Local Sports News
Football: Previously winless Sandburg takes down defending champ Lockport
By Randy Whalen Correspondent A season ago, Sandburg turned its season around after a big loss to Lockport. This year, the Eagles hope their season has turned around after a big win over the Porters. Sandburg was winless coming into the SouthWest Suburban Blue matchup against the defending Class 8A state champions, but pummeled the…
Pro Soccer Report: Red Stars playoff hopes dim with shutout loss in Portland
By Jeff Vorva Staff writer Well, this has quickly turned into a mess and it’s a mess that does not favor the Chicago Red Stars. Heading into last week’s action, it appeared the regular-season finale between the Red Stars and Angel City on Sunday at SeatGeek Stadium would be cut-and-dried. The winner would take the…
Area sports roundup: No drama here, St. Rita grad Hopkins named Mustangs football coach
By Jeff Vorva Staff writer There will be no drama waiting to see who the will coach St. Rita’s football team in 2023. Even though there are four weeks to go in the 2022 regular season, the school last week named Martin Hopkins the successor to Todd Kuska. Kuska, in his 25th season as the…
Football: Evergreen Park edges Reavis in SSC Red
By Steve Millar Correspondent The back-and-forth battle waged against Reavis in Week 5 was the kind of game for which Evergreen Park prepares. It provided the Mustangs a chance to test how they would respond in an intense situation. They passed the test. “Resilience was the key,” Evergreen Park coach Jerry Verde said after the…
Football: York hands Lyons first loss of season
By Steve Metsch Correspondent Lyons’ bid for a fifth win and to essentially clinch a playoff spot was put on hold by York and junior running back Jake Melion. Melion, thrust into the RB1 role because of an injury to starter Kelly Watson, ran for three touchdowns in a 27-14 win for the Dukes. Lions…
Pigskin Wrap: Lincoln-Way West blanks Stagg as Chargers go 0-for-Lincoln-Way
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Stagg had just been beaten 36-0 by Lincoln-Way West in a SouthWest Suburban Red matchup in Palos Hills. It was the third consecutive game against a Lincoln-Way team. It was the third consecutive loss. And in this unholy trinity of games, the Chargers were outscored 126-3. Coach Colt Nero is…
Area Sports Roundup: Sandburg boys finish fourth at Richard Spring Invite
By Jeff Vorva Staff writer The Sandburg boys cross country team is unlikely to win back-to-back Class 3A state championships. But the Eagles are still strong, and it showed that Sept. 17 by finishing fourth in the Richard Spring Invitational at Detweiller Park in Peoria. Oak Park won the meet with 75 points followed by…
Football: Fast start helps Richards top Evergreen Park
By Steve Metsch Correspondent Richards had a chip on its shoulder coming into its homecoming game against Evergreen Park. The Bulldogs were not happy being 1-2 entering the game, while the Mustangs came in 3-0. Regardless of those records, the Bulldogs are the perennial favorites in the South Suburban Red, and it was time to…
Pigskin Wrap: St. Xavier wins, moves Feminis within two of milestone
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Saint Xavier lost its first two games by a combined score of 88-10. The last thing the Cougars needed was for Siena Heights to come into Chicago and make itself at home. But the Saints tried, scoring on their first drive and putting the Cougars in a hole. This time,…
Pro Soccer Report: Red Stars hanging on to playoff spot; Fire eliminated from postseason contention
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The Chicago Red Stars returned to Bridgeview with mixed results in two games, but held onto the final playoff spot in the NWSL and increased their lead over seventh-place Angel City. The top six teams make the playoff in the 12-team league. The Red Stars (8-6-6, 30 points) cooled off…
Area Sports Roundup: Stagg and St. Laurence advance in soccer showcase
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Stagg and St. Laurence’s boys soccer teams advanced to the championship weekend of the Bodyarmor Sports Series showcase by winning games last weekend at Olympic Park in Schaumburg. Stagg opened with a 2-0 victory over Notre Dame in the first round on Sept. 10. Piotr Zawislan and Kamil Bak scored…
Pigskin Wrap: No panic for SXU after tough start to season
