By Randy Whalen Correspondent When the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the start of the 2020 girls volleyball season from August to spring of the following year, it also delayed the debut of Ellie White. When that season got underway in March 2021 with a home victory over Joliet Catholic, White became the first freshman to start…
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By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Mother McAuley has 16 state championships in girls volleyball, but it’s been a while since the Mighty Macs have gone back-to-back. The last time it happened was 1994 and 1995, when they won Class AA titles. The Macs could make it happen again this weekend as they participate in the…
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By 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.…
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By 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,…
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By 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…
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By 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…
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By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer It was a Sandburg Saturday. It was raining and reigning on Oct. 14 as the Orland Park school was able to add three titles to its collection of hardware in cross country and girls tennis. The Eagles won their ninth straight girls tennis sectional title, scoring 29 points and holding…
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By 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.…
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By 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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By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Miley McCullum is a member of Lyons’ varsity golf team. Kaylee Davenport of Mother McAuley doesn’t play golf at all. But the two have a common bond in the golfing community. They both had their artwork ideas on display at the PGA Tour’s BMW Championship, held in Olympia Fields Aug.…
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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…