St. Rita's Todd Kuska, who retired after the 2022 season, will be inducted into the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2023. Photo by Jeff Vorva
Area Sports Roundup: St. Rita’s Kuska to be inducted into Hall of Fame
By Jeff Vorva
Staff Writer
The plaudits keep coming for retired St. Rita football coach Todd Kuska.
Kuska, a former player with the Mustangs and head coach for 25 years, has been named to the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame class of 2023.
Kuska racked up a 215-93 career mark, which included a Class 7A championship in 2006 and second place finishes in 2019 and 2021. The Mustangs won seven Chicago Catholic League championships under his watch and made it to the playoffs in 19 out of 24 seasons.
The 2020-2021 season was abbreviated, held in the spring and did not have the playoffs because of the pandemic.
The 2022 Mustangs finished 10-3 and made it to the semifinals in Class 7A, but dropped a 20-9 decision to eventual state champion Mount Carmel.
Kuska joins Bolingbrook’s John Ivlow and Rockford Boylan’s Cal Cummins as retired coaches who made it to the Hall this year. The coaches will be honored at a banquet April 1 in Champaign.
NIL money well spent
College athletics’ Name Image and Likeness initiative has been a lightning rod of conversation the past couple of years.
Critics do not think college athletes should be paid for using their likeness or name for advertising purposes and claim it is ruining college sports.
Former Nazareth quarterback JJ McCarthy, who is calling signals at College Football Playoff national semifinalist Michigan, is turning the NIL into something positive. He is donating NIL funds to the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital of Ann Arbor, Michigan.
McCarthy started the JJ For the Kids Foundation in 2021 and has helped raise more than $30,000 for hospitals in Michigan, Wisconsin, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Nebraska, Indiana, Ohio, Arizona and Illinois.
D230 wrestlers shine
The District 230 girls wrestling team, which is based at Andrew and has Sandburg and Stagg athletes competing, finished first at the 24-team Sally Berman Holiday Invitational Dec. 29 at Palatine High School.
The team racked up 221 points, well ahead of runner-up Oak Forest’s 172.
Castillo earns award
The Stagg bowling program awarded former athletic trainer Reggie Castillo a Lifetime Achievement Award for serving the athletic department for 20 years.
Davidson to train in Germany
Chicago Red Stars defender Tierna Davidson was granted a request to train with VFL Wolfsburg in Germany during the offseason.
Davidson missed to 2022 Red Stars season with an injury to her ACL but is expecting to be ready for the 2023 NWSL campaign.
Potential Fire games in Bridgeview
The Chicago Fire’s 2023 schedule has been released. The team now plays its home games at Soldier Field, but there is a chance they will play a few home games at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview for a third straight year.
When there are conflicts with Bears home games, the Fire plays in Bridgeview. The NFL schedule is not out yet, but possible matchups in Bridgeview are Aug. 20 against Orlando City, Aug. 30 against Vancouver, Sept. 23 against New England, Oct. 4 against Inter Miami or Oct. 7 against Charlotte.
In 2022, the Fire played three Major League Soccer matches and an exhibition game against Club Leon.
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