NORMAL—DePaul Prep finished off its Cinderella playoff run in style on Friday at ISU’s Hancock Stadium.
The Rams beat Mt. Zion 40-6 to win the Class 4A state championship.
Senior Nick Martinez scored three touchdowns. He had 19 carries for 100 yards for DePaul, opening the scoring with a 4-yard run late in the first quarter.
“I was just really confident heading into the game,” Martinez said. “I knew the offensive line would give me all the space I needed to run.”
Rams coach Mike Passarella led a shocking turnaround in his seventh season. DePaul Prep won just four games in 2023, three in 2022 and two in 2021. The Rams were winless in 2018 and had not qualified for the playoffs since 2015.
“We’ve been close the last few years but there was nothing that could stop these guys,” Passarella said. “They were determined.”
DePaul Prep lost its last two regular season games before heating up and winning five consecutive games to earn its first state championship since 1980, when it was Gordon Tech. The Rams didn’t even have their own on-campus football field until 2020. They previously practiced at Horner Park.
“[The stadium] made all the difference in the world,” Passarella said. “There were just so many logistical things back then like dealing with equipment.
DePaul Prep quarterback JuJu Rodriguez connected with Braden Peevy for a 40-yard TD with 1:16 left to play.
Rodriguez was 5-for-12 for 64 yards. He scored on a 29-yard touchdown run to make it 13-0 in the first quarter. Senior Jack West had three catches for 25 yards.
“We came in with a plan to run the ball,” Rodriguez said. “And we got rolling and were able to take momentum and put them on their heels and stretch our lead.”
The Rams (11-3) held Mt. Zion (10-4) to 146 total yards. Senior safety Charlie Pribyl led DePaul Prep with six tackles.
It was a sloppy game, with the teams combining for 21 penalties for 195 yards.
This was the first state title game appearance for the Braves.