There are two reasons Sandburg senior Annika Trehan is not playing soccer.
The first? “They told me I was too quick,” she said.
The second? “I wasn’t the best at soccer,” she said.
Well, she has proven to be very good at cross country. Trehan won the Class 3A Argo Regional title on Oct. 24 at the park district course in Bedford Park. She ran an 18:53.07 to help the Eagles score 21 points, good for their second straight regional title and 10th overall. Marist’s Isabella Brennan was runner up (19:15.07).
“I knew going into postseason that I have to try my best and I felt great and I felt strong,” Trehan said.
Reavis’s Santiago Chavez, who committed to Louisville last week, won the boys race at 14:48.04. Sandburg’s Cavin Crotty was runner-up in at 15:30.03 as the Eagles won the team title with 35 points — their fourth straight regional title and 26th regional or district title overall.
Sectional competition in 3A is Oct. 31 at Lyons.
In other girls meets, Mother McAuley won the Class 2A De La Salle Regional as senior Meg O’Malley took third with a 19:54.68 and Kennedy’s Viviana Tryfonopoulos won the Class 2A Wheaton Academy Regional in 17:52.21.
In other boys cross country regionals, Evergreen Park won the Class 2A De La Salle title as junior Kevin Reyes led the way for the Mustangs with a second-place finish of 15:47.33.
Sectional competition in 2A is Oct. 31 at Kaneland.
College football report
Mount Carmel grad Blaney Dowling hit Coen Demack with a 9-yard touchdown pass with 7 minutes, 28 seconds left in the game and the defense took over from there in St. Xavier’s 27-24 win over St. Francis Joliet on Oct. 24 in a Mid-States Football Association Midwest game in Chicago.
Dowling threw for 403 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score.
The Cougars (4-4, 2-0) host Judson (0-8, 0-2) at noon Oct. 31 at Deaton Field.
Chicago State lost its fifth in a row, 44-9 to Lindenwood on the road. Evergreen Park grad Arshawn Powell had eight receptions for 78 yards.
The Cougars (1-7) host the University of Fort Lauderdale (3-5) at 2 p.m. Oct. 31 at SeatGeek Stadium.
Soccer champs
Sectional week is busy for boys soccer after a host of teams won regionals.
In Class 3A, Lyons beat Oak Park-River Forest 2-0 to win its own regional; Morton won the Mansueto Regional, 1-0 over Hinsdale Central; and Stagg beat Lincoln-Way West 3-0 to win the Rich Regional.
In Class 2A, host Riverside-Brookfield nudged out Kelly 1-0 in its own regional.
Class 1A, top-seeded Chicago Christian beat Farragut 4-1 to win its own regional and Universal won the Lisle Regional, 8-0 over Gage Park.
Fire tops Atlanta
The Chicago Fire picked up a 3-2 MLS road victory over Atlanta on Oct. 24 with Peter Zinckernagel scoring what turned out to be the winning goal in the 60th minute.
The Fire (15-10-6) were scheduled to host Orlando on Oct. 28 and visit Colorado at 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 31.