Local Sports News
Shepard, Richards cheerleaders earn highest sectional scores
The varsity cheerleaders from Shepard High School in Palos Heights on second place on Saturday at the IHSA Sectional tournament at Hinsdale South High School. The team advanced to the IHSA state finals as a result. Coached by Shepard graduate Felicia Marr, the Astros earned their highest score ever at a sectional tournament. The team…
Boys Basketball | Hot shooting fuels comeback as Sandburg tops Stagg in thriller
By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent Sandburg spends 45 minutes of every practice just shooting the ball, so with the team trailing Stagg by double-digits late in the rival programs’ latest matchup, Eagles coach John Daniels had no worries. He told his shooters to “Just fire it.” Ryan Tomczak sank a deep 3-pointer with 9.5 seconds left…
Boys Hoops Wrap | Marist, Oak Lawn have unbeaten weeks; Curie’s win streak snapped by Lindblom
Games played between Jan. 22-27 By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent After a week off, Marist got back on track with a week of wins. The RedHawks (19-4, 7-2 East Suburban Catholic) opened the week with a 70-54 conference win at St. Viator. Darshan Thomas led the charge with 23 points. Thomas continued his strong play with…
College Notebook | Niagara guard Henderson looks like lock for MAAC freshman of year
By Mike Walsh Correspondent Ahmad Henderson’s collegiate basketball career has gotten off to a promising start. The Niagara freshman guard was named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference’s Rookie of the Week for the period ending Jan. 24. Henderson, a Brother Rice graduate, paced the Purple Eagles to a 2-1 record that week as he averaged…
Red Stars’s schedule and roster set for 2024
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent The schedule is set. The roster is set. The Red Stars are ready to roll. Once they get the preseason stuff out of the way, the Red Stars will open the NWSL slate at 6:30 p.m. March 16 with a road game against the expansion Utah Royals. Their home opener at…
Area Sports Roundup | Longtime hoops coach Bruce Scaduto stepping down
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Bruce Scaduto kept the family name going for a few more decades, but he is hanging it up after this season. Scaduto, the Evergreen Park boys basketball coach from 1997 through 2011 and the Mustangs girls coach since 2011, has announced he will retire after this season. “I feel that it’s…
Postseason Roundup | Six area teams heading to state cheerleading finals
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent The Marist competitive cheerleading team has an impressive resume. The RedHawks have in their history brought home six IHSA large-school trophies. They took second place in 2013, 2018, 2019 and 2022, and earned third-place trophies in 2012 and 2020. They are still searching for that elusive state championship, and will get…
Boys Hoops Wrap | Curie stays hot with four wins in four days
*For the period of Jan. 15-21 2024 By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent Curie played games on four straight days last week, ending the stretch with an 86-60 victory over Joliet West for their 17th consecutive win In the Jan. 21 matchup played at the Ronald Chops Billinger Memorial Shootout at Whitney Young, five players scoring in…
Area Sports Roundup | Chicago Christian hires new football coach
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Chicago Christian has a new football coach, and he comes from one of the best high school football programs in Illinois. CJ Cesario has been tabbed to head up the Knights program, replacing Dan Chiarito. In 2023, Cesario coached the sophomore team at Mount Carmel. The Caravan won back-to-back Class 7A…
NWSL champions Groom, Kuikka sign with Red Stars
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent The Chicago Red Stars continued to fill out their roster on both offense and defense last week, this time adding veteran talent with championship pedigrees. A latest additions in a busy offseason were free-agent signings Shea Groom and Natalia Kuikka. Groom, a midfielder, was inked to two-year deal. She is coming…
Postseason Roundup | Nazareth dance team wins first sectional title
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Will the streak continue? With a new team sharing the glory? Nazareth’s athletics programs have collectively won one IHSA state championships in each of the last five high school sports seasons, going back to spring 2022. The LaGrange Park private school’s baseball, football, girls volleyball and girls basketball teams each has…
Brother Rice tops Marist for first Pulaski Post
