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.

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 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.

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.

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.

DePaul Prep Wins Third Straight State Championship

[preview of my Inside—Booster story for this week.]

By Jack Lydon

CHAMPAIGN, IL—The toughness and heart of DePaul Prep cannot be overstated. Down by nine with under six minutes to play, the Rams rallied to defeat Brother Rice 55-52 in double overtime to win their third straight state championship. This was a heavy weight boxing match between fighters that know each other well.

The game was practically a mirror image of their first meeting in January when the Brother Rice Crusaders (31-6) defeated DePaul Prep 53-52 after grabbing an early lead. The Crusaders survived a late comeback by the Rams, but just barely.

That would not happen again. With the weight of two state champions pressing down and behind 33-24 with 5:42 to play, the Rams had to dig deep. Senior leader Makai Kvamme, a veteran of the two preceding state championships, stepped up big time.

Makai was struggling. He had not scored in the game to that point. Despite getting good looks, his shots were just not falling.

At 5:42, Makai get a layup, his first points of the game. He would score 9 more in the fourth. It wasn’t just Kvamme. Porter had a bucket. With the Rams trailing 40-37 and 43 seconds on the clock, Junior guard and transfer into DePaul Rykan Woo, who was not on the prior championship teams, surely had the biggest free throw shots of his life. He made the first. He made the second. He made the third. Scored tied, going to overtime.

It would take two overtimes but the Rams would close out the win with big buckets by AJ Chambers, Rob Walls, Rashaun Porter and five more from Kvamme in the second overtime.

“That was a fist fight of heavy weights. All great whistles. They let us play. Points were at a premium. Things got loose a little in the second half,” said Rams coach Tom Kleinschmit.

“These seniors that are up here have been on the varsity for three years. They are 70 and 5 in two years. The culture was built on the guys before them,” Kleinschmidt added.

“We knew that we had experience. We wanted to use that experience to the best of our ability. We stayed poised, stayed relaxed and started pressuring them to make them turn it over. We got that result,” said junior center Rashaun Porter.

“When we took the program over [in 2013], we had two goals: win the [Chicago Catholic] League and win the state championship. We hadn’t won a league game in five years and people looked at us like ‘ya, whatever.’ We attained one of the goals and won the League. Now we’ve won a championship,” said Kleinschmidt.

It’s three championships now actually. The Rams defeated Bloomington Central Catholic 65-41 in 2023 to win 2A. Last year they defeated Chicago Catholic League rival Mount Carmel 49-41 to win their second state championship in a row, that time in 3A. It will have to be said that the DePaul Prep Rams have entered the rarified air of multiple consecutive championships in IHSA history.   

“We are a defensive culture team that can score now. We talked about leaning on our experience. We certainly did that tonight,” concluded Coach Kleinschmidt.

Seventh ranked Brother Rice Crusaders were as tough a team as the Rams faced all year. And the Rams played a tremendously difficult schedule. Brother Rice has put together an impressive string of their own with three consecutive 30-win seasons. It was their first appearance in the State Tournament since 2005.

Chicago Catholic League Lawless Player of the Year, Crusaders senior guard Marcos Gonzales lead all scorers in the game with 24 points. Senior forward K. J. Morris had 11 points for Brother Rice. Senior guard Jack Weigus added 10 points.

It was a total team effort for the Rams, offensively as well as defensively. Kvamme lead the team with 16 points, all coming in the fourth quarter and the overtime periods. Rashaun Porter added 14 despite suffering injured fingers. Rob Walls and Rykan Woo had 7 each. AJ Chambers had 5. Jonas Johnson and Gus Donohue each added a three-pointer. The Rams had 10 steals and only 9 turnovers.

DePaul Prep Going to State Again with 68-28 Win Over Kaneland

By Jack Lydon

“I feel like we came out and we just punched them in the mouth. We weren't trying to let them get going. We knew that they could get hot pretty fast. We wanted to limit their shots . . . We never gave them a chance to get going,” said DePaul Prep senior guard Rob Walls after the game.

