Grant Park’s Luis Maldonado missed the 2025 soccer season battling stomach cancer.
He’s been able to make an inspirational return to athletics when he played for the basketball team and had a summer filled with rodeo competitions.
But soccer is his first love, and he loves being back on the pitch for the Dragons.
“It was tough watching the guys and not being able to help,” Maldonado said. “It’s amazing to be back. It’s great to be playing again with the guys.”
Maldonado was named the school’s homecoming king over the weekend and continues to inspire.
“We missed him a ton and the kids are happy to have him back,” Dragons coach Mark Boccia said. “I wasn’t sure going into the season what his stamina level was going to be.
“To his credit, he would play every single minute of every single game if I wanted him to.”
The cancer is not completely gone, and he is still going through chemotherapy. But it’s a form that allows him to be strong enough to go to school and play sports.
“At first I felt like I couldn’t keep up with them,” he said of the early soccer practices. “But I just had to keep running and running. I’m slowly getting to the point where I can keep up.”
He has two goals and two assists so far and at 5-10 and just 120 pounds, he is determined to play hard.
“(Opponents) have a weight advantage on me, but I’ve got heart,” he said.
Happy homecoming
With no football team, Grant Park has been celebrating homecoming during the winter season. But this year the administration shifted it to fall, brought in portable lighting and celebrated the event with a Sept. 18 soccer game.
The Dragons did their part to make it a happy homecoming with a 7-1 win over Clifton Central.
Ian Hamann and Sam Cordes each had two goals for the Dragons (4-4). Maldonado, Sawyer Olthoff and Max Paez each scored one.
Beecher second in the state
Beecher Junior High’s softball team took second in the Illinois Elementary School Association Class 2A state tournament after falling 4-1 to Metamora in the title game on Sept. 19 at Champion Fields in Normal.
The Bobcats (18-3) beat St. Joseph 9-8 in eight innings in the semifinal and blanked Orion 13-0 in the quarterfinals.
In the St. Joseph thriller, Addison Johnson and Maya Chavez each had four hits, Brynn Tucker scored three runs and Johnson drove in three runs.
Manteno also advanced to state in Class 3A, finishing 15-2-1 after losing 8-1 to Frankfort Hickory Creek in the quarterfinals on Sept. 18.
Beecher golfers dominate RVC
Beecher gobbled up the first six spots at the River Valley Conference boys golf tournament on Sept. 15 at Shewami Country Club.
Charlie Nowak led the pack with a 77, followed by Jacob Benck (81), Chase Maher (84), Michael DeFrank (87), Domenick Anaclerio (88) and Gabe Mascolo (89).
The top four scores count in the team competition and the Bobcats won with a 324.
The Bobcats girls won with a 483 with freshman Fiona Hagan-Storbeck taking the individual title with a 100.