Stagg coach Colt Nero and his players enjoy snapping a 23-game losing streak Friday night. Photo by Stagg High School
Pigskin Roundup: 23-skidoo — Stagg losing streak is history after season-opening win over Reavis
By Jeff Vorva
Staff Writer
The boss got it right.
Before the Consolidated High School District 230 Board of Education Meeting on Aug. 25, Stagg Principal Eric Olsen talked to a news reporter about the coming football season. Olsen said the Chargers would soon snap their 23-game losing streak dating back to Week 2 of the 2019 season.
Twenty-four later, the Chargers vanquished that skid with a season-opening 14-8 victory over Reavis in Palos Hills.
The win gave Colt Nero his first as the Chargers head coach, and he was happy the team could savor a victory as they celebrated after the game.
“Our team has put in a ton of work throughout the offseason,” he said “They have done a lot of stuff that they haven’t done in the past. We’re seeing now that the work is paying off.”
The Chargers (1-0) took a 14-0 halftime lead and Reavis (0-1) scored in the fourth quarter to slice the lead to six. But Stagg was able to mount a clock-milking drive to end the game.
Lebarion Gilmore, who received an offer from South Dakota and has drawn interest from Akron and Miami (Ohio), thew touchdown passes to Justin Obradovich and Anthony Sukalo.
“We felt we were in control the whole game,” he said. “It was good to see that.”
The program is on the upswing and not just because of this win. The Chargers have bolstered the roster by more than 100%, going from the mid-30s to 70 players. That’s not easy to do with a team that hadn’t won a game since before the pandemic.
“We were vocal and willing to build relationships,” Nero said. “We have one of the youngest coaching staffs in the state of Illinois. We do a good job of going in the halls and talking with kids.
“I will also say this, our kids have done a fantastic job of getting their friends to come out. They are having a good time and bought in to what we’ve been preaching and it’s cool to see this come full circle because my first two years, we didn’t have the depth to do much.”
The Chargers visit Oak Lawn (1-0) Friday in a non-conference battle of Week 1 winners.
South Suburban Red
Argo’s Johnny Walker had 156 yards on 19 carries in a 32-14 victory over Joliet Central. Davonte Evans hauled down five passes for 118 yards. Argo (1-0) had 418 yards of offense and allowed just 165.
Oak Lawn topped Tinley Park 21-7 as receiver Eduardo Chiquito had 100 yards from scrimmage and a pair of touchdowns.
Evergreen Park opened the season with a 40-0 triumph over Manteno.
Richards was beaten 30-2 by Morgan Park at Gately Stadium in Chicago.
CCL/ESCC
Ryan Hartz, who replaced graduated star quarterback Jack Lausch, was 15 of 29 for 168 yards and three touchdowns and added a run for 20 yards in Brother Rice’s 46-0 season-opening victory over Hillcrest Friday night in Chicago. Randall Nauden had 66 yards on the ground as 10 Crusaders combined to run 30 times for 205 yards against the Hawks.
St. Laurence travelled to the Quad Cities and dropped a 27-21 decision to Moline. Aaron Ball racked up 101 yards and quarterback Danny Fitzpatrick threw for 147 yards. The Vikings (0-1) host Brooks in what will be the first game on the new turf at Kavanaugh Field in Burbank.
St. Viator spoiled new De La Salle coach Marty Quinn’s debut with a 35-7 win over the Meteors. David Coffey had a 93-yard kickoff return for the Meteors’ lone score. Myles Greene had two interceptions for De La Salle (0-1).
Chicago Public League
Curie opened the season with a 14-6 triumph over Mather, scoring with 1:50 left in the game.
Kennedy beat Roosevelt, 27-14.
Solorio Academy dropped a 6-0 decision to Agricultural Science.
Back of the Yards had a rough go with a 60-8 loss to Phoenix.
Lindblom beat Catalyst-Maria, 14-0.
Grayslake Central beat Hubbard, 47-0.
West Suburban
Jack Chaney ran for 228 yards and four touchdowns while Travis Stamm had six catches for 105 yards to lead Lyons to a wild 38-35 road victory over Buffalo Grove.
Metro Suburban
Chicago Christian jumpstarted the season with a 19-0 victory over Sullivan. Zeke Goble returned a kickoff for a touchdown.
Riverside-Brookfield knocked off Morton, 35-28. Morton’s Julian Hernandez threw for 240 yards.
Southwest Suburban Conference
Sandburg’s Christian Evans threw three touchdown passes in a 56-20 road loss to Prospect. Prospect scored 50 points in the first half. Sandburg hosts Glenbrook South Friday, a team that knocked off Rolling Meadows, 51-21.
Elsewhere in the SWSC, Bolingbrook freshman Jonas Williams made one of the most spectacular debuts in Illinois history, throwing for 407 yards and seven touchdowns in a 49-12 win over Minooka.
