Panthers' upset bid turned away
For four quarters, the Oswego defense dictated the tone of Friday night's game against Providence Catholic in a second round Class 6A playoff game. Unfortunately, overtime between the Panthers and Celtics gave Providence the opportunity to run tailback Timothy Hanrahan from the 10-yard line.

'D' Bulls top LeBron
Would you believe the Bulls won for a second straight game because of their -- ahem -- defense? Believe it.

Kaneland's Dudzinski commits to Holy Cross
Kaneland High School senior David Dudzinski said Tuesday he has chosen Holy Cross over Loyola of Chicago in announcing his verbal commitment to the Patriot League school.

Quiet leader: Former Oswego standout Teah Gant
In a large ballroom at a Chicago airport hotel, there are faces in the crowd most basketball fans would recognize. Tom Izzo. Bruce Weber. Gene Keady. Coaching stars, present and past. Sitting at one large round table in the middle of the room is the face of an athlete not nearly as famous as those coaches mentioned above. Yet her impact on the program she represents is just as irreplaceable.

Narrow miss for Waubonsie in loss to DGS
Downers Grove South found a way to grind out 10 needed points in the second half and stood breathless as it saw a 40-yard field goal by Waubonsie Valley with 28 seconds remaining sail wide left. That allowed the Mustangs to squeak out a 22-21 win in a Class 8A first-round playoff game at Benedictine University.

Neuqua beats WW South in sectional final
Wheaton Warrenville South and Neuqua Valley played to a draw after 80 minutes of regulation and four 10-minute overtimes sessions before Neuqua took matters into its own hands and scored a 4-2 victory in penalty kicks to earn a 2-1 win Saturday afternoon to claim the Class 3A Naperville North Sectional championship.

Marmion soccer wins first sectional title
For the first time in the history of the Marmion soccer program, the Cadets earned a sectional title. They topped conference rival Wheaton Academy 2-1 to win the Class 2A Hampshire Sectional.

Vikings survive muddy road to state
Blustery conditions and a muddy, nasty track greeted the field at the Class 3A St. Charles East sectionals Saturday, but Geneva advanced both its boys and girls squads to next week's state meet in Peoria.

N. North's power too much for Waubonsie
As the underdog No. 6 sectional seed facing No. 3 Naperville North, Waubonsie Valley shot out to an early lead in the first game of the Class 4A Joliet Township Regional final Saturday. Behind the early strength of Martha Stewart (eight kills), Alexandra Simmons (three blocks), and Nicole Salmon, the Warriors jumped to leads of 6-1 and 13-7.

Panthers stand their ground in the mud
It almost slipped away in the mud at Fred Carlton Field, but the Oswego defense wouldn't let it go. They held off Bloomington 28-26 on Friday in a first-round Class 6A playoff game and move on to next week's second-round matchup with Providence.

Aurora Christian falls to Winnebago
Aurora Christian's season may not have ended on a deflected pass that wound up in the hands of Winnebago linebacker Michael Sojka, but the turnover late in the first half of the Indians' 28-14 Class 3A first-round victory over the Eagles proved the catalyst for that end.

Area roundup
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Cadets, Vikings ready for matches
Marmion's soccer team is preparing for Wednesday's Class 2A Hampshire Sectional semifinal match against Lakes, and is relieved it advanced to this point.

Bring it on: Area teams ready for playoffs
Saturday's IHSA playoff pairings selection was more interesting than in years past and created drama up and down the eight-class system. First, the IHSA (at the request of the Chicago Public League) allowed the top two teams in each of the Chicago conferences into the playoffs instead of the usual one, creating more teams.

Wildcats complete hat trick vs. Warriors
Neuqua dominated its District 204 rival for a third time and scored an impressive 3-0 victory over Waubonsie Valley to claim a Class 3A regional championship on Saturday afternoon at Metea Valley.

Vikings muster sweep
Geneva runners Kevin McDowell and Kevin Sparks spend a lot of time running shoulder to shoulder -- they are good friends and training partners. So it was no surprise they were doing so Saturday with about a half-mile to go at the Class 3A West Aurora Regional.

Waubonsie breezes past East Aurora
The Waubonsie Valley football team is used to two things by now: winning and playing in cold and rainy conditions. The Warriors made it four straight wins by beating East Aurora 42-6 on Friday.

Oswego grabs share of title
"Last week wasn't our night," said Oswego coach Dave Keely, referring to his team's loss to Minooka that dropped them into a tie for first place in the Southwest Prairie Conference. It was the Panthers' night Friday in their 27-0 win over a Romeoville team desperate to lock up a playoff spot.

Maroons dominated in loss to Wildcats
Joe Ippolito and the Neuqua Valley Wildcats were left to ponder how differently the 2009 campaign could have gone if they had turned in results like the one they had in the season finale against Elgin.

Adams shines for PFS in win over Oswego E.
It's becoming all too familiar for the Plainfield South football team. For the second straight year, the Cougars finished 5-4 and will likely miss the playoffs after a 40-15 win over Oswego East.

Oswego graduate signs with Red Stars
Julianne Sitch is coming home. The Chicago Red Stars announced Friday that the 2002 Oswego graduate has signed as a free agent with the Women's Professional Soccer franchise.

'Mini-state meet' on tap at Oakhurst

Saturday's Class 2A Aurora Central Catholic Regional at Oakhurst Forest Preserve could be called a mini-state meet, with four highly ranked teams battling for a trip to the loaded Belvidere Sectional the following week.