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Saint Xavier is off to a not-so-good start, but veteran coach Mike Feminis is not panicking. The Cougars were ranked 11th in the nation in the NAIA coach’s poll and are 0-2 after a 31-10 home-opening loss to St. Thomas (Florida) on Sept. 10. That followed a 57-0 loss to…
Pro Soccer Report: Fire breaks goal drought in win over Miami
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Remember when the Chicago Fire opened the season getting shut out in six of its first eight games? Recently, the Fire started to recreate that skid as they entered their battle with Miami having been blanked in four straight matches and 402 consecutive minutes. Chicago was able to finally break…
Football: Balanced attack leads Marist over Nazareth
By Steve Metsch Correspondent After being blown out by 28 points on their home field, one might think the Nazareth coach Tim Racki would be frustrated. Not exactly. Racki was pleased by the Roadrunners’ refusal to back down despite trailing Marist 24-3 at halftime in their Week 3 game Sept. 9. Nazareth held the RedHawks…
Football: Stagg batters Oak Lawn for first win streak since 2018
By Jason Maholy Sports Editor Stagg coach Colt Nero and his Chargers came into this season expecting to win. Some might consider that a lofty expectation considering the program had entering 2022 lost 23 consecutive games and had not been victorious in Nero’s time at the helm, which began with the truncated 2021 spring season.…
Pigskin Wrap: St. Rita trips up Rice
Mt. Carmel, Argo, Evergreen Park and Lyons improve to 2-0 By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Longtime rivals St. Rita and Brother Rice had not played each other since the Chicago Catholic League merged with the East Suburban Catholic Conference. Brother Rice is in the league’s Blue Division while St. Rita is in the Green, and…
Pro Soccer Report: Road to final playoff spot tough for Red Stars
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer With five games left in the season, the Chicago Red Stars are hanging on to the NWSL’s sixth and final playoff spot. The Red Stars (7-5-5, 26 points) can make a lot of headway if they get hot, but that is not going to be an easy task. They visit…
Area Sports Roundup: Sandburg sports flying high; 14 area teams to play in soccer showcase
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Even by Sandburg’s standards, this was a big sports weekend for the Orland Park school. Eagles freshman cross country phenom Lindsey Gerhardstein took first place at the Mike Kuharic Invitational at Lyons and is emerging as a star in the making. Aimee Crnich and Elysa Corcoran finished first and second…
Girls Volleyball: Marist rebounds from back-to-back tourney losses, tops St. Francis in two sets
By Randy Whalen Correspondent A fourth-place finish in the most prestigious early-season tournament in the state wouldn’t prompt most teams to do some soul searching. Marist isn’t just any team. Between 2017-19, the RedHawks lost a total of seven matches while winning back-to-back Class 4A state titles in 2017 and 2018, then placing third in…
Boys Soccer: Shepard’s run to Windy City Ram title game ends with loss to Lockport
By Steve Millar Correspondent Shepard’s run at the championship of the Windy City Ram Classic fell just short, but senior forward Zach Soltysiak knows there is plenty for the Astros to take away from the experience. The Astros won their first four games in the 32-team tournament to reach the title match before falling 4-1…
Football: Chris Lofgren runs for 146 yards, 4TDs as Marist rolls over Richards
By Steve Millar Correspondent For the second week in a row, Marist’s players looked at the scoreboard and saw the score was 21-0 less than five minutes into the game. This time, though, it was in the RedHawks’ favor. After Marist’s rally from a big early deficit fell just short against Glenbard West in Week…
High School Football: Xavier Rogers has first and last words as Shepard tops T.F. South
By Jason Maholy Sports Editor Shepard coach John Rone said he challenged Xavier Rogers to get stronger, faster and better during the offseason. If Week 1 of the 2022 season was any indication, the senior running back/linebacker fully embraced that challenge on all fronts. Rogers scored two touchdowns and was a key cog in a…
Pro Soccer Report: NWSL approves free agency, says players can negotiate with other teams during season
