SRP-IMAGE-Logo

Boys Volleyball Sectionals: Marist tops Br. Rice, will face LW East in sectional finals

Spread the love

By Randy Whalen
Correspondent

Michael Bos had just put down what was probably the biggest block of his high school career.

It sent Brother Rice team into a frenzied celebration. The Crusaders hadn’t won the match, but they had moved to a third set against the top-ranked team in the state.

Rice eventually fell short, losing 25-19, 26-28, 25-22 to Marist, in the semifinals of the Sandburg Sectional on May 28.

The RedHawks, No. 1 according to Illinois Prep Volleyball, advanced to the sectional championship match against Lincoln-Way East on May 31. It will be a rematch of 2019 and 2021 sectional final matches — won by the eventual state champion RedHawks three years ago and the Griffins last season. There was no postseason tournament in 2020.

Lincoln-Way East was a 25-22, 25-19 winner over host Sandburg in the other semifinal.

Rice won its 16th regional championship since 2003 by rallying to defeat Chicago Christian 19-25, 25-21, 25-19, two days earlier to capture the title of their own regional.

At sectionals, the Crusaders (20-18) showed they belonged on the same court as one of the state’s elite teams, with only one starter graduating, appear to be in good shape to be a contender next season.

“It was crazy,” said Bos, a junior middle hitter, of his block. “I just wanted to give us a chance to win it. The outcome didn’t end up the way we wanted but we came to play.

“When we play together as a team, we showed our potential and the fact that we can compete with any team in the state.”

Bos had seven kills and three blocks and junior outside hitter Nathan Kramer creamed 15 kills. Senior right side hitter Tom Lamb lambasted seven kills, junior outside hitter Brendan McCarthy mashed seven kills and had two blocks, junior setter Luke Dwyer had 42 assists, and junior libero Kevin Lufrano added 15 digs.

Marist was paced by junior outside hitter Marty Canavan, who had a match-high 16 kills, including the match-winner. Kellen O’Keefe had 11 kills, and fellow senior outside hitter Andrew Kopinski had eight kills,

Junior middle blocker Alex Smith added five kills and three blocks, junior libero Brendan Schoeberl had 18 digs, and sophomore outside hitter Luke Brannigan added seven digs.

“That was one of our best matches and I’m incredibly proud of this team,” Brother Rich coach Dan Dwyer said. “For our guys to fight back and get that second set win was awesome. We are going to have everyone back except our right side (Tom Lamb). I’m going to miss all our seniors but we have a lot coming back.”

 

Third time no charm

The Eagles (20-18) lost for the third time in as many sectional semifinals to SouthWest Suburban Blue foe East. The impact of the season showed when senior outside hitter Brayden Rice came up to Sandburg coach David Vales afterward to thank him for coaching him.

“Our guys saw the bigger picture, had the love of the game and we got to see the improvement,” Vales said. “We worked on timing and commitment and had 15 different guys play this past week.”

That included the Eagles capturing a regional title for the 25th time since 1995 two days earlier with a 20-25, 25-15, 25-19 win over Lemont at the Brooks Regional.

Rice led Sandburg with six kills and a block. Senior right side hitter Brendan Hornik had five kills and an ace,  senior outside hitter Gavin Kissane contributed four kills, sophomore Zachary Supanich added three kills, while senior setter Drew Snaidauf dished out 12 assists, and sophomore setter Myles Aquino added eight assists for the Eagles.

Sandburg lost 10 seniors to graduation.

“Lincoln-Way East is not going to give it to you and did a nice job of putting the ball in play,” Vales said. “Still, after the first set, I thought the momentum could be equal. But then we made silly mistakes (five miss-hits, two service errors) in the second set and it bit us.”

 

De La Salle Sectional
Morton and St. Rita lost heartbreaking semifinal matches on May 28.

Morton battled top-seeded St. Ignatius down to the wire before falling 25-16, 16-25, 28-26. The Mustangs (22-11) finished with their most successful season since they advanced to the state quarterfinals in 2014, and it was quite a turnaround from last season’s shortened schedule when they went 4-10.

In the regional title match on May 26, they defeated Solorio, 25-18, 25-10.

St. Rita (27-11) fell short in its bid for a sectional championship for a fourth straight season and captured their sixth straight regional championship with a 25-8, 25-8 victory over Hancock on May 26.

Senior setter Danny Chambers had 26 assists, senior middle hitter Charlie Flynn smacked 10 kills, senior libero James Sanders had nine digs, senior outside hitter Ryne Jacobsen jolted eight kills, senior outside hitter Mark Erdmann put down six kills, and junior right side hitter Shauniel Nelson added five kills in the regional title match.

