DePaul Prep defeats St. Francis de Sales 72-59

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

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

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

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

Final score was Rams 72, Pioneers 59.

DePaul Prep defeats No. 3 Kankakee 56-49

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mroz Returns to St. Patrick

SPORTS SPOTLIGHT BY JOHN MONTGOMERY           

Chris Mroz was excited about the prospect of playing against his alma mater at the Max Kurland basketball tournament at St. Patrick High School. Yes, you can go home again. In this case, it took a while.

Mroz, the head boys basketball coach at Ridgewood in Norridge, was hoping to see how his young team with only two seniors would measure up against a St. Patrick team that finished third in the Class 3A tournament last season.

His Rebels (4-3) lost to Naperville North 49-36 in the third place game. Carson Loughlin scored 19 points as Naperville North (7-2) pulled away in the second half, outscoring Ridgewood by a 25-14 margin.

“It brings back a lot of memories for me,” Mroz said afterward. “This is the first classroom I ever taught in as a teacher. Unfortunately, we lost today. We needed to make a few more shots. We made too many turnovers. Our kids played hard and the effort was there. We will watch the tape. We will get better and have a good season.”

Ridgewood had tough day on road making only 14 baskets with 18 turnovers in the loss.

Mroz, who graduated from St. Patrick in 2002 and was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in 2017, played at Bradley and Missouri-St. Louis before finally obtaining his Master’s degree from Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago. Now a special education teacher at Ridgewood, he has won 212 games and four regional championships in 16 seasons. But until last week, he never coached basketball game at St. Patrick.

He watched briefly as St. Patrick (4-0) handed Wheaton North its first defeat of the young season 69-48 in the championship game of the Kurland tournament. Senior center RJ McPartlin, who has battled injuries during the last two seasons, led the Shamrocks with 21 points to earn MVP honors. Maurice Neeley added 15 points while junior Omar Ajanovic contributed 12.

“We have had some good basketball teams at St. Patrick,” coach Mike Bailey said afterward. “This team has a chance to be a special group as well.”

“It was awesome to see St. Patrick and coach Bailey get Downstate last season,” Mroz said. “I went Downstate and watched the game with a bunch of coaches. If I make a layup 25 years ago against La Grange, we would have gotten there sooner.”

Mroz will return to St. Patrick for a non-conference matchup against the Shamrocks, who won 29 games last season and lost to Brother Rice in the Class 3A semifinals.

“You could see when he walked into St. Patrick as a freshman that he would be a coach one day because he knows the game of basketball,” Bailey said about his former point guard. “He was born to coach. He would come into my office at 14 years of age and talk about basketball with me after watching a game.”

Ironically, one of Mroz’ most memorable victories as a coach came against St. Patrick in the 2016 state tournament. The Rebels stunned the Shamrocks 55-54 on a long buzzer-beater by Zac Rzewnicki in the sectional championship at Ridgewood.

“It was one of the greatest games of my career,” Mroz recalled.

Success was short-lived as Ridgewood lost 52-35 to St. Joseph in the supersectional at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates. One victory away from trip Final Four in Peoria at Bradley University.

“We had a good game plan,” Mroz said. “We got off to a slow start and eventually settled down and cut their lead to six points. They had a seven-footer (Nick Rakocevic). They were a pretty good team." 

The Chargers lost to Peoria Manual in overtime for third place of the Class 3A tournament

In 2025-26, Ridgewood will try to overcome the loss of nine seniors from a team that finished 15-13 last season. Mroz will need minutes and points from seniors Mike Cwieczkowski and football player Alex Hrabchak to compete and contend in the Upstate Eight.

“We have only been together for 13 days,” Mroz said. “To come of the (Kurland) tournament 2-2 isn’t bad.”

Ridgewood is now in the realigned Upstate Eight with neighborhood rivals Fenton (1-8) and Elmwood Park (3-5). The Rebels will begin conference play Friday night at West Chicago (3-5) while St. Patrick opens its final season of ESCC competition against Notre Dame of Niles (6-3).

DePaul Prep Defeats Bolingbrook 49-20 at Chicago Elite Classic

The DePaul Prep Rams girls’ basketball team is 10-0. I feel bad I have not covered more of their games and showcases the start of this historic season.

