most important.”

The first opportunity is Friday night against Yorkville.      

Photo credit: St. Patrick High School

DePaul Prep Scrimmages Libertyville

By Jack Lydon

A soft opening for the 2025 high school football season with the pre-season scrimmage against Libertyville High School for the 4A reigning state champion DePaul Prep Rams. They don’t keep score nor use the clock in these pre-season scrimmages so there wasn’t a winner. It was mostly just a chance to see how the new starters work together.

At times, it took on the look of a hockey game with the entire first team being substituted for the entire second team, like a line change. The game opened with the starters against the starters. Libertyville opened the game with the ball on their 40-yard line and moved right down the field aided by some sloppy tackling by the Rams. Libertyville senior running back Gavin Dickson capped off the drive with a four-yard run off the left tackle.

“We spent all week prepping for Fenwick and they gave us some looks that we know weren't prepared for. I said let’s just line up play football. Our guys responded by doing that. There were some mistakes, but mistakes that I expected and what I know are correctible if we game plan and scheme,” DePaul Prep head coach Mike Passarella. He wasn’t worried about the opening drive. The Rams throttled Libertyville for the rest of the scrimmage.

The Rams answered on the next series with a 56-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Jackson Grabinski to senior wide receiver Connor Barefield. It kind of took me back to the Coal City state semi-final playoff game. The Coal City Coalers drove the field for a touchdown which took most of the third quarter. Bing, bing, bing—the Rams and Juju Rodriguez answered with a touchdown of their own in three plays. The Rams went on to win 21-14 and advance to the 4A State Championship game.

The Rams topped Mt. Zion 40-6 to win 4A state championship. The Chicago Catholic/East Suburban Catholic Super Conference went on to win four of the eight state championships. The Rams victory was not without complaints by detractors who argued that DePaul Prep was actually a school that should have been in 6A based on its enrollment. Some truth in that but the Rams didn’t make the rules and played and won the games on the schedule.

It’s a whole new world now. The IHSA changed the rules and school enrollments and classification will change every year now, not every two years as it was. Based on the enrollment and the multiplier DePaul Prep’s enrollment for classification purposes is 2214. That probably puts them in the 7A classification—a move up three spots.

Adding to this change, is the significantly harder schedule. Gone are Deerfield and Amundsen. The Rams will face Fenwick and St. Ignatius, two more Chicago Catholic League teams, for an entirely CCL/ESCC Super-conference schedule. Getting to six wins and making the playoffs will be a challenge. Doubt the Rams at your peril. They tend the wins the games on the schedule whomever might appear thereon.

The Rams will be fine, 7A or not. There are a ton of kids in the program and the notoriety of a championship is drawing talent. The offensive line is big and skilled. New quarterback Jackson Grabinski looks the part and has a big, accurate arm. This might be a reach but there seems to be a culture of athletic success at DePaul Prep. Basketball, cross country, volleyball, baseball. The soccer teams are winning. Don’t be surprised if DePaul Prep makes some noise in 7A football.

Hanson Stadium Reopens

By John Montgomery

Hanson Park Stadium, more commonly known as Hanson Stadium, will never be compared to famous venues such as the Rose Bowl, Wrigley Field, Chicago Stadium or Fenway Park. But it has been a staple for sporting events since it was built in 1939, at Fullerton and Central, on Chicago’s Northwest Side.

It has been home to varsity football teams from Weber, St. Patrick, Prosser, Foreman, Steinmetz and Kelvyn Park High Schools, semi-pro football and Chicago Public League track and field championships. Built to accommodate crowds of 2,200 people, it generally hosted seven football games a week. After a thorough four-year renovation, which included new seating, locker rooms, scoreboard and press box, Hanson is back in business with the beginning of the 2025 football season.

“Hanson was their home,” said former Weber associate athletic director Mary Mitchell, recalling outstanding Red Horde teams that played there until the nearby school closed in 1999.