 

Hinsdale Central Sectional
Lyons fell just short against the host Red Devils in the Hinsdale Central Sectional, losing 23-25, 25-23, 25-22.

The Lions (25-13) won a regional championship for the third straight played season and the seventh time in the last eight years. They defeated Benet Academy 25-17, 21-25, 25-20 to win the Oswego East Regional.

Local News

Ray Hanania

Accept consequences of criminal actions

Spread the love

Spread the love. By Ray Hanania . Protecting our police isn’t a political statement. It’s the foundation of ensuring the public safety of law-abiding citizens. But law-abiding citizens are under siege, victims of criminals who have histories of violence but are given leniency for reasons of race and politics. And police lives are in jeopardy…

Rich Miller

Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good

Spread the love

Spread the love. By Rich Miller . Chicago-area news outlets have been so intent on amplifying every possible angle on the proposals for new publicly financed sports stadiums that they have sometimes missed the bigger picture. Senate President Don Harmon last week tried to make it simple for everyone what that bigger picture is. In…

The Worth Public Library, 6917 W. 111th St., has a free Seed Library available to patrons. (Supplied photo)

Worth Library offers seeds for free

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Kelly White A seed library collects and stores seeds and shares them with members of the community for free. Similar to a normal library, gardeners borrow seeds from the seed library at planting time. At the end of the growing seasons, they save seeds from the plants and return a portion of…

Oak Lawn Mayor Terry Vorderer joins Girl Scout Gold Award winners (from left) Maddie DeBleyzer, Aine Kelly and Lilly O'Dea during the village board meeting on Tuesday night. (Photo by Joe Boyle)

Paisans Pizza eyes May opening in Oak Lawn

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Joe Boyle Paisans Pizzeria is a step closer to opening in Oak Lawn with the approval of a liquor license for the establishment that will be part of the Stony Creek Promenade. Plans for the restaurant were originally approved at an Oak Lawn Village Board meeting in March of 2022. Tom Phelan,…

Palos Park resident Nick Hoffman said his patience is wearing out with noise and parking problems caused by the Palos Islamic Center.

Palos Park residents, mosque reps discuss noise issues at council meeting

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva What could have been an explosive situation was actually quite civil. Some Palos Park residents were angry about loud activity and behavior of some members of the Palos Islamic Center the past two years and sounded off at the April 8 village council meeting. Fresh on their minds was noise…

The Obbie’s Pizza sign will remain a familiar sight on Archer Avenue. Taking time out for a photo are new owner John Caputi; his son, Giovanni; and Obbie’s longtime managers, Jim Triak and Jeff Twaragowski. (Photo by Cosmo Hadac)

Comings & Goings: Obbie’s Pizza to stay ‘unique and delicious’

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Tim Hadac Archer Avenue’s long-time king of pizzerias will continue to rule. Same recipes at Obbie’s Pizza, 6654 W. Archer. Same pizza and ingredients. Same pasta, broasted chicken, shrimp, perch, Italian beef/sausage/meatball sandwiches, sides and pop. Same seasoned, Middleby Marshall pizza oven built in 1947—the type of pizza oven every restaurant owner…

stickney health district logo

Stickney Public Health confirms measles case in Bedford Park

Spread the love

Spread the loveFrom staff reports The Stickney Public Health District has confirmed that a person with measles related to the ongoing situation in the City of Chicago was at the Walmart Supercenter at 7050 S. Cicero Ave. in Bedford Park on Friday, March 22, roughly between the hours of 2 and 4 p.m. Anybody who…

Endless Summerfest in La Grange’s Gordon Park will not be held this year, sponsors have announced. (Photos by Steve Metsch)

La Grange cancels Endless Summerfest over higher costs

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch It turns out the summer is not endless, at least not in La Grange. Endless Summerfest, a three-day event held the first weekend in August at Gordon Park for many years, will not be held this year. The cancelation was announced Tuesday in a joint new release from the La…

regional orland park police logo

Midlothian man arrested for Orland Park carjacking

Spread the love

Spread the loveFrom wire reports The Orland Park Police Department announced the arrest of a suspect in a vehicular hijacking that occurred on the evening of April 3. Shawn Flores, a 44-year-old Midlothian resident, faces charges following his apprehension on April 4. The incident began when a male victim was forcibly removed from his vehicle…

big PoliceLights1

Blotter: Evergreen Park police issue scam alert

Spread the love

Spread the loveThe Evergreen Park Police Department is warning the public of an ongoing scam where a caller claims to be an Evergreen Park Police Officer, and instructs the individual to send money in order to avoid criminal charges. In some versions of this scam, the offenders tell individuals they missed a court date related…

