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Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Mustangs survive opening-night scare
A big opening-night crowd and high expectations greeted Mundelein
High's boys basketball team when it took to the floor on Monday night against Grayslake Central on the first night of the Mustangs'
Thanksgiving tournament. Mundelein didn't always live up to the hype, but the Mustangs were able to escape with a victory over a pesky Rams squad.
Defense carries Antioch to championship
The Antioch Vikings youth football program's Pac-10 Conference
(developmental teams and newer players) Featherweight Division gold
team recently completed a perfect season by beating previously unbeaten Grayslake 7-6 in overtime in the finals of the Chicagoland Youth Football League tournament.
Lenzelle out, but Z-B still looks strong
CHICAGO -- The second-most important thing you need to know about Zion-Benton High's season opener here Monday in the Lane Tech holiday boys basketball tournament is that Ohio State-bound Lenzelle Smith did not play because of an ankle injury.
LFA sophomore wins national award
Lake Forest Academy sophomore Carolyn Gillette was named winner of the 2008-09 Scholar-Athlete Award from the United States Squash Association.
Lake Forest's upset bid falls just short
SKOKIE -- There was an all-state player and a state-ranked team on the floor here Monday for the 5:30 p.m. game in Round 1 of the Niles West holiday boys basketball tournament.
Monday, November 23, 2009
A season worth waiting for ... we hope
Bonato: It's been 247 days since Waukegan's bid for the 2009 IHSA Class 4A state championship ended in a shoulda/woulda/coulda loss to Young High of Chicago in the final game of the season. It will be another 118 days until our area finally ends a string of 102 years without capturing a state title in the sport of boys basketball.
Level 7 girls lead way for Gurnee-based club
The Level 5, 6, and 7 girls gymnasts at Ultimate Gymnastics in
Gurnee started the competitive season with strong performances at the North Illinois Judges Cup. The Level 7 squad led the way, as its team score qualified it for the National Judges Cup, to be held in Cincinnati in January. The Level 7 girls were dominant in the 7-11 age group.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Lake Zurich loses in final seconds
Undefeated Glenbard West drove 81 yards for a touchdown in the final minutes to defeat Lake Zurich 21-17 on Saturday in the semifinals of the IHSA Class 7A football playoffs. The game-winning pass play covered 11 yards and went from Mark Hiben to Tyler Warden. There were six seconds left on the clock when the pass was caught.
Stevenson diver wins state championship
Kerrin Seymour went out in style here Saturday, as the Stevenson High senior capped her prep diving career by winning the state championship on Saturday at New Trier High. Seymour, who finished sixth at last year’s state meet, totaled 439.25 points to win by five over Paige Grant of New Trier.
CLC coach getting his point across
For second-year College of Lake County head men's basketball coach Mike Hirsch, shopping locally is not just a holiday mantra. The Lancers' leader is determined to give the community-college team a familiar, local flavor, and has made good progress along those lines
this season.
Forest-preserve signs may be step in wrong direction
Sign, sign, everywhere a sign.The rest of the song talks about blocking all the scenery ("Signs" by the Five Man Electrical Band), but these sign posts in the Wright Woods forest preserve near Vernon Hills have been installed to try and make it easier to get around.
Round Lake second in Harvard tourney
HARVARD – Round Lake High’s girls basketball team split a pair of games on Saturday and finished second in the Harvard Invitational girls basketball tournament.
Antioch girls drop opening game
GENEVA – The
Antioch Sequoits girls basketball team could not hold on to a 22-9
first-quarter advantage and dropped their opening game of the season to Rosary,
56-51.
Leading 43-38 going into the final stanza, the Sequoits were
outscored 18-8 in the last eight minutes. Rosary is now 3-0 on the season.
The action took place at the Geneva Thanksgiving Tournament.
High scorers for Antioch
were junior Andi Potknojak, with 13 points (8 steals, 5 assists) and Allie
Antilla with 12 points.
Antioch will resume play in the tourney on Tuesday against Oswego.
Marist ruins Dineen’s Stevenson debut
LINCOLNSHIRE – Despite
20 points each from Kelsey Simon and junior Michelle O’Brien, the Stevenson
Patriots girls basketball team dropped its season-opener in a squeaker to Marist
59-57.