“Every Sunday we played at Hanson Stadium,” said former Weber football manager Gil Sanks. “The place was packed and we had tremendous teams (Prep Bowl champions) in 1961 and 1964.”

Hanson also hosted events for the Pan American Games, the Special Olympics, many city and state high school football playoff games and was the original home of the Public-Catholic All-Star Football Game.

“We are very excited,” said former Chicago Public League sports director Dave Rosengard, who spearheaded efforts to upgrade facilities at several city parks besides Hanson.

“Playing at Hanson was like playing in a college stadium,” said former St. Patrick and Notre Dame football player Dan Santucci, who also played in the NFL and now is principal at St. Patrick.

Hanson brings back fond memories to me, too. The first high school football game I ever covered for the Sun-Times was in 1984 at Hanson Stadium. It was a matchup between Bogan and Tilden. From 1984 to 2010, I covered games at Hanson for the Sun-Times and Tribune. It was fun covering two of the most competitive rivalries in the Chicago area, Gordon Tech vs. Weber and St. Patrick vs. Notre Dame.

“Hanson Stadium meant a lot to the Northwest Side schools,” said former Prosser basketball coach and athletic director John McEleney. “The beauty of Hanson was that it was not just for football.” Add soccer and girls’ flag football to the list of events that experience the new turf at Hanson. Steinmetz, which now plays football on its own field, will meet Kelvyn Park for the inaugural soccer game at Hanson.

It will be football when Foreman hosts Kelly for the first game of the 2025 season and Prosser returns by entertaining basketball powerhouse Proviso. 

The new Hanson Stadium will undoubtedly create memories for today’s young athletes.

CPL’s Hanson Stadium. Photo credit Chicago Public Schools.

John Montgomery Joins as Contributor

I am pleased and honored to announce that prep sports reporter John Montgomery is coming out of retirement and will be contributing stories to jacklydon.com during the upcoming high school sports season.

John began writing sports articles very young in 1978. He had stints at the Leader Newspapers, Learner Newspapers, Chicago Sun Times, Southtown Economist, Chicago Tribune and Chicago Bulldog Media. He has been layed up in recent years with some health issues but is coming off the DL and getting back in the game with jacklydon.com.

John is a 2004 inductee into the Chicago Public League Hall of Fame and a 2005 inductee into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame. Few people have as much experience reporting in Chicago area high school sports.

His first contribution will be a story on the reopening of Hanson Stadium beginning this football season. Look for that later today.

Riverside-Brookfield Summer Shootout Day 1

I couldn’t wait to get over the Riverside-Brookfield High School for the annual R-B Shootout. I got there like four hours early. R-B Coach Mike Reingruber and all the folks at R-B do such a great job. It is chance for a high school basketball mid-summer overdose. I love it.

It was five straight games for me from noon to 4:45.

Kankakee v. Evanston (Benet v. Hinsdale Central)

I was very interested to see Kankakee. The Kays have the top prospect in the class of 2026 according to Prep Hoops, Lincoln Williams. I was my first chance to see him in action. Kankakee also got a recent transfer, EJ Hazelett, Jr. They are a very good-looking squad. Big. Talented. Shots fall.  

The Evanston Wildkits strolled into the gym at 11:42, a few minutes before the noon start. The Wildkits were significantly smaller than Kankakee, like everyone of their starters was shorter than the smallest Kays player. That didn’t much matter. The scrappy Kits jumped out a lead. The Kays fought back and tied at the end of regulation but Evanston won in OT.

When Kankakee dials up the intensity, they looked scary.

The great thing about R-B is one can watch two games at the same time. I couldn’t exactly cover and photography two games. But I was able to watch Benet v. Hinsdale at the same time as the Kankakee game. Benet just looked awesome. Jayden Wright is a money player.  

DePaul Prep v. Rich Township (St. Ignatius v. Rock Island)

The Rams come out hungry. Rashaun Porter was going to the hoop. It kind of looked like a fullback powering to the endzone with Shaun charging down the lane for a dunk. AJ Chamber was a comfortable as can be on the point.

