By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The field has been finalized for the third Sandburg Holiday Classic, which is the only girls basketball holiday tournament in the area to feature 16 teams. The host Eagles will be joined in the event, to be held Dec. 27-29, by area teams Oak Lawn, Richards, Argo and Riverside-Brookfield. Also…
Read MoreBy Randy Whalen Correspondent Kate Walsh had tears in her eyes as she made her way toward where her Sandburg teammates were taking group pictures. The senior outside hitter had a great match, helping the Eagles to another regional championship. Walsh walloped a match-high 15 kills as Sandburg defeated Homewood-Flossmoor 25-17, 21-25, 25-15 on Oct.…
Read MoreBy Randy Whalen Correspondent David Vales said it wasn’t a “win one for the Gipper” moment. But it was still special for the Sandburg coach. After a first half of the season spent in mediocrity, the Eagles got going and rolled to their first conference championship in five seasons. They defeated Lincoln-Way East, 25-18, 25-21,…
Read MoreBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer There were almost twin champions at the two Class 3A Marist Regional cross country meets. Literally. Sandburg senior Grant Giblin won the boys race on Oct. 21 in 15:16.53 on the 2.98-mile course at Midlothian Meadows, finishing more than eight seconds ahead of the next competitor. Giblin’s championship effort helped…
Read MoreBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Orland Park is not known as a hotbed of tennis. But at the 2023 IHSA girls tennis state tournament, three players from the village made a lot of noise. The sister doubles team of Maia and Estela Loureiro finished second in the Class 2A state finals, held Oct. 19-21 at…
Read MoreBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Before he starts collecting points and rebounds, Evergreen Park senior hoops player Ulises Cardenas is collecting pop tabs. Cardenas is on a mission to collect 1 million tabs to help raise money for the Ronald McDonald House in Oak Lawn and Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana.…
Read MoreBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The first team in Trinity Christian College history to win a national championship will be honored in October. The Trinity Christian College Athletics Department announced the 2005 women’s soccer team as the newest member to its Athletics Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will take place on Oct. 21 as…
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Boys Basketball | Marist unbeaten heading into clash with Marian Catholic
By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent Four quarters were not enough time to determine a winner between Marist and St. Laurence in a Chicago Elite Classic matchup. The RedHawks prevailed, doubling up the Vikings in overtime to take home a 49-44 win and improve to 6-0. The game was played December 1 at Credit Union 1 Arena…

Boys Basketball | Stagg off to a strong start, dr
By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent Stagg has started the season strong, opening by winning the title at their own John McBride over Thanksgiving weekend. The Chargers won the championship game, 49-45, over Plainfield South. Senior guard Connor Williams was named MVP of the tournament, and teammates David Ortiz and Domas Narcevicius were named to the All-Tournament…

College Report | SXU football falls in quarterfinals
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer For three quarters, Saint Xavier went nearly toe-to-toe with the No. 1-ranked football team in the nation. Justin Pringle had returned a kickoff 70 yards for a touchdown to bring the Cougars to within three points of Northwestern (Iowa), the top-seeded team in the NAIA playoffs and the defending national…

Area Sports Roundup | Richards grad Sean Lewis ready to air it out in San Diego
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The rollercoaster ride continues for Sean Lewis. The Richards alum went from being the head coach at Kent State to the offensive coordinator at Colorado, one of the most talked about college football programs in the country this season because of Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders. He was then demoted…

Girls Hoops | Sandburg and Oak Lawn to host holiday tournaments
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The field has been finalized for the third Sandburg Holiday Classic, which is the only girls basketball holiday tournament in the area to feature 16 teams. The host Eagles will be joined in the event, to be held Dec. 27-29, by area teams Oak Lawn, Richards, Argo and Riverside-Brookfield. Also…

Mount Carmel beats Downers Grove North for 15th state title
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Mount Carmel’s plan was to open and close the season in Normal. They wanted to open the 2023 campaign by beating then-nationally ranked East St. Louis in a neutral-site game at Hancock Stadium at Illinois State University, then return 13 weeks later and a win a state championship. Mission accomplished…

Cold Turkey Trotting | Young runners heat up Orland Park race held in freezing temps
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The temperature may have been freezing, but the winners were not complaining. The 35th Orland Park Turkey Trot, held per tradition on Thanksgiving, started in 30-degree weather. And the young champs embraced it. Jack Krusinski, 16, of Palos Heights, won the 2.5 mile event with a time of 14:01.04. The…

Nazareth Academy girls’ art on religious Christmas cards
. From staff reports Two local girls are among four students at Nazareth Academy whose works of art are available on the CSJ (Congregation of St. Joseph) Ministry of the Arts website for free download Christmas cards. “These four incredible art students have become part of the tradition honored by the CSJ Sisters to spread…

Boys Basketball | Marist unbeaten heading into clash with Marian Catholic
By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent Four quarters were not enough time to determine a winner between Marist and St. Laurence in a Chicago Elite Classic matchup. The RedHawks prevailed, doubling up the Vikings in overtime to take home a 49-44 win and improve to 6-0. The game was played December 1 at Credit Union 1 Arena…

Boys Basketball | Stagg off to a strong start, dr
By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent Stagg has started the season strong, opening by winning the title at their own John McBride over Thanksgiving weekend. The Chargers won the championship game, 49-45, over Plainfield South. Senior guard Connor Williams was named MVP of the tournament, and teammates David Ortiz and Domas Narcevicius were named to the All-Tournament…

College Report | SXU football falls in quarterfinals
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer For three quarters, Saint Xavier went nearly toe-to-toe with the No. 1-ranked football team in the nation. Justin Pringle had returned a kickoff 70 yards for a touchdown to bring the Cougars to within three points of Northwestern (Iowa), the top-seeded team in the NAIA playoffs and the defending national…

Area Sports Roundup | Richards grad Sean Lewis ready to air it out in San Diego
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The rollercoaster ride continues for Sean Lewis. The Richards alum went from being the head coach at Kent State to the offensive coordinator at Colorado, one of the most talked about college football programs in the country this season because of Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders. He was then demoted…

Girls Hoops | Sandburg and Oak Lawn to host holiday tournaments
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The field has been finalized for the third Sandburg Holiday Classic, which is the only girls basketball holiday tournament in the area to feature 16 teams. The host Eagles will be joined in the event, to be held Dec. 27-29, by area teams Oak Lawn, Richards, Argo and Riverside-Brookfield. Also…

Unique, cheerful, local crafts at Hale Park
. By Tim Hadac Editor Clear-Ridge Reporter & NewsHound . I’ve never been one to decorate for Christmas, just for the sake of decorating. And I’m not a fan of many of the things we see these days. I’ll take a pass on Christmas decorations that involve images of celebrities, pro sports logos, off-color jokes,…

Keeping fighters flying
Garfield Ridge native Brandon Tapia recently graduated from U.S. Air Force Basic Military Training with honors – a recognition earned by only the top 10% of each class. After Air Force BMT, airmen begin technical training to learn the technical skills needed to perform in their career field specialties. The field Tapia will be…

Offer cash reward in Chrysler Village slaying
. By Tim Hadac . Someone somewhere knows who shot and killed Misael Sanchez. To help bring that person forward, the Cook County Crime Stoppers group is offering a cash reward of up to $15,000 for information leading to the killer’s arrest. Sanchez, 23, was shot in the 5200 block of West 64th Place (close…