By Jeff Vorva Correspondent How about a dream Nazareth vs. Homewood-Flossmoor matchup, with the winner going to state and the loser staying home? If the girls basketball coaches’ seedings come true, that’s exactly what will happen in Class 4A. But there is a lot of basketball to be played — and a lot of upsets…
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By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent Riverside-Brookfield senior Stefan Cicic had a memorable week, scoring 28 points — surpassing 1,000 career points in the process — while leading the Bulldogs to a 55-47 conference win over Westmont on Feb. 2. Cicic also grabbed 15 rebounds and had five blocks in the win, one of R-B’s (22-4, 5-0…
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Games played between Jan. 22-27 By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent After a week off, Marist got back on track with a week of wins. The RedHawks (19-4, 7-2 East Suburban Catholic) opened the week with a 70-54 conference win at St. Viator. Darshan Thomas led the charge with 23 points. Thomas continued his strong play with…
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By Mike Walsh Correspondent Ahmad Henderson’s collegiate basketball career has gotten off to a promising start. The Niagara freshman guard was named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference’s Rookie of the Week for the period ending Jan. 24. Henderson, a Brother Rice graduate, paced the Purple Eagles to a 2-1 record that week as he averaged…
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By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Bruce Scaduto kept the family name going for a few more decades, but he is hanging it up after this season. Scaduto, the Evergreen Park boys basketball coach from 1997 through 2011 and the Mustangs girls coach since 2011, has announced he will retire after this season. “I feel that it’s…
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By Jeff Vorva Correspondent The Marist competitive cheerleading team has an impressive resume. The RedHawks have in their history brought home six IHSA large-school trophies. They took second place in 2013, 2018, 2019 and 2022, and earned third-place trophies in 2012 and 2020. They are still searching for that elusive state championship, and will get…
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By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Will the streak continue? With a new team sharing the glory? Nazareth’s athletics programs have collectively won one IHSA state championships in each of the last five high school sports seasons, going back to spring 2022. The LaGrange Park private school’s baseball, football, girls volleyball and girls basketball teams each has…
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By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent Classes and athletics competitions across Illinois were called off due to bone-chilling temperatures early this week. That did not stop two of the area’s hottest teams from duking it out in the Battle of Pulaski. Brother Rice senior forward Zavier Fitch scored 19 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead Brother…
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By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent Oak Lawn junior guard Dante Montgomery scored a game-high 19 points and the Spartans defeated Richards, 49-43, in what will be the only regular-season matchup this season between the crosstown rivals. The South Suburban Red teams battled for most of the game, but Oak Lawn (11-5, 4-0) walked away with their…
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By Jeff Vorva Correspondent There is a change at the top. Mike Fitzgerald, who over the past six seasons helped build York into a Class 8A power, has been named Marist’s new football coach. Fitzgerald replaces Ron Dawczak, who resigned. Marist announced the hire on Jan. 8. Fitzgerald is a former RedHawks assistant. He led…
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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…
Boys Volleyball | Marist hands Glenbard West first loss of season
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Marist was scary good in the first set. The RedHawks won it 25-12. Even by Marist standards, that’s pretty impressive. Complete dominance. What’s even more stunning is that it came against the second-ranked team in the nation. The RedHawks, who came into the match ranked sixth in the country in the…
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…
Boys Volleyball | Marist hands Glenbard West first loss of season
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Marist was scary good in the first set. The RedHawks won it 25-12. Even by Marist standards, that’s pretty impressive. Complete dominance. What’s even more stunning is that it came against the second-ranked team in the nation. The RedHawks, who came into the match ranked sixth in the country in the…
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…