Local Sports News
Vigil honors Shepard High School’s Ryan Plowman
By Kelly White Ryan Plowman will forever be remembered by his classmates and educators as an All-American kid who always put others above himself. The 17-year-old Shepard High School student from Crestwood passed away suddenly after a short battle with mononucleosis on November 5. “Ryan was the epitome of pure heart and soul,” said Renee…
Moraine Valley home to Southland Saints of rekindled American Basketball Association
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Moraine Valley Community College is the home of the American Basketball Association’s Southland Saints. The Saints, playing in the rekindled ABA — the modern-day incarnation of the professional league that produce several future NBA stars including Julius Erving and Rick Barry — opened the season Nov. 6 and have more…
Area Sports Roundup: Riverside-Brookfield wins first cross country state title
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Riverside-Brookfield’s boys cross country team brought home a state championship, the first championship — according to IHSA records — is the the school’s first state title an any sport. And four of the five runners who scored for the Bulldogs are underclassmen and could be back next season to defend…
Football Class 8A Playoffs: Lyons takes down Plainfield North
By Steve Metsch Correspondent Lyons scored three touchdown during a wild third quarter and its defense shut down the Plainfield North offense in the second half, and the Lions advanced to the IHSA Class 8A quarterfinals. The visiting Lions (9-2) posted a 24-13 win beat the previously undefeated Tigers (10-1) on Nov. 4. They will…
Pigskin Wrap: Brother Rice and Mount Carmel to meet for fourth time in two seasons
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer For the fourth time in two seasons, league rivals Brother Rice and Mount Carmel will do battle. The way the playoffs have shaken out, 24th-seeded Brother Rice (7-4) will visit top-seed Mount Carmel (11-0) at 6 p.m. Saturday in the IHSA Class 7A quarterfinals. The matchup materialized after second-round action…
From Brother Rice to the big leagues: Palos Park’s Michael Massey is having a Royal summer
By Steve Metsch Whether his career ends tomorrow, next year or in 10 years, Michael Massey is definitely enjoying Major League Baseball. He’s the local kid done good, living the dream. He’s a major league baseball player, starting at second base for the Kansas City Royals. Massey, 24, grew up in Palos Park where he played Little…
Pigskin Wrap: Catholic League teams power through first round of playoffs
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The Todd Kuska Era at St. Rita is coming to a close. The retiring coach would prefer it would come two days after Thanksgiving, meaning the Mustangs would be playing in the IHSA Class 7A state championship game for a second straight season. The 12th-seeded Mustangs took the first step…
Postseason Roundup: Riverside-Brookfield boys lead bevy of area teams going to state
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer An army of area cross country teams and runners will compete at the state finals on Saturday. The leading boys team invading Detweiler Park in Peoria is Riverside-Brookfield, which won the Kaneland Class 2A Sectional Oct. 29 with 97 points. Junior Cooper Marrs led the way for the Bulldogs with…
Lyons tops Naperville Central in first round of 8A playoffs
By Steve Metsch Correspondent Practice paid off for Lyons quarterback Ryan Jackson, and it didn’t involve a single pass. Jackson looked good throwing the ball in the Lions’ Class 8A playoff opener against Naperville Central on Oct. 28. The junior completed 10-of-15 passes for 163 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. But it was his…
Girls Volleyball: Sandburg wins 18th straight regional crown
By Steve Millar Correspondent Sandburg’s girls volleyball team faced off with Lincoln-Way Central twice in the regular season. Both were hard-fought three-set matches, but the Knights beat the Eagles both times. Still, senior outside hitter Claire Hildebrand was optimistic heading into the teams’ third meeting in Thursday’s Class 4A Rich Township Regional championship game. “I…
Boys Soccer Playoffs: Mount Carmel holds off Washington for sectional title
By Steve Millar Correspondent Mount Carmel survived an upset bid from Kankakee in a Class 2A Brother Rice Sectional semifinal, prevailing 4-3 in overtime. But the poor defensive effort was a wake-up call for a Caravan team that has prided itself on shutting teams down all year. “That was way too many goals,” Mount Carmel…
Wilmington rolls over Chicago Christian to begin title defense