Loss to Lakers looks familiar to Bulls' fans
LOS ANGELES -- After an impressive win in the opener of their six-game road trip, the Bulls on Thursday night had a performance more in line with most of the circus trips in the post-Jordan era.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Bee-lieve in this team
Zion-Benton High's girls basketball team came out strong
defensively and crushed the Deerfield Warriors 64-39 on Thursday in the Z-B coaching debut of Hall of Fame coach Tanya Johnson. Sophomore Octavia Crump led the way, including a second-quarter outburst that helped break the game open.
Homecoming queen is the 'Dawg'
Bonato: You've gotta give Waukegan High senior Jessica Valdez her props for this one. In October, she was elected Homecoming queen by her classmates. And, as befits a queen, Jessica will have the best seat in the Dawg Pound for Waukegan High's boys basketball games this winter.
Beach Park team wins league title
Three teams in the Beach Park Bears youth football program reached the finals of the Northwest Youth Football League playoffs and one -- the Varsity Division (eighth-graders) team -- came home victorious.
Cook's students earn awards
Five members of Gerry Cook's Professional Martial Arts Studio in Gurnee earned awards (top-four finishes) at the Midwest Open Karate & Kung Fu Championships.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Wrist action unites, inspires Carmel girls
A bright ray of light has already begun to shine on a Carmel High girls basketball season that began with tremendous sadness, Late last month, Jennifer Berg -- the wife of Carmel High girls basketball coach Ben Berg -- passed away. As a tribute, the Carmel players are wearing white wristbands that have the initials "J.B." on them.
Blue Devils girls make it halfway to heaven
For 16 glorious minutes here Wednesday, it feel like the good times had returned to Warren High's girls basketball program. A state powerhouse during the Sarah Boothe Era, the Blue Devils settled
near sea level a year ago, but entered the 2009-2010 campaign hoping
for a return to the top. And for two quarters against state-power Loyola Academy, the Blue Devils were just that: On top.
Good start on Western road trip for Bulls
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Bigger challenges await them down the road, but the Bulls began their five-game Western trip with an impressive and mostly comfortable -- save for a few minutes in the fourth quarter -- 101-87 victory over the Sacramento Kings late Tuesday.
Cutler targets turnaround
Jay Cutler has been battered behind a struggling offensive line and seems to be throwing about as many passes to defenders as receivers lately.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Lake Forest impressive in opener
The smiling faces on players, coaches, parents and fans said it all
about Lake Forest High's season-opening girls basketball win over
visiting Regina Dominican of Wilmette. And why not smile? It's not often a team opens its season hitting on all cylinders and completely steamrolls a quality program.
A championship weekend
Championship weekend in the Chicagoland Youth Football League
didn't turn out perfectly for the seven area programs that had teams
advance to the final round of competition. But that said, all the
local squads were competitive in their games, and three teams -- one
from North Chicago and two from Vernon Hills -- did capture division
championships.
Paul hits 20 in first half
CHAMPAIGN -- Former Warren High standout Brandon Paul scored 20 points in the first half, leading No. 23 Illinois to a 80-61 victory over Northern Illinois on Tuesday night.
Harris keeps faith in Smith
With four losses in five games and a 4-5 record, defensive tackle Tommie Harris realizes the Chicago Bears' hopes are fading fast.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Mundelein girls lose to Highland Park
Mundelein High was a gracious host on Monday as the Mustang Invitational girls basketball tournament got under way with three contests. Some might say a little too gracious. While the home team figured to be one of the powerhouse teams in the eight-team field, it was upstart Highland Park which went home with a 46-39 win over the host Mustangs in the first round pool play.
Z-B lady hoopsters have a leg up on competition
Masterson: Advantage, Zion-Benton. As a sportswriter, I love saying that phrase. Tanya Johnson has the same attitude. That's why the hall of fame, two-time state-championship girls-basketball coach came out of retirement after just one year to coach the girls hoops team at Zion-Benton. "I want to help kids who need help," said Johnson recently. "Kids that maybe aren't afforded all the opportunities that maybe the kids who go to (her former school) Loyola have."
Monday, November 16, 2009
Magazine sees Richmond as a RISE-ing star
Bonato: Check out the cover of the November issue of ESPN RISE, which is a magazine that focuses on high-school sports.
Our own Jereme Richmond of Waukegan High is on the cover of the edition of the magazine which was distributed in the Chicago area. For the record, the story covers no new ground about the Bulldog senior star ... basically rehashing his yoyo-like prep hoops career and centering it around his halfcourt shot that gave Waukegan a win over Warren in last year's IHSA Class 4A sectional final.
