North Stars hang on, advance to quarters
With one spectacular defensive play, senior linebacker Dominic Imbordino lifted St. Charles North into the state quarterfinals for the first time in school history. Imbordino came up with a season-saving interception with 43 seconds left in the game to lift the North Starts to a thrilling 20-14 victory Friday night over Elk Grove in the second round of the Class 7A playoffs.

St. Charles East hangs on to beat York
After dropping the second set 18-25 to York in the title match of the Geneva Class 4A Sectional, the St. Charles Saints stayed composed, changed the lineup a bit and took control for a 25-22, 18-25, 25-19 win and their third consecutive sectional title.

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

Gridiron preview
A roundup of what's coming this weekend in high school football.

Big receivers delivering for North Stars
As if one talented 6-foot-4 wide receiver wasn't enough, St. Charles North added another late in the season.

Area runners look for strong finish
Three local cross country teams return to Detweiller Park in Peoria for the Class 3A State Finals this weekend, all looking to improve on last year's finishes.

Saints, Red Raiders eye sectional titles
When St. Charles East takes the court tonight in the title match of the Geneva Class 4A Sectional, it will be looking for its third straight trip to the Elite 8. Meanwhile, York, its opponent, might have revenge on its mind. Just last year, the Saints (31-6) beat the Dukes 25-21, 25-19 in the title match of York's own sectional.

Saints overwhelm Stars, head to sectional final
On a big stage against its biggest rival, St. Charles East again demonstrated the intensity and skill that made it state champion a year ago. The Saints were simply too much for St. Charles North on Tuesday, winning 25-16, 25-17, and putting themselves on the doorstep of winning the Geneva Class 4A Sectional.

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.

North Stars exact revenge against Storm
St. Charles North made the most of a rare second chance Saturday. Two weeks after losing to South Elgin in overtime, the North Stars returned to the scene of that defeat and ended the Storm's season with a 28-16 win at Millennium Field in the first round of the Class 7A state playoffs.

St. Charles East bows out in opener
Five turnovers and second-half offensive woes doomed the St. Charles East on Saturday, as they fell to Rockton Hononegah 26-7 in round one of the Class 7A state playoffs.

Spartans overpower Knights with ground game
The battle between a pair of 6-3 Western Sun Conference rivals never really materialized Saturday night as Sycamore ran roughshod over Kaneland 40-13.

SCN rallies past Bartlett to win regional crown
Host St. Charles North overcame a slow start in Saturday's Class 4A regional championship match against fifth-seeded Bartlett and rallied to defeat the Hawks 17-25, 25-20, 25-20.

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.

Experienced North defense a handful
St. Charles North coach Mark Gould doesn't have to worry about rookie mistakes from his defense. That's because all 11 defensive starters for the North Stars are seniors, giving the team a level of experience second to none in the area.

Area roundup
A roundup of local results.

Late charge ignites Bulldogs
Down a set, with its season in the balance, Batavia's girls volleyball team had to find a way to fight back in its Class 4A Addison Trail Regional semifinal against Wheaton Warrenville South on Thursday.

SC North's season ends with overtime loss
After a brilliant play tied the game, St. Charles North thought karma might be on its side Tuesday at the Hoffman Estates Class 3A Sectional semifinal game against Wheaton North.

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.

Six-rotation
K.C. Johnsen's only regret is that he didn't make the move sooner. "She's just a very good, athletic kid," the Geneva volleyball coach said of senior middle blocker Kelsey Augustine. "She's very quick, very fast, moves so well and has long arms so she covers a lot of ground on defense."

Wahl pushes Vikings to title
Geneva's Brady Wahl didn't do everything for his team Saturday, although at times it seemed like it. Combined with a strong defense that made life easy for goalkeeper Ryan Ward, Wahl led the Vikings to a 2-0 victory over St. Charles East to win the Class 3A regional hosted by the Saints.

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.

Saints secure outright UEC title
All season long, first-year St. Charles East football coach Mike Fields has reminded his players they only need to be "one point better" on game day. On Saturday in the crosstown classic against St. Charles North, they took him quite literally and won 14-13.

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.

Kaneland secures postseason spot
Up 7-0 with 5:28 remaining in regulation, Kaneland kicker Chad Swieca had the opportunity to put Kaneland up by two possessions on a soggy senior night in Yorkville. The freshman made his field goal, giving the Knights a 10-0 win and a berth in the playoffs.

Geneva pulls away from Batavia in fourth
One of the great rivalry games in the state played out at Bulldog Stadium in Batavia to conclude the regular season Friday. It was a much closer affair than most may have predicted, considering Geneva was 7-1 coming in and Batavia was 2-6.

Run ends in round of 16 for tennis hopefuls
Emily Reuland of Rosary was playing the best tennis of her career in the state tournament this week, but it came to an end in the Sweet 16 Friday.

Vikings polish off perfect WSC season
Geneva's girls volleyball team has nine seniors on the roster this season, and the Vikings entered Thursday's Western Sun Conference finale, and senior night, with a perfect WSC record. One of those seniors, Lauren Wicinski, made sure the WSC season was capped off right.

Royals face must win vs. Storm
At long last, Larkin and South Elgin will meet on the gridiron tonight at Memorial Field. The stakes couldn’t be much higher for the first-ever football showdown between the Royals and Storm, who despite being separated by only four miles, haven’t encountered one another due to the Upstate Eight Conference’s unbalanced schedule.