By Tim Cronin Correspondent WILMINGTON – Extravagant as the pregame ceremony introducing the Wilmington Wildcats to their loyal fans is — complete with fireworks, a motorcycle escort, running through the grove of trees beyond the south end zone and thence to a fan corridor on the Becker Field grass — it has nothing on the…
Nazareth dup place in top 12 at state girls tennis finals
By Steve Millar Correspondent Makenzie Hyland advanced to the fourth round in the consolation bracket at the girls state tennis finals last season with doubles partner McCahey Hardy. This year, the Nazareth senior found herself back in the same round with new partner, junior Audrey Moster. She was determined to go beyond. “It’s my senior…
Pigskin Wrap: Marist great late in win over rival Rice; area teams prep for playoffs
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Marist didn’t have too much time to savor its’ come-from-behind rivalry 34-16 win over Brother Rice. Twenty-fours hours later, the IHSA announced its playoff pairings, with the RedHawks (6-3) drawing the eighth seed and on the road at 15th seeded Naperville North (7-2) at 7 p.m. Friday in the Class…
Area Sports Roundup: Sandburg cross country runners bring home two titles
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Sandburg doubled its pleasure in cross country regionals. Both the boys and girls came up with regional titles at Midlothian Meadows in Midlothian on Oct. 22. The Eagles girls won their first regional title since 2015, according to the IHSA, with 23 points. Runner-up Mother McAuley finished with 54 points.…
Mount Carmel comes back to top Loyola, finishes regular season unbeaten
By Steve Millar Correspondent With his team trailing Loyola by 10 points at halftime in a battle between two unbeaten teams, senior quarterback Blainey Dowling had a message for his Mount Carmel teammates. Dowling called upon them to remember who they are. “I gathered the team up and I said, ‘Hey, the first half didn’t…
Mother McAuley tops Lyons; teams could meet again in sectionals
By Randy Whalen Correspondent Senior Night is always a special event. Especially when senior twins are on the team. The Moonan twins, Maeve and Jillian, played their final home match together at Mother McAuley last week and the Mighty Macs sent them out in style. In a possible postseason preview, McAuley made short work of…
Nazareth steamrolls into playoffs with rout of Benet
By Steve Metsch Correspondent When Nazareth coach Tim Racki was piecing together the Roadrunners’ 2022 schedule, he wanted to ensure the Roadrunners would be battle-tested by season’s end. He loaded the schedule with games against 2021 Class 5A runner-up Kankakee, perennial power Lemont and tough Catholic League opponents including Marist and St. Rita. After a…
New Palos Heights park in Coyne’s name is gold
By Jeff Vorva Olympic hockey standout Kendall Coyne Schofield said some of her success comes from growing up in Palos Heights. “For me, growing up in the city of Palos Heights was a dream,” she said. “There are so many things that make this such a special place. But most importantly, it’s the people in…
Red Stars Report: Alex Morgan and Wave sink Red Stars in OT
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer From the Chicago Red Stars point of view, things started out Yuki and ended up yucky. The Red Stars dropped a 2-1 overtime decision to San Diego late Sunday night in the first round of the NWSL playoffs at Snapdragon Stadium. Alex Morgan, who earned the league’s Golden Boot for…
Pigskin Wrap: Brother Rice and Marist ready for Battle of Pulaski
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The stage is set. The annual grudge match between neighborhood and conference rivals Marist and Brother Rice takes place at 7 p.m. Friday at Rice. Both teams are 5-3 overall and 0-2 in the East Suburban Catholic/Chicago Catholic League Blue, with both teams falling to Loyola and Mount Carmel in…
Keeping the fire burning: Miami Heat’s Max Strus seeks to build on breakout season
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer After pouring in 24 points in a preseason game, Miami Heat guard Max Strus did a TV interview. The 26-year-old Hickory Hills native and Stagg graduate was asked about helping young teammates. “I’ve been in their shoes,” he said. “I know what it’s like to get waived, I know what…
Area Sports Roundup: Moraine Valley women’s tennis punches ticket to nationals
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Moraine Valley’s women’s tennis team has some time to prepare for the NJCAA Division I national tournament. They have about a half of a year to get ready for it. The Cyclones qualified for the national tournament for the first time in seven years by winning the Region IV championship,…