Turner goes down with ankle injury
There was no definitive news after Sunday's game on Atlanta running-back Michael Turner's injured ankle.
"They still have to look it some more," Turner said after the Falcons' 28-19 loss to the Panthers. "They don't even know yet. We've got a long bus ride home."
Turner, a graduate of North Chicago High, rolled the ankle when he was tackled at the end of a 10-yard run that gave him 111 yards on just nine carries.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Lake Zurich advances to Class 7A semifinals
The amazing playoff run by Lake Zurich High’s football program under fourth-year coach Bryan Stortz continues.
Saturday night, the Bears knocked off upstart Wheaton North 24-17 in the quarterfinals of the IHSA Class 7A playoffs, and earned the winners a home game next Saturday against unbeaten powerhouse Glenbard West from the West Suburban Conference.
Something for everyone at Vernon Hills Sectional
The cream swam to the top at Saturday’s IHSA sectional girls swimming meet at Vernon Hills High. And among the risers were two girls who attend high schools that have neither a swimming pool nor a swim team. Antioch High’s Dominique Bessette won the 100-yard backstroke and finished second in the 200 individual medley, and will compete on Friday in the state meet at New Trier High in Winnetka in both events.
News-Sun All-Lake County girls volleyball team
When the dust settled on the 2008 prep girls volleyball season, there wasn't much to write home about. Many of the area's teams struggled against top-notch competition as they looked to the future. Only one Lake County team -- Grayslake Central -- managed to win a regional championship last season, and the Rams captured a Class 3A regional crown going up against three other area opponents.
Asian carp are clear and present danger
Abderholden: Asian carp made the news again Friday with the announcement that the electrical barrier on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal in Romeoville will be taken down for maintenance and a five-mile stretch will be treated to kill the rough fish below the barrier. If you don't know, Asian carp have been destroying fish habitat on the Mississippi River and the Illinois River ever since they escaped during a flood from catfish farms where they were used to reduce algae.
Robert Morris women win bowling tourney
The Waukegan-based Robert Morris University women's bowling team continued its early-season hot streak as it captured its third tournament title of the season.
Two Waukegan teams reach CYFL finals
Conference championships in the Chicagoland Youth Football League's prestigious Big Ten class -- will be decided this weekend, and the Waukegan Chiefs will be involved in two of the games.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Everybody just relax
Jereme Richmond has already set off fireworks with the most historic basketball shot in county history. His alleged "hanging-on-the-rim" flagrant technical foul was a front-and-center situation that threatened to derail a Waukegan Bulldogs run for a state title before it even began.
The court report ... and some football
Bonato: Random thoughts from prehistoric man ... or at least from a man who feels that old:
* The biggest disappointment of the fall sports season had to do with area high-school football. Specifically, it's that two struggling programs -- Zion-Benton and Waukegan -- opted to schedule non-conference games against traditional powers Glenbrook South (Z-B), Minooka (Z-B), Glenbrook North (Waukegan) and Antioch (Waukegan) rather than schedule a game against each other.
Rose Bowl used to be THE bowl
The 20-somethings and teenagers who'll take the field Saturday when No. 15 Iowa plays at 10th-ranked Ohio State don't remember when the Rose Bowl was every Big Ten player's fantasy.
Weiss is still not listening to critics
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- No. 8 Pittsburgh provides beleaguered Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis with just what he needs following a stunning loss to Navy: a shot at the biggest victory of his career.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Deerfield star gives Big Ten a sweep of our Fab Four
This area's top senior basketball players signed letters of intent that officially committed them Wednesday to a specific college for next year. Waukegan High's Jereme Richmond, Zion-Benton's Lenzelle Smith, and Mundelein's Ben Brust had long-ago committed to play at Illinois, Ohio State, and Iowa, respectively. This week, Duje Dukan of Deerfield made it a Fab Four when he opted to sign with the Wisconsin Badgers.
Singletary not focused on facing former team
Mike Singletary became a Hall of Fame linebacker with the Chicago Bears
during a 12-year career spent all with the same club. Photos of
Singletary and his Monsters of the Midway brethren still hang in the
linebackers meeting room, reminders of the Bears' special 1985 Super
Bowl season. But Singletary would rather not reflect too much on his time with the Bears. He has few ties there anymore and finding a way to beat his former team is all he can think about right now.
