Pickleball courts coming to Palos Park
By Jeff Vorva There will finally be outdoor pickleball in Palos Park. In a process that went longer than anticipated, the Palos Park Village Council was able give the green light to get a pickleball project started on the Village Green. The council voted April 8 to award the contract to U.S. Tennis Court Construction…
Boys Volleyball | Richards weathering struggles after run of success
By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent After a tough weekend at the Smack Attack tournament, Richards got back into the win column with a two-set victory over Eisenhower in a South Suburban Red match. The Bulldogs made quick work of the Cardinals, winning 25-16, 25-15 on April 23 in Oak Lawn to snap a five-match losing streak.…
Year of growth | Evergreen Park enjoying inaugural boys volleyball season
By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent After almost 70 years of existence as a high school, Evergreen Park finally has a boys volleyball team. The Mustangs are playing their inaugural season with a junior varsity squad, with some matches being played at the varsity level. Head coach Brian Zofkie is leading this group with assistant coach Tom…
Boys Volleyball | Brother Rice falls to Glenbard West and York, takes 4th at Smack Attack
By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent It was a busy weekend in the area for boys volleyball as Brother Rice hosted its 14th annual Smack Attack tournament. The 24-team event played April 19-20 featured area teams Brother Rice, Marist and Richards, along with defending Class 4A champion Glenbard West and two highly rated teams from Kentucky. Matches…
Swanson scores, assists in Red Stars’ win over Reign
The Red Stars improved to 3-1-1 by beating the Seattle Reign, 2-1, on the road on April 21. Mallory Swanson had an assist on an Ali Schlegel goal in the fourth minute and added a goal of her own in the 31st minute. Swanson missed last season after sustaining a knee injury on April 10,…
Red Stars’ Tatumn Milazzo has top Save of the Week
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Tatumn Milazzo called her achievement “funny.” The Chicago Red Stars defender and Orland Park native was awarded the NWSL’s Save of the Week after chasing down a ball in a loss to Angel City on April 13. The Save of the Week usually goes to a goalie. Milazzo laughed about the…
Men’s College Volleyball | Saint Xavier captures fifth straight conference tourney title
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent The SXU men’s volleyball team won its fifth straight Chicagoland Christian Athletic Conference tournament championship after a 25-16, 25-17, 25-22 sweep of Calumet College of St. Joseph on April 20 at the Shannon Center. Jan Lopuch had 10 kills and nine digs for the Cougars. With the win, the Cougars (21-8)…
College Baseball | Saint Xavier upsets Eastern Illinois
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent The Saint Xavier baseball team picked up a win that its players are going to remember for a long time. The Cougars stunned Eastern Illinois, 4-2, on April 17 in Charleston. It was the Cougars’ first win over the Panthers, a Division I program, since 2005. Lyons grad Troy Stukenberg had…
Boys Volleyball | Glenbard West tops Marist to stay unbeaten
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent The Marist boys volleyball team, ranked fifth in the nation by USA Today/American Volleyball Coaches, lost to Glenbard West, 25-23, 25-21, in the championship match at the Brother Rice Smack Attack on April 20 in Chicago. Glenbard West (19-0) is the two-time defending state champion and is ranked third in the…
St. Laurence hoops teams top honor roll
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Area basketball teams proved to be strong on the court and in the classroom this season, and St. Laurence was the leader of the pack. The Illinois Basketball Coaches Association compiled a list of the top academic teams, and the area did well. In Division 3 girls, St. Laurence was ranked…
Chicago Bears recognize St. Rita senior with All-Star award
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Chances are good that few outside of St. Rita football circles know who David Lyle is. With good reason. Lyle missed his senior season for the Mustangs last fall after sustaining a serious knee injury. He even postponed having knee surgery so that he could take care of his ailing father.…
Softball | Oak Lawn’s Kasey Jackson fans 5 in loss to Shepard
By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent Oak Lawn entered its South Suburban Conference matchup with Shepard having won six of its last seven games. The Astros — even hotter with seven straight victories after beginning the season with three consecutive losses — cooled off the Spartans (8-5, 4-2 SSC) for a day, winning 3-0 behind a complete-game…
