The five Downstate lawmakers who called for the Illinois Republican Party to censure U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger stirred the political pot this week. The group thought it would be a good idea to publi…

Whether it was several hundreds of people gathered together in a church to pray, a few hundred showing up to see him at the hospital, neighborhood children selling “Golden lemonade” to …

The new planetarium at Marist High School in Chicago promises to be a hit with students, who have already signed up for astronomy class in droves. Astronomy hadn’t been taught at the school f…

There was no denying St. Laurence on Friday night. An unexpected bounce on the opening kickoff? No problem. Brailyn Johnson picked up the ball at his own 3-yard line and returned it 69 yards. A hol…

Jennifer Warja, 20, of Tinley Park, recently confessed that when she graduated from Victor J. Andrew High School two years ago, she was embarrassed to say she was headed to a two-year community col…

Ben Zobrist and Andrew assistant baseball coach Wally Zukowski were roommates at Olivet Nazarene in 2002 and 2003. They drifted apart over the years, and the last time they saw each other was July …

On the eve of the biggest moment of his career, Lemont coach John St. Clair remained emphatically on point. Grant LaDuke, a senior leader, can vouch for that. “He constantly preached that it …

You just can’t retire for more beautiful reasons than those mentioned by Marist girls basketball coach Mary Pat Connolly. She has four sons, three daughters-in-law, and four grandchildren &md…

Three seniors at Alan B. Shepard High School in Palos Heights recently experienced a little slice of what it’s like to be a television star — including early morning wake-up calls …

The offer was too good for Kyle Boekeloo to pass up. After a year coaching the new girls soccer program at St. Laurence, the boys job was suddenly there for the taking. As the freshman coach for th…

Brother Rice’s Jack Finnegan is wired into the rhythms and flow of the game. “Ever since my freshman year, I have always had a drive to score and be a standout player in high school,…

PEORIA — She had the first say on Friday. She had the first say on Saturday. Senior first baseman Eileen Donahue deserved to have her say while standing with celebrating Marist teammates in t…

Daniel Coyle doubled and scored twice as St. Laurence slipped past Providence.

Zion Rose had something to prove. At least to himself. As a sophomore in his high school debut, Rose hit .389 last spring for Brother Rice. While most would consider that a respectable number, he s…

Andrew senior Keke Tholl’s first base hit as a player at Michigan will certainly be a fun one. That’s because her aunt, Bonnie Tholl, will be waiting for her in the first base coachR…

The bald eagles have landed in Will County. They also have mated, nested and given rise to a new generation of eaglets. And those may be becoming more common happenings in the area. The Forest Pres…

Right on schedule Friday, some 550 Victor J. Andrew High School students, clad in graduation gowns and mortar boards, officially ended their time at the Tinley Park high school most of them hadn…

The most dominant player at the net for Marist was sophomore Mary Clare Brusek. She tipped. She blocked. She smashed. She even threw decoys at Marian Catholic’s defense. So much for being shy…

Mount Carmel junior Kenenna Odeluga had plenty of motivation Saturday. “I was here two years ago and we lost to Lake Zurich,” he said. “Last year against St. Charles North, I felt…

In 2018, Brother Rice’s Ahmad Henderson played in a Midwest Regional game of the Jr. NBA Global Championship. He hit a one-legged, off-balance shot that beat the buzzer and clinched the win i…

The Thanksgiving game plan for the Zvonar family starts with an early morning wake-up call. By 7 a.m., coach Rob Zvonar and his twin sons, juniors Trey and Tyson, and freshman son Colton will be at…

Joshua Evans needed a change. And the reason Evans decided to transfer to St. Xavier from Dubuque over the summer had as much to do with basketball as it did with life. On the court, the Crete-Mone…

She can’t deny it. Marist senior Sydney Affolter gets a kick out of it when she outlifts some of the guys at the local health club. “I would go with my dad and my brother,” Affolt…

When St. Laurence abruptly fired coach Harold Blackmon in April, quarterback Darius Wilson was among those who were shocked. A handful of his teammates decided to transfer. Wilson, however, remaine…

One of the neater stories in this far from normal high school sports year involves a young lady from Andrew named Sara Krueger. Krueger, a junior, is a multisport athlete who plays basketball in th…

You don’t win big-time tournaments without preparation. Senior libero Mairead Boyle has that belief every day she shows up at practice for Marist. “I come in with the same mindset of ju…

Marist sophomore Owen Dunlap noticed the transformation of his body. “Toward the end of last season, I could just feel it,” he said. “My body was just growing.” Dunlap made …

It didn’t matter to Oak Forest’s Juan Avila that the shots weren’t falling in the first quarter Friday night. In his eyes, it was simply a matter of time. “We got five guys …

Since July 1, friends and family members of Gabby Adamo have followed a daily activity calendar. The Frankfort native and Lincoln-Way East graduate, who died at age 22 in November after battling le…

CHAMPAIGN — New school. New position. There were some big changes this year for Providence’s Anthony Picciolini, who transferred in the offseason from Benet. But one thing has remained …

It’s probably a tossup as to who has the most golden glove in Marist’s extremely talented outfield. In sophomore right fielder Bree Hanik’s mind, however, senior left fielder Morg…

