Local Sports News
Pro Soccer Report | Red Stars out of playoff picture
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer It took 21 games, but the Chicago Red Stars are finally out of the postseason picture. For the first time since 2014, the Red Stars failed to make it to the NWSL playoffs. They dropped into last place in the 12-team league after a 6-3 road loss to Kansas City…
Step by step, Basketball Museum of Illinois taking shape in Bedford Park
By Jeff Vorva Staff writer The Basketball Museum of Illinois is coming to the area. But it’s going to be a long process before it’s complete. The Illinois Basketball Coaches Association found a home for its museum at the Wintrust Sports Complex in Bedford Park, but the museum’s main section will be in a building…
Area Sports Roundup | Saint Xavier alum Lovitsch named women’s hoops interim coach
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer In August, a relatively short time before the start of the college basketball season, Saint Xavier lost the services of women’s basketball coach Travis Brewster, who left to coach at Division II Chadron State College in Nebraska. Leading the Cougars this season will be one of their former players. Sidney…
Pro Soccer Report | Red Stars not done yet after win over Louisville
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer On the same night the Chicago Cubs were eliminated from MLB playoff contention, the Chicago Red Stars were staying alive in the race for the final NWSL postseason berth. The Stars entered action last weekend in 12th and last place, but with three games remaining still had a chance to…
Area Sports Roundup | Evergreen Park athlete seeking 1M pop tabs; Mights Macs win ASICS tourney
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Before he starts collecting points and rebounds, Evergreen Park senior hoops player Ulises Cardenas is collecting pop tabs. Cardenas is on a mission to collect 1 million tabs to help raise money for the Ronald McDonald House in Oak Lawn and Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana.…
Mr. 800 | Saint Xavier women’s volleyball coach Bob Heersema attains milestone win
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer A few trips around the baseball field in 1988 produced one of the greatest legacies in NAIA women’s volleyball history. Then-Saint Xavier Athletic Director John Morrey tried to coax women’s assistant volleyball coach Bob Heersema to lead the program. Heersema was reluctant. He wasn’t sure he was ready to be…
Football | Big 2nd half leads Eisenhower past Argo
By Mike Walsh Correspondent One Argo player wore purple spikes. Another had a purple sleeve on his right arm. All the players wore tape of that color on their wrists. The Argonauts donned purple for their South Suburban Red matchup with Eisenhower on Sept. 29 to honor the life of Phillip Rossburg Sr., who died…
Football Wrap | Richards rolling through SSC Red; Sandburg tops H-F in OT
By Mike Walsh Correspondent Richards coach Tony Sheehan knew he had to be patient as his Bulldogs experienced a tough start to the season, dropping their first two games by a combined score of 76-14. With a team largely composed of players getting their first taste of varsity football, Sheehan knew better time were ahead.…
Football | JCA rallies past Marist
By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent Losers of three consecutive games and needing a victory over Joliet Catholic to keep its IHSA playoff hopes alive, Marist was ready for the Hilltoppers. But JCA withstood a fast start by the RedHawks and scored late in the fourth quarter to rally for a 21-20 win on Sept. 29 in…
Football Wrap | Brother Rice rolls St. Viator in home opener
By Mike Walsh Correspondent From Maine South and Loyola in the northern suburbs to St. Ignatius just west of Chicago’s Loop to Marist five or so minutes south on Pulaski Road, Brother Rice has spent a lot of travel time in 2023. After opening the season with four consecutive road games due to scheduling and…
Sandburg can’t overcome flags, turnovers in loss to Lincoln-Way Central
By Tim Cronin Correspondent NEW LENOX – For all the good Sandburg accomplished on offense in its Week 5 matchup at Lincoln-Way Central; for all the decent work on defense: There were a handful of plays that blew up in the faces of the Eagles like poorly made firecrackers. They did damage. Those plays, from…
Richards blanks Evergreen Park
By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent Richards began the season with two bad losses, but after five weeks find themselves with a winning record and atop the South Suburban Red. The Bulldogs have been improving and played their best game of the season in a 41-0 romp over SSC Red rival Evergreen Park on Sept. 22. Since…
