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…
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By Mike Walsh Correspondent Nine is just fine as far as St. Rita is concerned. On Nov. 24 at Lane Stadium, the Mustangs defeated Kenwood 21-7 to win the 93rd Prep Bowl, the annual matchup between the Chicago Catholic League and Chicago Public League champions. The win gave St. Rita (8-5) its ninth Prep Bowl…
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By Mike Walsh Correspondent It’s fitting that Mount Carmel will end its season in the same venue it began in late August. By virtue of a 64-26 dismantling of Batavia in an IHSA Class 7A semifinal on Nov. 18 in Chicago, the Caravan (12-1) advanced to the 20th state championship game in their history. Mount…
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By Mike Walsh Correspondent There’s just something about playing postseason football that suits Nazareth very well. Saturday afternoon in LaGrange Park, the Roadrunners (6-5) rolled into the Class 5A quarterfinals with a 42-0 victory over Glenbard South. Quarterback Logan Malachuk threw two TD passes, including a 17-yarder to Jake Cestone. Malachuk also scored on a…
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By Mike Walsh Correspondent The plaudits are piling up for Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy. The former Nazareth star was named the Big Ten’s Co-Offensive Player of the Week for Oct. 23, sharing the award with Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. The LaGrange Park resident was also selected to the Davey O’Brien Great Eight…
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By Mike Walsh Correspondent Among are public schools, Richards has arguably the richest tradition when it comes to football. The Bulldogs have won two state titles (1988, 1989), 34 league championships and qualified for the playoffs 37 of the past 38 seasons. That includes this year, in which Richards enters the postseason on a seven-game…
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By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent Brother Rice entered its final regular-season matchup needing fifth win to be eligible for a spot in the IHSA playoffs. Their opponent, St. Rita, had won the week before to avoid being in the same situation. But with the goal of a deep playoff run and the opportunity to earn a…
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By Mike Walsh Correspondent In his first year as the head coach at Evergreen Park, Jim Ramazinski has had plenty of items to address on his to-do list. One of them, however, was not finding a bell-cow running back. Senior Antonio Clay-Jones is a three-year starter who is both talented and reliable. One week after…
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By Tim Cronin Correspondent The IHSA state golf championships were not kind to most area boys players, but the Mount Carmel boys team finished third in Class 2A. The 2A tournament was held Oct. 6-7 at Weibring Golf Club in Normal. Mount Carmel seniors Ryan Walsh and Michael O’Keefe tied for ninth place in the…
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By Mike Walsh Correspondent From Maine South and Loyola in the northern suburbs to St. Ignatius just west of Chicago’s Loop to Marist five or so minutes south on Pulaski Road, Brother Rice has spent a lot of travel time in 2023. After opening the season with four consecutive road games due to scheduling and…
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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…
Area Sports Roundup | Cougars get revenge on Marian, earn date with top seed
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The Saint Xavier defense made sure to get some revenge for a couple of losses in recent years to Marian University. The Cougars racked up 10 sacks, 15 tackles for losses, three forced fumbles and two interceptions in a 31-21 victory over Marian in the second round of the NAIA…
Girls Hoops | St. Laurence stages huge comeback to win Beecher Tourney
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer This is not the way to start a championship game. But it’s a pretty good way to finish it. St. Laurence fell behind Rich Township, 19-0, in the Beecher Fall Classic final on Nov. 22. While it could have been easy for rookie coach Claire Austin and her troops to…
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…
Midnight Terror serves up a different kind of spirits at Christmas Fear
By Bob Bong The Halloween fans at Midnight Terror in Oak Lawn have decided to extend the haunted house season into the holidays with their eighth annual Christmas Fear weekend in December. Savage Santas, eerie elves, and sinister snowmen will be running amok and showing off their own kind of Christmas spirit at the haunted…
Catholic schools dilemma
. After loss in Springfield, advocates search for a Plan B . By Tim Hadac After a clear defeat in Springfield earlier this month, supporters of the state’s Invest in Kids scholarship program—which includes a number of Catholic school parents on the Southwest Side—are searching for a Plan B. “What we do at this point…
Tommy Fitz, truly a good man
. By Tim Hadac Editor Clear-Ridge Reporter & NewsHound . The obituary said Thomas M. Fitzgerald. But to me, it was almost like it was referring to someone else, if only because I—like so many others in Clearing and Garfield Ridge–knew him as Tommy Fitz. He died suddenly, unexpectedly, on Nov. 15 at age 65.…