Local News
Girls Volleyball Class 4A State Finals: Metea Valley tops Mother McAuley in three sets for state title
By Jason Maholy Sports Editor You can’t win them all. Coming into the state finals last weekend, Mother McAuley had won championships in 65 percent of its trips to state, including its last two in 2013 and 2016. After rallying past Edwardsville, 27-29, 25-21, 25-16, in the semifinals on Nov. 12, the Mighty Macs were…
Girls Volleyball Class 3A State Finals: Nazareth defeats Belvidere North for program’s first state title
By Jason Maholy Sports Editor Trailing 12-6 in the third set of the Class 3A state championship match last Saturday at Illinois State’s Redbird Arena, time was running out on Nazareth to right the ship. Belvidere North was riding a wave of momentum going back to the second set and had scored 28 of the…
College Football: Saint Xavier edges St. Francis in OT to clinch spot in playoffs
Jeff Vorva Correspondent With an automatic bid for the NAIA national playoffs on the line, Saint Xavier and St. Francis couldn’t decide anything after 60 minutes of play. So, the Cougars had to make it back into the playoffs in overtime thanks to a 25-yard-run from Amari Venerable on their first play from scrimmage after…
High School Football Class 5A Quarterfinals: Pick-6 spells doom for Nazareth in loss to Fenwick
By Steve Metsch Correspondent Nazareth made it the Class 5A football quarterfinals with a solid defense and an impressive freshman quarterback. In the end, however, that defense buckled and that quarterback looked like his age against a Fenwick team with 30 seniors on its roster. Friars senior defensive end Suleiman Abuaqel picked off a Logan…
Boys Cross Country State Final: Sandburg computes with 3A title; Marist’s Jake Phillips takes fourth in 2A
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Some exhaustive research combined with a little computer wizardry came up with the prediction that Sandburg would win the IHSA Class 3A title by 106 points. A simulation created by Illinois XC Speed Ratings used each state qualifier’s “previous four rated performances and season rating 1,000 times,” then took the average…
High School Football Class 8A Playoffs: Marist stops Storm, advances to quarterfinals
By Steve Millar Correspondent Marist Senior defensive end Jayson Harris-Woodard and the rest of the RedHawks defense were excited for a new kind of challenge against South Elgin. Coming into Saturday’s Class 8A second-round game, the undefeated Storm was averaging 45 points a game with its triple-option attack. “We don’t usually get to see…
High School Football Class 7A Playoffs: Mount Carmel moves on with batty win over Batavia
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Dennis Furlong had three choices. The Mount Carmel wide receiver took a handoff from quarterback Blainey Dowling on an untimed down with a Class 7A second-round playoff game on the line and the Caravan down by four points to No. 1-seeded Batavia. His first two choices were to catch the Bulldogs’…
Pro Soccer Report: Red Stars blank Gotham, advance to NWSL semifinals
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Mallory Pugh and the Chicago Red Stars gave their fans a going-away gift. Playing in Chicago’s final home game of 2021, Pugh scored in the 61st minute and the defense made it stick as the Red Stars beat Gotham, 1-0, in the opening round of the NWSL playoffs Nov. 7 in…
High School Football Class 5A Playoffs: Nazareth advances to quarterfinals with win over Marmion
By Steve Metsch Correspondent Powered by faith and trust — two words heard often after a hard-fought victory over Marmion — there’s no telling how far Nazareth can go in the Class 5A playoffs. The Roadrunners (7-4) advanced to the quarterfinals with a 23-14 victory over the Cadets on Nov. 5 in the second round…
Girls Volleyball: Logan Grevengoed’s 1,001th career kill sends Chicago Christian to supersectional
By Steve Millar Correspondent Senior outside hitter Logan Grevengoed set off a raucous celebration at Chicago Christian on Wednesday night when she put down her 1,000th career kill. No. 1,001 was pretty special, too. That’s the one that clinched a Class 2A sectional championship for the host Knights, who beat Beecher 25-19, 25-13. Chicago Christian (33-6)…
Eagles have hard time running with the Devils, but eye a bright future
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent It was hard for a strong contingency of Sandburg football fans who were at Hinsdale Central on Saturday afternoon to feel good. After a weird 0-0 first quarter in the first-round game of the IHSA Class 8A playoffs, in which the host Red Devils were called for false-start penalties on three…