Pro Soccer Report | Red Stars seeking max points in quest for playoffs
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer With three games to go and in last place, the Chicago Red Stars are in a position to be spoilers. But in this unpredictable NWSL season in which teams are bunched up in the standings, the Red Stars are in a position where they can play more than merely that…
Cross Country | Stagg’s Barham having an adventure in September
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Stagg senior runner Luke Barham has experienced a unique September. Barham finished third in the Richard Dust meet at North Creek Meadow in Chicago Heights on Sept. 2 with a time of 15:52.81. A week later, he placed 26th place but set a personal-best time of 15:19.30 in the Class…
Area Sports Roundup | Hoops powers invited to December showcases
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The invitations are in. As basketball coaches and athletic directors put the finishing touches on the 2023-24 schedules, some of the teams in the Southwest Regional Publishing coverage area have picked up invitations to a pair of prestigious hoops tournaments in December. The Chicago Elite Classic takes place Dec. 1-2…
Indiana Wesleyan scrapes by Saint Xavier after missed 2-pt conversion
By Mike Walsh Correspondent Life is about choices. Sometimes, the result is to our benefit; sometimes it is not. In Saint Xavier’s loss to visiting Indiana Wesleyan on Sept. 16 at George R. Deaton Field in Mount Greenwood, head coach Mike Feminis was presented with an important decision to make with his team down a…
High School Football Wrap: Week 4 | St. Laurence has Ball in win over Providence
By Mike Walsh Correspondent Providence has won 10 state championships and finished runner-up four times, including last season in Class 4A. So how did St. Laurence’s student body celebrate the Vikings’ second-ever victory over the Celtics, 31-24, last Friday night in Burbank? With an old-fashioned field-storming. St. Laurence senior Aaron Ball scored the go-ahead touchdown…
Chicago Bears honor Stagg’s Nero, Gilmore
By Mike Walsh Correspondent The Chicago Bears named Stagg head football coach Colt Nero and Chargers senior Lebarion Gilmore as the Chicago Bears Coach of the Week and the Chicago Bears High School All-Star for Week 3 of the 2023 season. The honors came after Stagg defeated visiting Belleville West 24-0 in a nonconference matchup…
Richards downs Oak Lawn in crosstown clash
By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent Merriam Webster defines a rivalry as “one of two or more striving to reach or obtain something that only one can possess.” In sports, that makes both sides of any competition rivals, but the term is often reserved for a special matchup, of sorts. One of those is Oak Lawn and…
Pro Soccer Report | New owners watch Red Stars tie in front of record-setting crowd
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The Chicago Red Stars put on quite a show for their new bosses. It was fun. It was exciting. It had a big crowd and it felt like a big-time atmosphere. But in the grand scheme of trying to make it to the NWSL playoffs, it didn’t mean much. The…
Area Sports Roundup | Trinity soccer champs to be inducted into HOF
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The first team in Trinity Christian College history to win a national championship will be honored in October. The Trinity Christian College Athletics Department announced the 2005 women’s soccer team as the newest member to its Athletics Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will take place on Oct. 21 as…
Girls Tennis | Marist freshman Klooster a player to watch
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer When Helena Klooster was growing up, she tried a variety of sports and activities. Dancing and tennis were two of them. “I didn’t like dance at all,” Klooster said. “I would first have dance and I would head straight to tennis. “My mom said that I would look super sad…
Area sports report: Coyne Schofield signs three-year pro deal
By Jeff Vorva The new Professional Women’s Hockey League is forming, and Palos Heights native and Sandburg graduate Kendall Coyne Schofield will be a part of its historic first season. Schofield was one of the first three players to sign for the Minnesota franchise, a trio that also features fellow U.S. Olympians Kelly Pannek and…
Red Stars return to SeatGeek but long-term future a question mark
