College Notebook | Marist grad Alex Knight slaying buckets for Lake Forest
By Mike Walsh Correspondent Lake Forest College’s Alex Knight has been named to the All-Midwest Conference First Team in men’s basketball for the 2022-23 season. Knight, a 6-foot-1 sophomore guard who prepped at Marist, was the league’s leading scorer this season, averaging 18.1 points per conference game. He finished third in the MWC in field…
Pro Sports Report | SeatGeek to host Major League Rugby championship; Hounds sniff out first win
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer SeatGeek Stadium, host of the expansion Chicago Hounds, will host this season’s Major League Rugby championship game. The game is scheduled to be played July 8 in Bridgeview. It will air nationally on FOX. “Moving the championship match to a predetermined venue has long been a goal of Major League…
Area Sports Roundup | Nazareth grads Martinucci, Evans have unfinished business at NJCAA National Tourney
By Jeff Vorva Staff writer The Martinucci family carries a lot of weight in the Berwyn-Cicero area. Tony Martinucci has coached boys basketball at Morton High School for 24 years, racking up five regional titles and a trio of conference crowns during his tenure. His daughter, Jovanna, is hoping to do something even more spectacular:…
Area grade school teams win SWIC championships
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Century Junior High School’s eighth grade boys basketball team had a target on its back all season. After enjoying an unbeaten campaign as seventh-graders, the Wildcats were the team everyone wanted to beat this season. Not one of them one did. Zedan Said made sure of it. The 5-foot, 90-pound…
College Notebook | Area grads Hynes, McCormick earn honors
By Mike Walsh Correspondent University of Chicago women’s basketball player Grace Hynes has been named to the 2022-23 University Athletic Association’s First Team. The Maroons senior guard, a Mother McAuley graduate, led Chicago to a 23-4 overall record through their first 27 games, and went 10-4 in the UAA, good enough for second place in…
Area Sports Roundup | EP football gets new coach; Morton women head back to nationals
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer For the second time in two weeks, an area high school football team is getting a new head coach. Evergreen Park announced Jim Ramazinski has been named to the position. He will replace Jerry Verde. Ramazinski comes to the Mustangs with a wealth of coaching and teaching experience. He is…
Pro Report | Sammy Malcolm leads Toronto to win over Hounds
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Sammy Malcolm. Chicago Hounds fans may remember that name for a long time. And not for a good reason. Malcolm was not just in the middle of things, he was the whole scoring show for Toronto as he tallied all Arrows points in a 27-26 victory over the Hounds on…
Nazareth girls ‘seal the deal,’ share state title glow at rally
By Steve Metsch The girls’ basketball team at Nazareth Academy did indeed live up to its slogan. Head Coach Eddie Stritzel said that after finishing second to Carmel in Class 3A one year ago, the team’s slogan for the 2022-23 season was “seal the deal.” “That’s great,” he said. “But with it comes a lot…
Boys Basketball | Kenwood tops Brother Rice in sectional final
By Steve Millar Correspondent First-year Brother Rice coach Conte Stamas only got to spend one season with Ahmad Henderson, but he found out pretty quickly how special of a player he had in the star senior guard. Henderson has a knack for playing his best in the biggest moments. “When the game is on the…
Area Sports Roundup | Longtime football assistant gets to run show at Chicago Christian
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Dan Chiarito has been with the Chicago Christian football program since 2009, and in that time has worked under head coaches Joe Hamstra, Eric Washington, Jim Bolhuis, Nick Cook and Tom O’Connor. Now, he gets to run the show. Last week, Chiarito was named head coach of the Knights. He…
Rugby Report | Hounds drop home debut to Utah
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Caleb Strum called it “electric.” The Chicago Hounds right wing scored the team’s first try in SeatGeek Stadium history at the 30-minute mark to help give the expansion team a 10-0 lead over visiting Utah. Hounds officials estimated the crowd at just under 4,000 and the fans were making all…
Hoops Wrap | Morton College taking aim at national title
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Morton College’s women’s basketball team took its first postseason step in its quest for a national championship. The Panthers, who finished second in the nation in the National Junior College Association Division II Tournament last year, handily defeated Moraine Valley, 91-51, on March 4 in Rockford to head into the…
Area Sports Roundup: Reavis swimmer Countryman wins two more state medals