Got a look at the transfer in from Sacred Heart Griffin, senior forward Zion Lee. It seemed like a little bit of a slower start for Zion than it was for the other Rams but it sure looks like he will fit right in.

Then there is returning senior Rykan Woo. The Oxford English Dictionary has a photo of Rykan as the definition of “money.” He does it all. At a stretch in the second half of the Rams’ game against Stevenson, the Rams had gone cold. Nothing was falling. The Patriots cut the double-digit lead to two. Rykan poured in two straight three pointers. Money. Rams took control.

Magnus “Gus” Johnson, Jonas’s younger brother, has stepped into his brother’s role as the other big man beside Rashaun Porter. You might not see as much of the four-guard set from the Rams this year as you did last year. But we will get plenty of three guard sets with the six-man rotation including sophomore guard Blake Choice.

Lane v. Thornton

We have a whole new set of Champions this year. Matt Szafoni returns as one of only four seniors. I counted eight sophomores on the squad. They all look talented and athletic but not quite the usual polished group of playmakers we have seen from Nick Logalbo’s teams in recent years.

The first day of R-B did not disappoint. Getting get some sleep now to be ready for Day 2.

DePaul Prep Falls to St. Patrick 1-0 in 3A Sectional Final

The DePaul Prep Rams varsity baseball team lost 1-0 to area nemesis to the St. Patrick Shamrocks at Kerry Wood Cubs Park.

The Rams opened the season 14-0 and finished 25-13. The Rams finished the season in the 3A sectional final losing to their former coach Chris Haas, the the Shamrocks’ skipper.

St. Patrick senior right hander Paddy Roth, a Michigan State commit, shut out the Rams working his way out of a couple jams.

It was a fun season. This group of Rams were always loose and having fun. My favorite kind of baseball.

It guess it’s football season now. (Except I have another group of baseball photos to post from the Northside game.)

DePaul Prep Falls to St. Ignatius 3-0 in 2A Sectional Final

[A preview of this week’s story in the Inside—Booster.]

By Jack Lydon

DePaul Prep Rams fell to the St. Ignatius Wolfpack 3-0 in the IHSA girls soccer sectional final on Friday evening at DePaul Prep. Wolfpack’s junior wing, Lauren Reed scored two goals, two minutes apart early in the first half giving the Wolfpack an commanding lead against conference rival DePaul Prep. Try as they did, the Rams (16-9-1, 5-2-1) just couldn’t put together a comeback against the stingy St. Ignatius defense.

“I was really thinking about winning this for my team and playing for my seniors. Then I guess I got really lucky on those two shots. But when I saw the opportunity take it, I did,” said River Forest resident, Lauren Reed.

Coming into the game, the Wolfpack (11-9-3, 3-3-2) focused on getting the ball into their center forward, junior Kayla Washington and so much on Reed.

“Kayla is our lead scorer. She's got like twenty-eight goals. Kayla is a classic striker. When you play with only one person up front, she has to be a big, strong capable player who can hold the ball up and wait for support,” St. Ignatius head coach Pam Whitehead said of Washington.

“Usually our goal is to get it to Kayla. I usually come up as back up. We kind of work together, but the main focus is to get it to Kayla,” Lauren Reed said of her teammate Washington.

“So I was lucky,” Reed added. She said “luck,” but two goals and two minutes is more than just luck. Reed was there to capitalize on the attention paid to Washington and that she did.

“Lauren is amazing because, first of all, she never came out of the game and absolutely she is positioned where she has to run up and down constantly,” Whitehead said of Reed, who is also a talented field hockey player. “And she is a third leading scorer [with 13 goals].” Lili Garcia is the Wolfpack’s second leading scorer with 17 goals.

DePaul Prep and St. Ignatius are both members of the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference and played each other on May 1st which ended in a 1-1 draw.

