by ROSCOE VILLAGE, IL – The St. Francis Spartans (6-2 overall, 1-1 CCL/ESCC Green) secured a pivotal road victory on Friday night, defeating the DePaul College Prep Rams (2-6 overall, 1-2 CCL/ESCC Purple) 35-14 in a high-intensity Chicago Catholic League conference crossover matchup. Despite a balanced first quarter, the Spartans’ explosive offense and timely defensive takeaways propelled them to a dominant road win.
First Quarter:
The Spartans won the coin toss, opting to kick off first.
Spartan’s defense wasted no time setting the tone. After forcing a lengthy DePaul punt and suffering a pivotal 12-yard loss on a trick play, Spartans defensive lineman AJ Redmon expertly read the Rams to a tea and the Spartans momentum rose.
On their first drive, Spartans quarterback Brock Phillip connected with the blazing-fast wide receiver Dario Milivojevic, who burned past the entire Rams defense for a thrilling 47-yard touchdown. Kicker Evan Kolinski’s PAT put the Spartans up 7-0 with 8:14 left in the first.
Shortly after the Spartans first touchdown the Rams found the back of the end zone with 2:47 to go in the quarter. Rams quarterback Jackson Grabinski led a methodical drive, capped by a long touchdown pass intended for running back Tyson Hooks but Grabinski saw tight end Andrew Meyers near the Spartans 20-yard line. Meyers who found space against the Spartans secondary, broke free and reached the end zone. Rams’ kicker, Emmett McCue’s PAT tied the score at 7-7.
Before the quarter ended, the Spartans defense delivered the first major turnover, cornerback Jevonte Williams intercepted Grabinski’s deep pass.
Second Quarter:
8 minutes to go in the quarter, Spartans had their first quarterback change. Iggy Amorrortu’s first snap paid immediate dividends even if he was on their own 20-yard line.
Amorrortu quickly engineered an 80-yard touchdown drive, finding wide receiver Zach Washington deep pulling the Spartans back on top. Kolinski’s PAT was in the clear adding onto the 14-7 lead.
The Spartans defense capitalized on the momentum shift, free safety James McGrath secured one of the team’s four interceptions of the night.
Amorrortu later added a rushing touchdown of his own, extending the lead to 21-7 just before halftime.
Third Quarter:
The Spartans continued to control the field position in the third quarter by leaning on the running game. Milivojevic got in on the fun in the third and was placed as the quarterback for the Spartans.
First and 10 on the Rams 42-yard line, the wide receiver now turned quarterback handed the ball over to running back Tivias Caldwell for a gain of 17.
Caldwell consistently moved the chains, setting up another touchdown run just 4-yards out from the Rams end zone. This time Milviosjevic handed the ball over to running back Chase Torres and broke though Rams defense, successfully entering the end zone. Kolisnkis’ PAT was good, and the Spartans closed out the third quarter, 28-7.
Fourth Quarter:
Milivojevic added another score early in the final quarter, this time from a fourth and 3 on the Rams 20-yard line.
Milivojevic found wide receiver Blayke Lohmann who was quite literally one step away from the end zone. One step in and Lohmann solidified the Spartans victory. Kolisnkis’ PAT was right down the middle, extending the lead to 35-7.
Hooks provided a late score for the Rams with a 9-yard touchdown run, bringing the final margin to 35-14.
Despite Hooks’ grit and the Rams’ early execution, the team struggled to overcome multiple interceptions thrown by Grabinski, including a fourth-quarter pick in the end zone by Spartans’ Tanner Glock.
Player of the Game:
The player of the game was sophomore quarterback Iggy Amorrortu. While not starting the game, entering the contest with the score tied, the sophomore instantly adapted and opened with a 80-yard touchdown pass. Later he scored on the ground, accounting for two of the three touchdowns in the crucial second quarter.
Next Week:
With the regular season coming to an end for Illinois high school football next week, the St. Francis Spartans will be traveling to the Nazareth Academy Roadrunners (7-1 overall, 2-0 CCL/ESCC Green) in LaGrange Park, IL for conference play. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. CT. As for the DePaul College Prep Rams, they host a conference matchup against Benet Academy Redwings (3-5 overall, 1-1 CCL/ESCC Purple), kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. CT.
St. Francis: 7 14 7 7 = 35
DePaul College Prep: 7 0 0 7 = 14
