Team previews

Benet Redwings

2024 record: 7-4, 3-0 (CCL/ESCC Purple champion)

Coach: Patrick New

2025 schedule: Aug. 29 Hillcrest; Sept. 5 at Glenbard North; Sept. 12 De La Salle; Sept. 19 at St. Viator; Sept. 26 Mount Carmel; Oct. 3 St. Patrick; Oct. 10 at Fenwick; Oct. 17 Nazareth; Oct. 24 at DePaul Prep.

Worth noting: Benet has its eyes on defending its CCL/ESCC Purple title of a year ago and has a solid foundation in making that happen. The Redwings have multiple starters back on defense, particularly in the secondary led by two-way performer Luke Doyle, who also contributes at the wide receiver. That secondary might end up getting one of its returners removed from the mix as Ben Clevinger is currently vying for the quarterback position alongside sophomore Christiano Diomede. Benet usually tries to build around a strong defense and that might still be the case, but will need to get big contributions from a group of varsity newcomers to help fill some of the voids left in their front seven. Plenty of viable candidates seem to be available to the Redwings, but it is a matter of figuring out which pieces fit best in which places.

DePaul Prep Rams

2024 record: 11-3, 2-1 (Class 4A state champion)

Coach: Mike Passarella

2025 schedule: Aug. 29 Fenwick; Sept. 5 at St. Ignatius; Sept. 12 Marian Catholic; Sept. 19 at St. Patrick; Sept. 26 at Loyola; Oct. 3 St. Viator; Oct. 10 at Carmel; Oct. 17 St. Francis; Oct. 24 Benet.

Worth noting: To say DePaul’s Class 4A state championship came out of nowhere is probably a little bit of an understatement. The Rams hadn’t even made a playoff field since 2015, but it was the perfect storm with a number of capable players stepping up at the right time. Many of those players were seniors and DePaul has the larger obstacle down the road of likely moving up three classifications if it makes the playoff field again, but the first step will be filling multiple voids left by the graduating seniors. Passarella does like the next wave of Rams coming up through the pipeline and will look to senior wide receiver Matthew Osterman and a pair of returning offensive lineman Carlos Rios and Graham Schuitema to carry the offense early on while the newcomers find their way. There’s a little more in the cupboard in regards to defensive returners with a trio of returning linebackes in Luke Flom, Jordan Ochoa and Hayes McGuire set to anchor a Rams defense that does have six returning starters.

St. Patrick Shamrocks

2024 record: 2-7, 0-3

Coach: Tom Zbikowski

2025 schedule: Aug. 29 at Yorkville; Sept. 6 Larkin; Sept. 13 Leo; Sept. 19 DePaul Prep; Sept. 26 at Brother Rice; Oct. 3 at Benet; Oct. 10 at St. Laurence; Oct. 17 St. Rita; Oct. 24 St. Viator.

Worth noting: Zbikowski, a former Notre Dame standout who played professionally with both Baltimore and Indianapolis, takes the reins for the Shamrocks in what could be safely classified as a rebuilding project. St. Patrick did make the playoffs as recently as 2021, but prior to that you have to go all the way back to 2013 to find the last postseason appearance prior to that. The program has struggled with the rigors of its CCL/ESCC slate, particularly the last few seasons, but Zbikowski hopes he can lean on a core of players that will be entering their fourth season on the varsity in offensive lineman Eli Valencia and Conor Malenock along with defensive end Matt Downes. The offensive line is further enhanced by the presence of junior David Folorunsho, who holds offers from several Division I schools.

St. Viator Lions

2024 record: 4-5, 1-2

Coach: Robbie Gould

2025 schedule: Aug. 29 Marian Catholic; Sept. 5 Kenwood; Sept. 12 Marmion; Sept. 19 Benet; Sept. 26 at St. Ignatius; Oct. 3 at DePaul Prep; Oct. 10 at Montini; Oct. 17 IC Catholic; Oct. 24 at St. Patrick.

Worth noting: St. Viator had an interesting offseason as the Lions made one of the more notable changes in who would lead the program. Former Chicago Bears kicker Robbie Gould takes over after previous manning the helm at Rolling Meadows. The Lions have made the playoffs in two of the last three seasons, but have collectively gone just 15-15 during that stretch. Making the step to the next level won’t be easy in the rigorous CCL/ESCC slate and replacing last year’s standout quarterback Cooper Kmet won’t be easy either. Senior Joey Lampignano appears to have the inside track to being that guy for St. Viator. Brandon Valenzuela will also be an important piece on St. Viator’s defensive front from his linebacker position.

Five players to watch

• Ben Clevinger, QB/DB, Benet: Benet was already expecting Clevinger to be a returning piece in their secondary. But the senior is also trying to convert to the quarterback position. Even if that doesn’t work out, Clevinger will be a key cog for Benet somewhere on the field.
• Luke Doyle, WR/DB, Benet: Doyle was a steady producer for the Redwings last season and will now move into a leadership role as well as contributing on both sides of the ball.
• David Folorunsho, OL, St. Patrick: The massive junior has already secured multiple Division I offers including Iowa State and he should be a major building block for the Shamrocks.
• Matthew Osterman, WR, DePaul Prep: Osterman came up with several big plays for the Rams on their run to the Class 4A title. They’ll need a bunch more from him now as one of the leaders on the Rams’ offense.
• Brandon Valenzuela, LB, St. Viator: Valenzuela has been a constant for the Lions, and they will need that stability as they transition to a new coaching staff.

Five can’t miss matchups

Week 2 - DePaul Prep at St. Ignatius: The Rams won’t have to wait long to be tested in their quest to repeat as state champions. After starting the season against Fenwick, DePaul Prep will take on St. Ignatius as the Rams will try to make a statement win early in the year against a Blue opponent.

Week 4 - DePaul Prep at St. Patrick: The Purple opener for both DePaul Prep and St. Patrick will be important after going through the first third of the season. The Rams will try to keep up in a difficult start, while the Shamrocks will be looking for an important early win under a new head coach.

Week 7 - St. Viator at Montini: The Lions will enter a critical portion of the schedule with a fun matchup against the defending Class 3A state champion Broncos. St. Viator will have a chance to pick up an important CCL/ESCC crossover when it makes its playoff push.

Week 8 - Nazareth at Benet: This suburban rivalry should be an enticing game toward the end of the season. Both teams will have newer lineups and will likely want to pick up important wins in their respective playoff pushes.

Week 9 - Benet at DePaul Prep: Both teams will likely have a lot on the line to end the regular season. Even though the Rams won a state championship last year, they’ll likely look for revenge against the Redwings after dropping this matchup a year ago, losing their chance at a division crown.

Steve Soucie’s predicted finish

(* - Projected playoff qualifier)

1. Benet*
2. DePaul Prep*
3. St. Viator
4. St. Patrick