Too much Bosh in another loss
TORONTO -- Chris Bosh had 28 points and 11 rebounds, and Jose Calderon added 18 points to help the Toronto Raptors beat the Chicago Bulls 99-89 on Wednesday night.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Lake Villa teen wins youth grid competition
Any Bear fan's list of Top-10 moments from the Soldier Field
experience last Sunday had to include Felicia Stancil's attempt at throwing the football during pre-game activities. Stancil, a freshman at Grayslake North High who lives in Lake Villa, won the Chicago Bears Region title in the NFL's Punt, Pass & Kick competition.
Odds are, this will never happen to you ...
Bonato: All of you who had "1" in the office pool for the number of years prep basketball coaching guru Tom Shields would last as athletic director at Piedra Visa High in New Mexico, you can cash in your winning ticket. Shields, who has coached basketball seemingly everywhere, including as an assistant boys hoops coach at Waukegan High, has given up the job to coach girls basketball at Aztec High in New Mexico.
Beach Park team playing for title
A Beach Park-based Bears youth football team will play for a title in the Northwest Youth Football League this Sunday. This
league divided players into divisions based on weight/age. The Green Division Bears team is players age 10-under who weigh less than 100 pounds.
It's a no-go on Miller's potential game-winner
CHICAGO -- Chauncey Billups hit the go-ahead free throw with six-tenths of a second left and the Denver Nuggets beat the Chicago Bulls 90-89 on Tuesday night after a potential winning jumper by Brad Miller was overturned following a replay review.
Clinic is Sunday at Warren High
Warren High's Devilettes are holding a clinic for poms/dance wannabes on Sunday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Warren High on Almond Road.
CLC gives up 128 points in season opener
Mott Community College in Flint, Mich., is a powerhouse in men's basketball, and it showed on Saturday as the Bears routed College of Lake County 128-91 in the Lancers' season opener on Saturday.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Ex-Warren High stars courting success
Bonato: So far, so good this season for former Warren High hoops star Ceola Clark. The
redshirt sophomore (he missed a year with the dreaded ACL injury) is
carving out his niche on the hardwood at Western Illinois University in
Macomb. Ceola scored a game-high 21 points in WIU's 11-point exhibition-game win over NCAA Division III Monmouth College.
Harris apologizes for punch
Saying he was embarrassed and that he has to control himself, Chicago Bears defensive tackle Tommie Harris apologized Monday for throwing a punch at Arizona Cardinals offensive lineman Deuce Lutui. Harris was ejected on the fourth play from scrimmage of Sunday's game after he and Lutui wound up on the ground on a run play. Harris apologized to teammates, Bears fans and to Lutui.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Putting his best foot forward
Every time the Lakes Eagles went to war on the gridiron this season, they had a weapon in their arsenal no other area team possessed. Junior Mike Beckman, who shattered a single-season Lake County record by kicking 13 field goals this year, gave coach Luke Mertens and his charges a leg up on the competition with his ability to put the ball through the uprights. The previous record for Lake County was seven, set in 2007.
Warner, Cardinals shred Bears 41-21
Kurt Warner envisioned doing this on a regular basis at Soldier Field. Good thing for the Arizona Cardinals, the Chicago Bears took a pass on him. One week after throwing five interceptions, Warner tied a career high by throwing five touchdown passes while Larry Fitzgerald added 123 yards receiving to lead the Arizona Cardinals to an easy 41-21 win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Lake Zurich advances to Class 7A quarterfinals
Max Methling kicked three field goals, and Jacob Brinlee’s nine-yard touchdown run with 1 minute 56 seconds left gave Lake Zurich a 30-28 victory over Crystal Lake South on Saturday in the Round of 16 of the IHSA Class 7A prep football playoffs. The Bears are now 8-3 and will play on the road against either Prospect or Wheaton North in the quarterfinals next weekend.
Lakes bows out of football playoffs with 42-17 loss
Things looked rosy early on in the first football playoff home game in Lakes High history. The Eagles, playing before a packed house, led 14-0 at the end of the first quarter, capitalizing on two fumbles by the visiting Woodstock Blue Streaks. But once Woodstock began securing the ball, it was all downhill for the home team as the Streaks, showing equal ability to pass and run, eliminated Lakes in this second–round Class 5A game 42-17.