I did get out to Chicago Elite Classic to see the Rams hand Bolingbrook their only loss of the season so far. Returning starters Ava Giordano, Grace Lee and Kaitlin Totaro are joined by senior Lucia Trautman and sophomore Ramiyah Puckett.   

I was impressed. Despite an uncharacteristically large number of turnovers in the first quarter of the game, this group pulled it together and rallied for a 23-18 first half lead.

The DePaul Prep Rams girls’ varsity has had considerable success in recent years particularly under former head coach Sarah Zarymbski (Gordon Tech 2014) with 2020, 2022 and 2023 appearances in a 2A super-sectionals. Last year was the first year of current Rams’ head coach Corey Morgan. The Rams finished with a respectable 20-14 record and a loss to in a 3A sectional final to eventual champion Montini.

The Rams gaudy 10-0 record this year includes a recent victories over Trinity and Bloom.

Back to the Bolingbrook game. Bolingbrook grabbed a 32-31 lead with 18 seconds left in the third. The Rams put together an impressive 18-8 run in the fourth quarter to salt away a nice win on a big stage against a 4A powerhouse.

I really liked an inbounds play were senior point guard Ava Giordano passed the ball inbounds to senior forward Grace Lee. Lee immediately dished it back to Giordano who drove to the basketball for a bucket. It actually worked twice to seal the win late in the fourth.

“We have nine seniors who understand what DePaul is all about. They have seen the boys have a tremendous amount of success. They are buying into what we are saying and teaching. They are just trying to jump on that train,” said DePaul Prep Rams’ head coach Corey Morgan.

Senior Ava Giordano, point guard since her sophomore year, who can also shoot the three, spoke after the game, “I want to make a great run this year. I think we can do that with my teammates.”

Stay tuned. I sure will.

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

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

By Jack Lydon

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

St. Ignatius Wins Prep Bowl 40-12

SPORTS SPOTLIGHT BY JOHN MONTGOMERY

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

DePaul Prep Defeats Loyola 55-45

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

By Jack Lydon

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lane Falls to DePaul Prep 53-24

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

By Jack Lydon

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Not Rashaun.

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

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

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

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

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

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

St. Patrick Wins Opener 70-28 over Dyett

SPORTS SPOTLIGHT BY JOHN MONTGOMERY 

If the Shamrocks basketball team is to make back-to-back trips to State Farm Center in Champaign they will need a healthy R.J. McPartlin. McPartlin, a 6’7’ senior, might be one of the best basketball players fans and coaches have seen the last two years if weren’t for injuries. McPartlin has been on the varsity basketball team since freshman year but unfortunately has been plagued by the injury bug.

“He started freshman year for us and scored ten points in his first game,” St. Patrick head basketball coach Mike Bailey said. “His career has taken off for us from there. He is one of our most important players. Unfortunately, he has been hurt the last two years. He is tough kid always willing to play through injuries.”

“I am worried about getting hurt again,” McPartlin admitted. “It feels great to be out there again. Its the best feeling in the world. I love to get on the court and play.”

McPartlin began his senior season by scoring 10 points in the season opening win over defending Class 2A champion Dyett, 70-28. Gael Guitterez added 13 points while Maurice Neeley contributed with 13 points as well. Omar Ajanovic who filled in for McPartlin as a sophomore scored 12 points on Monday night.

Charles Treadwell led Eagles with 11 points as Dyett couldn't solve St Patrick’s matchup zone falling behind 20-6 to start the season and never recovered. Shamrocks led 46-11 at the half as game finished with running clock while Bailey emptied his bench for final quarter.

“It was a good start tonight,” Bailey said after watching his defense allow only ten baskets.

“That was amazing defense,” McPartlin said after the win on opening night.

Naperville North began the night on Kurland Court by beating Payton 58-45 as guard Miles Okyne score 28 poihts.

Last year, McPartlin overcame a torn labrum in his shoulder after suffering broken nose as a sophomore. McPartlin played in 20 contests last season and averaged eight points a game to help the Shamrocks advance to state basketball finals for first time in school history.