Andrew sophomore Tyler Roney cannot raise his left eyebrow. But he can imitate actor and former professional wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s “People’s EyebrowR…

CHAMPAIGN — It was a painful end to a painful season for Lincoln-Way East’s Jake Scianna. The 6-foot, 220-pound senior linebacker managed to be the heart and soul of the Griffins despit…

Thanks to Reavis girls basketball coach Tim Zasada, I had a very special experience the other day. Shortly before a game against Bremen, Zasada had a surprise for senior point guard Araceli Hernand…

Marist ended the regular season as the No. 1 team in the Southland. The RedHawks, a No. 1 Class 4A sectional seed, were unbeaten against teams from Illinois. But that’s not the only reason Ma…

Throughout his career, Lincoln-Way East senior AJ Henning has embraced responsibility. “Ever since I was a sophomore, I’ve always been looked at as a leader on this team,” Henning…

FIRST TEAM Tyler Bartczak, Shepard, senior, infielder/pitcher: Hit .420 with 14 stolen bases, three homers, 22 RBIs. Went 6-3 with 2.29 ERA, 96 strikeouts in 52 innings. All-conference. Committed t…

In the season opener at Marist, Sean Cody singled with the bases loaded in the top of the eighth to give the Bulldogs a 5-2 win.

Providence running back Aaron Vaughn was even more motivated than usual Saturday against Crete-Monee. The 5-foot-9, 190-pound sophomore graduated from Crete-Monee Middle School. He played youth foo…

There was no looking back Friday night for St. Laurence junior guard Aaron Wofford. The Vikings have had no shortage of exciting finishes this season, with nine games decided by four points or fewe…

Josie Canellis called it “the little incident.” Truth be told, the fall that the Sandburg senior took after being fouled during Saturday’s game against Marist at Coach Kipp’…

During the summer before his freshman year, Andrew’s Anthony Lenza had reached the end of his baseball career. Or at least, he thought so. Lenza was struggling at the plate for his travel tea…

Marist senior Brendan Barry doesn’t possess eye-popping individual statistics. The 6-foot-3 forward is averaging five points and three rebounds. But when it comes to sacrificing and toughness…

The biggest milestone basket of Hillcrest senior Trinity Duckworth’s career was so typical. The 5-foot-2 guard bobbed and weaved her way around four taller Oak Forest defenders and went in fo…

It was a surprise to Jason Thompson that the ball was sitting on the ground near him. When the Mount Carmel defensive end/outside linebacker saw it lying there early in the third quarter Friday nig…

As news worsened a month ago about the coming virus, we vowed to be prepared. Just a day after joining the throngs at a packed IHSA playoff basketball game to root on the team from my son’s s…

Top 10 Teams 1. Marist (36-4): RedHawks are strong in pitching circle with senior Abby Dunning (Boston College) and junior Brooke McNichols (Central Florida). Senior Easton Lotus (Louisville) leads…

Jaden Franckowiak embraces the pressure. Taking on the role of Andrew’s top pinch hitter, the junior infielder is always ready to be called upon in a big moment. “At the beginning of th…

A few days before the state cheerleading meet was set to take place, Lemont High School senior Abby Nagel’s phone received text after text. Some of them said “woo, whoo” and other…

Posen’s Dave Athans said he needed something to calm himself after his nephew, Dave Kreis, died of cancer Nov. 11, two days after Kreis’ 42nd birthday. Kreis was a popular head athletic…

The serve was a beauty. It started with a majestic leap and ended with the ball sky-diving to the floor just inside the back line. Truth be told, though, senior outside hitter Maddie Arundel wasn&#…

This could have been the year that the Illinois High School Association boys track world would hear big things from Andrew’s Dillon Peters. As a sophomore in 2019, he had collected scores of …

Kendall Coyne Schofield has added another first to her hockey resume. The Olympic women’s hockey gold medalist will join the Rockford IceHogs staff as player development coach and youth hocke…

Five days after Mother’s Day, Dave Curtin embarked on a 138-mile journey to honor his mom, as well as raise money for a memorial scholarship named for her. What made the trip unusual was that…

There were 20 seconds left to play, and the high school career of Oak Forest senior Jayson Kent was about to end. As subs were shuffling in and out, the 6-foot-6 guard stood alone at midcourt, hand…

The gears were churning in Kevin Conway’s mind. As the pocket collapsed around him, the Providence junior quarterback surveyed the situation and decided it was time to take off. “I coul…

Mac O’Connell didn’t start playing tackle football until his freshman year at Joliet Catholic. During one of his first practices, O’Connell was on offense when a linebacker hit hi…

If Damarco Minor has his way regarding his career path, he will go in the opposite direction taken by Thornton coach Tai Streets. Streets was a two-sport athlete for the Wildcats, went on to colleg…

Scott Heren never threw a pitch for Providence Catholic’s baseball team. He never took a swing for the Celtic, never coached the team. Yet, when the Celtics became the first team in Illinois …

As a sophomore quarterback, Sandburg’s Anthony Shelton had expected to be the backup, learning how to play the position at the varsity level from senior starter Christian Evans. But when Evan…