Punched them in the mouth is a good way to describe how the DePaul Prep Rams dismantled the Kaneland Knights 68-28 in the 3A Super-sectional game at Hoffman Estates NOW Arena Monday evening.

It was by no means clear before the game started, how Kaneland would contend with competition such as DePaul Prep. Kaneland came into the game was a gaudy 32-1 record running through their competition with impressive wins over DeKalb and Crystal Lake South. But the Knights haven’t played anything like the level of competition that DePaul Prep would bring.

It showed in the first quarter. The Rams opened the game with 12-0 run. Senior forward Gus Donohue added two big three pointers in a row midway throw the first quarter opening an 18-2 advantage. It was 21-3 at the end of the quarter.

“I thought it was good to get the offense going. . . The guards got me the ball, [Kaneland] to help on our good guards and then I had wide open shots. I was happy that I could knock them down,” Donohue said.

The rest of the game was not much different. 43-12 at the half 60-22 after the third. Running clock and subs for both teams in the fourth with a 68-28 final.

DePaul Prep coach Tom Kleinschmidt was complementary of Kaneland.

“Three and five are excellent players. Five [Kaneland senior forward Freddy Hassan] is a thousand-point scorer,” said Kleinschmidt.

“Three [Kaneland’s junior point guard Marshawn Cocroft] is an unbelievable guard, all state last year in 2A. We wanted to make sure they saw a man and a half. I know we're a good defensive of team, but if you play those two guys, one on one, they give people problems. They're thirty-two and one.”

Kaneland is good. They have good players and are well coached. A team can’t go 32-1 without that. It just seemed the Rams were just that much better. Dialed in. Ready and anxious to get back downstate.

Kleinschmidt was a little more forthcoming about the season than he usually is.

“There's a reason we play the schedule we play. We played eight rank teams in like twelve days. We got beat by [Brother] Rice at home by one. The next day within thirteen hours, H-F beat us by one. The kids were really down after that H-F game. I told them when we get down state this weekend, it's gonna be that weekend that got us down state.

“We had Benet at home. I thought it was important to start seniors like Gus and Jonus who helped us build the program. [Benet] took it to us. We gave them another day off and then they have been laser focused at practice and I think that's why. We are rested, we're tested and we’re prepped.

The DePaul Prep Rams have put together such a string of successful seasons that it hardly seems real. They have advanced to the state finals five of the last six years which had state finals, including this year. They won 3A last year and 2A the year before that. In 2022, they finished in third place in 2A. And in 2019, the finished in third place in 3A. Oh, and in the COVID year 2021, they won the non-IHSA Chipotle Tournament ending the season ranked No. 1.

The Rams will face Glenwood High School (24-9, 6-4) from Chatham, Illinois (population 14,525), in Thursday evening’s IHSA 3A semi-final at the University of Illinois’ State Farm Center. The Glenwood Titans finished fourth in the Central State Eight conference behind MacArthur, Springfield and Lanphier.

DePaul Prep and Lane Are Both Regional Champs

[Preview of my Inside—Booster article for this week.]

By Jack Lydon

It was a good night for basketball teams from Addison and Western. The seventh ranked DePaul Prep Rams (28-4) defeated the Carmel Corsairs (12-19) to win their tenth consecutive regional championship. Their immediate neighbor to the north, the Lane Tech Champions (20-11) defeated the New Trier Trevians 67-57 to win Lane’s first ever regional championship in school history.

With the number one seed in the 3A Antioch Sectional, DePaul Prep faced the number nine seed, Carmel Catholic from Mundelein. The Rams controlled the game from the outset. Their patented switching defense stymied Carmel at every turn. The Corsairs struggled to even get shots up. They only scored one point in the second quarter, and that was a free through in the closing seconds of the half.

