SXU receiver Justin Pringle is brought down by Indianapolis defender Larry Burks as Pringle scores a touchdown Saturday. Photo by Jeff Vorva
College Football: Big second half lifts Indy over Saint Xavier
By Jeff Vorva
Correspondent
University of Indianapolis football players came to Saint Xavier with heavy hearts.
The Greyhounds suffered an emotional setback in when former teammate Koebe Clopton was shot and killed the morning of Thursday, Sept. 2. Clopton left the team in March, but stayed at the school as a student and had many friends on the team.
“Everybody loved him,” Indy coach Chris Keevers said. “He’s Koebe. He’s just a good person and a wonderful human being. It’s just a sad thing. It was a very tough Thursday.”
Keevers had the tough task of getting his Greyhounds, ranked 14th in the nation by NCAA Division II coaches, ready for a season opener against upset-minded St. Xavier, an NAIA team. The Cougars hosts took a 10-0 lead before Indy rallied for a 34-10 victory Saturday night at Deaton Field.
For SXU (0-1) the first 16 minutes of the game couldn’t have gone better.
Cougars quarterback Stuart Ross hit Justin Pringle with a 32-yard touchdown pass and a 37-yard Peyton Benes field goal gave the hosts a 10-0 lead with 14:15 left in the first half.
The offense was clicking. The defense was clicking. Players and fans were going nuts.
“Everything was working out,” said Ross, who threw for 306 yards and ran for 41 more. “With the weapons he have and the offensive line we have and the running backs we have, I thought we would be able to do it the entire game. But I messed up a few things, so I’ll blame myself.”
SXU’s Jaden Chandler (left) and Steven Meyer celebrate the defense stopping Indianapolis on a fourth-down play during Saturday’s season-opener. Photo by Jeff Vorva
The Greyhounds stormed back to tie it 10-10 at halftime. The Greyhounds got into their groove in the second half, piling up 27 points including a 96-yard drive on their first possession to set the tone.
“Here’s the deal — you play a team like that, you have to play four quarters,” SXU coach Mike Feminis said. “We fumbled the ball and gave them some gifts. You can get away with it against a subpar team. Not a top 15 Division II team.
“This is what we’re going to see if we’re going to make a run in the [NAIA] playoffs. This is a Morningside. This is a Marian. This is a St. Francis Indiana. But I’m encouraged by this. We played two great quarters, minus the turnovers, and we’re going to be just fine.”
Indianapolis averaged 45 points per game and 518 yards per game in an abbreviated spring season. The Greyhounds have won seven of nine Great Lakes Valley Conference titles since the league’s inaugural season in 2012.
SXU had a 389-353 offensive yards advantage. Mason Gray, a Chicago Ridge resident who prepped at Bremen and transferred from Tiffin, had six catches for 99 yards. Pringle added four for 72.
The Cougars have a week off before heading to Siena Heights for an 11 a.m. game Sept. 18. Siena Heights lost its opener, 2017, to Olivet Nazarene.
Mike Iturbe, a Shepard graduate, was one of the 2021 seniors who played his final season for SXU in the spring. He was among those honored before SXU’s game against the University of Indianapolis on Sept. 4. Photo by Jeff Vorva
Local News
Dart warns of Kia, Hyundai thefts
Suggests steps to protect vehicle owners From staff reports Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart is warning the public about what he is calling a dramatic rise in thefts of certain models of Kia and Hyundai vehicles. He is urging owners to take additional precautions to reduce the risk of theft. In the past few…
Chicago’s ‘safe life’ is long gone
By Ray Hanania When I was younger, my dad would always talk about how beautiful the city where he grew up was, but how grateful he was to be able to come to and settle in Chicago. Of course, he was talking about Jerusalem, which long before his country, Palestine, was torn by war, was…
Overnight closures coming Monday night for Roberts Road, 87th Street
Overnight road closures, including weekend full intersection closures with detours, will be scheduled on Roberts Road and 87th Street during the next two weeks to accommodate mainline bridge beam placement as part of the Central Tri-State Tollway (I-294) Project. Overnight lane closures will also be scheduled on southbound I-294 during this time to complete the work. On Monday, August 15,…
Traffic shift coming Monday on Tri-State between 83rd Street and Mile-Long Bridge
Beginning Monday, night, a traffic shift is scheduled on the northbound Central Tri-State Tollway between the 83rd Street Toll Plaza and the Mile Long Bridge, including removal of the current counterflow configuration. Four lanes will remain open. Overnight August 15, on northbound I-294 between the 83rd Street Toll Plaza and the Mile Long Bridge overnight lane closures will be scheduled, with traffic reduced to a single lane…
Area Sports Roundup: Sandburg golfer Jillian Cosler opens high school sports season with a bang
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The 2022-23 high school sports season opened with a bang. Practices were allowed to begin on Aug. 8 and the IHSA unleashed boys and girls golfers on Aug. 11; and there was some excitement the next day. Sandburg’s girls golf team participated in the Prep Tour Showcase at Hickory Point…
Pro Soccer Report: Chicago Fire to play four matches at SeatGeek
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Before soccer fans could blink their eyes, SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview has been tabbed to host four Chicago Fire games. SeatGeek was the MLS club’s home from 2006 until 2019, when it moved to Soldier Field. Conflicts with Soldier Field’s prized tenants, the Chicago Bears, and damage to the playing…
