Posts by Jason Maholy
Shepard grad Bartczak put it all together in senior season
By Steve Millar Correspondent Tyler Bartczak had success on the mound throughout his four varsity seasons at Shepard. But he had not produced offensively as much as he had hoped. Until his senior season. “It was super important to me to hit well this year,” Bartczak said. “You always want to be the best that…
Read MoreAngelo Luna put in the work and broke the St. Laurence record for RBIs in a season
By Steve Millar Correspondent Angelo Luna produced one of the greatest offensive seasons in St. Laurence history last season. Luna, an outfielder and an Illinois-Springfield recruit, broke the Vikings single-season RBI record with 56. He also finished with the second-best single-season totals in program history for hits (55), runs (50) and doubles (17). “Now that…
Read MoreMarist soccer standout Gina Czochara fulfills goal of breaking program’s single-season goals record
By Steve Millar Correspondent Gina Czochara had no doubt what she wanted. After watching teammate CeCe Light break Marist’s school record for goals in a season with 27 in 2021, she was inspired. When the RedHawks coaching staff asked players to write down a goal of theirs on a sticky note before the 2022 season,…
Read MoreStagg grad Laila Barakat leaves her mark on program
By Randy Whalen Correspondent Laila Barakat entered her freshman year of high school basketball with a plan. She left as one of the most accomplished and successful players in Stagg girls basketball history. “Coming in my freshman year, I knew what goals I wanted to achieve,” said Barakat, who was a four-year varsity player for…
Read MoreSoftball 4A State Championship: Marist falls short in bid for repeat
By Randy Whalen Correspondent If someone would have told Emily Bojan that she would come up in the bottom of the seventh with an opportunity to tie or win the state championship game in her final high school at-bat, she’d love to be in that situation every time. But unfortunately, the Marist senior catcher hit…
Read MoreSoftball: Marist returns to state to defend 2021 title
By Randy Whalen Correspondent The night before their biggest game of the season, Marist’s players absorbed some superpowers. From their bats. “We slept with our bats [the night before],” said junior left fielder Isabel Cunnea. “It was uncomfortable but it got us ready.” The RedHawks scored all their runs via the longball — five home…
Read MoreBaseball: Nazareth tops St. Ignatius, punches ticket to state
By Steve Millar Correspondent Some observers may had thought Nazareth was a year or two away from being a state tournament-caliber team. After all, the Roadrunners started four sophomores and a freshman with a trip to state on the line June 6. Sophomore outfielder/pitcher Nick Drtina, though, knew all along what his team was capable…
Read MoreBaseball: Nazareth conquers Vikings for sectional crown
By Steve Millar Correspondent With many players back from a team that finished third in the state in Class 3A last season, senior outfielder Angelo Luna knew the Vikings were ready to win many games this year. The recipe for success, according to Luna, was simple. “We just practice a lot, trust in that and…
Read MoreBaseball: Marist rolls to regional title, will face St. Laurence in sectional semifinals
By Steve Millar Correspondent Marist’s players are not happy with how the regular season went, but the playoffs present an opportunity for a fresh start and a chance to make it a special year. “We know we’re good enough to make a run,” junior shortstop/pitcher Cal Sefcik said. “We definitely had our ups and downs…
Read MoreBoys Volleyball Sectionals: Marist tops Br. Rice, will face LW East in sectional finals
By Randy Whalen Correspondent Michael Bos had just put down what was probably the biggest block of his high school career. It sent Brother Rice team into a frenzied celebration. The Crusaders hadn’t won the match, but they had moved to a third set against the top-ranked team in the state. Rice eventually fell short,…
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