By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent Classes and athletics competitions across Illinois were called off due to bone-chilling temperatures early this week. That did not stop two of the area’s hottest teams from duking it out in the Battle of Pulaski. Brother Rice senior forward Zavier Fitch scored 19 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead Brother…
Swanson signs record deal to remain with Red Stars
From Staff Reports Chicago Red Stars forward Mallory Swanson has re-signed with the franchise in what is reportedly the richest deal in NWSL history. Swanson, who was a free agent for the first time in her career this offseason, agreed to stay in Chicago on a deal worth a reported $2 million, including a fifth-year…
Boys Hoops Wrap | Oak Lawn beats Richards in crosstown tilt; Br. Rice, Mt. Carmel and Curie keep winning
By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent Oak Lawn junior guard Dante Montgomery scored a game-high 19 points and the Spartans defeated Richards, 49-43, in what will be the only regular-season matchup this season between the crosstown rivals. The South Suburban Red teams battled for most of the game, but Oak Lawn (11-5, 4-0) walked away with their…
Evergreen Park tops Bremen in game called after fight between players
By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent On the eve of the area’s first winter storm of 2024 rolling in and eventually bringing with it sub-zero temperatures, Evergreen Park was heating up their gym with one of their most sizzling performances of the season. Unfortunately, things got a little too heated. With Evergreen Park dominating Bremen in a…
Area Sports Roundup | Marist tabs Mike Fitzgerald to lead football program
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent There is a change at the top. Mike Fitzgerald, who over the past six seasons helped build York into a Class 8A power, has been named Marist’s new football coach. Fitzgerald replaces Ron Dawczak, who resigned. Marist announced the hire on Jan. 8. Fitzgerald is a former RedHawks assistant. He led…
Red Stars get NWSL Defender of Year finalist Staab for draft pick
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent The Chicago Red Stars may not have a general manager, but whomever is pulling the strings and making the big decisions had a few busy days last week. After adding Masaki Hemmi to the mix as an assistant coach, the Stars wheeled and dealed and set up a revolving door during…
Girls Hoops Wrap | Mother McAuley’s Morgan Feil hits milestone; Macs assistant honored by Maroons
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Mother McAuley’s Morgan Feil hit the 1,000-point milestone on Jan. 11 against DePaul Prep. Three days later, one of her coaches was honored for passing that mark last season. For Feil, hitting that milestone was a big deal, but she added to that big night by getting the game-winning basket in…
Boys Hoops Wrap | Mount Carmel makes statement with beating of Benet
By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent In. a highly anticipated matchup, Mount Carmel used a second-half surge to top Benet, 50-36, at the 5th annual Steve Pappas Shootout hosted by DePaul Prep. The Caravan (17-2, 2-0 Chicago Catholic Blue) held a three-point lead at halftime, but outscored the Redwings 29-18 over the final two quarters. Benet’s 36…
Boys Basketball | Marist routs Carmel and St. Rita
By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent After closing out 2023 with a loss and runner-up finish at the 80th Annual Centralia Holiday Tournament, Marist got back to its winning ways with routs of Carmel and St. Rita. The RedHawks topped the East Suburban Catholic rival Corsairs, 73-42, on Jan. 5 and best the Mustangs of the Chicago…
Area College Report | SXU, Trinity men’s volleyball getting ready to roll
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent While basketball has dominated the area college scene this winter, men’s volleyball is just around the corner. Practice is in full swing and matches start later this month. Saint Xavier wants to keep its best stretch of winning in program history going. Excluding the shortened 2020 pandemic season, the Cougars have…
Girls Hoops Wrap | Young and older have fun in Oak Lawn
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent It was a little of the old and new mixing together at Oak Lawn. The current Spartans beat Crete-Monee, 54-42, in a nonconference game on Jan. 7. In the crowd were players from the 2013-14 Oak Lawn squad that finished 28-2. After the game, alumni players engaged in a game of…
Area Sports Report | Kendall Coyne Schofield part of history as PWHL game sets attendance record
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Add a new chapter to the Kendall Coyne Schofield story. The Palos Heights native and Sandburg graduate, who has won gold and silver Olympic medals in women’s hockey, helped launch the new Professional Women’s Hockey League and is a team captain for the Minnesota franchise. Minnesota and the league’s five other…