McPartlin is the only starter back from a 29-win team that finished third in Class 3A tournament last season after losing 48-33 to Brother Rice (31-7) in semifinals.

“This team knows how to win,” Bailey said during preseason practices. “This team expects to win. They are very motivated to get back downstate.”

The Shamrocks were disappointed they didn't advance to championship game against DePaul Prep (33-4) and coach Tom Kleinschmidt who are seeking to win the state basketball title for fourth straight season.

“It was heartbreaking to not play for state championship,” McPartlin stated after season opening win on Monday night. “We played a bad fourth quarter against Brother Rice. Getting third place in the state means a lot to us. Only eight teams in the state get to finish the season with a win. We had a special group of guys. I couldn't end the season on a loss.”

St. Pat's shook off the disappointment of losing by beating Chatham Glenwood 50-28 in tilt for third place.

The Rams are trying to become the first high school basketball team in Illinois since Simeon and Peoria Manual to win four straight banners. Kleinschmidt’s club began its season on Monday night in the Battle of Bridges tournament at Lane with a 69-50 win over Niles North.

The Shamrocks will play Payton and Naperville North before finishing play in Kurland tournament on Saturday night.

Bailey will count on four new starters including Ajanovic, Neeley, football player Joey Costanzo, and junior Steve Quach.

Players and coaches claim they don't care or pay attention to rankings. Despite its recent success with back-to-back appearances in the Elite Eight and over 1,000 wins since 1959 with Bailey and Max Kurland, the Shamrocks surprisingly will start season unranked.

“The coaching staff told us not to worry about the rankings,” McPartlin said.
”We finished third in the state in 3A. We deserve to be ranked based on how we finished last year.”

St. Pat's is hoping to at least advance for a third straight basketball season to the Elite Eight.

DePaul Prep 70, Niles North 50 in Season Opener

DePaul Prep has something to prove.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Something to prove is good thing.

Bailey Begins 32nd Season at St. Patrick

SPORTS SPOTLIGHT BY JOHN MONTGOMERY

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SPORTS SPOTLIGHT BY JOHN MONTGOMERY

               

It all amounted to shattered dreams for the Shamrocks.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lane Falls Short in 45-10 8A Playoff Loss to Oswego

By Jack Lydon

It was a tail of two halves. In first half, the Lane Tech Champions (9-2) fought the Oswego Panthers to a 10-10 draw. But in the second half, Oswego (9-2) hit some passes and outscoring the Champions with five unanswered touchdowns for a 45-10 win in the IHSA 8A football playoffs. 

The second home playoff game in a row for the Champions started off as good as they might have hoped. They took the opening kickoff right down the field. Their pass attack that had sputtered much of the season took the Oswego defense a little by surprise. The Panthers expecting to see the usually productive Lane ground attack game up big pass plays.

About three and a half minutes into the game, Lane’s junior quarterback Blake Jenkins connected with junior wide receiver Taylor Clay in the back of the end zone for an 18-yard touchdown. The extra point rocketed through the uprights to give the Champions an early 7-0 lead.

The Oswego Panthers from the Southwest Prairie-West Conference wasted no time in answering the Champions opening scoring drive. Returning the ensuing kickoff to Lane 43-yard line.

“We are going to run the ball first,” said Oswego head coach Brian Cooney. “Physical, hard-nosed, downhill team is who we are.”

Despite a couple incomplete passes and a penalty, the Panthers continued to run and junior running back Ethan Pilip scored for Oswego from four yards out.  to draw even. The Panthers would add a 42-yard field goal by to make the score 10-7 Panthers at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter settled into a defensive battle of bend but don’t break but with under a minute to play, Lane junior linebacker Aiden Boywid picked off a late pass back across the field. Boywid broke tackles returning the to the Oswego 22-yard line. Five plays later with 1:09 left in the half, Lane junior placekicker nailed a 20-yard field goal to tie that score.

“We did not wake up for sure until halftime,” Cooney continued. And wake up they did. The Panthers took the second half kickoff and scored. Then on the next possession, Oswego scored again on a 35-yard touchdown pass making the 24-10 with three minutes left in the third quarter.

