By Jeff Vorva Staff writer For the second straight year, the Chicago Bears will look to a Sandburg graduate to try to keep prized quarterback Justin Fields in one piece. Last year, it was offensive lineman Michael Schofield who picked up some game time with the team he grew up cheering for. This year, Dan…
Read MoreBy Mike Walsh Correspondent Brother Rice head coach Casey Quedenfeld was happy about his team’s 10-7 victory over Maine South on opening night. After all, beating a team the caliber of the Hawks and which is known for having a prolific offense, is a good start to the season. But … “There’s a lot to…
Read MoreBy Mike Walsh Correspondent Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Houston, Texas. Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. In his 30-plus years of coaching college football, Gerard Wilcher has been employed in each of these communities plus several more. He now gets to include Atlanta on that list. But this addition has special significance. The 1987 Brother Rice graduate is going home.…
Read MoreBy Mike Walsh Correspondent Illinois Wesleyan golfer Quinn Clifford has been lauded as a member of the College Sports Communicators Academic All-America Team in men’s golf for the 2022-23 academic year. Clifford, a Brother Rice graduate and Chicago resident, is the first Titans underclassman men’s golfer to receive Academic All-America status. He was honored for…
Read MoreBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer It’s easy to catch some of the area’s former athletes honing their crafts. You can find former Brother Rice star and Palos Park native Michael Massey belting home runs for the Kansas City Royals on MLB Network, ESPN or YouTube. During recent NBA seasons, Hickory Hills native and Stagg grad…
Read MoreBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Adversity was faced with adversity. As a result, its dreams of a national championship were dashed. Adversity 16 Adidas-South still finished tied for fifth in the nation at 50th AAU Boys National Volleyball Championships held in Orlando, Florida, in early July. The team is top-heavy with rising juniors from Marist.…
Read MoreBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Brandon McGinnis’ first season as a high school boys volleyball head coach ended at his alma mater, Brother Rice. St. Rita, which McGinnis coached at the time, dropped a 25-16, 25-8 sectional semifinal match to the Crusaders on May 27. His second season will find him back at Rice, where…
Read MoreBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The high school baseball and softball seasons closed up shop earlier in the month, but there are a few leftovers that have jumped out. Brother Rice senior pitcher Cole Van Assen was named to the Collegiate Baseball/Diamond Sports High School All-American team. Van Assen was 10-4 with a 1.79 ERA…
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Softball | Jocelyn Hovanec scores two runs, Ks 12 in Chicago Christian win
By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent Chicago Christian is working to find its footing in the inaugural season of the Chicagoland Christian Conference. The Knights entered this week 6-8 overall and 4-6 in the CCC, putting them in fifth place with just two conference games to play among their final seven regular-season contests. The Knights have had…
Boys Volleyball | Chicago Christian finishes April strong, takes second at Ridgewood Invitational
By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent A busy and largely successful final seven days of April saw Chicago Christian briefly climb back to the .500 mark after a tough first month of the season. The Knights (11-12, 4-4 Chicagoland Christian Conference) have won seven of their past 10 matches, all of which were played over a seven-day…
Sophia Smith’s brace sinks Red Stars
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Home has not been that sweet lately for the Chicago Red Stars. The team lost its second straight game at SeatGeek Stadium with a 2-0 setback to Portland in front of an announced crowd of 4,443 on April 27. Portland star Sophia Smith scored in the 10th and 26th minutes, then…
Nazareth Academy celebrates ‘special talent’ J.J. McCarthy in NFL Draft
By Steve Metsch Dennis Moran has no doubts that J.J. McCarthy – the former Nazareth Academy quarterback who is now with the Minnesota Vikings – will succeed in the National Football League. Moran was among about 60 or so Nazareth Academy fans, friends and coaches who gathered Thursday night at The Stadium Club in McCook…
Brother Rice names Al Perez next soccer coach
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent A few new coaches are dotting the area high school athletic scene. One of the more notable hires was Brother Rice bringing Al Perez aboard as the soccer coach. Perez led Chicago Public League power Washington to a Class 2A state championship in 2013, a fourth-place finish in 2015 and a…
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…
Dread over car drifters on streets
. Reckless drivers take over SW Side intersections . By Tim Hadac At the April meeting of the Garfield Ridge Neighborhood Watch, a police officer admitted that the drag racing/drifting phenomenon seen and heard in the Midway area in recent years “probably will increase, but we hope not.” The admission was triggered by a brief…
CTA launches ‘chat’ feature on website
. From staff reports Artificial Intelligence has made another step forward at the Chicago Transit Authority. CTA officials recently launched the “Chat with CTA” chatbot, a new virtual automated service featured on transitchicago.com. The communication tool allows riders to report issues, provide feedback and receive answers in real-time. Additionally, it provides the CTA with customer feedback where…
New effort to aid kids with disabilities
. From staff reports A new grant program aimed at providing financial assistance to families of children with disabilities was launched recently by Mayor Brandon Johnson, in partnership with the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities and Ada S. McKinley Community Services. Children with disabilities is a population disproportionately affected by the pandemic, officials said.…
Dart warns of Sheriff’s Office imposters
. From staff reports Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart recently alerted the public of an uptick in telephone and email phishing scams in which scammers identify themselves as a Sheriff’s Office employee in an attempt to defraud victims. Scammers are using the actual names and respective titles of Sheriff’s Office employees to appear legitimate.…
Boys Volleyball | Chicago Christian finishes April strong, takes second at Ridgewood Invitational
By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent A busy and largely successful final seven days of April saw Chicago Christian briefly climb back to the .500 mark after a tough first month of the season. The Knights (11-12, 4-4 Chicagoland Christian Conference) have won seven of their past 10 matches, all of which were played over a seven-day…
Sophia Smith’s brace sinks Red Stars
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Home has not been that sweet lately for the Chicago Red Stars. The team lost its second straight game at SeatGeek Stadium with a 2-0 setback to Portland in front of an announced crowd of 4,443 on April 27. Portland star Sophia Smith scored in the 10th and 26th minutes, then…
Nazareth Academy celebrates ‘special talent’ J.J. McCarthy in NFL Draft
By Steve Metsch Dennis Moran has no doubts that J.J. McCarthy – the former Nazareth Academy quarterback who is now with the Minnesota Vikings – will succeed in the National Football League. Moran was among about 60 or so Nazareth Academy fans, friends and coaches who gathered Thursday night at The Stadium Club in McCook…
Brother Rice names Al Perez next soccer coach
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent A few new coaches are dotting the area high school athletic scene. One of the more notable hires was Brother Rice bringing Al Perez aboard as the soccer coach. Perez led Chicago Public League power Washington to a Class 2A state championship in 2013, a fourth-place finish in 2015 and a…