Posts by Jeff Vorva
Red Stars hire new GM, draft four players amid flurry of moves
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer For the past couple of months, the Chicago Red Stars watched player after player leave without replenishing the roster, which was down to 17 players. That changed last week, with the team drafting four players (who must still be signed) and adding two waiver-wire pickups. The Stars last week also…
Read MorePalos Park cadet program labelled ‘monumentally successful’
By Jeff Vorva Who knew in 1999 that a group of kids comprising a new police program in Palos Park would be this successful? The Palos Park Police Department’s cadet program is entering its 24th year and at Monday night’s village council meeting, Mayor John Mahoney and Police Commissioner Dan Polk looked back and praised…
Read MoreLocal Hoops Wrap: Scuffling St. Rita eyes big March
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer They have never had a nickname, such as the Fab Four. But that title could have applied. The foursome of James Brown, Morez Johnson, Josh Pickett and Jaedin Reyna came to St. Rita High with high expectations, with all four receiving scholarship offers from Northern Illinois before playing a single…
Read MoreArea Sports Roundup: Mother McAuley has another national POY; Red Stars’ scorer has new last name
By Jeff Vorva Staff writer How many national players of the year can one team have? If you are the Mother McAuley volleyball team, you can have more than one. The Class 4A state champions are cornering the market in that regard. Less than a month after senior Gigi Navarrete won a national player of…
Read MoreLocal Hoops Wrap | Four area teams win holiday titles; Shepard coach Chiucciarello notches 300th victory
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer With the odds of 8-to-1, 16-to-1 or even 32-to-1 of winning a holiday basketball tournament, championships are not easy to come by. But the area produced four champions — two boys teams and two girls teams — at the end of December as Mount Carmel won the 16-team Pekin Tournament,…
Read MoreArea Sports Roundup: St. Rita’s Kuska to be inducted into Hall of Fame
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The plaudits keep coming for retired St. Rita football coach Todd Kuska. Kuska, a former player with the Mustangs and head coach for 25 years, has been named to the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame class of 2023. Kuska racked up a 215-93 career mark, which…
Read MoreArea Sports Report: Area football players sign letters of intent; SXU hoops stays hot
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Some of the top football players in the area made their college decisions official on Dec. 21, with one of the literally largest signings coming at Brother Rice. Defensive lineman Trey Pierce, all 6-foot-3, 290 pounds of him, signed a National Letter of Intent to play at Michigan. Pierce has…
Read MoreSWR Top 10: Dylan Jacobs’ feats top area’s favorite sports stories of 2022
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer It’s a cliché for newspapers to brag about its area sports teams and athletes when putting together these top stories of the year. But, darn it, just look at what has been going on in the land of the Regional, Reporter, Des Plaines Valley News and Southwest News Herald in…
Read MoreFrog gone but Clifford still brings money and cheer to charities
By Jeff Vorva For the second year in a row, Froggy was missing. Palos Heights Alderman Jack Clifford’s annual presenting of checks to worthwhile organizations during the final meeting of the year used to feature Clifford with a frog puppet to help him out but, alas, this year Froggy was misplaced. There may not have…
Read MoreOrland Park bracing for the snow and cold
By Jeff Vorva There is a lot of snow and a lot of cold in the forecast for the holidays. But Orland Park is ready. Public Works Director Joel Van Essen said before Monday’s board of trustees meeting that the game plan is in place for whatever beating Mother Nature wants to dish out –…
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