Rams’s junior guard Rykan Woo, recently selected as second-team All-City by the Sun-Times, had nineteen points included all thirteen of the Rams’ first quarter points. Senior forward and DePaul University commit Jonas Johnson started the game and added eleven points. Point guard and Western Illinois commit Makai Kvamme had ten points.

“It’s great. I certainly don’t take it for granted,” Rams head coach Tom Kleinschmidt said of his teams’ having won ten straight IHSA Regional Championships.

“It the cultivation of a program, the support that we get from the school, the coaches and players that we have had, names that [our current players] may not know or may have only heard of that really build the program, guys like Chris Herrell and Raequan [Williams], David Holiday, Scotty Calderon, [Dan Lydon], all those guys that build the program,” Kleinschmidt added.

“[Those guys] took the program and gave it to Perry [Cowen], Perry gave it to these guys. It’s been awesome. I don’t take it for granted. Ten straight regionals. I remember the first three that we played in we didn’t win one. I was hoping to win one or two regionals.”

DePaul Prep senior Makai Kvamme, widely regarding as a top point guard in the area, reflected on his last home game in DePaul’s Tom Winiecki Gym. “I have played here for so long, developed such a great relationship with my teammates. It means the world to me being here with my teammates and coaches.”

As good of a night as it was for the Rams, it was that and more for the Lane Tech Champions. The number four seed Champions defeated the previously ranked and five seed New Trier Trevians in the Maine South regional final 67-57. This was Lane’s first regional championship in school history. The Champions join the ranks of venerable southside 2025 CPS regional champions such as Kenwood, Simeon, Whitney Young and Curie.

The Champions reprised their January 18th 60-47 victory over New Trier but it wasn’t without having to deal with adjustments by the Trevians.

“They really tried to negate [first team All-City senior center] Dalton [Scantlebury],” said Lane Tech head coach Nick LoGalbo.

“They were in a box and one [defense] the entire game. We did a good job in setting our other guys up, using Dalton’s strengths in other ways. Guys stepped up.”

New Trier junior forward Christopher Kirkpatrick led the Trevians attack with his deadly long range jumpers. Kirkpatrick managed 29 points but it would not be enough to overcome a 17-4 first quarter deficit.

“We got hot from three early. We made some big ones late. We got to a point where they were just daring us to shoot it. Drew Barolai hit a big one from the corner. That kind of broke the game open in the third quarter. We took a pretty good lead. We maintained that through the fourth. And that was it,” LoGablo said.

“I am super proud of our guys. We have been talking about trying to do this for a long time. I thought we had the team to do it. We set the schedule at the beginning of the year. We decided that we are going to go play everbody. We found a way to get ourselves here. Our guys were ready for the moment.”

DePaul Prep advances to face a somewhat overlooked St. Viator Lions team in the 3A Antioch Sectional semi-final on Tuesday. The Lions have put together an impressive 23-9 record year.

The Lane Tech Champions will face #12 Evanston (26-5)  in the 4A New Trier Sectional semi on Tuesday.

Other area teams also played in the regional championships. In 4A, #20 Whitney Young knocked off the other ranked area team #13 Lincoln Park 50-47.

DePaul Prep Falls to Benet 64-51 in Regular Season Finale

The DePaul Prep Rams closed the regular season Friday evening against Benet Academy at home in the Tom Winiecki Gym. The Rams dropped the game 64-51 against the hot shooting Red Wings.

The Rams finish the 24-25 regular season as champions of the Chicago Catholic League with record of 26-4. The Rams had two bigs wins against out-of-town powerhouses, Mater Dei and Vashon and eight wins against ranked teams. Their losses coming only to ranked teams, Kenwood, Brother Rice, Homewood-Flossmoor and Benet.

The Rams open the IHSA 3A playoffs on Wednesday against the winner of Monday’s Lake View vs. North Chicago game.

It’s been an amazing season. I shot thirty games but it didn’t seem like that many. It went fast. On to the playoffs we go. Only twenty-one days until the state championship games.