By Jeff Vorva Staff writer Things are getting serious in the NWSL. Free agency is now a thing and, in its first day, controversy abounded. And it affects the Chicago Red Stars. On Friday, the NWSL released a list of 26 players who are eligible for free agency. That included Red Stars veterans Yuki Nagasato…
Area Sports Roundup: Former Lyons and Morton College coach Stamas now the boss at Brother Rice
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer A guy who has seemingly done it all in the basketball world is coming to Brother Rice. Conte Stamas, a former Lyons and Morton College head coach, was hired Aug. 25 to replace Bobby Frasor Frasor left the program to work in the corporate field. If the the expected returnees…
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…
Local News
Palos 118’s West Elementary named National Blue Ribbon School
Palos West Elementary School in Palos Consolidated School District 118 has been named a National Blue Ribbon School award winner by the U.S. Department of Education. U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona made the announcement on September 16. “This is a moment of extreme pride for us here in District 118,” said Supt. Dr. Anthony…
Palos Park Woman’s Club turns 120
The Palos Park Woman’s Club officially turned 120 years old on August 21, 2022. A celebration was held on that day at the Palos Park Rec Center with approximately 100 people in attendance including members, local dignitaries, family and friends. The Village of Palos Park recently proclaimed August 21 through September 17 as Palos Park…
Northwestern College holds summer pinning ceremony
Northwestern College’s Violet L. Schumacher School of Nursing held a Pinning Ceremony for its Summer Quarter Nursing graduates on September 8. The ceremony was conducted at the Oak Lawn Public Library’s lower-level conference room, a new location following the college’s recent move from Bridgeview to Oak Lawn. The traditional ceremony marks the formal induction of…
Join the Polish American Cultural Club Meetings of the Polish American Cultural Club are held on the first Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. at American Legion Post 1941, 900 S. La Grange Road, La Grange. Dues are $20 per year for individual membership and $35 for a family membership. The mission of our…
9th annual Halloween run at Moraine Valley
Grab a costume, dress up the kids and head to the ninth annual Halloween 5K run/walk and Kid’s Dash on Saturday, Oct. 29, 9 a.m., at Moraine Valley Community College, 9000 W. College Parkway, Palos Hills. Participants can walk or run the officially timed 5K (3.1 mile) path throughout campus. The Kid’s Dash will start…
Sparks fly during Palos Heights parking lot debate
By Jeff Vorva The City of Palos Heights is one step away from voting on a controversial new parking lot and the issue drew some fireworks Tuesday night. Nine people spoke on the topic during a 45-minute public comment session, but it was resident Dan Nicholson who pushed the buttons of Aldermen Jack Clifford and…
McCook hosts celebration of heroes to honor sacrifices of September 11
By Carol McGowan Despite the drenching rain on Sunday, more than 200 people gathered for the annual Celebration of Heroes event at the McCook Fire Department to honor the people who died in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Five villages took part in Sunday’s event: McCook, Riverside, Forest View, Lyons, and Willow Springs.…
McCarthy named permanent police chief in Willow Springs
By Carol McGowan Former Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy was sworn in last week as the new permanent police chief in Willow Springs. McCarthy, who has been serving as acting police chief since April, was sworn in by Bob Sprinkle, longtime resident and chairman of the Willow Springs Police Commission. He served as Chicago’s top…
Justice raises $5,000 for holiday baskets
By Carol McGowan Justice Trustee Jeff Allen said the village raised almost $5 ,000 at the annual car show in August, which will go towards the annual holiday baskets and gift cards program for less fortunate residents. Allen said the car show brought in just over $4,919. Otherwise, it was business as usual at the…
Countryside to renovate baseball field at City Park
By Steve Metsch Youth baseball players in Countryside will have an improved ball field to play on in City Park next year. The city council at its Sept. 14 meeting unanimously approved paying Sportfields Inc., of Alsip, $29,800 to do the renovation work. Ald. Mark Benson (3rd) told the council the work “is long overdue…