By Jeff Vorva After a long absence, the Chicago Red Stars will finally be playing a game at SeatGeek Stadium again. The Red Stars host Angel City at 5 p.m. Sept. 17 at the Bridgeview facility for the first time since Aug. 5. International breaks and other scheduling quirks have kept the team away from…
Antonio Clay-Jones carries Evergreen Park past Reavis
By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent No deficit in sports is too great to overcome unless the double zeros on the clock are reached. Unfortunately for Reavis High School, that was the situation in their Week 3 matchup with Evergreen Park High School. Despite every Reavis Rams (1-2) effort to overcome their deficit, the Evergreen Park Mustangs…
Local News
Unique, cheerful, local crafts at Hale Park
. By Tim Hadac Editor Clear-Ridge Reporter & NewsHound . I’ve never been one to decorate for Christmas, just for the sake of decorating. And I’m not a fan of many of the things we see these days. I’ll take a pass on Christmas decorations that involve images of celebrities, pro sports logos, off-color jokes,…
Keeping fighters flying
Garfield Ridge native Brandon Tapia recently graduated from U.S. Air Force Basic Military Training with honors – a recognition earned by only the top 10% of each class. After Air Force BMT, airmen begin technical training to learn the technical skills needed to perform in their career field specialties. The field Tapia will be…
Offer cash reward in Chrysler Village slaying
. By Tim Hadac . Someone somewhere knows who shot and killed Misael Sanchez. To help bring that person forward, the Cook County Crime Stoppers group is offering a cash reward of up to $15,000 for information leading to the killer’s arrest. Sanchez, 23, was shot in the 5200 block of West 64th Place (close…
OLCHS Student Council Thanksgiving Food Drive aids needy
By Kelly White Donating to those in need during the holiday season are students at Oak Lawn Community High School. The Student Council at the high school, 9400 Southwest Hwy. in Oak Lawn, recently hosted its annual Thanksgiving Food Drive. “I like the Student Council Thanksgiving Food Drive because it’s an opportunity to give back…
Oak Lawn approves new parking lot, fieldhouse for OLCHS
By Joe Boyle An additional parking lot and an athletic fieldhouse has been approved for Oak Lawn Community High School. Joseph McCurdy, assistant superintendent for Oak Lawn Community High School District 229, gave a brief slide presentation detailing some of the plans for the parking lot and an athletic fieldhouse during the Oak Lawn Village Board meeting Tuesday morning. The Zoning…
Palos 118 students win at 2023 Young Inventor Challenge
Fourth-grade students from Palos School District 118 took home three awards at the 2023 Young Inventor Challenge. Students from Palos East and West Elementaries participated in the event on November 4 and 5 in Chicago. The program gives students ages 6 to18 an opportunity to develop and pitch their original inventions to toy and game companies and…
Brookfield VFW helps Navy recruits enjoy Thanksgiving
By Nuha Abdessalam About 50 recruits undergoing Boot Camp at the Great Lakes Naval Base in North Chicago had plenty to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. “This has been so challenging,” said Seaman recruit Cazja Andrades. “These nine weeks have been so hard but such a gift.” “Everyone here has been such a godsend,” said…
Off-duty Chicago police officer dies in Oak Lawn crash
By Bob Bong An off-duty Chicago police officer was killed Sunday morning when a vehicle crashed into a tree at 95th Street and Harlem Avenue in Oak Lawn. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the driver as Edwin Espinoza, 35, of the 5300 block of South Merrimac Avenue on the city’s Southwest Side. Chicago…
Palos Park police cadets holiday food drive underway
The Palos Park Police Cadet program annual Holiday Food Drive is underway. The cadets are looking for donations of non-perishable foods such as canned goods or boxed goods. The cadets will accept donations at the Palos Park Police Department located at 8999 W. 123rd Street. Donations are accepted through January 1. This is another way…
Midnight Terror serves up a different kind of spirits at Christmas Fear
By Bob Bong The Halloween fans at Midnight Terror in Oak Lawn have decided to extend the haunted house season into the holidays with their eighth annual Christmas Fear weekend in December. Savage Santas, eerie elves, and sinister snowmen will be running amok and showing off their own kind of Christmas spirit at the haunted…