Neighbors

INVESTIGATE MIDWEST: Farmers have clamored for the Right to Repair for years. It’s getting little traction in John Deere’s home state

INVESTIGATE MIDWEST: Farmers have clamored for the Right to Repair for years. It’s getting little traction in John Deere’s home state

By Jennifer Bamberg, Investigate Midwest Originally published April 10, 2024 During the 2023 harvest season, one of Jake Lieb’s tractors quit working. A week later, his combine stopped working, too. Both were new — and he was locked out from making any repairs himself because of software restrictions embedded in the machines.  Instead, a technician…

Education leaders seek added state funding to help districts accommodate influx of migrants

Education leaders seek added state funding to help districts accommodate influx of migrants

By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The recent surge of international migrants arriving in Illinois has brought with it a host of new challenges for state and local officials. Those range from filling their most basic needs like emergency food, clothing and shelter, to more complex issues like lining them up with…

Capitol Briefs: Lawmakers, advocates again call for affordable housing tax credit

Capitol Briefs: Lawmakers, advocates again call for affordable housing tax credit

By DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois draju@capitolnewsillinois.com Housing advocates are renewing a push to fund a $20 million state affordable housing tax credit in the upcoming state budget.  Supporters of the “Build Illinois Homes Tax Credit Act,” modeled after a federal tax credit program, claimed it would result in over 1,000 affordable housing units being…

Solar investments take center stage as questions loom on state’s renewable future

Solar investments take center stage as questions loom on state’s renewable future

By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com BOLINGBROOK – A manufacturer in the southwest suburbs of Chicago received $2.6 million from electric utility Commonwealth Edison this week as part of a state program for generating its own electricity using solar panels and storing it in one of the largest batteries in the country.  But even…

Advocates renew push to tighten firearm laws aimed at protecting domestic violence victims

Advocates renew push to tighten firearm laws aimed at protecting domestic violence victims

By COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois Clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Advocates for stricter gun laws rallied at the state Capitol Tuesday for a measure aimed at protecting domestic violence victims and two other criminal justice reforms. The bills are backed by organizations such as Moms Demand Action and One Aim Illinois among others. “These policies support…

Komatsu mining truck named 2024 ‘coolest thing made in Illinois’

Komatsu mining truck named 2024 ‘coolest thing made in Illinois’

By COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois Clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – A mining truck manufactured by Komatsu was crowned the winner of the 2024 “Makers Madness” contest, earning the title of “the coolest thing made in Illinois” at the Governor’s Mansion Wednesday.  The truck was one of more than 200 entries in the 5th annual contest hosted…

Capitol Briefs: Pritzker appoints first-ever Prisoner Review Board director; Chicago advances migrant funding

Capitol Briefs: Pritzker appoints first-ever Prisoner Review Board director; Chicago advances migrant funding

By JERRY NOWICKI & DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com Weeks after two high-profile resignations at the Illinois Prisoner Review Board, Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday appointed the first-ever executive director to help lead the beleaguered agency. To fill the newly created position, the governor tapped Jim Montgomery, who most recently served as director of…

INVESTIGATE MIDWEST: Farmers have clamored for the Right to Repair for years. It’s getting little traction in John Deere’s home state

INVESTIGATE MIDWEST: Farmers have clamored for the Right to Repair for years. It’s getting little traction in John Deere’s home state

By Jennifer Bamberg, Investigate Midwest, Investigate Midwest Originally published April 10, 2024 During the 2023 harvest season, one of Jake Lieb’s tractors quit working. A week later, his combine stopped working, too. Both were new — and he was locked out from making any repairs himself because of software restrictions embedded in the machines.  Instead,…

Illinois Senate advances changes to state’s biometric privacy law after business groups split

Illinois Senate advances changes to state’s biometric privacy law after business groups split

By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – It’s been more than a year since the Illinois Supreme Court “respectfully suggest(ed)” state lawmakers clarify a law that’s led to several multi-million-dollar settlements with tech companies over the collection of Illinoisans’ biometric data. On Thursday, a bipartisan majority in the Illinois Senate did just that,…

Capitol Briefs: Bill creating new early childhood agency among 244 to advance

Capitol Briefs: Bill creating new early childhood agency among 244 to advance

By ALEX ABBEDUTO HANNAH MEISEL & COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker’s plan to create a new state agency to oversee Illinois’ various early childhood programs moved forward on Friday after the state Senate’s unanimous approval. It was one of 244 bills that cleared the Senate this week. Early childhood…