Poor start dooms Vernon Hills
Glenbard South scored the first 33 points of the game, then held on for a 33-27 victory over Vernon Hills here on Saturday in the Round of 16 in the IHSA Class 5A prep football playoffs. The Cougars finished their season 8-3 while Glenbard South will face either Woodstock or Lakes in the quarterfinals next weekend. Early mistakes doomed the visitors, who used an interception and fumble recovery to post two early scores.
Warren falls to Loyola Academy in second round
What we learned on the gridiron this weekend is that while the North Suburban Conference Lake Division plays a pretty good brand of football, it’s just not the same as what they’re doing in the Chicago Catholic League’s Blue Division. Loyola Academy’s 21-7 win over Warren High on Saturday in the Round of 16 of the IHSA Class 8A playoffs meant that the Catholic League’s elite division’s four playoff qualifiers went a combined 8-0 over the first two weekends of postseason play.
Hlavin leads Lake Forest to conference title
VERNON HILLS – Sophomore sensation Mika Hlavin won two individual events and led off two winning relay teams to lead Lake Forest High to the team title in the North Suburban Conference girls swimming meet that was held here Saturday.
Mt. Carmel beats Stevenson 23-16
Markell Brown and the Mount Carmel defense heard the talk all week that they needed to step up and deliver. With Stevenson facing a fourth-and-3 with just over a minute to go, a big rush by Brown forced an incompletion and gave the Caravan a 23-16 victory in the second round of the IHSA Class 8A playoffs Friday night at Gately Stadium.
A gym (d)Andi
Three minutes. That's all the time Andi Potkonjak spent on the hardwood last season before suffering the dreaded ACL injury that ended what should have been a breakout season for the then-sophomore at Antioch High. Despite losing a key piece of the hoops puzzle, the Sequoits still were respectable, finishing 14-14. And now, with Potkonjak almost fully recovered and back at point guard, this season's outlook couldn't be brighter.
Grayslake-based team fourth in tournament
Westlake Christian Academy's girls volleyball team placed fourth in a field of 13 high school that competed in the Association of Christian Schools International Tournament in Sycamore.
Different look in 2010
Chris Getz and Josh Fields are now Royals, Mark Teahen is now the White Sox's starting third baseman, Jermaine Dye is all but gone, talks with free agent-to-be Scott Podsednik have disintegrated, and Gordon Beckham is now the new starting second baseman.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Zion takes hands-on approach in stadium dealings
Day: When Northern League commissioner Clark Griffith declared at Thursday's official groundbreaking ceremony for the new baseball stadium in Zion that will be used by the Lake County Fielders, that the Fielders would win a championship in the near future, it drew cheers from the hundreds of dignitaries and fans in attendance. While the scheduled first pitch at the new stadium is just seven months away, there is still much work to be done before "Play Ball!" can be called by an umpire in Zion.
Group takes LEAD role in war against drugs
Schools throughout our area have been holding red-ribbon events in recent weeks to draw attention to the never-ending fight against drugs. Joining that fight in the Lake Forest/Lake Bluff area is LEAD -- Linking Efforts Against Drugs. Last weekend, LEAD hosted its second annual Red Ribbon Run -- a 3.1-mile race and two-mile fun walk that started and ended at Elawa Farms Park in Lake Forest.
Gurnee-based Wave win tourney
The Gurnee-based Warren Township Girls Softball's travel program, the Wave, had a successful fall program, with the age 14-under team finishing first and the 12-under team finishing second in the Pumpkin Classic in Glenview.
Renegades team finishes season in style
The Waukegan-based Renegades age 18-under travel softball team completed its fall season in style, winning a round-robin tournament it hosted last weekend.
Local club qualifies three for Border Wars
Three members of the Fox Lake/Antioch-based Lakeland Predators Youth Wrestling Club excelled in a recent tournament at North Central College in Naperville, and earned the right to compete in the Illinois/Michigan Border Wars Tournament.
For Cutler, no receiver envy
CHICAGO -- There's no truth to the notion Jay Cutler will turn green with envy, if not Cardinals red, at the sight of the receivers on the other side when the Chicago Bears host Arizona on Sunday.
Turner is back running strong
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Michael Turner did some self-scouting last week to find out why he wasn't breaking off big runs for the Atlanta Falcons.