“It was our senior night. All of our seniors played. And you'll notice the [Senior Night] shirt that I wore tonight to remind them,” Whitehead said of the tie game.

Proud of her team’s rebound from the last match, Whitehead added, “It's just good combination play on the ground. I don't know if you noticed the tactical difference with DePaul. They like to send the long balls in, but we like to play between three of our key players up front with angle runs and drop balls; Good classic soccer.”

St. Ignatius managed to hold the Rams’ leading scorer junior Lucia Troutman scoreless despite early success by the Rams in pushing to the ball forward to Troutman.

DePaul Prep head coach and chair of the DePaul Prep Science Department, Kelly Keckler, was obviously disappointed after the game.

“Iggy was scouting [our last game against DeLaSalle]. They saw a lot of who we've become this season. The team that we were when we played them the first time is very different team than what we are now. . . We've figured out a lot of new tactics. We've been stronger and faster on the ball. We've been playing a lot of tougher competition throughout the whole season to gear up for this moment,” Keckler said after the game.

“No way would I've ever guessed it would be three zero. I think [Ignatius] brought their game winning boots today. It's as simple as that. We played almost same game as we played the first time we played them. I think it just came down to grit at the end of the day.”

St. Ignatius moves on to play Crystal Lake Central in the 2A super sectional on Tuesday. 

DePaul Prep Baseball Senior Night v. Prospect

This is a special group. I might write that every year but this really is a special group. I have never seen a baseball team having so much fun. Even when they were like 22-0 or something, they were loose and having fun. Still loose, still having fun. That’s what baseball is—fun. It’s in the moment. This group gets it.

I have been neglecting the website in recent weeks. The last post before today was May 3. I have actually been shooting and writing stories but the stories and photos haven’t made it to the website. I don’t know exactly what is up with that. Just a lot going on I guess. I will have to get my priorities straightened out.

I hope you like the photos.

Lane Tech Falls to Kenwood 10-9 in City Championship

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

By Jack Lydon

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS—The Lane Tech Champions fell to the Kenwood Broncos 10-9 in the Chicago Public League’s city baseball championship on Thursday evening. The Champions dug themselves quite a whole giving up six runs in the top of the first but fought all the way back tying the game in the bottom of the sixth. The miracle comeback was to be. Kenwood’s junior righthander Josiah Patterson slammed the door in the bottom of the seventh. The Broncos are City champs for 2025.

The Broncos came out swinging in the first inning. A single, a hit batsman, another single, still another single, and another and another. Five hits to open the game before the first out was recorded. Champions’ sophomore pitcher Charlie Lust struggled giving up six earned runs on six hits and only recording one out before leaving the game. Junior pitcher Alex Delaney entered the game and walked his first batter. The next batter reached on an error before a merciful double play but an end to the carnage. Champions were down 6-0 before taking a swing.

Strangely, for those who had seen the Champions play this year and for the Champions themselves, everyone knew the game was not over. They can score but would they score enough?

“I expected us to be a little shaky to start, but I hoped we settle into the game a little quicker and we didn't do that,” said Lane Tech manager Sean Freeman.

“But I am super proud of our kids, a lot of kids and teams would have folded under those circumstances and we absolutely did not. We fought our way all the way back and had a chance to wait at the end. So I'm super proud of their effort. While it sucks to lose, it only make us better going forward.”

Fought back they did. One in the bottom of the first, second and third and then two more in the top of the fourth. Except they gave up two runs to Kenwood in the top of the second and another in the top of the fourth.

It was 9-5 with time running out as the Champions came up to bat in the bottom of the sixth. Teo Greco singled, Henry Murray singled. Jacob DeVinney walked. Conor Sullivan singled scoring Greco and Murray. 9-7. After a strike out, sophomore Miles Mazanowski, who struggled at the plate earlier in the game, battled from behind in the count, and laced a single to left scoring two runs to tie the game.