“We have been able to do that this year, connect on some long ones. If they move the safeties back, we continue to pound the ball,” Cooney said. The Panthers added three more touchdowns for a final score of 45-10.

“I was looking to win. I was looking to prove a lot of haters wrong. I was looking to show that this CPS school can hang with these suburban schools. We don’t care where they are from and what kind of program they have; we are building a program here that can rock with anybody,” said Lane junior linebacker Aiden Boywid said after the game.

“I am extremely happy with the way we played in the first half. I know that in City [championship] and in the coming years Lane Tech is going to be a force to be reckoned with in the entire state,” Boywid continued.

“They made plays,” said Lane Tech head coach Deshon Conley. “Those two deep shots that they got in the third quarter is what turned the game around. “I thought we could have made a run at this state tournament.”

Despite the stinging disappointed, Conley said, “[t]he future is bright. We are headed in the right direction. We are getting over humps that we haven’t been getting over in the past. We look to keep elevating.”

The Champions expect to face Morgan Park next week in the Prep Bowl tournament.

Oswego advances into the class 8A playoff quarterfinals against #5 ranked Maine South at Maine South.

Lane's Vernon Cole Carries Champions into Second Round of Playoffs

SPORTS SPOTLIGHT BY JOHN MONTGOMERY

Not even an eight-man defensive front could stop Lane running back Vernon Cole last Friday night on Halloween in the opening round of the Class 8A state high school football playoff. Cole, who has been recovering from an ankle injury, saw limited action but rushed for 77 yards and one touchdown, added a 36-yard punt return and briefly ran a Wildcat offense in a 34-6 victory over Perspectives.

“I would have to say honestly that he is our best football player,” said Deshon Conley, Lane’s first-year head coach. “And he is a better person off the field than he is a football player.”

Cole, who was a wrestler in elementary school, didn’t start playing football until he enrolled at Lane. As a senior, he has done it all to become one of the best players in the city, rushing for 855 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also has completed two passes in the Wildcat offense. And he also plays defensive back.

“He can play college football one day,” Conley said. “Some coaches like to see him play on defense. Some coaches would like to see him play on offense.”

Cole, a 5-9, 165-pounder who won the Public League’s 165-pound wrestling championship as a junior, has his own game plan. “I want to play offense. My dream is to play for (coach) Deion Sanders at Colorado. My favorite running back is Jaymyr Gibbs of the Detroit Lions (of the NFL).”

Lane (9-1), who have never won a state football title, recorded its first playoff victory in 21 years.The Champions will try to advance to the quarterfinals when they host Oswego (8-2) at 1 p.m. Saturday at Lane Stadium.

At the same time, Lane hopes to change the Chicago Public League’s statewide image in football.Last weekend, Public League teams went 0-15 against non-city competition in the opening round of the state tournament. Phillips is the only Public League school to win a state title, 4A in 2015 and 5A in 2017. Robeson was 6A runner-up in 1982.

“We know it is going to be difficult to win a state championship because of the schools in Class 8A and the competition,” Conley said. “However, I am confident the coaching staff can come up with a game plan against any opponent. I look forward to the challenge.”

One thing opponents must prepare to defend against is Lane’s Wildcat formation. The offense made popular by former Florida quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow.

“It was my idea to use the Wildcat,” Cole said. “I told the coaches that the holes were there. It has been a big part of our playbook.”

On Friday night, Perspectives tried to contain Cole. The first half was a nightmare as Lane was shut out, then fell behind 6-0 when Perspectives’ Herman Yancy scored on a 51-yard pass interception return in the third quarter. But junior quarterback Blake Perkins, who recently earned a starting position because Conley wanted to improve Lane’s passing attack, stepped up in the second half with touchdown runs of 37 and 30 yards and a 20-yard scoring pass to Aidan Andrich.

“I told the kids at halftime that when you are ready to make plays and block, you will win the game,” Conley said.

“I think I just panicked in the first half. I just rushed myself,” Perkins said.

While Perkins and Cole are the keys to Lane’s offense, the defense has been even more effective, recording five shutouts while not allowing an offensive touchdown last Friday. Cole should know about Lane’s defense. He sees it every day in practice.