Vikings begin title defense Saturday

Two-time defending state champion Geneva on Saturday begins its quest for a third state title when it headlines the Class 3A West Aurora Regional at Waubonsee Community College.

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Powerful St. Francis too much for Rosary
The Rosary volleyball team made the most of its final regular season match against St. Francis, but a valiant showing was not enough to overcome the formidable Spartans.

ACC volleyball wraps up conference title
Believe it — the Aurora Central Catholic girls volleyball team is this year's Suburban Christian Conference champion in the Gold Division under first-year coach Jeanne Czipri.

Hanold's knack for shutouts continues
Zeroes follow Claire Hanold. They first caught up to her when she played goalie for the Waubonsie Valley girls soccer team. Now they've followed her to DePaul where those shutouts are becoming as regular as the Brown Line trains that rattle past Wish Field.

It's on: Waubonsie vs. Neuqua Part III
The anticipated matchup between Waubonsie Valley and Neuqua Valley will take place Saturday, but it certainly wasn't a sure thing. In the nightcap of a Class 3A Waubonsie Valley Regional doubleheader, the host Warriors held on to defeat Plainfield Central 2-1.

State 'a great experience' for young Warriors
Things didn't go as his team planned or hoped, but Waubonsie Valley boys golf coach David Owles figures the players will learn from it. "We went in not just wanting to show up, so the way we played as a team was disappointing, but the whole weekend was a great experience," he said after his club shot 651 to finish ninth at the IHSA Class 3A State Tournament at The Den at Fox Creek.

Paradise's two goals lift Wolves
The Plainfield North soccer team withstood the wind-aided, first-half barrage from Oswego East by stubbornly sticking legs in the way of multiple shots within the box.

Doubles final becomes a 'Sister Act'
Not only were the highly-touted Oswego East sisters Jourdan and Kylee Jackson in the final, but they were going up against the Henry sisters, Brooke and Haley, from West Aurora. In the match of the sectional, the Jacksons played inspired tennis in the third set to claim their second sectional title 6-2, 4-6, 6-1.

Waubonsie Valley cashes in on turnovers
Waubonsie Valley's football team knew that even if it lost Friday's Upstate Eight Conference game against Lake Park, it could still win next week against East Aurora to become playoff-eligible. Waubonsie forced four turnovers, converting all of them into points, in taking down the UEC-leading Lancers in convincing fashion, 36-14 on Friday.

Oswego surrenders ground in SPC race
With chilly temperatures and a muddy field, Friday's matchup between Oswego and Minooka showed all the potential of a smash-mouth football game. But in the end, it was Minooka that did all the smashing, as the Indians' 34-14 win evened the standings between the teams at 5-1 in Southwest Prairie Conference play with one week to go in the regular season.

Larkin runs away from East Aurora
In all likelihood the road to the playoffs for Larkin will have to go through South Elgin.However, before the Royals could focus on that game, they needed to take care of business Friday. And they did just that with a 58-14 Upstate Eight Conference rout of East Aurora at Memorial Field.

Saints beat Neuqua, clinch piece of UEC title
Living on the edge seems to fit St. Charles East just fine. The Saints relied on their steely defense to pull out another squeaker on Friday night, prevailing 7-3 over Upstate Eight Conference foe Neuqua Valley.

Area roundup
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Local group packing golf bags for state
Seven local individuals from Class 1A and 2A and one team from 3A, Waubonsie Valley, are heading to Bloomington this weekend for the state boys golf tournaments.

East Aurora's Kanneh full of potential
Growing up in the West African country of Liberia, East Aurora freshman Abraham Kanneh's development as a soccer player could be likened to a baseball player growing up in the Dominican Republic. Tales of now-famous baseball players playing in the streets with milk cartons as gloves in the Dominican are similar to Kanneh's stories of playing soccer as a young child.

Area roundup
A roundup of local results.

Robinson's development a bright spot for Tomcats
Sitting in Bill Bryant's office, Bryan Robinson sat quietly as his coach talked about his talent and his mistakes. He didn't revel in praise, didn't sour at criticism. He took it all in, looking down at his hands. For East Aurora, they're a good pair to be in.

Bulldogs put up fight
Batavia's girls golf team knew that it was probably slotted third heading into Tuesday's Class AA St. Ignatius Sectional at Cog Hill No. 1, with the top two teams advancing to this weekend's state meet. That didn't stop the Bulldogs from putting on one heck of a battle.

Area roundup
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Panthers grab dramatic win in OT
As the postgame fireworks display erupted over the soggy, torn-up field of grass at Plainfield Central, it mirrored explosive reactions from both Oswego and Plainfield Central as a final touchdown signaled an end to an emotional, physical battle between the Southwest Prairie Conference schools.

Plainfield N. takes its fifth vs. Oswego E.
Kapri Bibbs scored 4 touchdowns and rushed 26 times for 244 yards as Plainfield North High School (5-2, 3-2) defeated Oswego East 41-6 Friday night in Southwest Prairie Conference play.

SC North rolls past Neuqua
Big plays set St. Charles North back on the path to the playoffs on Friday night, while the lack of them ensured Neuqua Valley wouldn't participate in the postseason.

Warriors dispatch Maroons
Waubonsie Valley recovered from an early turnover to score 21 first-half points on its way to a 41-0 shutout of Elgin on Friday night, breaking a two-game losing streak in the process.

Area roundup
A roundup of local results.