High School football preview
The crosstown showdown between the Saints and North Stars was originally scheduled for tonight, but had to be moved after East was closed for three days due to a flu outbreak. The Saints lead the all-time series 5-4 and have won four of the past five meetings between the schools.

'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.

Calendar

Rosary senior settles into comfort zone

Emily Reuland loves playing tennis indoors.

Playoff picture comes into focus for area teams
Erik Jacobsen: With one week left in the high school football season, the area's playoff picture is pretty clear. St. Charles East, South Elgin and St. Charles North have already clinched spots in the postseason with six wins.

Running game puts Vikings on sure WSC footing
Jim Owczarski: On Thursday afternoon, Geneva coach Rob Wicinski likened the current Kaneland defense to the unheralded groups that won a Western Sun Conference title in 2006 and helped the Knights claim back-to-back state titles in 1997 and 1998. But the Geneva offensive line and running back Michael Santacaterina found a groove late in the game and ground out a 27-24 overtime victory over the Knights.

South Elgin clinches first-ever playoff berth
South Elgin proved once again that it might get down, but it can never be counted out. The Storm's chances of victory against St. Charles North looked slim early in the fourth quarter Friday, but a huge defensive stop and an 80-yard touchdown pass changed the game's complexion in a hurry.

Batavia's offensive line dominates DeKalb
You can forget about time of possession. DeKalb won that battle hands down. That also goes for first downs and number of plays from scrimmage. The Barbs had those covered too. The thing is, football games come down to the final score and Batavia was all over that to the tune of 40-6 Friday night at Bulldog Stadium.

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.

Stars another tough test for Storm
South Elgin hasn't had any breaks in the schedule this season, and this week will be no different. The Storm hosts St. Charles North tonight at Millennium Field in yet another stern test for coach Dale Schabert's up-and-coming program. Going into Week 8, seven of South Elgin's nine 2009 opponents own winning records, and four -- including the North Stars -- are 6-1.

Area roundup
A roundup of local results.

Knights' Guyton takes third swing at state
A foursome carrying area hopes to the girls state golf tournaments in the Carbondale area this weekend features three fresh faces and a seasoned veteran. Kaneland junior Hayley Guyton is making her third straight appearance at state and hopes to continue her climb up the standings after tying for 68th place as a freshman and taking 42nd last year. She will be joined in the Class 2A field at Hickory Ridge Golf Course in Carbondale by the Batavia duo of sophomore Tara Cullerton and junior Megan Ramp.

Down the stretch they come
It's been awhile, but the Western Sun Conference is a horse race this year -- and tonight's game at Kaneland is the start of an exciting home stretch. Not since 2006 has the conference been this close this late in the year, and not coincidentally, that was also the last time Geneva had lost in WSC play.

Area roundup
A roundup of local results.

Bulldogs' bid comes up just short
Bundled up in sweatshirts and sweatpants, the girls tennis teams competing in the Western Sun Conference tournament Saturday probably wished there was, ironically, more western sun to combat the effects of a numbing cold that toyed with the player's mental toughness.

Tomcats hold off Saints
By no means does the East Aurora boys soccer team like ties -- but it is something that has happened to the Tomcats quite a bit this year. On Tuesday, for the second consecutive game against an Upstate Eight Conference team from St. Charles, the Tomcats posted a 1-1 tie -- this time against St. Charles East. They did it at East Aurora on Senior Night, where sox seniors were honored.

Vikings on a mission
Overlook no one. That's been the mantra for the Geneva High School volleyball team in its pursuit of another Western Sun Conference title and the players didn't have to be reminded Tuesday as they claimed a 25-17, 25-19 victory.

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.

Saints claim sectional title
St. Charles East's sustained success in girls golf has been due in large part to its depth. There was no exception on Monday at par-75 Ingersoll Golf Course as the Saints carded a 330 to win the Rockford Guilford Class AA Sectional and advance to the State Finals for the second year in a row.

Saints marching onward
Last year, St. Charles East's Wes Apple qualified for the Class 3A State Finals as an individual. This year, he'll be taking the rest of the Saints with him. East finished second at its own Class 3A Sectional on Monday at par-71 St. Andrews with a team score of 304, edging out Hinsdale Central by one stroke for the last finals spot.

Area roundup
A roundup of local sports results.

'Why not now?'
Time waits for no one. Apparently, neither does the Waubonsie Valley High School golf team. "We thought next year was going to be our year," said Warriors' sophomore Alex Koulos, echoing the prevalent sentiment heading into Monday's St. Charles East Class 3A Sectional.

Saints dash Hawks' playoff hopes
Unfortunately for Bartlett, all good things must come to an end. For the first time since 1999, the Hawks will not be heading to the state playoffs. Bartlett's fate was sealed on Friday night in a 7-3 home defeat against St. Charles East in Upstate Eight Conference play at Millennium Field.

Rochelle ends Geneva's regular-season dominance
An upset, it probably was. A fluke, it definitely wasn't. Yes, Rochelle's thrilling 21-14 victory over Geneva at muddy Burgess Field Friday night shook the high school football world.

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.

Area roundup
A roundup of local results.