Jim Ramazinski is the new Evergreen Park football coach. Photo courtesy of Evergreen Park Community High School.
Area Sports Roundup | EP football gets new coach; Morton women head back to nationals
By Jeff Vorva
Staff Writer
For the second time in two weeks, an area high school football team is getting a new head coach.
Evergreen Park announced Jim Ramazinski has been named to the position. He will replace Jerry Verde.
Ramazinski comes to the Mustangs with a wealth of coaching and teaching experience. He is a special education teacher at Andrew and served as the defensive coordinator for the Thunderbolts’ the past four seasons. Prior to that, he was a varsity assistant and special teams coach at Andrew and before that the head freshman coach and a varsity assistant at Crete-Monee.
He also started the District 230 co-op boys lacrosse program and in 2020 was named the IHSA Coach of the Year for lacrosse.
Ramazinski will teach special education in addition to serving as football coach.
“I’m happy to serve the students and community of Evergreen Park as football coach and teacher,” Ramazinski said in a news release. “Our football program is going to stress the three pillars of ‘pride, service and community.’ I’m looking forward to seeing everyone on Friday nights this fall.”
Ramazinski grew up in Chicago and graduated from Brother Rice.
Verde coached the Mustangs for seven seasons from 2016-2022. He led the team to an 8-3 overall record and second round IHSA Class 4A playoff appearance in his final season last fall.
Two weeks ago, Chicago Christian announced Dan Chiarito would take over the Knights program.
Morton heading to nationals
Morton College, which finished second in the nation in National Junior College Athletic Association Division II last season and is ranked No. 1 this year, returned to the national tournament with a 96-68 victory over Rock Valley on Saturday, March 11 in the Midwest B Regional IV finals in Rockford.
The Panthers (31-0) were led by Mia Simpson’s career-high 34 points. They head to the national tournament, which is March 21-25, in Port Huron, Michigan.
The tournament and seedings were scheduled to be announced Tuesday, March 14.
Rock Valley only played five players as seven were suspended for leaving the bench during a scuffle in the semifinals.
Rivals are national v-ball powers
The boys volleyball season starts on Monday, March 20 and area teams are already picking up some national attention.
There are six teams from Illinois in the first USA Today Sports/American Volleyball Coaches’ Association Super 25, and two are neighborhood rivals.
Marist is ranked fourth in the nation while Brother Rice is 23rd. The two are scheduled for a May 15 showdown at Rice.
Other teams from Illinois in the top 25 are Barrington (third), Glenbard West (sixth), Lincoln-Way East (18th) and Hinsdale Central (19th).
Marist is scheduled to visit Barrington April 5 and Glenbard West on May 11.
The opening week will also see Marist hosting another powerhouse tournament March 24-25 that includes Lincoln-Way East, Lockport and local teams Mt. Carmel, Richards, Shepard, Stagg and St. Rita.
Kil-ing it
Saint Xavier junior Hannah Kilbane, a Sandburg grad, finished in first place for her third career individual title, finishing with a three-day score of 235 for the women’s golf team at the Saddlebrook Spring Kickoff hosted by Walsh University (Ohio) at the Saddlebrook Golf Course in Wesley Chapel, Fla., which wrapped up March 11.
Kilbane (79, 74, 82) sank a birdie on the 18th hole to win by one stroke over runner-up Sydney Hugo from Walsh and her second score of 74 was tied for her second lowest career score for any round.
Cougars men fall in nationals
Despite owning a five-point lead at halftime, SXU, seeded 16th in the the first round of the NAIA National Tournament, dropped a 75-65 decision to top-seeded William Penn on March 7 in Oskaloosa, Iowa.
Jack Halverson and Cedric Johnson each had 17 points for the Cougars, who finished their season 24-8.