DePaul Prep Beats St. Ignatius 60-58 in OT

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

[Full photo gallery to follow.]

By Jack Lydon

I got there over an hour early and the parking lot was already totally full. Friday’s DePaul Prep v. St. Ignatius game at DePaul Prep’s Tom Winiecki Gym would be different. Well not so much different as amplified. Bigger, stronger, faster.

And so it was. The DePaul Prep Rams (24-3, 5-1) defeated the St. Ignatius Wolfpack 60-58 in overtime to advance toward another Chicago Catholic League title and prove they can come from behind and win when it matters.

This was a high-level high school basketball game played by very talented players and coaches on both sides. Few turnovers, multiple dunks and three-pointers, defense and offence. The largest lead of the game by either team was a six-points.

The Tom Kleinschmidt formula win goes like this: an early lead, a dominant third quarter that builds a 15 to 20 point lead and then kill the clock in the fourth. That wasn’t happening in this game. St. Ignatius’ coach Matt Monroe knows that scenario. The Wolfpack didn’t get far behind and flipped the script by outscoring the Rams and taking a lead in the third quarter.

“They're obviously one of the best defensive programs around. They're switching defense causes teams fits. So we were hoping to put them in more scramble situations. We are hoping to do a few of our attacking switch techniques, like slipping with a couple of things we call twist and turn,” said St. Ignatius coach Matt Monroe.

Monroe’s plan worked. It didn’t look good for the Rams at the 5:48 mark in the fourth when Phoenix Gill, St. Ignatius’ senior point guard, Northwestern commit and son of a former NBA player, Kendall Gill, drained a three to give the Wolfpack a 48-42 lead.

After a time out, the Rams chipped away and chipped away. A couple buckets from Rykan Woo and AJ Chambers but the relentless defense lead by Rob Walls and Makai Kvamme led to turnovers which turned into clutch layups by Kvamme to tie the game.

St. Ignatius had a chance to win at the end of regulation. After a time out and with a few seconds left on the clock, Phoenix Gill took the inbounds pass. With DePaul Prep’s Rob Walls guarding him at the top of the key, Gill worked the ball to the right but had dish the ball off to junior guard Napolean Harris IV, who put up a three-pointer that missed.

Overtime. DePaul’s junior center Rashaun Porter dropped a bucket. Junior guard Rykan Woo added a free throw. St. Ignatius senior guard Ryan Cavanagh drained a three to tie the game with 46.9 left in OT.

The Rams had the ball with time winding down. Porter drove to the hoop and was fouled. He drained two free throws with three seconds left to give the Rams a 60-58 lead and the victory.  

“We’ve got grit. We showed some toughness. [If something bad happens, it’s] on to the next play. A lot of teams or individuals would have hung their heads and quit. We didn’t. We believe in each other. We came out and made some plays,” said DePaul Prep head coach Tom Kleinschmidt of his Rams.

Porter was jubilant after the game, “This is the Catholic league, and this is a really tough league, one of the best leagues in the Midwest. And we want to win it. . . . Our goal is to win the Catholic League. . . . So we really wanted this one.”

Kleinschmidt mentioned rivalry after the game, “It's a rivalry. It’s only a rivalry if both teams win. We won a couple in a row now, but for a while there, they won a couple in a row.” Kleinschmidt is 8-5 against St. Ignatius in his last eleven seasons as DePaul Prep and Gordon Tech head coach, including a particularly heartbreaking loss at the buzzer in a sectional final game in 2020, two days before the whole world shut down with the COVID pandemic.

Conference play is not quite over. DePaul Prep is tied with Brother Rice each having one loss. The Rams have two conference games left: DeLaSalle and Fenwick. Brother Rice has Mount Carmel left. The Rams control their own fate. If both DePaul Prep and Fenwick win out, they share the CCL title. If the Rams win and the Crusaders lose, the Rams win it out right—Chicago Catholic League champions for the second year in a row.

