CCL/ESCC notes: St. Laurence starts season 4-0 determined to prove last year wasn’t fluke

St. Laurence came into this season on a mission. With four players returning defensively and two on offense from last season’s team that reached the Class 4A state championship game, the Vikings wanted to prove that last year wasn’t a blip on the radar.

Through four games this season, St. Laurence seems to be on the path of accomplishing that goal. The Vikings started a season 4-0 for the first time since 2009.

“They have a lot of pride in themselves, a lot of pride in the program,” St. Laurence coach Adam Nissen said. “I do think there’s a chip on their shoulder to prove last year wasn’t a fluke. Any team can get there for one year, but the great ones are going to be able to sustain their success.”

The Vikings stayed undefeated after beating Carmel on the road in the final minute. St. Laurence won the game after senior Collin Bagley knocked in the go-ahead field goal with less than 30 seconds left in the game.

Nissen called Friday’s win St. Laurence’s most-complete game since he took over the program. The Vikings limited plenty of playmakers on Carmel’s offense, the Vikings offense scored at least 17 points for the fourth straight game and the special teams made plays at the end.

“It was a really good game of complementary football,” Nissen said. “That’s what we’ve emphasized all week, one side of the ball picking up the other side and taking advantage of opportunities that present themselves.”

Through four games, the Vikings have outscored their opponents 155-29. St. Laurence’s first four opponents (Noble Academy, Evanston, Niles Notre Dame, Carmel) have a combined record of 5-11, with their CCL/ESCC opponents both holding 2-2 records.

“They have a lot of pride in themselves, a lot of pride in the program. I do think there’s a chip on their shoulder to prove last year wasn’t a fluke. Any team can get there for one year, but the great ones are going to be able to sustain their success.”

—  Adam Nissen, St. Laurence head coach

Despite the early success with a new roster, Nissen is looking for more consistency heading into the second half of the season. That’ll start Friday when the Vikings host Leo.

“We have flashes of being a state championship-caliber team and we have flashes of being a team that doesn’t look fundamentally sound,” Nissen said. “We really don’t harp a lot on wins and losses. We show up every day to [practice and try to get better at practice. … We just need to be a more consistent team.”

Rams’ historic energy

DePaul Prep coach Mike Passarella noticed a difference in his players heading into this season compared to last year. He felt a different energy from the Rams compared to years past.

That energy switch came after just missing out on a chance to make the playoffs last season with a 4-5 record. The Rams built off their frustrations over the offseason and have started the season 4-0 for the first time since DePaul changed over from the former Gordon Tech in 2014.

“These kids are hungry,” Passarella said. “That’s the one thing that they’ve kind of talked about in terms of what they want to accomplish. They know what they want to do, they know what they need to do and they’ve been going out doing it on a week-to-week basis.”

DePaul moved over to 4-0 after beating St. Patrick 41-0 on Friday. The Rams started the season with a 35-28 win over Deerfield (2-2) before beating Marian Central (1-3), 35-7, and Marian Catholic (2-2), 20-7, respectively.

Passarella credited the seniors for not only the work they put in over the offseason but that energy that has been contagious to the newer players this year. He’s noticed an uncanny ability to be locked in before games and knowing what’s going on during.

“When it comes to knowing what they need to do and where they need to be, they have that ability to flip that switch,” Passarella said. “That’s something that I haven’t seen in years past.”

The Rams aren’t looking too far ahead as they try to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2015. They made that mistake last season when they thought they could beat De La Salle to end the season last year at 4-4. DePaul lost in Week 9, 34-20.

The road to five won’t be easy, either. It start Friday against Loyola (2-2), before playing St. Viator (3-1), Carmel (2-2), St. Francis (3-1) and Benet (4-0).

“We’re heading into a five-week stretch here that’s going to be difficult for us, we’re aware of that,” Passarella said. “But we’re not scared or nervous. These guys believe in themselves and that’s been kind of the model this week: Having belief in week-to-week and taking care of business.”

Redwings ready to overcome frustrations

Benet has been knocking on the playoffs door for the past three seasons and seems to be close to finally opening it this year after starting the season 4-0. The Redwings just missed out on qualifying the last three years with 4-5 records.

“It’s actually been so frustrating the last couple of years being so close, coming up a game short,” Benet coach Patrick New said. “So it means a ton to us.”

New credited his senior leadership and an offense that’s gotten its footing this season to the first 4-0 start since 2019. The Redwings have averaged 37.3 points per game so far and scored all 23 of their points in Friday’s win over St. Viator in the first half.

Senior quarterback Ryan Kubacki and Benet’s other top playmakers got a year under their belt with the offensive scheme and New said the group felt more comfortable this season.

“We’ve got some playmakers who’ve stepped up and produced a lot of those points,” New said. “Ryan Kubacki, having him back has been helpful.”

Benet will try to pick up win No. 5 at Mount Carmel on Friday. The Redwings will play St. Patrick (2-2), Fenwick (3-1), Nazareth (3-1) and DePaul (4-0) to end the season, respectively.

New was excited to see how his team stacks up against the Class 7A top-ranked Caravan.

“I think they’re one of the top teams in the Midwest,” New said. “I think it’ll show us where we stand. If we execute at our highest level, I’m interested in how that stacks up against this team.”

Ramblers much-needed win

Loyola found itself in a different position coming in at 1-2 against Brother Rice on Friday. It was the first time the Ramblers had lost two games in a season since 2019.

Ramblers coach Beau Desherow was proud of the effort he saw from Loyola to start the Blue play with a strong win over Brother Rice on Friday.

“We needed it, we needed this game,” Desherow said. “The kids responded extremely well all week at practice. Their discipline, their focus all week, their trust in one another was there. It was a big win for us.”

Crusaders not looking too far ahead

Even if there was plenty to take from a loss to Loyola that could help Brother Rice for a potential playoff push, Crusaders coach Casey Quedenfeld wasn’t looking too far ahead. With a 1-3 start to the season, he was more focused on getting over the hump and earning a win against St. Patrick on Saturday.

“We’ve got to get back in the win column,” Quedenfeld said. “We’ve got to get to the drawing board, we’ve got to continue with this team and find a way to kick the door down. Whatever happens later we’ll worry about it.”