Softball | Shepard blanks Oak Lawn behind CG from Kailey Selvage, 2 RBI from Madison Scapardine
By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent Temperatures are not the only thing starting to warm up in the Southwest Suburbs. Shepard, which began the season with three consecutive losses, defeated Oak Lawn, 3-0, on April 15 to run its winning streak to seven games. Astros junior pitcher Kailey Selvage tossed a complete-game shutout, striking out 15 Spartans…
St. Laurence grad Brett Buzzelli hurling for Carroll
By Mike Walsh Correspondent Carroll University senior right-hander Brett Buzzelli has been named the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin’s Pitcher of the Week for April 8. Buzzelli was the winning pitcher in an 8-3 victory over visiting Elmhurst University in Game 1 of a CCIW doubleheader. The St. Laurence graduate tossed seven scoreless innings…
Fire II wins, draws
By Jef Vorva Correspondent The Chicago Fire FC II earned its first regulation victory of the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro season in a 2-0 clean sheet against Crown Legacy April 10 at SeatGeek Stadium. Defender Diego Konincks and captain David Poreba scored goals for the Fire. On April 14, the team had a 5-5 draw…
Red Stars sans Swanson fall to Angel City
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Playing without scoring star Mallory Swanson, who was nursing a hip injury, the Chicago Red Stars lost for the first time this season, dropping a 1-0 decision April 13 to Angel City in front of an announced crowd of 3,168 at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview. Angel City (1-2-1) started the day…
Chicago Red Stars and Bay FC to play at Wrigley Field
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Chicago Red Stars forward Ally Schlegel loves Wrigley Field. “I adored Wrigley the second I went to my first Cubs game,” Schlegel said. “I fell in love with it thinking it was the perfect sporting experience with how they built it up down there.” She will go from a fan in…
Trinity Christian College names new hoops coaches
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Trinity Christian officials were busy on April 11 ushering in new eras for its basketball programs. Trolls Athletic Director Wendy Reid announced that Jordan Mast is taking over the men’s basketball program, while Jasmine Porter has been named women’s hoops coach. Mast comes to the school in Palos Heights after five…
Reavis baseball coach and Hall of Famer Don Erickson to retire after season
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent A deal is a deal. Longtime Reavis baseball coach Don Erickson has said he would retire after his son, Sam, graduates from high school, so he can watch Sam play in college. Erickson doesn’t get to many of his son’s high school games because Sam plays at Downers Grove South. Sam…
Baseball | LW West stays unbeaten, snaps Sandburg’s seven-game win streak
By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent Sandburg’s sizzling start to the season was cooled off, at least for a day, by a visit from even hotter SouthWest Suburban Conference foe Lincoln-Way West, which topped the Eagles 5-3 on Monday in Orland Park. The loss snapped Sandburg’s seven-game winning streak and ran the Warriors’ record to 9-0. The…
Boys Volleyball | Sandburg runs win streak to three with wins over Hinsdale South, DG North
By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent After a sub-.500 start to the season, Sandburg returned from spring break with two victories, defeating Hinsdale South in three sets on April 3 and needing two sets to take down Downers Grove North the following day. The Eagles (6-4) ran their win streak to three games by topping the Hornets…
Boys Volleyball | Marist still unbeaten after downing Glenbrook South
By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent Marist is on a roll thus far this season, and improved to 9-0 after topping Glenbrook South in two sets last week. The RedHawks defeated the previously unbeaten Titans, 25-11, 25-21, on April 4 in Mount Greenwood, giving them eight straight matches that have gone two sets. Marist’s only three-set match…
Chicago Fire II to host Indy Eleven in U.S. Open Cup
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent The Chicago Fire II continue winning in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. They will be rewarded by hosting a third-round game against Indy Eleven at 7 p.m. April 17 at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview. Entry to Fire II games are usually free; but tickets for the Cup match will be…
Red Stars to play in Summer Cup
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent When the NWSL season started, there was a gap in the schedule — created to accommodate international play — that left the Chicago Red Stars without a league game for most of July. But some extra games have been added, as the NWSL and Liga MX are participating in a Summer…
