Area Sports EP Sexton

Boys Basketball | Players from Evergreen Park and Brother Rice to ball at prospect showcase

By Jason Maholy / March 17, 2024 /

By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Five players from the area have been invited to play on the South Suburban Team at the Illinois Hoop Prospect Senior All-Star Games scheduled to be played March 24 at Joliet Junior College. Brother Rice’s Zavier Fitch and Ty Wooten join Evergreen Park’s Nolan Sexton, Marist’s Darshan Thomas and Stagg’s Connor…

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Girls Basketball | George Shimko takes reins for Mustangs

By Jason Maholy / March 17, 2024 /

By Jeff Vorva Correspondent One longtime area basketball coach will succeed another at Evergreen Park. George Shimko, who brought success to the girls basketball programs at Queen of Peace and St. Laurence, has been named the new girls hoops coach at Evergreen Park. He will succeed Bruce Scaduto, who retired after 27 years with the…

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Area Sports Roundup | Stagg grad Max Strus drains legendary buzzer-beater

By Jeff Vorva / March 3, 2024 / Comments Off on Area Sports Roundup | Stagg grad Max Strus drains legendary buzzer-beater

By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Registration for the Max Strus Basketball Camp in July goes live on March 28, and campers may want to talk to the former Stagg star about his heroics in a Cleveland Cavaliers’ victory last month. Strus, who is in his first season with Cleveland after three years with the Miami Heat,…

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Boys Basketball Class 3A Sectionals | Evergreen Park’s historic ends with loss to Thornton

By Xavier Sanchez / February 28, 2024 / Comments Off on Boys Basketball Class 3A Sectionals | Evergreen Park’s historic ends with loss to Thornton

By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent The 2023-2024 Evergreen Park boys basketball team had one of the greatest seasons in program history. Unfortunately for the Mustangs, that season has come to an end with a 77-47 loss to Thornton in the semifinals of the Class 3A Thornton Sectional on Feb. 27. Evergreen Park was coming off its…

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Boys Hoops Wrap | Curie, Rice and Marist among area regional champs

By Xavier Sanchez / February 26, 2024 / Comments Off on Boys Hoops Wrap | Curie, Rice and Marist among area regional champs

By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent The original March Madness got underway last week across Illinois, and several area teams were crowned regional champions. Teams still alive in Class 4A are Marist and Curie, and in Class 3A are Brother Rice, De La Salle, Evergreen Park and Mount Carmel.   CLASS 4A Marist (29-4) cruised to a…

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Boys Basketball Class 3A Playoffs | Evergreen Park tops Hillcrest for first regional title since 1974

By Xavier Sanchez / February 26, 2024 / Comments Off on Boys Basketball Class 3A Playoffs | Evergreen Park tops Hillcrest for first regional title since 1974

By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent Some Evergreen Park players have deep roots in the community, but it was a newcomer that carried the Mustangs to a monumental win. Senior guard Tre Dowdell put up a game-high 30 points and Mustangs rolled to a 74-60 win over Hillcrest in the Class 3A Evergreen Park Regional championship game…

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Girls Basketball | Evergreen Park’s Scaduto signs off after career spanning four decades

By Xavier Sanchez / February 20, 2024 / Comments Off on Girls Basketball | Evergreen Park’s Scaduto signs off after career spanning four decades

By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent The box score does not always give the full story of a game. Evergreen Park visited Hinsdale South on Feb. 16 with the hope of winning a regional championship.  Unfortunately for the Mustangs, the game did not go their way. The Hornets jumped to an 18-3 lead in the first quarter…

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MC WRESTLERS

Postseason Roundup | Two Mt. Carmel wrestlers win state titles, five others medal

By Jeff Vorva / February 18, 2024 / Comments Off on Postseason Roundup | Two Mt. Carmel wrestlers win state titles, five others medal

By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Two Mount Carmel wrestlers won Class 4A state championships, and both had to beat opponents from Marist to do it. Junior Seth Mendoza won his third straight state championship at 126 pounds, beating Marist’s Michael Esteban 13-5 in the title match on Feb. 17 at the State Farm Center in Champaign.…

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Boys Basketball | Stagg tops Bradley to clinch program’s first conference title

By Xavier Sanchez / February 18, 2024 / Comments Off on Boys Basketball | Stagg tops Bradley to clinch program’s first conference title

By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent Stagg came into this season looking for their first winning campaign since 2016.  The Chargers did better than that. In addition to being assured of finishing over .500 for the first time under coach Marty Strus, Stagg won the first conference championship in program history. The Chargers (19-11, 5-3 SouthWest Suburban…

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Girls Bowling | Richards wins sectional title; Stagg also advances to state

By Jason Maholy / February 12, 2024 / Comments Off on Girls Bowling | Richards wins sectional title; Stagg also advances to state