Local News
Trinity, MVCC nursing schools schools receive state grants
Spread the loveBy Bob Bong The Illinois Board of Higher Education has awarded nursing school grants to 12 institutions of higher education across the state, including two in the south suburbs, totaling $1.4 million. Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills received a grant of $38,316 to focus on improved math proficiency and preparedness of…
Rashid rolls in 21st House, but Vasquez plans rematch
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch State Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid may have rolled to victory over challenger Vidal Vasquez in the 21st House District Democratic primary, but he took nothing for granted. “I am humbled and honored that the voters chose to send me back and I look forward to continuing the work ahead of us,”…
Hickory Hills to install 6 license-plate cameras
Spread the loveBy Nuha Abdessalam Hickory Hills aldermen approved the installation of six Flock license plate cameras at their March 14 city council meeting. City officials said the Flock cameras will help police pick up the license plate and description of a wanted vehicle. Nearby communities including Oak Lawn and Palos Hills have also utilized…
Brookfield Zoo Anniversary Ferris Wheel now open
Spread the loveBy Bob Bong Brookfield Zoo has been attracting visitors for 90 years. To celebrate the anniversary, the zoo has opened a new attraction that has nothing to do with animals. Last Friday, the zoo opened its Anniversary Ferris Wheel. The towering 110-foot Ferris wheel offers guests unique bird’s-eye views of the park’s gardens, animal…
Cinderella’s Closet makes prom shopping easier, cheaper
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Prom dress shopping can be expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. Thanks to Oak Lawn Community High School’s annual dress re-sale, cleverly called, Cinderella’s Closet, on February 10, students were able to browse beautiful ball gowns all in one place at right the high school, 9400 Southwest Hwy. “Prom…
Gill takes Democratic nod in 35th District
Spread the loveFrom staff reports Mary Gill easily won the Democratic nomination in the 35th House District over fellow Mount Greenwood resident David Dewar. Gill, a lifelong district resident, was appointed last March to succeed Fran Hurley, who resigned to take a position with the Illinois Labor Relations Board. Gill, a former special-education teacher, was…
Newcomer Crawford ousts veteran lawmaker Mary Flowers
Spread the loveBy Bob Bong Mary Flowers, the longest serving black lawmaker in the General Assembly, was sent packing Tuesday night after running afoul of House Speaker Chris Welch. Flowers, 72, was defeated by Michael Crawford in the 31st House District Democratic Primary. Flowers, who was first elected in 1984, received 753 votes in suburban…
Casten romps over primary foes in 6th Congressional race
Spread the loveBy Bob Bong Three-term Congressman Sean Casten easily defeated two challengers in Tuesday’s Democratic primary in the 6th Congressional District. “First and foremost, thank you,” he said. “Thank you to the voters who have entrusted me once again with their vote. Thank you to the volunteers who knocked on doors, made phone calls,…
Evergreen Park commends officer for pursuing hit-and-run suspect
Spread the loveBy Joe Boyle An Evergreen Park police officer is being commended for “outstanding performance of duty” for the arrest of a man who left the scene of a traffic incident. Officer Robert Bavone was recognized during the Evergreen Park Village Board meeting on Monday night. While on duty, he witnessed a traffic crash…
Neighbors
Residents warm up to Hills Chamber Business Expo
Spread the loveBy Joe Boyle Spring has arrived but winter continues to leave its calling card. However, that did not prevent the Hills Chamber of Commerce from holding its 10th annual Business and Community Expo Saturday at Conrady Junior High School in Hickory Hills. While the temperatures were frigid and windy outside, the spirit inside…
Palos Park to tweak outdated village zoning codes
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva The village of Palos Park has no grand plan to change the village landscape. But officials want to modernize some of its zoning codes. “The village has not comprehensively updated its development regulations since 1960,” Mayor Nicole Milovich-Walters said at the March 25 village council meeting. “Due to this, there…
SD122 psychologist resigns over Islamophobic posts
Spread the loveBy Nuha Abdessalam A psychologist for Ridgeland School District 122 has resigned after hundreds of parents demanded she be fired for social media posts that were pro-Israeli and anti-Palestinian. District Supt. Joseph Matise announced at a schoolboard meeting last week that Dr. Laurie Hoke had resigned. “Dr. Hoke will no longer be working…
Will the month of March leave like a lion?
Spread the love. By Mary Stanek Your correspondent in Archer Heights and West Elsdon 3808 W. 57th Place • (773) 517-7796 . The days are getting longer and slightly warmer. But my prediction of a few weeks ago–March is certainly not leaving like a lamb–may prove to be correct. A sure sign of spring in…
Robin sighting a sign of new beginnings
Spread the love. By Peggy Zabicki Your correspondent in West Lawn 3633 W. 60th Place • (773) 504-9327 . I saw a robin the other day. This was the first sighting of the season for me. I remember my mom saying that the first robin of spring is a promise of new beginnings. May it be so. Is…
Thome sweet Thome: Nazareth baseball defeats Hall of Famer Jim Thome’s alma mater
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent The Nazareth baseball team took a road trip to the middle of Illinois and improved its record to 7-0 on March 23 by beating Limestone, 6-0. Limestone is the alma mater of former White Sox player and Baseball Hall of Fame member Jim Thome, who is an assistant coach…
Chicago Catholic League greats headed to Hall of Fame
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent A handful of area stars will be inducted into the Chicago Catholic League Coaches Association Hall of Fame. The list features Kevin Bracken (St. Laurence, wrestling), Kevin Carberry (St. Rita, football), Matt Macievic (De La Salle, cross county and track), Mike McGrew (Mount Carmel, football), Dan Nicholson (Brother Rice,…
Fire II tops Chicago City, advances to to second round of Hunt Open Cup
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent The Chicago Fire II picked up a late invitation to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and beat Chicago City, 6-0, on March 20 in front of an announced crowd of 810 at SeatGeek Stadium. Defender Giovanni Granda and midfielder Vitaliy Hlyut each made their professional debut and scored…
Red Stars top Seattle, open season with two wins for first time in franchise history
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Last year’s last-place finish notwithstanding, the Chicago Red Stars have had a pretty rich history of success. The franchise has seven NWSL playoff appearances and has finished runner-up twice (2019, 2021), and prior to 2022 had finished no lower than fourth in the league ‘s regular season standings for…