“Miles is a sophomore. It's his first time on varsity. He showed a lot of maturity. He was down 0-2 or 1-2, and he came up with a huge swing. So that says a lot about him in his future. Although he's huge, he's only fifteen, he doesn't turn sixteen till next like October,” Freeman said of Mazanowski.

One must credit the Kenwood Broncos for hanging touch and staying in the game after the long comeback of Lane. The Broncos quickly rallied. The first batter in the top of the seventh, Jimmy Downs crushed a double to deep center field over the head of Nathan Wong. Downs later scored on a clutch two out by senior Brandon Stinson to give the Broncos a 10-9 leading going into the final inning.

“It was very nerve racking,” Kenwood junior right hander Josiah Patterson said of coming back out to pitch in the bottom of the seventh.

Showing a maturity and focus well beyond his years, Patterson held the Champions. “It was just the energy for my team. They picked me up. My mindset just changed. I just hit the spots,” Patterson said.

St. Ignatius Players in First Game Against DePaul Prep

A St. Ignatius player reached out and asked about my photos of the St. Ignatius players. I didn’t originally process and post these for want of time.

DePaul Prep Slugs St. Ignatius 10-3

[a preview of next week’s Inside—Booster article.]

By Jack Lydon

Chicago, Illinois—It was a game of big hits. DePaul Prep’s junior right fielder Quinn Roberts put two into the parking lot east of Kerry Wood Cubs Field. The Rams had a total six extra base hits and dropped the St. Ignatius Wolfpack 10-3 Thursday evening. St. Ignatius’ Cam Andrews also put one over the left field fence for two runs in the top of the sixth.

The dimensions are just a little shorter than Wrigley Field at Kerry Wood Cubs Field. 363 feet in the outfield gaps and 327 down the lines.

“That's my first two home run game ever actually. That’s a good milestone right there. It's pretty fun hitting them at Kerry Wood. It's pretty deep out there,” said Roberts, who ended the game with two home runs, two walks and three runs batted in.

“So that second one of the game was my fourth of the year actually. I hit one at Providence two days ago. I just try and do my best. I try to swing hard enough, but not too hard to where it makes the coach totally angry. I just try to put them in play and see what happens from there.” Roberts ended the game with two home runs, two walks and three runs batted in.

“Quinn is gonna be great. He's playing well. He had to kick in last year as a sophomore when we got hurt. We're really experienced, even the juniors, even the younger guys. They’re experienced. They had to dig and fight in these Catholic League Blue games last year. So they know what this is about and I think it shows,” said Sam Colon, DePaul Prep’s manager, a 2014 graduate of Gordon Tech. Colon took over as head baseball coach for DePaul Prep from legendary Gordon and DePaul Prep coach Chris Haas in 2023. Colon took the Rams to the 2A State Finals in his first year at the helm and a super-sectional game last year.

Although the game ended 10-3, it started a little rough for DePaul Prep’s senior lefthander Owen Rog. Rog walked the first three batters of the game. Not to worry. He struck out the Wolfpack’s Jaiden Ponce swinging and the next hitter Ben Marasovich dutifully bounced into a 6-4-3 double play to end the innings and get Rog out of the jam.

Even with all the extra base hits, it was defense and solid pitching that secured the Rams first Chicago Catholic League Blue Division win of the season. Despite the gaudy 19-4 season record for the Rams, all four of their losses this season have come to CCL Blue rivals Brother Rice and Providence Catholic. The Catholic League is loaded with excellent baseball teams this year. Brother Rice and St. Laurence are the first and fourth ranked teams in the state by Max Preps.

The Rams turned three double plays in the game. In addition to the one in the first inning, first baseman Dylan Hecht fielded a sharp ground ball right to him, through it to shortstop Vance Kurokawa at second to fired it back to Hecht for the bang-bang 3-6-3 inning ending double play in the third.

In the top of the fifth, with a man on first, Rams’ third baseman Charles “Chuck” Pribyl fielded a ground ball, throw to second baseman Beni Espinosa who fired it down to Hecht at first for the third double play of the game.