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The best boys swimmer in Reavis history came close to achieving the school’s first individual state championship in the sport. Rams senior Joey Countryman took second in the 100 freestyle with a time of 45.23. Rockford East senior Camden Taylor won the event in 43.72 on Feb. 25 at the…
Boys Basketball Class 4A | Bloom downs Marist for regional title
By Steve Millar Correspondent With Marist missing two key guards, freshman TJ Tate came up from the junior varsity team and got an opportunity to play in the playoffs. Tate made the most of the chance, coming off the bench and scoring 12 points in what would be the RedHawks’ final game of the season.…
The Hounds are here. And a few things you should know about pro rugby
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer So, about this new rugby team in town … The Chicago Hounds will make their historic home debut at 1 p.m. Sunday, March 5 against Utah at SeatGeek Stadium in a Major League Rugby battle. Given that rugby is not considered by most people to be a major sport around…
Hoops Wrap | Chicago Catholic League dominates regionals with 10 champs
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer For more than a century, Chicago Catholic League football has bordered on being legendary. For decades, its baseball teams have frequently represented the league at the state tournament. But what the CCL’s basketball teams did last week was almost unheard of, when 10 of the league’s 14 teams brought home…
Boys Wrestling State Finals | Mount Carmel’s Lemley wins 3rd Illinois title
Caravan’s Seth Mendoza and Crusaders’ Bobby Conway are also kings of the mat By Steve Millar Correspondent After winning his fourth high school wrestling state championship, Mount Carmel senior Sergio Lemley took a moment to look back on his career and what it took to have so much success. “It’s all in my heart and…
Hoops Wrap | Four area girls teams take regional titles
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Four area girls basketball teams won regional championships to advance to sectional action, which was scheduled to start Feb. 21. Two of those teams will play each other right away. In Class 3A, Nazareth won the St. Laurence Regional and De La Salle won its own regional, setting up a…
Girls Bowling State Finals | Shepard’s Kahlen Ranson rolls to fifth at Cherry Bowl
By Randy Whalen Correspondent While most competitors at the IHSA girls bowling state finals had practice time on the lanes the day before the tournament started, Kahlen Ranson did not. That worked out just fine for the Shepard senior. Ranson polished off her high school career by rolling a two-day total of 2562 to place…
College Notebook | Sandburg grad Madison Giglio making a splash at Toledo
By Mike Walsh Correspondent The University of Toledo’s Madison Giglio was lauded as the Mid-American Conference’s Women’s Diver of the Week for the timeframe ending Jan. 25. Giglio, a junior who prepped at Sandburg, won both diving events in the Rockets’ tri-meet against MAC opponents Buffalo and Ohio on Jan. 20. Giglio won on the…
Major League Rugby | Chicago Hounds could emerge strong in expansion season
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer There is a school of thought that the expansion Chicago Hounds could win the Major League Rugby championship in their inaugural season. Their first game, however, was a case of attending the school of hard knocks. The Hounds debut resulted a 42-27 setback to Old Glory DC at Serga Field…
Area Sports Roundup: Lyons’ Collins will be busy at state swim meet
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer A host of area boys swimmers qualified for the IHSA state meet, which begins Friday at FMC Natatorium in Westmont. At the Hinsdale Central Sectional, Lyons finished second with 253 points, 99 behind the champion Red Devils. Lions senior Quinn Collins is heading to state in four events — two…
Argo poms finish 18th at state finals
Argo’s varsity poms had a fantastic year and recently competed in the state competition. The team has worked hard this year, and Coach Dawn Palmer couldn’t be more proud. “We competed at various regional contests during December and January,” Palmer said. “On January 21, we competed in the 2A Sectional Competition at Geneva High School. There were…
Boys Wrestling | Mt. Carmel, Marist will be well-represented at state finals
By Steve Millar Correspondent As Sergio Lemley embarks on the final couple weeks of a storied high school wrestling career, the Mount Carmel senior is determined to soak it all in. Lemley has won three state championships, capturing two as a member of the Caravan during his freshman and junior seasons, and one while competing…
Area Sports Roundup: Curie’s Grandberry eyes wrestling state title