DePaul Prep’s senior point guard Makai Kvamme after a dunk in the first quarter against St. Ignatius

Lane Tech Handled Ag Science 63-45 Thursday and Will Face Kenwood on Saturday

I didn’t know what to expect on my first trip out to the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences or CHSAS or, as I call it, Ag Science. It’s located on the far southwestern border of Chicago at 111th and Pulaski. I had never seen Ag Science play nor had I ever been out to their gym. I had heard of Ag Science though because of its curious focus in the nation’s third largest city.

I have seen the Lane Tech Champions (17-10, 7-4) quite a few times this season so I know how good they are even if their record doesn’t show it. They put together a brutally tough schedule directly for the purpose of preparing for the City tournament and the IHSA playoffs.

Interestingly, the Cyclones drew the #8 seed in the Red Division tournament because of their fourth place finish in the Red-Star division. While Lane drew the #9 seed because of their #5 seed in the higher Red-Shield division.

The Champion’s length pretty much overwhelmed the Cyclones from the start ultimately winning 63-45. Lane jumped out to an early lead and shut down Ag Science from scoring inside. Their outside shot were all opposed and were not falling either. The Champions scored at will in the paint. I don’t know know that I have seen so many dunks in a high school game. Of Dalton Scantlebury’s fifteen points a majority had to be scored on dunks.

The Champions move on to face #1 ranked Kenwood on Saturday at 4:00 p.m., at Curie High School. The CPL has gone to a neutral site format for the quarter and semi-finals. The Champions look to rebound from an early season 82-75 loss to Kenwood at Lane in December. Lane looks to put together a revenge tour through the tournament with wins against previous victors or some combination thereof, Kenwood, Whitney Young, Simeon and Lincoln Park.

DePaul Prep Handles Leo 59-27

The DePaul Prep Rams (22-3, 4-1) traveled to Leo (14-9, 1-4) on Friday evening and defeated the Lions 59-27.

DePaul Prep Falls to Brother Rice 53-52

DePaul Prep Survives Mount Carmel 66-63

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

By Jack Lydon

“We don’t have any rivals.”

Not sure that he meant it the way it came across, but that’s what DePaul Prep’s Rykan Woo said when asked about Mount Carmel after his new team, the DePaul Prep Rams (18-1, 3-0) survived a late challenge to defeat the Caravan 66-63 at Mount Carmel Friday evening.

Woo may not appreciate the rivalry, this being his first year on the Rams, but DePaul Prep’s rivalry with Mount Carmel is very real. The DePaul Prep has played and defeated Mount Carmel three times in the last twelve months. The Rams defeated the Caravan last February 41-38 to win the Chicago Catholic League and then again a month later to win the 3A state championship over Mount Carmel 49-41. There is also the looming possibility of a fourth meeting in this year’s 3A playoffs. The way the sectional assignments line up, if both teams advance they could meet again in March in a state final or semi-final.

“It’s extremely frustrating,” said Mount Carmel head coach Phil Segroves when asked about losing three times to DePaul Prep in the last year.

“We feel we’ve got something pretty special here and we know they do too. We’re gonna just keep knocking on the door.”

The game opened with the DePaul’s defense taking Mount Carmel out of what they wanted to do. The defensive engine for the Rams runs on senior guard and defensive specialist Rob Walls. Walls took a large hand in shutting down Mount Carmel’s star point guard Noah Mister Friday night. In one sequence midway through the second quarter, Walls tied up Mister and stole the ball. A quick pass by Walls to Rams’ point guard Makai Kvamme lead to a layup and the Rams opened an eight point lead.

“Usually, you’ll see me take a charge out there and all the sudden you’ll see all of us getting excited. That just gets us going. It’s fun being out there. Playing with competitors, it’s fun,” said Walls.

