The drive from Oak Lawn to Iowa City takes a little over three hours and covers approximately 220 miles. But there’s a lot more to it than that for Iowa defensive back and former Richards star Sebastian Castro. “Playing at Iowa changed my life,” Castro said. “I came in naïve about everything. But I grew […]
Author Archives: Mike Walsh
Posted inPrep Sports
Keshaun Vaval’s value soars for Evergreen Park
It was a holiday season to remember for Evergreen Park’s Keshaun Vaval. The 6-foot senior guard scored 117 points across four games at Rich’s Big Dipper, earning a spot on the All-Tournament Team. In his team’s first game post-Big Dipper, Vaval continued to put up big numbers, scoring a game-high 23 points in a 67-55 […]
Posted inCollege, College Sports, DVN College, DVN Prep Sports, Prep Sports, Regional College, Regional Prep Sports, Reporter College, Reporter Prep Sports, SWNH College, SWNH Prep Sports
College notes: Solorio’s Yulexi Diaz makes history for UIC
If not for a well-informed teammate, UIC women’s soccer player Yulexi Diaz might not have known she did something unprecedented this season. Diaz, a Solorio graduate, is the first three-time all-conference player in program history. “I didn’t know,” Diaz said. “I had to read the article that one of my teammates showed me on the […]
Posted inDVN Prep Sports, Prep Sports, Regional Prep Sports, Reporter Prep Sports, SWNH Prep Sports
Lily Porter, Grace Harmon lead Marist to Oak Lawn title
The individual trophy was nice for Lily Porter, but the championship hardware was better. Porter hit six of eight free throws in the fourth quarter, finishing with 13 points and earning tourney MVP honors as Marist got past Lockport 59-54 on Dec. 21 to win Oak Lawn’s Spartan Holiday Tournament. Grace Harmon scored a game-high […]
Posted inDVN Prep Sports, Prep Sports, Regional Prep Sports, Reporter Prep Sports, SWNH Prep Sports
Jayvon King does a little bit of everything for Argo
As an aspiring firefighter, Argo forward Jayvon King understands the importance of teamwork. Whether it’s grabbing an offensive rebound on a gritty play inside, guarding an opponent’s center in the post while giving up six inches in height or offering in-game advice to a teammate, almost everything King does is on an Argonauts-first basis. “I […]
Posted inDVN Prep Sports, Prep Sports, Regional Prep Sports, Reporter Prep Sports, SWNH Prep Sports
Yigit Akgunlu provides leadership for Reavis
Scoring is only part of Yigit Akgunlu’s job for Reavis. “I try to be a leader out there,” Akgunlu said after a 54-53 loss to visiting Tinley Park on Dec. 5. “I want to get our guys going. That’s the most important thing. … “We’re sort of a young team with only one senior starter. […]
Posted inDVN Prep Sports, Prep Sports, Regional Prep Sports, Reporter Prep Sports, SWNH Prep Sports
Mike Walsh’s Final Football Top 10
Three state finalists from the Southwest Regional Publishing coverage area. Three state champions. As the final Top 10 of the 2024 season is published, we’d like to laud Mount Carmel for winning its 16th overall state title – an Illinois record – and third in a row. The Caravan are the Class 7A champs. For Nazareth, […]
Posted inChicago - Clearing, Chicago - Garfield Ridge, Prep Sports, Regional Prep Sports
Will Johnson helps Sandburg finish second at Spartan-Ram Classic
Will Johnson likes where he is, but knows he has to go farther. Johnson earned a spot on the all-tourney team as Sandburg finished runner-up in the Spartan-Ram Classic with a 53-41 loss to Crete-Monee in the title game on Nov. 29 at Oak Lawn. “I shot the ball well,” said Johnson, a 6-2 junior […]
Posted inTop News
Charles Barnes’ leadership a key for young De La Salle
As one of the veterans on a young De La Salle boys team, Charles Barnes knows he must be a leader. That’s a role the 6-foot-5 junior forward embraces wholeheartedly. Barnes’ leadership skills were on full display in Saturday’s third-place game of the De La Salle/St. Ignatius Windy City Turkey Classic at De La Salle. […]
Posted inChicago - Clearing, Chicago - Garfield Ridge, DVN Top News, Regional Top News, Reporter Top News, SWNH Top News, Top News
Logan Malachuk, Jake Cestone lead Nazareth back to state
As Nazareth quarterback Logan Malachuk took a knee on the final snap, wide receiver Jake Cestone was lined up near midfield just in case something happened. Once Cestone saw that everything was indeed fine, he celebrated the Roadrunners’ 40-21 Class 5A semifinal victory over St. Francis on Nov. 23 in memorable fashion: with a well-executed […]