Sandburg boys eye state title as area sends army to state XC meet
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Sandburg’s boys team and Marist’s Jake Phillips earned sectional championships on sloppy-but-manageable courses on Saturday. A weeklong rain turned many Chicago-area courses to mush, but the Eagles and Phillips soldiered through and are heading with some momentum to this Saturday’s state cross country meet at Detweiller Park in Peoria. Sandburg, which…
High School Football Class 7A Playoffs: Sophomore RBs, Ulatowski lead St. Rita in romp over Rolling Meadows
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Kaleb Brown was all dressed up and ready to go. But he will have to wait another week before his return. The St. Rita senior star running back/wide receiver suited up for the first time since injuring a kneecap early in a loss to Mount Carmel the first game of the…
High School Football Class 7A Playoffs: Brother Rice edges Wheaton Warrenville South
By Steve Millar Correspondent Brother Rice’s offense has been virtually unstoppable all season, rolling to at least 40 points in every game it played. It’s the Crusaders’ defense, however, that is the biggest reason they survived the first round of the Class 7A playoffs. On a night when the offense struggled, the defense made…
High School Football Class 8A Playoffs: Marist rolls past Glenbard East, gets unbeaten S. Elgin in 2nd round
By Steve Metsch Correspondent Basking in the glow of a convincing postseason victory, Marist coach Ron Dawczak told his players to enjoy it for a night, then focus on their next opponent. That probably won’t be hard for the RedHawks, who — as Glenbard East coach John Walters noted — play a tough schedule every…
IHSA Football Playoffs: Brother Rice, Marist, Mount Carmel, St. Rita, Richards, Nazareth advance to second round
By Bob Bong Brother Rice was the only area team to advance to this weekend’s second round of the IHSA state football tournament after Saturday’s slate of games. They join five teams that advanced after Friday night’s action. The Crusaders moved on thanks to a 27-26 squeaker over Wheaton-Warrenville South on Saturday. No. 9 seeded…
Pro Soccer Report: Watt a finish! Red Stars to host playoff game Sunday
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent One more time. The Chicago Red Stars will play at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview for a final game when they host New York/New Jersey Gotham at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 7, in the opening round of the NWSL playoffs. The Red Stars finished the regular season with the fourth seed thanks…
5 area teams advance to IHSA second round after Friday night victories
By Bob Bong Five area football teams won their games Friday night to advance to next weekend’s second round of the IHSA state tournament. Marist scored a 42-0 upset over higher seeded Glenbard East. Mount Carmel shut out Thornwood 20-0 in South Holland. St. Rita easily defeated Rolling Meadows 42-7. Richards knocked off Simeon 28-10.…
School District 104 dedicates field to Bernabe Tovar
By Carol McGowan School District 104 commemorated the life and service of school teacher and soccer coach Bernabe Tovar with the dedication last week of a sports field in his honor. Supt. Troy Whalen hosted the event last Thursday, which welcomed a crowd of nearly 150 at Graves Elementary/Heritage Middle School in Summit. Whalen highlighted…
Sandburg to dance with Devils in first playoff game since 2015
By Jason Maholy Sports Editor Entering the final game of the regular season, Sandburg may have figured its most difficult work toward completing what once appeared to be an improbable run to the playoffs was finished. After starting the season 1-4, the Eagles needed a win in Week 9 over struggling Lincoln-Way Central to secure…
High School Football: Rice tops Marist as both powers eye playoffs
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent The buzz and postgame emotions from Brother Rice’s 40-21 victory over Marist on Friday was abbreviated. Because the heralded game was played on the final regular season weekend of the year, these area and state powers and bitter rivals quickly turned their attention to the playoff pairings announcements, which came less…
Last home game a winner for Red Stars
By Alison Moran What a way to end a season at home. It was a perfect night for a cool game of soccer, with temperatures in the upper 50s and no rain dampening the field. In front of 4,488 of the Red Stars’ faithful at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, the Chicago Red Stars defeated KC…