“I think this defense has to be one of the best in the city and state,” Cole said. “The record speaks for itself. I don’t think anybody can really score on us.”

Against Perspectives, the defense was led by 6-3, 280-pound senior linebacker Daniel Howard, who is committed to Iowa State, and 5-11, 260-pound junior end Kanye Williams. They will be tested this weekend by Oswego (8-2), which is averaging 30 points per game.

This has been a rewarding, turn-around season for Lane, which was 3-6 a year ago. The players have responded very positively to Conley’s coaching philosophy.

“He has a great football IQ,” Cole said about his coach. “He is a leader on and off the football field.”

So is Cole.

“Lane is one of the top three schools in the state,” he said. “It is great being a student-athlete at Lane. Balancing academics and athletics make you a better person. It is always school first for me.”

“I am very proud of him,” said Mike Smith, Lane’s head of security.

So how far can this team go in the state playoff. Old-timers argue Lane’s 1980 team that lost to Gordon Tech in the Class 6A semifinals might have been one of the best teams never to win a state championship.

What will be the legacy of the 2025 squad? Saturday’s game against Oswego should provide some answers.

St. Patrick Wins Playoff Opener 49-28 over Wauconda

SPORTS SPOTLIGHT BY JOHN MONTGOMERY 

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lane Loses in Softball Semi-final

SPORTS SPOTLIGHT BY JOHN MONTGOMERY 

To say that Lane has dominated high school softball in the Chicago Public League would be an understatement. If Marshall was queen of girls basketball with 22 shields then Lane is king of boys 16 inch softball with 12 championships. The Champions dominated girls’ softball with 16 titles including 11 crowns this century.

The school now nicknamed Champions was denied another championship banner losing 10-0 Farragut in the semifinals of the city tournament at Hamlin Park.

"They were definitely the better team today," Lane head coach Mario Nunez said after the loss.

"Unfortunately, we couldn't execute today. It is going to be a nice rivalry for us in years to come."

It was evening of surprises on the softball diamond as Payton stunned top seeded Taft 10-5 while Farragut (15-3) used an unprecedented 14-run first inning to beat Payton in the title game 14-2 by slaughter rule. Payton beat Farragut last season in the semifinals. For the Admirals it was the school's first varsity CPS championship since winning soccer in 2006.

"Simple do what you did in the last game," Farragut head coach Cary Bolnick stated on his surprising Saturday in October at Hamlin Park.

Payton won softball title in 2024 beating Lane 7-6.

"It was mental lapses that hurt us," Taft head coach Tommy Angsten said who was former softball player at Lane. "The pressure got to them and we made mistakes."

CPS added boys’ softball as a varsity sport in 1999 with Schurz winning the first inaugural tournament. Former St Benedict grad Tom Horn who is now living in Las Vegas guided Lane to the first softball shield ever in 2000. Boys’ softball is played during fall along with football and volleyball while the girls play in the spring along with baseball.

The coaches in the Chicago Public League are hoping to talk with IHSA officials about making softball which is one of the most popular recreational sports in Chicago a sanctioned sport similar to girls’ flag football. 

For now, after final softball game of the season Farragut can say we are the champions after scoring 24 runs against two of the top four seeds as pitcher Robert Trejo won both games for the Admirals.

47th Ward Emergency Public Meeting

Wednesday morning, ICE followed a teacher into the Rayito del Sol school on Addison and forcibly abducted a school teacher in front of her students.

47th Ward Alderperson Matt Martin called an emergency public meeting in the Northcenter Townsquare, Damen and Belle Plaine, at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, to advise the community about the activities of ICE in the 47th Ward.

Numerous public official, parents and students at the Rayito del Sol attended and spoke, included Alderperson Martin, Congressman Mike Quigley, County Commissioner Bridget Degnen, State Representative Jaime Andrade, Alderperson Andre Vasquez and State Senator Mike Simmons.

Hundreds of neighbors filled the Townsquare for the community meeting.

