Watching Mount Carmel quarterback Jack Elliott play, two noticeable aspects of his game are his arm and his heart. Elliot, a senior from Orland Park, can throw the ball with the best of them; he’s also tough, durable and not afraid to accept a punishing hit from an opposing defender. In a 45-24 CCL/ESCC Blue…
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A rare matchup between back-to-back state champions saw two of the state’s top quarterbacks combine for 11 touchdown passes and ended as an historic night for a program familiar with making history. The quarterback duel and the game both went to Mount Carmel, which rode the arm of senior signal-caller Jack Elliot to a 56-33…
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CONFERENCE: Chicago Catholic League/East Suburban Catholic Conference Blue HEAD COACH: Jordan Lynch (won class 7A state championship) 2023 RECORD: 13-1 2024 OUTLOOK: Mount Carmel is looking for a 16th state championship, which would be its third consecutive title and fourth in five seasons. The Caravan and Joliet Catholic are tied for the most state titles…
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By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Three players from the area were selected in the 2024 Major League Baseball draft, which took place July 14-16. Pitcher Ryan Smith, who graduated from Nazareth in 2021 and ended up at Illinois-Chicago, was taken by Houston in the ninth round of the draft. Smith, who underwent Tommy John surgery while…
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By Jeff Vorva Correspondent The IHSA’s annual posting of the coming season’s football schedule always gets people talking. This year is no exception. Tears for Fears meets David Bowie as there are changes, changes and more changes; fans might need pencils and scorecards to keep track. As a public service, we here at Southwest Regional…
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By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent High school boys basketball does not stop in March and pick back up in late autumn. For many players, playing hoops is a year-round commitment. AAU ball is a big reason for, that there are summer camps, shootouts or other events at most schools during the summer. The 21st annual…
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By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent After a stirring upset of unbeaten Nazareth to win the Class 4A Reavis Sectional championship, Mount Carmel’s bid for a trip to the state finals ended with a 3-2 extra-inning loss to Providence in the supersectional round. Celtics shortstop Jackson Smith’s single off Matt Murphy drove in Eddie Olszta with the…
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By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent After back-to-back Class 3A state titles in 2022 and 2023, Nazareth jumped to Class 4A this season and did not miss a beat. The Roadrunners cruised to 37 straight victories heading into their sectional championship matchup with Mount Carmel. The Caravan scored two late runs in a tight contest and advanced…
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By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent Mount Carmel came into its Class 4A sectional matchup against Nazareth viewed as the underdog. The favored Roadrunners did, after all, enter the game 37-0 and were gunning for a third consecutive state championship. The Caravan have respect for the Roadrunners, but they would never call themselves an underdog; and they…
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By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Several area baseball, softball, boys volleyball and girls soccer teams were still alive in the postseason heading into this week. Among those was two-time defending Class 3A champion Nazareth, which is competing in Class 4A this season. The Roadrunners, Brother Rice and Mount Carmel won regional titles. So did De La…
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K.J. Morris kick-starts Brother Rice in romp past St. Patrick
As beginnings go, it’s tough to top the one that K.J. Morris provided his Brother Rice teammates. On the opening kickoff of the Crusaders’ 48-0 CCL/ESCC crossover victory over St. Patrick at Triton College in Week 5, Morris sprinted 95 yards for a touchdown. For an encore, Morris returned a punt 45 yards for a…
North Dakota State commit Myles Mitchell, Richards race past Argo
Fans at Friday night’s South Suburban Red matchup between Richards and Argo hoping to see running back Myles Mitchell at his best were not disappointed. Mitchell powered the Bulldogs to an impressive 41-0 victory in Summit, carrying 29 times for 191 yards and five touchdowns. The North Dakota State commit found the end zone on…
Vanderbilt commit Jack Elliott, Mount Carmel cruise by Benet
