Cooper Kmet throws 338 yards but also two pick-sixes as St. Viator falls to DePaul Prep

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS – On Friday night, the St. Viator Lions were looking to regain their roar after consecutive losses to Benet Academy and St. Ignatius had wiped out a 3-0 start to its season. They hosted a DePaul Prep squad that had just dropped its first game of the season at home versus Loyola.

And with a schedule in the final three games of the season that includes IC Catholic Prep and St. Patrick, it could ill afford a third straight setback.

Despite its best foot forward, the Lions ran into an opponent that had the loudest roar when it needed it as the visitors from Chicago’s Roscoe Village neighborhood rammed their way past Viator 39-23 in a CCL/ESCC contest at the Forest View Educational Center.

“This is a really important (win) for DePaul Prep,” Rams senior running back Nick Martinez said after his third TD run from 47 yards out with 4:25 left all but settled matters as they outscored the home team 19-0 in the final 12 minutes of play.

“We have really great players (and) a lot of great opportunities. We saw our schedule and that it was going to be harder than last year so we decided to step up.”

After Viator (3-3, 0-2) took a 23-20 lead on Alex Niemiec’s 25-yard third-quarter field goal, the Rams (5-1, 2-0) did just that when they went on an 8-play, 90-yard drive that would take the lead back for good when Juju Rodriguez (14 for 17, 217 yards) found Aidan Castette for a 22-yard TD toss with 9:38 remaining to put DePaul ahead 27-23.

After the Lions took a safety when Dayvion Ellis took a knee in the end zone making it 29-23 Rams with 5:08 to play, Martinez (23 carries, 151 yards) went on his game-sealing jaunt.

“My goal is once I get past that (front) line, it’s go mode and get vertical. It felt great. Amazing "

After Rodriguez connected with Jack West on a two-point conversion making it 37-23 with 4:25 left, another Viator end zine kneel down accounted for the game’s final points.

Cooper Kmet (23 for 40, 338 yards) had a pair of first-half TD tosses to Damacio Ortegon, but also threw a pair of interceptions. One of which was returned by Gianni Guinta for an 86-yard pick-six.

Lions Head Coach Dave Archibald knows that there’s still a lot of football left on his teams schedule as two of their final three games are on their Morris Field home turf.

“We got chances. We’ll come back and fight. I thought our guys played a really competitive three quarters. We had a fourth quarter lead, we just have to finish.”

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