Owen Rog pitched three innings giving up three hits and one run on four walks and three strikeouts. He was relieved by Gavin Glibowski in the fourth who finished the game giving up four hits and two runs on the aforementioned homerun by Cam Andrews. Glibowski did not walk anyone and struck out six.

The Rams continue with their difficult Catholic League schedule with another game against St. Ignatius, then IC Catholic and Mount Carmel in coming days.

Lane Tech Defeats Payton 8-3

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

By Jack Lydon

The Lane Tech Champions handled the Payton Grizzlies Friday evening 8-3 at Kerry Wood Cubs Field. It was the second time the Champions defeated the Grizzlies last week. The first being Tuesday’s 11-1 win also at Kerry Wood. Freshman righthander Dodger Friedrich was on the mound for the Champions demonstrating a remarkable command of the strike-zone and considerable toughness to work himself through some rough spots.

“I thought he did a great job,” said Lane Tech’s head coach Sean Freeman of his freshman pitcher. Friedrich tossed a seven-inning complete game win giving up three earned runs on five hits, five strike-outs and only one walk. Friedrich had only ninety-one pitches of which seventy were strikes. The fourteen-year-old Friedrich improved his record to 2-1 on the season.

“Obviously, he's got good stuff for his age, but he also throws a lot of strikes. He competes well.  The pitch count was pretty low. He didn't want to come out. So I figured let's see what he is made up and see if you can finish it,” said Freeman.

The Champions helped their freshman hurler by jumping out to an early lead 2-0 lead with two runs on two hits in the top of the first before Friedrich even took the field.

In the top of the second with two out and the bases loaded, Champions’ junior catcher Jacob DeVinney crushed a bases loaded double over the left fielder’s head and off the wall to score three runs giving the Champions a five-run lead early. It would be all their young pitcher would need.

Champions’ second baseman senior Tyler Trapp was three for five with two strike-outs and scored a run improving his team leading batting average to 0.436 and an amazing 0.581 on base percentage. DeVinney had two hits. Alex Ziegler went two for four and scored a run. Zolan Whatt also when two for four and scored two runs. Max Hinojosa when two for four, scored a run and had a run-batted-in.

Friedrich worked himself out of a little trouble in the bottom of the second. Payton’s lead-off hitter junior Nick Linares singled past Lane’s Miles Mazanowski. Friedrich then hit the next batter, Payton’s senior pitcher Nathan Volkens making it first and second with nobody out. Junior Sam Merrill’s sacrifice bunt moved up the runners. Friedrich then struck out Payton’s John Seward looking. Payton’s senior outfielder Augie Rug then singled scoring the two runs. Friedrich got the next batter to end the innings and would finish the game giving up long five hits, on one walk and five strike outs.

The Champions improve their overall record to 11-6. The record is better than it looks. The Champions have only two in-state losses and those in tight games to top teams Mount Carmel and Glenbrook North. The Champions lost four games early in the season against very good out-of-state teams on a trip to a tournament in Alabama over Spring Break.

Lane continues to roll through the Chicago Public League’s Jackie Robinson North Division with a 6-0 record. So far beating Von Stueben twice, Whitney Young twice and Payton twice. Taft, Amundsen, Ogden International and Lincoln Park are still to come.  

Lane Tech Defeats Payton 11-1

My hands were so cold that I really could not work my phone and the cameras fast enough to do a good job reporting on the game. I just hadn’t planned ahead well enough to deal with the cold. So this is not a proper report on the Lane Tech’s 11-1 shellacking of Payton at Kerry Wood in five innings this afternoon.

The Champions are solid in every phase. Junior right-hander Ronan Owens pitched very well. He had nine strikeouts with one run on five hits and four walks. The defense was excellent. The Champions had 11 runs on 11 hits and 6 walks.

The Champions 10-6 records deceives the casual fan. Their losses were early in the season to very good Southern teams, and Mount Carmel. They are 5-0 in the CPL so far including two wins over Whitney Young.