The Rams defense set the tone, but junior guard and Whitney Young transfer Rykan Woo and junior center Rashaun Porter scored the points. Woo lead the Rams with 28 points, including three three-pointers and thirteen free throws.

“We know that Rykan Woo is a very good player. Even though Makai Kvamme runs the show at point, [DePaul’s] offense goes through Woo,” Segroves said.

“He’s their scorer. We knew that. We did our very best to defend him. He still came out on top. Sometimes you have to tip your cap.”

 “I think it’s just repetition and practice. Just trying to not let my mind mess around with me,” Woo said of his hitting 10 of 12 free throws in the game.

“My teammates do a great job setting me up all the time. I give them a lot of the credit.”

In addition to Woo’s twenty-five points, Ram’s junior center Rashaun Porter had sixteen points including two big free throws in the closing seconds to seal the victory.

Despite the defensive efforts of Walls and the scoring efficiency of Woo and Porter, the Caravan came roaring back in the closing minutes. Let by senior guard Grant Best with twenty-three points, Mount Carmel came back from a thirteen-point Rams lead early in the third quarter to make it a one possession game in the closing seconds.

The Rams improve their record to 18-1 with their only loss coming in the fourth game of the season to then #1 ranked Kenwood and then only by two-points on the last possession of the game.

The Catholic League is also coming into focus. Mount Carmel now has two losses, one earlier in the year to Fenwick and one tonight to DePaul Prep. Brother Rice suffered a Catholic League loss on Friday to St. Ignatius. Only DePaul Prep and Fenwick are undefeated in the Chicago Catholic League’s Blue division. The Rams will face the Friars on February 14th but there are plenty of league games for both teams between then and now. Still a lot of basketball yet to play.

For now at least, the DePaul Prep Rams are likely to retain their number #1 ranking this week and sit atop the Chicago Catholic League just short of two-thirds of the way through the season.

DePaul Prep Defeats St. Francis de Sales 66-37

DePaul Prep Rams (17-1, 2-0) defeated St. Francis de Sales (5-10, 2-1) 66-37 at DePaul’s Tom Winiecki Gym on Tuesday. Rams face Mount Carmel at Mount Carmel on Friday in big Chicago Catholic League Blue matchup.

These are some photos from tonight’s game.

DePaul Prep Survives Loyola 43-35

The DePaul Prep Rams (15-1, 3-0) defeated the Loyola Academy Ramblers (15-5, 1-2) 43-35 on Friday evening at Loyola. I have to hand it to Loyola. Tom Livatino had the Rams playing his game. Slow the tempo way down, play very physical and hope to edge teams at the end.

It was working in the first half with the assistance of the referees. I don’t like to criticize referees. They are usually very good. In first half of this game, the referees were let them play. Meaning they weren’t calling any fouls. This hurt the Rams. Their shots were not falling.

The Ramblers were hitting shots at least enough to stay close to the Rams. Loyola’s center Brandon Loftus was impressive in the paint and hitting outside shots.

The second half was different for the Rams. The refs started calling fouls and the Rams were able to score like they usually do.

The Rams gained a lead and were able to build it with some remarkable free throw shooting to seal the victory. Junior Rykan Woo was 8 for 8 in the game and 6 for 6 in the last 1:05 of the game.

The Rams improve to 15-1 overall and 3-0 in the Chicago Catholic League Blue and probably retain their #1 ranking.

A little past the midway point of the season 16 games into the 30-game season, the Rams are the No. 1 ranked team in the Sun-Times Super 25. They got that spot after winning their inaugural appearance in the Pontiac Holiday Tournament. It was another achievement for the DePaul College Prep basketball team that has now become a “program.”