Local News
It’s a busy January in Gage Park
Spread the loveBy Joan Hadac Neighborhood correspondent at large Greetings, Gage Parkers! I’m pleased to be filling in this week for Karen Sala. It’s fun for me to report on Gage Park, the neighborhood where I lived for the first 26 years of my life. There’s always something happening in this big, exciting part of…
You can bank on good service here
Spread the loveBy Kathy Headley Your correspondent in Chicago Lawn and Marquette Manor 6610 S. Francisco • (773) 776-7778 In this world of corporate takeovers, it is kind of hard to feel safe in the hands of big business. First, we have to supply some of our personal information to the automated system. Then there’s…
Palos Park police to hold active shooter drill
Spread the loveFrom staff reports Palos Park Police will fine tune their strategies for dealing with an active shooter to ensure the safety of both officers and citizens later this month. The end goal of the January 30 drlll is to test the department’s active shooter response plans and fine tune them. “Palos Park effective…
Richards’ Principal walks 24 hours for a cause
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Most people spend New Year’s Day relaxing. Richards High School Principal Dr. Mike Jacobson spent it on the treadmill. For the second year in a row, Jacobson inspired generous donations of more than $20,000 on New Year’s Day by walking 24 hours on a treadmill without stopping. All of the money raised goes directly…
Victress Women’s Wellness Center sets goals for 2022
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Empowering women in the new year is Victress, a wellness center for women, in Palos Heights. The center opened in October at 7120 W. 127th St. and welcomed in the new year with a goal-setting seminar open to women in the local community called, Achieve 2022: This year set goals,…
Broadcast news — Palos Heights’ Channel 4 has big 2021
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva The first Palos Heights city council meeting of 2022 featured a few minutes of bragging about Channel 4’s success in 2021. The local cable channel had a record-breaking year and Alderman Jerry McGovern was more than happy to run down the happy totals at Tuesday’s board meeting at City Hall.…
Obituaries for Jan. 20, 2022
Spread the loveTHERESA M. BALDWIN Theresa M. Baldwin (nee Boxlietner), age 76, passed away December 12, 2021. Beloved wife of Richard Baldwin; loving mother of Michael Kresch, Kenneth Kresch, Crystal Nelson and Denise Baldwin; dear grandmother of Samantha Peters, Dennis Nelson, Devorie Nelson, Korin Leeth, Kayla Nelson, Kaylee Nelson, Travis Spagnola, Kyle Kresch, Sydney Kresch,…
Experienced bakers buy The Great American Bagel in Palos Heights
Spread the loveNew owners nearly double the menu for breakfast, lunch By Cosmo Hadac When The Great American Bagel’s shop in Palos Heights changed hands late last year, the new owners who walked in the door weren’t exactly new. Manny Rios Sr. and his wife, Silvia, have nearly 50 years of combined experience in…
New owner will keep Palmer Place name and burgers Copy
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch Palmer Place Restaurant and Biergarten, a mainstay in downtown La Grange for nearly 40 years, will soon have new owners. But not much else will change. The name on 56 S. La Grange Road will still read Palmer Place. The employees now there will still have their jobs. And the…
Neighbors
Lawmakers pass on oversight vote for Pritzker’s prison closure, rebuild plan
By HANNAH MEISEL & DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – For the last two decades, each time a governor has moved to close a large state-run facility like a prison or mental health center, a legislative oversight panel has voted on the plan. That changed on Friday – at least for now –…
‘We don’t really know what we’re voting on,’ top Dem says of Pritzker’s prison plan
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com LINCOLN – On the eve of a scheduled vote to advise Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration on plans to close and rebuild a pair of dilapidated state prisons, hundreds filed into a junior high school gymnasium Thursday evening clad in matching green T-shirts. Printed on the shirts was a…
Illinois child tax credit: who gets it, how much is it?
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com In the final hours of their spring legislative session, Illinois lawmakers approved a tax credit of up to about $300 for families with young children. The credit is available to Illinoisans with children under age 12 who qualify for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit, or EITC. Although…
Members of House speaker’s staff sue over ongoing unionization conflict
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Members of a would-be union representing staffers in House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch’s office filed suit against their boss on Friday, asking a Cook County judge to force recognition of the union. The Illinois Legislative Staff Association, which formed in the fall of 2022, claims Welch’s…
Elections board urged to dismiss complaint that Bailey illegally coordinated in 2022 campaign
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com A hearing officer is recommending the Illinois State Board of Elections dismiss a complaint that alleged conservative radio host and political operative Dan Proft illegally coordinated with former Republican state Sen. Darren Bailey during his 2022 campaign for governor. Proft, a one-time gubernatorial candidate himself, is behind an…
Communities, commission push Pritzker admin for more prison plan details
By DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com Jimmy Soto spent more than 42 years wrongfully imprisoned in Illinois Department of Corrections facilities. In 2020, he was moved to the “F-House” at Stateville Correctional Center in Joliet, a condemned unit, not because he was being punished, but because it was where the facility was housing individuals…
Judge blocks law that would have banned newly slated candidates from ballot
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com A Sangamon County judge on Wednesday blocked the Illinois State Board of Elections from enforcing a new law that would have prevented certain General Assembly candidates who didn’t run in the March primary from getting on the November ballot. The move doesn’t void the bill in its entirety,…
“No Schoolers”: How Illinois’ hands-off approach to homeschooling leaves children at risk
By BETH HUNDSDORFER & MOLLY PARKER CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS investigations@capitolnewsillinois.com This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with Capitol News Illinois. It was on L.J.’s 11th birthday, in December 2022, that child welfare workers finally took him away. They arrived at his central Illinois home to investigate an abuse allegation and decided…
Brushing off concerns of overspending, Pritzker signs $53.1 billion state budget
By ANDREW ADAMS JERRY NOWICKI & HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday signed the state’s $53.1 billion spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year, the largest in state history. The signing caps months of work – and tension – among top Democratic leaders in Springfield and within the…
Stalled bills: ‘Dignity in Pay Act,’ Prisoner Review Board changes fail to move
By ALEX ABBEDUTO, COLE LONGCOR & DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com A bill eliminating the subminimum wage for workers with disabilities failed to pass the General Assembly ahead of its May adjournment, although sponsors say they hope to pass it when lawmakers return in the fall. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938…