College Sports | Sidney Lovitsch is officially women’s hoops coach at SXU
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Sidney Lovitsch was named interim women’s basketball coach at Saint Xavier shortly before the 2023-24 season opened and got a trial year to work with. The trial was successful, as the school announced the interim tag has been dropped and Lovitsch is officially the Cougars’ head coach. SXU finished this season…
Comings & Goings: Freddy’s closes in Orland Park
By Bob Bong Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers closed its doors in Orland Park for the last time on March 7 and all of the signage has been removed. No reason for the closing was given on the restaurant’s Facebook page and an email to Freddy’s corporate offices went unreturned. Phone calls and emails to…
New Bridgeview battalion chief credits crew
By Steve Metsch Jason Yerkovich, who has spent 15 years working for the Bridgeview Fire Department, may have a new job title but is giving credit where he says it is due. At the March 20 village board meeting, Yerkovich was promoted to battalion chief. He had been a lieutenant. “I told my crew (that)…
McCook murder suspect pleads not guilty to all charges
By Steve Metsch As expected, the man charged with the February murder of a Blue Island man in McCook pleaded not guilty in court Monday morning. Meanwhile, the victim’s family is coping as they try to come to grips with their loss, a brother-in-law said. Damon Cheronis, the defense attorney representing Sisto A. Brito, said…
12,000 Easter eggs gone in five minutes
By Steve Metsch Five-year-old Xander Young was justifiably proud of his first time running with the big kids at the annual Easter Egg Hunt sponsored Sunday by the village of Lyons. “I liked it because there were prizes inside,” he said of each plastic egg. A couple of dozen eggs were in the stroller occupied…
Countryside’s McDermott channels his inner Eagles
By Steve Metsch Countryside Mayor Sean McDermott thanked those who participated and attended the city’s eighth annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade that was held March 2, and had a nod to a classic rock band, too. “We had a great turnout, a beautiful day,” McDermott said at the March 13 city council meeting. The parade…
Obbie’s Pizza to stay ‘unique and delicious’
. New owner vows to serve same popular menu . By Tim Hadac Archer Avenue’s long-time king of pizzerias will continue to rule. Same recipes at Obbie’s Pizza, 6654 W. Archer. Same pizza and ingredients. Same pasta, broasted chicken, shrimp, perch, Italian beef/sausage/meatball sandwiches, sides and pop. Same seasoned, Middleby Marshall pizza oven built in…
Countryside City Council tackles long list of items
By Steve Metsch Water leaks, a new truck and abandoned vehicles were among a laundry list of items tackled by the Countryside City Council at its latest meeting. They were all from the infrastructure committee chaired by Ald. Mark Benson (3rd). All of the following were approved by a unanimous 6-0 vote on March 13.…
Argo High School holds Iftar Dinner for community
By Carol McGowan More than 100 people gathered at Argo Community High School last week for a now annual Ramadan Iftar dinner organized by Argo teacher Nadia Elkhatib. Elkhatib was happy with the turnout for those coming Thursday night to break bread with the school’s Muslim students and their families. “I will continue to do…
Pool improvements advance in Palos Heights
By Nuha Abdessalam Palos Heights aldermen last week approved contracts advancing improvements at the municipal pool. Alderman Jefry Key motioned for approval of a letter of agreement with the American Institute of Architects between Williams Architect and the City of Palos Heights for the pool improvement project. Since first proposing pool improvements in 2019, aldermen…
Teens enjoy Green Hills karaoke party
By Nuha Abdessalam Palos Hills tweens and teens sang their hearts out for karaoke night at a neighborhood coffee house. Green Hills Library invited all tweens and teens for a karaoke night at Strange Brew Cafe on West 103rd Street and 87th Street on Feb. 22. Organized by Green Hill Library Youth Program Coordinator Krisa…
Cervantinos Authentic Mexican Restaurant opens in Palos Heights
By Kelly White When choosing a location for his second business location, Luis Garcia knew he wanted it to be Palos Heights. “I absolutely love it here,” Luis Garcia, of Oak Forest and the owner and chef of Cervantinos Authentic Mexican Restaurant #2, said. “It’s a great area, nice clientele and I’m happy to be…
Worth Polar Plunge raises record amount
By Joe Boyle The FOP Worth Polar Plunge has been deemed a major success and local officials said the amount raised has set a new record. The annual event, sponsored by the Worth Police Department, took place in a large swimming pool that was put up in the parking lot of the Marrs-Meyer American Legion…