At the R-B tournament in the summer of 2023, I was talking to Mike Mullin of the Illinois Wolves. He was the first person that I heard use the term “program” in conjunction with DePaul Prep. After just one 2A State Championship, some might argue that the “program” moniker might be a little premature. Not anymore. Since 2019, the DePaul Prep Rams have achieved a third place in 3A, a No. 1 ranking in the 2020, the COVID year, a 2A state championship, victory in Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic, a 3A state champion and a Pontiac title. Combine that unprecedented success with the same coach in the program for 10 years, a coach with over 300 career wins, and you are pretty much talking “program.”

That’s all fine but there are games to play. This season has seen the return of proven producers Makai Kvamme, Rob Walls, Rashaun Porter, AJ Chambers and Jonas Johnson. But it’s the emergence of Rykan Woo that have brought the Rams, admittedly a 3A team, to that top tier.

Woo, a transfer from Whitney Young, is averaging 17 points a game. His eye popping 24 points and 6 of 7 three pointers against Warren has him being talked about as the best player in the whole junior class. I first saw him play at the R-B tournament this past summer. But it was at the Ridgewood summer event that he turned heads. A longtime DePaul Prep observer told me that this 24-25 team would be better than the last two state championship teams. We will see about that but the addition of Rykan is making a believer out of me.

The Rams schedule has been rough. At the start of the season, Tom Kleinschmidt told me, “We are going to lose some games this year.”

Not true so far. Only one loss. And then to the No. 1 team at the time, Kenwood. And then only by two points in the last ten seconds of a weekend shootout game. Add in some signature wins over Niles North, Lane, Rich Township, Mater Dei (a California powerhouse program), Curie, Benet and Warren.

I would say the first half went well for the Rams. The bulk of the Chicago Catholic League games will be played in the second half, namely Mount Carmel, Brother Rice, St. Ignatius, DeLaSalle and Fenwick. Who cares about Pontiac and state championship if you don’t win the Chicago Catholic League Blue? We will see about the second half.

Loyola Defeats St. Ignatius 48-45 to Win the Jesuit Cup

I was back at Loyola Chicago last night for the Jesuit Cup game between Loyola Academy and St. Ignatius College Prep. As I walking into the Gentile Arena, I looked about the playing field, or what was the playing field when I went to Loyola, and saw Dumbach Hall, where I had quite a few classes back in the day.

Dumbach Hall was the original home of the Loyola Academy high school before it moved out to Wilmette in 1957. Now the Wilmette Ramblers basketball team was once again back home to take on the original Jesuit high school in Chicago, the Saint Ignatius College Prep Wolfpack.

The legendary Dutch Jesuit priest Fr. Arnold Damen, S.J., for whom Damen Avenue is named, founded Holy Family Church in 1957 serving largely Irish immigrant families in the rough and tumble Chicago of the pre-Civil War era.

Fr. Damen opend St. Ignatius College right after the Civil War in 1869 which then was a high school and a college. The college later moved up to the Rogers Park and became Loyola University.

The St. Ignatius and Loyola Academy have a common history and considerable rivalry.

Mind you, my Irish immigrant family wasn’t quite fancy enough to be part of the St. Ignatius and Loyola high schools. But my sister and I did make it into Jesuit colleges. She is a lot smarter than me so when to Georgetown. II was just smart enough to get into what was then called Loyola University of Chicago. Now it’s just, Loyola University Chicago.

The full history of the Jesuit Cup illudes me. We will have to leave that story for next year.

This year, as in at least the last two years, the game has been at Loyola University’s Gentile Arena, a great intimate place to watch a basketball game. Gentile has great light for taking photos—the most important part of high school basketball.

The Wolfpack came into tonight’s Jesuit Cup ranked #11 with a 7-0 record. They have excellent players and are well coached. The Ramblers were 6-3 and just getting their football players back from a back-to-back-to-back 8A state football championship.

Loyola has won ten out of the last 11 Jesuit Cup games. The student body was fired up for the game.

St. Ignatius was there in force as well. Both school communities enjoy the rivalry. The Gentile Center was rocking.