Pritzker’s beat-down of Bailey will continue
By Rich Miller The ongoing uproar over Darren Bailey’s 2017 claim that the Holocaust “doesn’t even compare on a shadow” to the lives lost to abortion reminded me of a scene in an old movie called “A Bronx Tale.” The claim Bailey made on Facebook exploded into view courtesy of a brutal TV ad by…
Marching Astros take the field
Weeks before the start of the new school year, marching band members from Shepard High School baked in the summer sun to prepare for the coming competitive season. As much as any event, marching band camp signals the start of a new school year. For a week, the Marching Astros arrived early and stayed late…
Oak Lawn residents offer staunch support for police
By Joe Boyle Oak Lawn residents came out in force to offer support for the village’s police department after a well-publicized arrest of a teen following a traffic stop last month. Residents jammed the Oak Lawn Village Hall for the board meeting Tuesday morning to provide testimony in support of officers after the arrest of…
Tunes and tons of local restaurants come together at the Taste of Orland
By Isabella Schreck The Supremes, John Mellencamp and The Beatles came to the Taste of Orland. Well, really, tribute bands brought their music and presence to Orland Park Village Center’s stage. “I was really impressed with American English,” Rebecca Whealan, of Palos Heights, said. “From the costumes to their sound [Eric Michaels] as Paul McCartney,…
Neighbors
10-day sales tax reduction on clothing, school supplies begins Friday
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Beginning Friday and lasting through Aug. 14, the state will reduce its sales tax rate from 6.25 percent to 1.25 percent for certain clothing items costing less than $125 and school supplies. The “tax holiday” was included in Gov. JB Pritzker’s “family relief plan,” one prong…
State lays out $34.6B multi-year spending plan for roads, bridges, ports, airports, rail and transit
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Transportation on Friday laid out a $34.6 billion six-year spending plan for road, bridge, transit, rail, airport and port upkeep. It’s the latest multi-year plan backed by the state’s 2019 Rebuild Illinois bipartisan infrastructure law, which doubled the state’s motor fuel tax…
2022 Illinois State Fair officially opens
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – The 2022 Illinois State Fair officially got underway Thursday when Gov. JB Pritzker and Secretary of State Jesse White cut the ceremonial ribbon in front of the main entrance to the fairgrounds. “As many of you know, the Illinois State Fair, one of my favorite events…
CAPITOL RECAP: State Fair begins in Springfield
By CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker and Illinois State Fair organizers unveiled the 101st State Fair butter cow Wednesday, an unofficial kickoff of the fair which began Thursday, Aug. 11, and runs through Aug. 21. The sculpture – by Iowan Sarah Pratt – consists of more than 800 pounds of recycled butter…
‘Grow with Us’ State Fair, butter cow theme a nod to agriculture, infrastructure
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker and Illinois State Fair organizers unveiled the 101st State Fair butter cow Wednesday, an unofficial kickoff of the fair which begins Thursday and runs through Aug. 21. The sculpture – by Iowan Sarah Pratt – consists of more than 800 pounds of recycled…
Pritzker eying Indiana firms after abortion law signed
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker said this week that he is actively reaching out to businesses in Indiana and other states that have recently passed restrictive abortion laws in hopes of luring those companies to Illinois. “Well, already I’ve reached out to companies that are affected in…
Regulatory work behind 1 million EV push in full swing in Illinois
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Ten months after Illinois lawmakers passed the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act which set a goal of putting 1 million electric vehicles on state roads by the end of the decade, state agencies are engaged in a flurry of regulatory planning aimed at meeting those goals.…
10-day sales tax reduction on clothing, school supplies begins Friday
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Beginning Friday and lasting through Aug. 14, the state will reduce its sales tax rate from 6.25 percent to 1.25 percent for certain clothing items costing less than $125 and school supplies. The “tax holiday” was included in Gov. JB Pritzker’s “family relief plan,” one prong…
Pritzker highlights Rebuild Illinois funding for Cahokia Heights sewers, Rend Lake Resort
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinoi [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – When state lawmakers voted on bipartisan lines in 2019 to double Illinois’ motor fuel tax and raise several driving-related fees, it laid the groundwork for a $45 billion infrastructure plan, the largest in Illinois’ history and the first in nearly a decade. The plan, spanning six…
CAPITOL RECAP: Democrats choose Hernandez as new party chair
By CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS SPRINGFIELD – The vote for state Rep. Elizabeth “Lisa” Hernandez as the Democratic Party of Illinois’ first Latino chairwoman was unanimous and uneventful Saturday morning – the drama had occurred in the days prior in a power struggle of some of the state’s most prominent Democrats. Hernandez was backed Gov. JB…