High School Football: Mustangs buck Spartans into offseason
By Steve Metsch Correspondent Coming into the regular-season finale, Evergreen Park knew Oak Lawn needed a victory to possibly make the playoffs. The Mustangs, most likely already in the tournament but with a chance to improve their seed, had other plans. “Not on our watch,” senior wide receiver Elijah Matthews said after Evergreen Park defeated…
High School Sports Postseason Roundup: Maia, oh, Maia — Sandburg soph finishes in top 8
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent It was cloudy. It was windy. It was rainy. Many people might describe it as a lousy day, but Sandburg sophomore tennis star Maia Loureiro wasn’t complaining. She was playing tennis. In the state tournament. She opened her state career on that crummy Oct. 21 day at Barrington High School with…
Coyne Schofield to be honored as IBAM’s Person of the Year
By Jeff Vorva Palos Heights hockey legend Kendall Coyne Schofield is picking up a huge award Friday night and it doesn’t have much to do with hockey. Schofield was named the Irish Books, Art and Music Person of the Year and will be honored at the group’s 13th Awards Gala Oct. 22 at the American…
Local News
Many crimes down in Orland, but weapons arrests concerning
By Jeff Vorva Orland Park Police Chief Joseph Mitchell had mostly good news when revealing the village’s 2021 crime statistics. But one glaring area that has him bothered is the number of unlawful use of a weapon arrests that have been shooting up. Mitchell and Mayor Keith Pekau attribute it to felons from other towns…
Former GOP allies to battle for county board race
Gorman wants to reclaim seat from Morrison By Bob Bong A battle royale is brewing in the race for the Republican nomination for Cook County Board’s 17th District. The 17th District is one of only two county board seats held by Republicans and it has only ever had a Republican commissioner dating back to Herb…
Palos Park inches closer to gaming solution
By Jeff Vorva Signs are pointing to the fact there probably will be limited video gaming in Palos Park. Mayor John Mahoney and the village council rejiggered a few things with an ordinance and some of the village codes and the end result is that Monday they asked village attorneys to look into the changes…
Barron ready to pitch in as new SD218 superintendent
By Jeff Vorva Tommy John surgery and an auto accident helped derail Josh Barron’s dreams of becoming a major league baseball player. So, he embarked on a different career path, teaching and coaching, and that evolved into his becoming a school administrator. He has worked his way up to the top spot as he was…
Tabares backs West Lawn Branch Library
Twenty-third Ward Ald. Silvana Tabares (left) recently toured the renovated West Lawn Branch Library, 4020 W. 63rd St.,, with new branch manager Mina Duarte. Details about the renovation’s may be found in the West Lawn column in the January 28 Greater Southwest News-Herald. –Supplied photo
Chuy backs Starbucks unionization
U.S. Rep Jesús “Chuy” García (D-4th), white mask, recently stood with those who support unionization of Starbucks workers, outside a shop in the city. Workers are attempting to organize under the banner of Chicago and Midwest Joint Board, Workers United, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union. –Supplied photo
Palos Area Chamber dedicated to promoting area
By Kelly White Dedicated to helping local area businesses strive is the Palos Area Chamber of Commerce. The chamber was formed in 1949 when a small group of merchants joined together for the purpose of advancing economic, industrial, professional, cultural, and civic welfare of the Palos Heights area. For 68 years, the Palos Area Chamber…
Palos Park police to hold active shooter drill
From staff reports Palos Park Police will fine tune their strategies for dealing with an active shooter to ensure the safety of both officers and citizens later this month. The end goal of the January 30 drlll is to test the department’s active shooter response plans and fine tune them. “Palos Park effective preventive measures…
Richards’ Principal walks 24 hours for a cause
By Kelly White Most people spend New Year’s Day relaxing. Richards High School Principal Dr. Mike Jacobson spent it on the treadmill. For the second year in a row, Jacobson inspired generous donations of more than $20,000 on New Year’s Day by walking 24 hours on a treadmill without stopping. All of the money raised goes directly to benefit…