There are plenty of games to go and good teams on the schedule. But Lane looks really good. Keep an eye on them. I will.

DePaul Prep Beats Leo and Improves to 13-0.

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

By Jack Lydon

DePaul Prep is on a roll. “The boys are just humming right now. 13-0. The guys are putting good games together. Good practices. It's all coming together,” said Charlie “Chuck” Pribyl, DePaul Prep senior third baseman after the Rams 10-0 victory over Leo at Kroc Field on the far Southside.

And it came on a combined no-hitter by five DePaul Prep pitchers, Owen Rog, Garen Gutzmer, Noah Liss, Gavin Variano and Connor Egan. This is the best start to a varsity baseball season in the 11 years of DePaul Prep and is also believed to be the best start to any season in the Gordon Tech era as well.

There has also plenty of offense to go with solid pitching for the Rams on this historic streak. Pribyl lead off the scoring for the Rams in the top of the second with a two-run homerun to right center. It was the second two-run homerun for Pribyl in as many games. Chuck had a two-run walkoff homerun in Monday’s extra-inning 7-5 win over Amundsen at Kerry Wood Field.

“I think we just have a lot of fun right now. We know each other very well. So I think it’s coming together. It’s just flowing nicely right now,” Pribyl continued.

Freshman Nolan Hecht followed up Pribyl’s shot with a towering two-run homerun to right field of his own in the top of the fourth giving the Rams a 7-0 lead and putting the game out of reach.

Of the gaudy 13-0 start to the season, DePaul Prep head baseball coach and assistant athletic director Sam Colon put on a huge grin saying, “I don't really have any words to describe it. It's a really fun group.”

“These guys have put in a ton of work to prepare themselves for the season. I think a lot of the hard work is definitely showing now. It's high school baseball. We're gonna catch a loss at some point. So I think it's a little special group. It's fun.”

This historic start for the Rams is just that—a start. The Rams now head into the meat of their schedule with upcoming games against Chicago Catholic League Blue Division rivals including perennial powerhouse teams, Brother Rice, Mount Carmel, Loyola and Providence Catholic, not to mention St. Rita, St. Laurence and DeLaSalle.

“It doesn't worry me. We’re well prepared, well coached and I think we can attack anything that comes our way,” Pribyl said of the approaching tough stretch in the schedule.

Skipper Colon was a little more circumspect when it came to the 13-0 record and upcoming conference play. “It's ok. [The players] know. We talk about it as a team. None of this matters unless you're the last one standing at the end. These wins are great and all but come [the playoffs] is when we want to rattle off seven in a row. That’s what matters most.”

The sports programs at DePaul Prep has achieved remarkable success after its transformation from Gordon Tech in 2014. The basketball team has won three straight state championships in basketball. The football team won a state championship in the fall. The girls’ volleyball team took fourth in the state in the fall. As a well as the state finals appearances of boys’ and girls’ cross country teams in the last couple years.

“It's a testament to the coaches and the kids and everybody. It takes a village to have continued success this way across the board. Our school community, our strength room and Coach [Alex] Nadolna,” Sam Colon said of the school’s successes in athletics of late.

“I have learned something different every time I go along on the ride [to a state tournament]. I've definitely taken a little bit from Coach Baum. I've taking a little bit from Coach [Passarella]. I've taken a little bit from the Coach Gajzler. How can we implement it? Obviously, they have had success. We've had success. How can we continue to find success in different ways and continue to evolve. So it's been fun. It's been fun to learn.

Dyett Wins 2A State Championship with 52-41 win over Althoff Catholic

My photos from the 2A state championship game between CPS powerhouse Dyett and Althoff Catholic from Belleville. Chicago Area teams won all for IHSA classifications: Chicago Hope Academy in 1A, Dyett in 2A, DePaul Prep in 3A and Benet Academy in 4A. Dyett was the only public school to win a state championship.