Argo tops Reavis at SeatGeek; Chicago Christian wins first regional title since 2014
By Steve Millar Correspondent Argo sophomore Hubert Grele could not have imagined a better place to play one of his best games of the season. Taking on rival Reavis at SeatGeek Stadium, Grele produced a goal and two assists to lead the Argonauts to a 3-0 South Suburban Red win on Oct. 12. “Getting to…
Girls Volleyball: Marist tops Benet and Lyons, seeks outright conference title
By Randy Whalen Correspondent With the postseason approaching, Marist is heating up. The RedHawks won a pair of matches last week, taking a huge step toward winning the East Suburban Catholic Conference title by beating Benet, 25-10, 25-16 on Oct. 11 in Chicago. Marist (5-0 ESCC) can capture its first outright league title since 2017 with…
Local News
Evergreen Park gears up for autumn activities
Summer will soon retreat with autumn beginning this week as activities marking fall will be offered in Evergreen Park. “I want to thank the senior council and everyone who volunteered and participated in this year’s Memories to Go,” said Mayor Kelly Burke during the Evergreen Park Village Board meeting Monday night. “I want to thank…
Clancy’s Sallyfest benefits local families
When Lauren Brazel was pregnant with twin boys, Charlie and Frank, she and her husband Ryan learned that the boys had experienced twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome. According to the National Institute of Health, twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome is a rare pregnancy condition affecting identical twins or other multiples. TTTS occurs in pregnancies where twins share one placenta…
Oak Lawn Park District’s Conservation Jamboree to feature Monarch Festival
The Oak Lawn Park District is hosting a Conservation Jamboree featuring Monarch Festival on Saturday, September 21, at the Oak Lawn Park District Prairie.The Oak Lawn Park District is taking its Monarch Festival to new heights this weekend. Residents are invited out to recognize and take pride in Oak Lawn’s natural beauty with this new family…
Worth bean bag tourney aids Special Olympics
Worth Mayor Mary Werner was pleased that participants enjoyed competing in a bean bag tournament while assisting the Illinois Special Olympics. The Worth Police Department sponsored the annual Fall Bean Bag Tournament on Sept. 7 at the Marrs-Meyer American Legion Post 991. Cash prizes were awarded to the top three teams. But what was most…
Man suspected in multiple carjackings arrested
Orland Park, Countryside police track him down A Lynwood man was arrested last week in connection with a carjacking in June at the Mercedes-Benz of Orland car dealership. Marcus Turner, 23, was picked up in Markham on September 12 and subsequently charged with aggravated vehicular hijacking, two counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon,…
Lyons Township Dems hold annual Fall Fest in Summit
The Lyons Township Democratic Organization held their annual Fall Fest this past Saturday. It took place from 11:00AM-1:00PM outside of their headquarters at 63rd Street and Archer Road in Summit. They welcomed approximately 300 people to the event and this year was no disappointment. Food was a plenty with grilled burgers, italian sausage, and hot…
Historic Worth Restaurant marks 75th anniversary
Longtime customers Ed Palenik (left) and his dad Ed Palenik enjoying breakfast on September 15. Tucked away modestly yet directly in the Village Plaza, along West 111th Street, lies the historic Worth Restaurant. Formerly known as Worth Snack Shop and Loretta’s Snack Bar, the eatery at 6948 W. 111th St., has been an integral part…
Pekau addresses second phase of Schussler Park
The fancy upgrade to Schussler Park is the pride and joy of Mayor Keith Pekau and the Orland Park village board. But not everyone is enamored with it. At the Sept. 16 village board meeting, resident Mary Beth Griffin said she was representing several other residents who could not attend the meeting to complain about…
Community Fun and Fundraising at Garfield Ridge ‘Sell-a-Bration’ Yard Sale
Everything from action figures and baseball cards to zippered coats was on sale at the Garfield Ridge Neighborhood Watch’s “Sell-a-Bration” Community Yard Sale on Saturday at the Kennedy High School parking lot. Garfield Ridge Neighborhood Watch (GRNW) Secretary Michele Doherty and Treasurer Debi Kurbac said they were pleased with the turnout as they watched shoppers…
Autumn fun right around the corner
There’s a bite in the air and Halloween decorations are on sale everywhere! Time for football and bonfires and curling up with a good book. The days may be getting shorter but there’s still plenty to do. It’s going to be a busy month around the neighborhood this fall so keep a look out…