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The inaugural IHSA state girls wrestling meet took place last year, with Curie heavyweight Aaliyah Grandberry finishing second at the historic event. She would like to do a just a little bit better this year. Gradberry will shoot for a state championship beginning Friday at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington.…
‘He’s our brother’
. Clearing, Garfield Ridge mourn Officer Vásquez Lasso By Tim Hadac Chicago Police Officer Andrés Mauricio Vásquez Lasso didn’t live in Clearing or Garfield Ridge—he lived east of the airport, in West Lawn—but he and his family were essentially adopted by as many as 700 men, women and children here earlier this month. “Even though…
$15 million expansion for Stagg approved
From staff reports The Consolidated High School District 230 Board of Education last week approved a $15 million expansion at Amos Alonzo Stagg High School in Palos Hills. The expansion will include much-needed classroom space, several science labs, offices and teacher workspace, as well as a rooftop environmental learning space. The project is expected to…
Lake Katherine goes green again for St. Patrick’s Day
By Kelly White One of Lake Katherine Nature Center & Botanical Gardens’ most popular features is its large waterfall, which tumbles over four separate falls, travels a distance of over 300 feet and descends approximately 30 feet before joining the lake itself on the east side. With Irish festivities in full swing this St. Patrick’s…
Orland Township offers scholarships to high school seniors
Local students graduating high school in 2023 and heading to college are encouraged to apply for an Orland Township Scholarship Foundation award. This program, launched in 1998, has since awarded over 340 scholarships to township students totaling more than $280,000. The Orland Township Scholarship Foundation award scholarships based on a combination of the applicant’s leadership…
Shepard breaks record for Special Olympics fund raising
Mostly through the traditional Polar Plunge, this year Shepard High School broke its record for fund raising for Special Olympics. More students and staff — including nearly all administrators, band director Chris Pitlik, and choir director Roland Hatcher — participated than ever. This year also featured a new fundraising vehicle: A pie-in-the-face contest. Many Shepard…
He died protecting others
. . By Joan Hadac Your correspondent in Clearing and Garfield Ridge (708) 496-0265 • [email protected] Like most in Clearing and Garfield Ridge, I was stunned and saddened by news of the death of Officer Andrés Mauricio Vásquez Lasso. Perhaps it’s because I have relatives who are CPD. Perhaps it’s because as a wife, I empathize…
Hale students fight hunger with food drive
By Dermot Connolly Students at Hale Elementary School in Clearing collected thousands of items in a food drive that became a community event when the United Business Association of Midway coordinated the delivery of the goods to local food pantries. Seventh and eighth graders in the student leadership team organized the food drive for the…
Wade implores Palos Park residents to stop the infighting
By Jeff Vorva Palos Park Commissioner Mike Wade has not been on the council for a year yet and hasn’t said much over that time except to talk about the business at hand with building and public property matters. But Wade came up with a strong speech on Monday night regarding some of the controversy…
Oak Lawn trustees back police, complain about threats from protesters
By Joe Boyle Oak Lawn officials spoke out in unison on Tuesday night, proclaiming their support for the village’s police department. Trustee Alex Olejniczak (2nd) served as mayor pro tempore because Mayor Terry Vorderer was unable to attend the village board meeting. Olejniczak began the meeting by requesting a moment of silence in memory of…
Straz emphasizes ‘quality of life’ in Palos Heights during annual presentation
By Jeff Vorva Palos Heights Mayor Bob Straz used the phrase “quality of life” quite a bit Tuesday afternoon. The longtime mayor gave his annual State of the City Address sponsored by the Palos Area Chamber of Commerce at the Palos Heights Parks and Recreation Department and his theme was about the quality of life…
Palos Park native helps write screenplay for ‘Knock at the Cabin’
By Dermot Connolly Palos Park native Steve Desmond, 40, has been thinking about making movies for most of his life, and now one he co-wrote can be found in a theater near you. Desmond and his screenwriting partner, Michael Sherman, share writing credits with director M. Night Shyamalan for the screenplay for “Knock at the…
Village honors 100-year-old who has lived in Orland Park for 50 years
By Jeff Vorva The Village of Orland Park honored resident Lea Luchini, who is enjoying a couple of milestone celebrations. She turned 100 on Feb. 15 and this is the 50th year she has lived in Orland Park. Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau read a proclamation recognizing Luchini at the Feb. 20 village board meeting.…