Deng steps up on both ends
CLEVELAND -- Luol Deng scored 15 points and helped stop LeBron James on a drive in the final seconds as the Chicago Bulls ended Cleveland's three-game winning streak with an 86-85 win over the Cavaliers on Thursday night.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Meet the new Queen Bee
She hasn't even begun her first season as head girls varsity basketball coach at Zion-Benton, and already Tanya Johnson seems to have things backward. "I'm the lucky one here," said the Hall of Famer following Tuesday's practice. From the outside looking in, quite the opposite would appear to be true. It's the players and their families who are blessed.
Lake Division powers dominate
Lake Zurich and Lake Forest were the last two North Suburban Conference teams standing in this year's IHSA boys soccer tournament. So, it was fitting that the Bears and Scouts each had six players named to the North Suburban All-Conference Team that was announced recently.
Lilly has shoulder surgery
Chicago Cubs left-hander Ted Lilly, who's been one of the team's most consistent starters the last three seasons, had surgery on his left shoulder and no timetable has been set for his return.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Hersey ends Mundelein's season
This one will hurt for a while. But once the pain of being
wiped out by state super-power Hersey on Tuesday night in the IHSA Class 4A Stevenson Sectional semifinals subsides, the members of Mundelein High's girls volleyball team will look back at their 2009 season and the following four words surely will come to mind: A job well done.
Lake Forest soccer team denied trip to Final Four
Lake Forest High's defense had been spot-on with no goals allowed
during its four-game win streak in the IHSA Class 4A boys soccer
playoffs. But two defensive lapses in the first half of Tuesday's
Round of 8 super-sectional here at Loyola University against defending state-champion New Trier proved costly to the Scouts in a 2-1 loss.
Deng helps club avert disaster
CHICAGO -- Luol Deng scored 24 points while grabbing a career-high 20 rebounds, and the Bulls rallied from 18 down to beat the Milwaukee Bucks 83-81 on Tuesday night.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Antioch youths are pin-ball wizards
Based on what is happening in the Youth League at Antioch Lanes,
you have to think that Antioch and Lakes -- the two high schools in the
area -- need to start thinking in terms of adding the sport of boys
bowling to their athletic programs. One reason why: In the age 12-over division, 14-year-old Ryan Reitmayer bowled 257-234-229--720. He's also the youngest known bowler in the U.S. to roll a perfect game in a Sport League.
Utley, Lee help Phils avoid elimination
Chase Utley hit two home runs to raise his World Series total to a record-tying five, Cliff Lee won again and the Philadelphia Phillies staved off elimination with an 8-6 victory over the New York Yankees in Game 5 on Monday night. The Phillies hung on to close their deficit to 3-2. The Yankees scored three times in the eighth inning and put two runners on in the ninth before Derek Jeter grounded into a double play.
Five-week camp starts next month in Libertyville
The Lake County Blitz Youth Football Training Camp will be based out of the Libertyville Sports Complex for the second straight year, and this year's five-week weekend camp will begin in December.
Grayslake North graduate sets fast pace at CLC
Grayslake North High graduate Nick Lane came up huge for the College of Lake County in Saturday's NJCAA Region IV (northern half of Illinois) men's cross-country meet at Waubonsee Community College.
Bears have room to improve
Jay Cutler was on the run and bleeding for much of the game, yet he insisted afterward he was fine. No reason to worry.
Monday, November 2, 2009
The sons also rise
Living six doors away from each other since the sixth grade, Vernon Hills High football stars DaVaris Daniels and Evan Spencer have found enough in common through the years to become best friends. Juniors on a successful 8-2 Cougars team that has already racked up an IHSA Class 5A playoff win, the pair are also sons of prominent NFL fathers. DaVaris' dad is Washington Redskins defensive end Philip Daniels and Evan's dad is Bears running-backs coach Tim Spencer.
Cleveland in a word: Non-competitive
Pounded the previous week and losers of two straight, the Chicago Bears couldn't afford to go down again. Good thing for them that Derek Anderson and the Cleveland Browns were in town. Jay Cutler threw for 225 yards, Matt Forte ran for two touchdowns and the Bears (4-3) beat the bumbling Browns 30-6 Sunday. "It's good to get a win at home but offensively we've got to get to work," Cutler said.