Through the first five games of the season, Mount Carmel has piled up 215 points for an average of 43 points per game. One of the primary reasons why the Caravan have been so successful thus far is the play of senior quarterback Jack Elliott. In guiding Mount Carmel to a 48-13 Week 5 CCL/ESCC…
Cornell commit John McAuliffe, Marist get past IC Catholic
Scoring points hasn’t been a problem this season for Marist. That trend continued in Week 5 as the Redhawks traveled to Elmhurst and defeated IC Catholic 34-26 in a CCL/ESCC crossover. Through the first five games of the season, Marist, which improved to 4-1 overall, tallied 148 points, good enough for an average of 29.6…
‘Pinky’ power: Jonathan Castro leads Kennedy past Carver
When Jonathan Castro first went out for football at Kennedy, no one knew who he was. So his new teammates gave him a nickname. “Honestly, I just love the color pink,” the Crusaders senior said. “So I came in sophomore year and no one really knew my name. They saw I had a pink mouthguard, pink…
Mike Walsh’s Football Top 10, Week 6
1. MOUNT CARMEL (4-1) Last week: Beat Benet 48-13 This week: at Brother Rice Comment: QB Jack Elliott continues to excel with four total TDs vs. Redwings. 2. MARIST (4-1) Last week: Beat IC Catholic 34-26 This week: vs. Providence Comment: John McAuliffe rushes for 211 yards and four TDs in impressive road win. 3.…
Led by Justin Buckner and James Kingsbury, St. Rita defense stingy again vs. Notre Dame
If St. Rita is to achieve its goals this season of winning the CCL/ESCC Green and making a deep run into the state playoffs, its defense will need to play well. In a Week 5 42-0 CCL/ESCC crossover victory over visiting Notre Dame, the Mustangs did just that, limiting the Dons to just 53 yards…
Starbucks opens on former vacant lot in West Lawn
A new Starbucks opened last week in Chicago’s West Lawn community on a lot that had been vacant for 40 years. Groundbreaking for the newest Starbucks took place in March at 6413 S. Cicero Ave. and was led by Mayor Brandon Johnson and 13th Ward Ald. Marty Quinn. The lot was a former gas station…
Pro soccer report: Fire eliminated from MLS playoffs again
The Chicago Fire’s chances for the playoffs officially ended at SeatGeek stadium. With a 1-1 tie with Toronto FC on Sept. 28 in front of an announced crowd of 16,097 in Bridgeview, the Fire (7-16-9) have been eliminated from the Major League Soccer postseason picture for the 11th time in the past 12 seasons. “This…
Girls Volleyball | Hot time for Mother McAuley in rivalry win over Marist
Hot gym. Hot rivalry. It was all getting to Mother McAuley hitter Sydney Buchanan a little bit. So, during crunch time, she pounded kill after kill in the second set and the Mighty Macs took a 26-24, 25-23 road victory over Marist on Sept. 26 in a neighborhood rivalry game in a packed gym that…
Area Sports Roundup: St. Xavier football holds off Concordia Ann Arbor
St. Xavier’s football team got pressed a little in the fourth quarter when Concordia Ann Arbor (Mich.) returned a fourth-quarter interception for a touchdown to make it a one-score game. But kicker Peyton Benes relieved the tension with a 23-yard field goal with 2 minutes, 24 seconds to play in what turned out to be…
K.J. Morris kick-starts Brother Rice in romp past St. Patrick
As beginnings go, it’s tough to top the one that K.J. Morris provided his Brother Rice teammates. On the opening kickoff of the Crusaders’ 48-0 CCL/ESCC crossover victory over St. Patrick at Triton College in Week 5, Morris sprinted 95 yards for a touchdown. For an encore, Morris returned a punt 45 yards for a…
North Dakota State commit Myles Mitchell, Richards race past Argo
Fans at Friday night’s South Suburban Red matchup between Richards and Argo hoping to see running back Myles Mitchell at his best were not disappointed. Mitchell powered the Bulldogs to an impressive 41-0 victory in Summit, carrying 29 times for 191 yards and five touchdowns. The North Dakota State commit found the end zone on…
Vanderbilt commit Jack Elliott, Mount Carmel cruise by Benet
Through the first five games of the season, Mount Carmel has piled up 215 points for an average of 43 points per game. One of the primary reasons why the Caravan have been so successful thus far is the play of senior quarterback Jack Elliott. In guiding Mount Carmel to a 48-13 Week 5 CCL/ESCC…
Cornell commit John McAuliffe, Marist get past IC Catholic
Scoring points hasn’t been a problem this season for Marist. That trend continued in Week 5 as the Redhawks traveled to Elmhurst and defeated IC Catholic 34-26 in a CCL/ESCC crossover. Through the first five games of the season, Marist, which improved to 4-1 overall, tallied 148 points, good enough for an average of 29.6…
‘Pinky’ power: Jonathan Castro leads Kennedy past Carver
When Jonathan Castro first went out for football at Kennedy, no one knew who he was. So his new teammates gave him a nickname. “Honestly, I just love the color pink,” the Crusaders senior said. “So I came in sophomore year and no one really knew my name. They saw I had a pink mouthguard, pink…