The Ramblers jumped out to an early lead. Ignatius chipped away at is slowing, only getting their first and only lead of the game, 42-41, with 2:50 left in the game. For the next couple minutes, it was back and forth. Tied 45-45, the Ramblers called time out with under 10 seconds to play. They lined up their play and inbounded the ball. With tremendous front court pressure from St. Ignatius resembling a pack of wolves, Rambler junior guard Sam Golden took a pass and seconds on the clock and the game on the line throw a shot from beyond the arc. The shot banked in off the glass as time expired.

48-45 Loyola wins.

“That was a little bit of a coming out party for Sam Golden. He made some big shots all game long. Like Sam said, ‘That was in all the way,’” said Rambler head coach Tom Livatino.

“It’s the biggest game of the season. It’ always circled at the start of the season,” Sam Golden said of the Jesuit Cup game. “

We always look forward to it and always try to win and play our hearts out. I used to come every year.”

If you haven’t been to a Jesuit Cup game at the Gentile Center, I highly recommend it. It’s high school basketball at its best.

St. Ignatius might want to move the next one to Marquette or St. Louis University just to break up the Ramblers’ 11 out of 12 mojo from being across the lawn from their original home. Just a thought.

DePaul Prep Defeats Mater Dei 57-50 at Chicago Elite Classic

Kind of like my feeling regarding DePaul Prep’s recent 4A state championship in football, I looked up at the scoreboard and noticed that there were two minutes left in the game and saw that our Rams were up seven point against the California powerhouse Mater Dei on the big stage at the Chicago Elite Classic.

None of the people that I talked to in recent days knew anything about Mater Dei except that it was a California powerhouse team and that the out-of-state teams at the Chicago Elite Classic usually beat up on our local teams.

Frankly, I did not know what to expect in this game. I looked up Mater Dei and discovered that the boys basketball program has won one national championship (exactly what that means I do not know), eleven Californian state titles including back to back to back tiles from 2011 to 2014, sixteen Southern California regional titles, 24 CIF-SS titles and 40 league titles in 42 years. I am guessing this means that they are pretty.

I was just hoping the Rams could make a good showing and not look totally out classed, especially, with key player AJ Chambers not in uniform for the game. That’s kind of the way it looked in the first half. The Rams struggled to score against the length of the Mater Dei Monarchs but they were playing well on defense and not getting blown out. It was 25-18 Monarchs at the half.

I don’t know what TK said at halftime or what magical scheme Kenny Gryzwa and Michael Snead cooked up (maybe it was Magic Yellow), but the third quarter was a whole different animal. A couple threes early in the quarter by Jonas Johnson jumpstarted the Rams who outscored the mighty Monarchs 19-10 in the quarter. The Rams tied the game at 37-37 at the end of the third.

I was sitting courtside photographing the game. The Monarchs standing around, a little shell shocked, just looking at each other. They didn’t know what happened. I commented on Twitter that “I went to a shootout and a Catholic League game broke out.” It seems the Monarchs have never played in a Catholic League game, at least not a Chicago Catholic League one.

Rob Walls drained a three to open the 4th. Makai Kvamme and Rykan Woo followed with some key buckets. The Rams opened a seven-point lead midway through the fourth. Even a casual observer knows that it’s best not to get behind a Tom Kleinschmidt coached team in the fourth quarter—successful comebacks are rare against his teams.

Sure enough, the Rams hit their free throws and celebrated a 57-50 victory over the California powerhouse.

As is usually the case in big wins, the contributions of one player stand out. Saturday, that player was Jonas Johnson. He played excellent defense. He hit some big threes that opened the lane for Makai and Rykan. He scored fifteen points earning himself player of the game and a fancy Cain’s Chicken gift basket—nice! It’s great to see him excel on this big stage after suffering through injuries all last year. Well done!

I am not one given to such reckless talk a week into a season but maybe the Rams are, in fact, a top team in the area.

I have evidence that tends to prove such a proposition more likely true than not, at least to this point.

Go Rams!