By Randy Whalen Correspondent This season, there was no roll-off heartbreak for Richards. Instead, there was the Bulldogs’ first sectional championship in 32 seasons. A year after having their season end at the same stage of the state series, the Bulldogs rode a hot start to the Stagg Sectional title on Feb. 10 at Palos…

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Prep News

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Boys Volleyball | Stagg ends Marist Invite with win over Riverside-Brookfield

By Jason Maholy Sports Editor Stagg outlasted Riverside-Brookfield in a marathon first set, winning 36-34, then followed that with a 25-20 clincher on March 23 to finish seventh in the Silver divison at the 20th Marist RedHawks Invitational. The Chargers went 2-3 in the tournament. They opened pool play on March 22 at the Marist…

Shepard senior Jake Klein goes up for the kill against two Lincoln-Way East players during a match on March 22. Photo by Jason Maholy

Boys Volleyball | Shepard finishes 4th in Bronze at Marist Invite

Shepard served as one of three host sites for the 20th Marist RedHawks Invitational, and kicked off play in Palos Heights by facing Lincoln-Way East on March 22. The Griffins defeated the Astros, 25-10, 25-15. Marian Catholic beat Shepard, 25-23, 25-9, in the Astros’ second match of the day. The Astros fell to the Marist…

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Thome sweet Thome: Nazareth baseball defeats Hall of Famer Jim Thome’s alma mater

By 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 for the…

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Chicago Catholic League greats headed to Hall of Fame

By 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, football) and…

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Fire II tops Chicago City, advances to to second round of Hunt Open Cup

By 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 their first…

Julia Bianchi heads back on defense shortly after delivering a first-half goal for the Chicago Red Stars on March 23 at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview. Photo by Jeff Vorva

Red Stars top Seattle, open season with two wins for first time in franchise history

By 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 six consecutive…

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College Football | Marian (Indiana) and St. Francis highlight Saint Xavier 2024 home slate

By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Saint Xavier has released its 2024 football schedule, which has the Cougars opening the season in Michigan. SXU will travel to the Detroit suburb of Southfield to play Lawrence Tech on Sept. 7 in a Mid-States Football Association crossover. The Cougars’ home opener kicks off at noon on Sept. 14 when…

Shepard senior Jake Klein goes up for the kill against two Lincoln-Way East players during a match on March 22. Photo by Jason Maholy

Boys Volleyball | Shepard finishes 4th in Bronze at Marist Invite

Shepard served as one of three host sites for the 20th Marist RedHawks Invitational, and kicked off play in Palos Heights by facing Lincoln-Way East on March 22. The Griffins defeated the Astros, 25-10, 25-15. Marian Catholic beat Shepard, 25-23, 25-9, in the Astros’ second match of the day. The Astros fell to the Marist…

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

Obbie’s Pizza to stay ‘unique and delicious’

. New owner vows to serve same popular menu .  By 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…

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Clear-Ridge Reporter and NewsHound March 27, 2024

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Thome sweet Thome: Nazareth baseball defeats Hall of Famer Jim Thome’s alma mater

By 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 for the…

SRP-IMAGE-Logo

Chicago Catholic League greats headed to Hall of Fame

By 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, football) and…

SRP-IMAGE-Logo

Fire II tops Chicago City, advances to to second round of Hunt Open Cup

By 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 their first…

Julia Bianchi heads back on defense shortly after delivering a first-half goal for the Chicago Red Stars on March 23 at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview. Photo by Jeff Vorva

Red Stars top Seattle, open season with two wins for first time in franchise history

By 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 six consecutive…

SRP-IMAGE-Logo

College Football | Marian (Indiana) and St. Francis highlight Saint Xavier 2024 home slate

By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Saint Xavier has released its 2024 football schedule, which has the Cougars opening the season in Michigan. SXU will travel to the Detroit suburb of Southfield to play Lawrence Tech on Sept. 7 in a Mid-States Football Association crossover. The Cougars’ home opener kicks off at noon on Sept. 14 when…

Morton's Nariah Clay was named to the NCJAA Division II all-tournament team as the Panthers finished fifth in the nation. Photo courtesy of Morton College Department of Athletics

Morton College women’s hoops takes fifth in nation

By Jeff Vorva Correspondent For the second year in a row, the Morton College women’s basketball team finished fifth in the country. The Panthers closed out the 2023-24 campaign in Joplin, Missouri, with a 75-67 victory over Iowa Western on March 23 in the consolation championship game at the NJCAA Division II National Tournament. It…

Marist's Jack Meader (left) and Nathen Toth face each other during a block attempt against Downers Grove North in the semifinals of the Marist Invitational on March 23. Photo by Jeff Vorva

Boys Volleyball | Marist tops Lockport for Gold at RedHawks Invite

By Randy Whalen Correspondent Marist enjoys getting its season going by hosting a tournament that is now in its 20th year. They had a good time again this season, going unbeaten over five matches in two days to win the Marist RedHawks Invitational for the sixth consecutive time. The RedHawks ended the tournament with a…

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