DePaul Prep Comes Back to Defeat Glenbrook South

By Jack Lydon

What a comeback! The DePaul Prep Rams girls varsity volleyball team rallied from the verge of elimination late in the second set against Glenbrook South down 24-21, one point away from a season ending loss, to win the second set on five straight points and then dominate the Titans in the third set, 25-16.

Given the demeanor of this impressive group of Rams, one would not have known that they were one point away from the end of their season. Down 24-21, in the second set, after losing the first set, this experienced group ran off five straight points to force as third set.

Buoyed by the comeback and confident in their abilities, the third set went immediately their way starting with four point lead early and building thereafter. Fittingly, junior standout and North Carolina commit Kalia Kroth ended the match with a kill to give the Rams the comeback victory against the number 2 seed Glenbrook South Titans.

The Rams have only suffered five losses this season; one of the coming to Glenbrook South on October 18th.

The Rams advance to the IHSA 4A Glenbrook South Sectional Final on Thursday at 6:00 p.m., against New Trier. The Rams fell to New Trier in two sets in the third game of the day on October 17th.

“Competitive,” said DePaul Prep head coach Caroline Gajzler when asked what to expect from New Trier.

“The coaches and I will look at the film on New Trier and come up with a game plan like any other match.”

Lane Tech Rallies to Defeat Perspectives-Leadership 34-6

[Preview of my story in Inside—Booster.]

By Jack Lydon

The Lane Tech Champions (9-1) eventually woke up and put up thirty-four points in the second half of Halloween night’s IHSA 8A playoff opener to be beat Perspective-Leadership (5-5) 34-6.

It may have been looking past Perspectives or being tired after a long season or something else but it took the Lane Tech Champions a half of football to dial up enough intensity to beat the Perspectives Leadership Warriors Friday evening and win their first state playoff game in twenty-one years.

It was a scoreless tie going into the half. The Champions not only looked flat, utterly unmotivated, they were also playing poorly; dropping passes, missing tackles and committing penalties.  

“I told them whenever you are ready to go make plays, we will win the game. That’s pretty much all I said. Whenever we are ready to make some players will be find a way to win this game,” Lane first year head coach Deshon Conley.

Lane’s junior quarterback Blake Jenkins struggled in the first half.

“I think I just tried to relax myself. First drive do this, second drive do this, get a big first half and I think I just panicked. I rushed myself,” Jenkins admitted after the game.

“Going into half, I kind of all right relaxed, [I told myself,] get your throws down, get your reads down, came back out here, and I relaxed myself. I was much more calm in the pocket. I made throws, made the runs that we needed to do and we got the win,” said Roscoe Village native Jenkins.

Despite the lopsided final score things look bad for the Champions when on the third play of the second half, Jenkins through a pass that was picked off by Perspectives’ safety Herman “Yanc” Yancy and returned 51 yards for Warriors touchdown.

After Lane running back Vernon Cole put the Champions tied the game early in the third quarter, it was Jenkins’ running that proved the difference. Jenkins put together back-to-back touchdown runs of 37 and 30 yards.

“No, I haven't I've never done something like that. I'm not the fastest of guys. I've never been the runner. So it was definitely different for me. So everyone is pretty hyped when I scored that [second one]. But yeah, it was definitely fun,” Jenkins continued.

“I told Blake at halftime, I said you’ve got a couple [chances] to make this day right. He came out and through pick six which we didn't want. But after that, I think he played pretty flawless football,” said Conley.

Jenkins’ touchdown runs come off the same play. He faked a toss to the right to the tail back, then kept the ball and ran to the left.

“It was a halftime adjustment. Shout out to my guys. that eyes and press box. They saw that whenever we did, they go toss that all their players crashed to the sideline. So we knew that we'd probably get it with the fake toss,” Conley said.

In recent years to Champions have fallen victim to powerhouse suburban teams. The last time the Champions, at the point they were still the Indians, won a playoff game was 2004 with a 39-20 win over York. This year, with an impressive 8-1 record, the Champions landed the number 27 seed Perspectives Warriors with a 5-4 record in the Chicago Public Leagues Metro South Division.

The Champions move onto host a second-round game against Oswego next Saturday at Lane Stadium. The game time has yet to be determined.