Lyons senior soccer standout Jackson Lesner is dedicating this season to his late grandfather.
Richard Allen Hall, whom Lesner called “Papa Rich,” died early this month. After a goal in a 1-0 win over De La Salle on Sept. 15, Lesner pointed to the sky during his celebration.
“If he could, he would make my games,” Jackson said of his grandfather. “Whenever he showed up it was always a fun time. He would always make me laugh. He always had funny jokes. We were close.”
Soccer has always been a great escape for Lesner, but especially now that he is dealing with this heartbreak.
“It’s this way I can get away from things and it always makes me happy,” he said of the sport. “If I’m feeling down or anything, I come here, and it makes me happy.”
Lyons, a perennial state power, opened the 2025 season with a 7-3-1 record. Lesner has been one of the reasons.
“He is everywhere on the field,” Lyons coach Paul Labbato said of Lesner. “He just works hard and he has great skill. He has good ideas, and he has come up big in his senior year.”
Labbato has coached the team since 2007. The Lions won an IHSA Class 3A state title in 2009 and had a second-place finish in 2023. Under Labbato’s watch, the team has 16 regional titles and four sectional titles.
“I love the guys,” Lesner said of this year’s team. “We’re always having fun. And when it comes down to it, we’re always giving 100%. That’s what I love about them.”
Rockford has shown some college interest in Lesner, who said he would be “grateful” to play past high school.
SXU football snaps skid
St. Xavier’s football team got on the winning track on Sept 20 with a 21-7 Mid-States Football Association crossover win over Madonna in Chicago. The win snaps a two-game losing streak to start the season.
Junior defensive back Taj McClellan picked off three passes to help stop Madonna drives.
Tyreese Lee ran for 72 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Mathew Opat threw for 141 yards and a touchdown to Richards grad Marquel Porter.
The Cougars (1-2) visit Lawrence Tech (0-3) on Sept. 27 in Southfield, Mich.
Local and national volleyball success
Marist’s girls volleyball team tied for seventh out of 64 teams in the Durango Fall Classic Tournament Sept. 19-20 in Las Vegas and Henderson, Nevada.
Senior libero Elayna Davidson was named to the 16-player All-Tournament team.
Closer to home, St. Laurence won the 16-team Spartan Classic at Oak Lawn, with outside hitter Aubrey Martinez earning the MVP award.
Those tournaments came a week after Mother McAuley won the Louisville Invitational by knocking out the USA Today/American Volleyball Coaches Association poll’s No. 4 team in the nation, Assumption.
Blazing Palos runners in Peoria
Shepard’s girls cross country team set a program and South Suburban Red record when the Astros averaged 19 minutes, 44 seconds at the Richard Spring Invitational Sept. 20 at Detweiller Park in Peoria — the home of the IHSA state meet.
Members of the record-breaking squad are Ayat Tantawi, Hala Mohammad, Emma Dominguez, Kayla Coulter and Sophia Flores.
On the boys side, Stagg’s Jack Krusinski finished ninth with a 14:28.28, which is the second fastest 3-mile run in program history.