Robert Morris bowling teams are on a roll
The Waukegan-based Robert Morris University men's bowling team claimed its second championship in three tournament starts this season, defeating defending national champion Wichita State in the match-play finals of the Illinois Bowling Professionals Association Collegiate Classic in Addison last weekend.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Vernon Hills rolls 48-0 over Chicago Brooks
Scoring touchdowns the first five times they touched the ball, the Vernon Hills Cougars enjoyed a Class 5A opening round football blowout with a 48-0 win over the Brooks Eagles of the Chicago Public League. Six different Vernon Hills players scored on the day, as the Cougars (8-2) rushed to a 42-0 halftime lead and a merciful running clock for the visitors.
Warren dominant in playoff opener
Some would say it was over a week ago, which is when the IHSA announced pairings for the Claass 8A (big schools) football playoffs and matched area powerhouse Warren with Chicago Curie from the Chicago Public League in the first round. The game on the field went just as everyone expected. Warren scored the game’s first 35 points, led 35-7 at halftime, and moved the game into running-clock mode with 3:57 left in the quarter en route a 49-7 beatdown of the Condors.
Red-hot Lake Forest beats Deerfield
Way back in early September, Deerfield High’s boys soccer team came into Lake Forest and went home with a 2-0 win over the home team and the championship trophy from the Lake Forest Invitational tournament.
Lakes capitalizes on luck of draw
CHICAGO – Lakes High’s high-flying Eagles took advantage of a fortuitous draw and drilled Senn High from the Chicago Public League 40-20 here Saturday in the first round of the IHSA Class 5A football palyoffs.
Defense does it for Lake Zurich
ROLLING MEADOWS – Lake Zurich High’s defensive unit held high-powered Rolling Meadows in check and the Bears’ offense produced enough points to earn a 16-6 victory over Saturday in the first round of the IHSA Class 7A football playoffs.
Lake Forest’s 20-game winning streak stunned
After beating New Trier 1-0 and 2-1 during the regular season, the Scouts could not complete the three-game sweep and lost the match that counted the most, 1-0 to the Trevians here in the finals of the state field tournament that was hosted by Oak Park-River Forest High.
Prospect's ground game too powerful for Carmel
When the triple-option is your offense, it's tough to come from behind, especially when an opponent jumps out to a 19-0 lead. That was the predicament the Carmel Corsairs found themselves in on the way to a 33-13 loss to the Prospect Knights in Friday's first-round IHSA
Class 7A football playoff game. Even when they were down by that margin, Carmel, which was just 2 for 7 passing with one interception, felt that it's best bet was to run the ball.
Waukegan teen bowls 300 ... for FOURTH time
Don't know if there's such a thing as a quota on the number of perfect games that can be rolled by residents of one city. But if there is, we now know the reason why so few of the rest of us have been fortunate enough to post a 300 game. Michael Hersman is hogging them all.
Boston rolls past Bulls
BOSTON -- Paul Pierce scored 20 of his 22 points in the third quarter, and the Boston Celtics rolled to a 118-90 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Friday night in the teams' first matchup since last spring's thrilling seven-game playoff series.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Sequoits survive without 'A' game
After dusting off Chicago Lake View 25-2, 25-3 in the first IHSA Class 3A girls volleyball regional semifinal at Antioch High on Thursday, Prairie Ridge and its coaches took a seat to watch their Saturday title-game opponent. The third-seeded Wolves (26-9) must have left Antioch pretty confident, as the Sequoits did not display their "A" game" in a 25-15, 25-16 victory over Grayslake North in the second semifinal.
Yankees even Series at 1-1
Mark Teixeira and Hideki Matsui shook the New York Yankees from their lumber slumber and sent the World Series to Philadelphia all tied up. Teixeira and Matsui hit solo homers off familiar foe Pedro Martinez, backing a sharp performance by A.J. Burnett and giving the Yankees a 3-1 victory over the Phillies in Game 2 on Thursday night.
Prep stats
Statistics Through Saturday's games. Based on reports from area coaches. To report scores and stats, fax to (847) 249-7202 or e-mail dmasterson@scn1.com
Bulldogs extend fun season
With a record jut a big over .500, there are many who would consider this Waukegan High girls volleyball season a bit of a disappointment. The club boasts four really good players: Victoria Drasler, Sarah and Amy Angelos, and my personal favorite, Katie O'Conner. But the big season didn't happen.
Fielders to open in Winnipeg
The Zion-based Lake County Fielders minor-league baseball team will get one of its longest road trips of the year out of the way early when it opens its first season in the Northern League on Thursday, May 20, in Winnipeg, Canada.
