FOOTBALL

The DePaul Prep football program had a season to remember across all teams. The freshman team had an unbelievable season winning their division with the best record. JV and Varsity both had great seasons and built a strong Ram culture that each coach and player is proud to be a part of. 

Varsity team captain, Danny Buino, had a very special last season. Buino said, “After our last game, I realized that football was more than games and practices. As a team, but especially the seniors, saw a change in the atmosphere of the program, which is what we are proud of.” 

Growing the football atmosphere is part of what it means to be “All In”, and although the seniors will be missed, the football program looks forwards to continuing the growth and more successful seasons to come. 

CHEERLEADING

The DePaul Prep cheer team also had an exciting season while finally getting the chance to get loud under the Friday Night Lights. With about 24 girls in the program, they had a fun time chanting sideline cheers and performing at halftime. 

Captain Anna Barrios said, “Being a part of the games and cheering for the players and the crowd was very exciting and fun. But one challenge was learning and perfecting the choreography while additionally performing at the games.” 

Being a part of a DePaul Prep team with skill and a “rise above” goal, the girls were able to pull out another successful season. 

GIRLS TENNIS

As DePaul Prep has quickly grown, many sports, clubs, and other school wide events have been added in order to allow students to involve themselves in the school community. This school year, tennis was added to the mix as a new sport. The DePaul Prep girls tennis team had a successful season. 

Senior and captain Elizabeth Insko stated, “This season was great. As the first girls tennis team at DePaul Prep, I feel that we really set the tone for future seasons to come.” As tennis is a new sport to DePaul it was also a new sport to some of the current team members. 

“Most of my teammates had little to no experience with tennis, and to see us all come together as a program and leave with wins and great matches shows the growth of the team itself,” Insko said. 

Insko felt as if “tennis was a safe place for all the players” and that they “had a special bond” which she will “never forget.” 

DePaul Prep tennis is on the rise and a growing, a team ready for what is to come. 

CROSS COUNTRY

Cross country had yet another successful season. As both the boys and girls teams went to state with the boys placing third, it is safe to say that DePaul Prep cross country is the team to beat. 

The cross country team came together as one to support each other throughout the season. Junior, Sydney McLeod, joined the team last year and ran in the state meet this year. “I came to the team as a transfer who had never run before,” McLeod said. “Quickly, the coaches and my teammates made me passionate about running and made me feel like part of the family. I have made some of my best friends on the team and I would not trade my experiences for the world.” 

McLeod is excited to see what next season holds for not only herself, but her teammates as well. 

DePaul Prep cross country is ready for next season as they continue their run to success. 

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

The 2021 girls volleyball program came to an end just a few weeks ago, right before Halloween. After having about a year and a half off of a full season of volleyball, 50 total players came in ready to work. With two Freshman teams, JV, and Varsity, DePaul College Prep’s volleyball program dominated this season. 

A few highlights were Freshman B’s team record of 17-1, JV coming first in the White conference, and Varsity coming in third with two GCAC all conference winners, Emily Weber and Grace O’Brien. 

The JV team showed the epitome of a hard working, driven team. Coming off a pandemic year, Coach K, head JV coach and history teacher, says, “The young JV team got a first, real taste of the DCP volleyball culture.” The JV team had seven Freshman rostered, which required leadership and guidance for the veteran players, but also a platform for younger girls to rise up. 

Coach Hughes, assistant Varsity coach, highlights how important it is for all teams to create a foundation that can be adjusted and worked on. “That [foundational] base is what the future teams will continue to build on. We are building something special. DePaul Volleyball has a lot of great growth ahead and it’s really exciting to be part of that growth.” 

The Rams look forward to another normal season in 2022, starting workouts and open gyms just after Christmas break.

BOYS SOCCER

Boys soccer had an outstanding season going 11-8-3, and went 5-0 in their league. Showing determination and resilience, the Rams won first in the Chicago Catholic Conference. Captains of the Boys Varsity Soccer team were Ford Pape and Ryan Reynaert. The Boys Soccer team looks forward to following in the footsteps of these victories and for their 2022 season.