Area Sports Roundup | Messi and Miami to visit Fire in August
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Let the guessing games begin. The Chicago Fire released its MLS schedule for 2024, and there is a chance the team will have to move some of its games from Soldier Field to SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview. The Fire called SeatGeek its home stadium from 2006 to 2019. From August through…
Girls Hoops Wrap | Stagg stuns Bloom to take Hillcrest Holiday Classic
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Stagg’s girls basketball team heads into the 2024 portion of the season with a good-but-not-great 10-7 record. But the way the Chargers closed out the 2023 portion of the campaign was spectacular. The Chargers won the 16-team Hillcrest Holiday Classic, held Dec. 27-29 in Country Club Hills. They earned a 45-44…
Local News
Police Council rallies to save ShotSpotter
. By Alexis Bocanegra Your correspondent in Clearing and Garfield Ridge (773) 949-1509 • grcl.alex23@gmail.com . Chicago Lawn (8th) District Police Council members Mark Hamberlin, Al Cacciottolo and Jason Huff have created an online petition to save ShotSpotter. As you may have read in the Clear-Ridge Reporter & NewsHound back in March, Mayor Brandon Johnson…
Capacity crowd speaks out against Evergreen Park dispensary
By Joe Boyle Additional chairs had to be brought out to seat an overflow crowd of Evergreen Park residents who attended a meeting April 15 regarding a proposed cannabis dispensary for the village. And many who were in attendance voiced their opposition to having a dispensary in Evergreen Park. Most of the people cited safety, traffic…
Bridgeview approves auto repair shop
Moves up time for May 1 village board meeting By Steve Metsch Bridgeview is getting a new automotive repair shop. The village board at its April 17 matinee meeting approved a special use permit that will allow a repair shop at 9010 S. Beloit Ave. There was no discussion among trustees. The board followed the…
Summit Fire Department blood drive draws a crowd
By Carol McGowan The Summit Fire Department, along with the Village of Summit, and the Argo Summit Lions Club held a blood drive this past Saturday, and it drew a crowd that even impressed the American Red Cross. It took place from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. with non-stop donors walking through the door. Fire…
Hodgkins toasts village businesses
By Carol McGowan Hodgkins Mayor Ernest Millsap and the Board of Trustees celebrated the village’s businesses at its annual Business Appreciation Breakfast on April 10. Over 100 people gathered at the Hodgkins Administration Center for a hearty breakfast hosted by the village. Representatives from many businesses that are located in or that work within the…
First Secure Bank to host American Eagle gold coin sale
From staff reports First Secure Bank & Trust of Palos Hills announced its annual May sale of 1-ounce and ¼-ounce American Eagle Gold Coins, produced by the U.S. Mint, will take place from 10 a.m.to noon on Saturdays, May 4, May 11, May 18 and May 25. The sale will take place at First Secure…
Solarbration: Chicago Ridge celebrates fun in the sun
By Kelly White The sun is shining and after a long winter, Chicago Ridge residents ready for it. In honor of National Solar Appreciation Day, the Chicago Ridge Park District offered residents the opportunity to come out and celebrate with a Solarbration, the free event was held outside of Freedom Activity Center, 6252 Birmingham St.,…
Oak Lawn trustee says village needs state grocery tax
By Joe Boyle An Oak Lawn trustee said that Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s proposal to eliminate the state’s grocery tax will be costly for the village. Trustee William “Bud” Stalker (5th), accompanied by Mayor Terry Vorderer, recently returned from a fact-finding trip to Springfield where they learned more about the governor’s proposal to eliminate the grocery…
Palos Heights recognizes volunteers
By Nuha Abdessalam Palos Heights handed out awards last week recognizing the services provided by volunteers through the years. The proclamations, which were read aloud during the city council meeting April 16, were a testament to the city’s volunteers and were handed out as part of Volunteer Recognition Week. Volunteers were cited for their efforts…
SD218 puts on annual Arts Extravaganza
By Kelly White The arts have become a major portion of the curriculum Community High School District 218. Showcasing those many talents, the Friends of CHSD 218’s Education Foundation proudly hosted its 15th annual Arts Extravaganza on April 5 at Eisenhower High School in Blue Island. “The Arts Extravaganza is a great event which showcases…