Rose impressive in season opener
CHICAGO -- Derrick Rose scored 13 points and had seven assists to lead the balanced Chicago Bulls to an impressive 92-85 season-opening victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday.
Rinne gets first shutout of the season for Preds
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Pekka Rinne made 22 saves for his first shutout of the season and fifth overall, and Joel Ward scored on a second-period power play in the Nashville Predators' 2-0 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Spirit of competition
They came, they cheered (and pom/danced), and they conquered. So it went at Grayslake North High last Saturday when the two Grayslake high schools -- North and Central -- co-hosted Spirit Quest 2009/Pretty In Pink. This was a huge poms/dance, and cheerleading competition for the squads who support youth football teams in the area.
Scouts take out top-seeded Palatine
At the high-school level, a soccer game is 80 minutes long. But within that long time frame, there are plenty of snapshots. So it was at Stevenson High in Lincolnshire on Wednesday as Lake Forest High continued its stunning postseason run by stunning top-seeded Palatine 1-0 in the semifinals of the IHSA Class 3A (big schools) sectional.
Rose eager to build on last season's success
If not for the ankle injury that hampered Derrick Rose for much of the preseason, the main topic surrounding the Bulls as they approach the season opener Thursday against the San Antonio Spurs would be how much better the second-year point guard will be this season.
Harris returns to practice
Back at practice, Tommie Harris appeared to be in a good mood as he walked off the field giggling with linebackers Lance Briggs and Jamar Williams.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Scouts aiming for another state title
With the artificial surface at Illinois Benedictine University's
football stadium the site of this weekend's IHSFHA state field-hockey finals, Lake Forest High didn't mind moving Tuesday's
quarterfinal-round contest against Lake Forest Academy from the
picturesque lawn in front of its school to the turf surface at its
football field on the west side of town.
Deer present a moving target
<b id=red>Abderholden </b>Hunting season starts soon, but this is also the most dangerous time of the year for deer/car collisions.You might not realize it, but Lake County is No. 6 on the list of Illinois counties for deer/car collisions with 553. Last year in Illinois, there were a total of 24,212 deer/car crashes and 758 injuries, including two deaths in a single car/deer crash.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Key to success in school's weight room
Waukegan High first-year football coach Derek Dewitt knew this year was going to be a tough one. "We only had three seniors on the roster who had four years of experience," said Dewitt, whose inaugural team completed a 1-8 season on Saturday with a 21-14 loss to Niles West, a team that entered the contest with the identical record as the Bulldogs. "I knew it was going to be a rough road."
Z-B football needs to be in a win-win situation
Bonato: It's time for Lonnie Bible to earn whatever portion of his athletic director's salary is designated for providing some TLC to Zion-Benton High's football program.
Now that it appears he has the right man -- Bob Strickland -- in place to head the grid program, it's paramount that Lonnie put the team in the best possible position to take the next step forward. And that would be making the IHSA playoffs.
All-conference honors for CLC
Freshman Alyssa Sowers (Zion-Benton High grad) finished 10th in the women's race to earn all-conference honors in the Skyway Conference cross-country meet that was held last Saturday at Waubonsee Community College.
Smith, Harris not on same page
Bears coach Lovie Smith wants to see defensive tackle Tommie Harris practicing more often before he puts the Pro Bowler into a game.
Amazing Kane goal thrills home crowd
CHICAGO -- Patrick Kane scored a spectacular third-period goal just 3:25 after Minnesota had made it a one-goal game and the Chicago Blackhawks went on to win 3-1 Monday night, dropping the Wild to 0-8 on the road.
Monday, October 26, 2009
The Elite Eight
There are a half-dozen, plus two more things you need to know about our survivors of a wet and wild prep football regular season. The number one thing to know is that the best place to be in the 32-team bracket is on the same line as the name of a school from the Chicago Public League. As a general rule, they play pretty sorry ball, which could mean that Christmas came early this year to Warren, Highland Park, Vernon Hills and Lakes.
Defense embarrassed, and it's not alone
No need to rub it in. Everyone knew what Cedric Benson had just done. He got his revenge, all right. Benson ran for a career-high 189 yards and a touchdown against the team
that let him go, and Carson Palmer threw five touchdown passes -- four
during Cincinnati's dominant first half -- in a shocking 45-10 victory
Sunday that will go down as one of the worst days in Bears history.
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