Saavedra leads Celtics past Wildcats in soccer
It was Joe Saavedra to the rescue for the Providence Catholic High School boys soccer team. Saavedra scored 2 goals in the first half Wednesday, leading the Celtics to a 2-1 nonconference victory over Plainfield Central. Alec Pickett made 17 saves for Providence (2-3).

L-Way C. builds with Byar essentials
In the Lincoln-Way Central High School volleyball camp, optimism comes in all sizes and shapes. Take Jamie Rademacher. She is a 6-foot-1 middle hitter who already has committed to play in the Division I ranks next year at Central Connecticut.

JCA starts with sweep of Hinsdale S.
Behind the setting of senior Gina Vera, the hitting of junior Annemarie Hickey and a host of junior newcomers, the Joliet Catholic Academy volleyball team opened the season as usual. With a win.

LWC softball team honored for state win
Lincoln-Way Central's state championship softball team has had a busy few weeks gracefully accepting congratulatory messages from area elected officials.

Kitchen work helps use up every part of the hunt
Being a good sportsman or woman, you should have an appreciation for our natural resources. Along with that, we enjoy the privilege to hunt and keep the sport alive by not wasting what we harvest.

East tops Providence, again, in opener
Providence Catholic High School football coach Mark Coglianese posed an interesting question Friday night after his Celtics suffered an all-too-familiar fate against neighborhood rival Lincoln-Way East. "How good is East, anyway?" Coglianese. East won 18-14.

Phoenix falls in opener against Oswego East
There were moments during the first half of Friday's inaugural varsity football game when Lincoln-Way North made plays against Oswego East like a savvy, experienced team The Phoenix blocked a punt. They kicked a field goal, and stopped an Oswego East drive very near the red zone.

Lincoln-Way Central turns up the defense in debut

NEW LENOX -- The defense did the job in Dougherty's debut.

Middle D to anchor the Griffins
Rob Zvonar picked a good year to "fire" himself. He no longer is occupying two titles on the Lincoln-Way East football coaching staff. Yes, he still is the Griffins' head coach. No, he is not the defensive coordinator. He has handed that job off to David Woodburn.

Dougherty takes the helm at L-Way Central
No, Lincoln-Way Central administrators did not hire a foreign language instructor to coach football at the high school. It just seems like Tim Dougherty is speaking Greek because he is putting in an all-new system.

Top lineman Ward leader of Celtics
Matt Senffner is long gone. His legacy still lives on at Providence. Senffner built the Celtics into a football powerhouse by focusing much of his own personal attention on offensive line play.

Providence's Ward likes to protect the QB
Quarterbacks get all the glory, all the attention. Quarterbacks rake in the endorsements. Quarterbacks date the prettiest girls. Every fantasy football expert in America can name Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Tony Romo and, of course, Brett Favre.

sportsbriefs

Knights softball team receives honors
Lincoln-Way Central’s state championship softball team has had a busy few weeks gracefully accepting congratulatory messages from area elected officials.

Excitement builds at Autobahn Club
It might seem unlikely that one of the Autobahn Country Club's co-founders, Mike Keck, can play the dual role of charming host and track bully at this weekend's Robby Rahal Historic Races.

New Lenox athletes making a splash
Bentley College freshman goaltender Joe Calvi , a New Lenox native, was selected to the 2008 Atlantic Hockey All-Conference Third Team, as well as the All-Rookie Team.

Chicago River a great big city fishing spot
A day of fishing that is so much fun for me is heading down to the Chicago River to fish for bass or whatever else that might be biting. Fishing the Chicago River in downtown Chicago is such a neat experience.

Local sports briefs
The Mokena Park District is offering men's 30 and older fall basketball league. Registration deadline is Aug. 26. No refunds after this date.

Backman ejected as Hammers lose to Fargo
With just over two weeks left in the regular season, the JackHammers knew they were in for a fight for their Northern League playoff lives. That fight certainly showed in the eighth inning of Friday's game when Hammers manager Wally Backman was tossed for arguing a call on a hit-by-pitch.

Joliet mom a member of U.S. Pankration team
Four years ago, Pankration, a mixed martial art that combines wrestling and boxing, was proposed as an Olympic sport, but did not make the final list. Four years ago, Laura Edler-Hill wasn't much of an athlete. As the Summer Olympics began in Beijing last week, Pankration is still not an Olympic sport, but the mother of three has lost 70 pounds."I am on Team USA," she said.

Neighbors pitch in for local charity
When illness strikes a neighbor, many are left wondering what they can do to help their fellow resident through the tough times that inevitably follow. In 1997, Frankfort residents took that question and turned it into action.

Olympic dream come true for local swimmer
Christine Magnuson, of Tinley Park, wasn't expected to come close to making the U.S. Olympic swimming team a year ago.

sportsbriefs

Lincoln-Way fishermen and women chime in
I must have struck a chord with many Lincoln-Way readers when I wrote about fishing the local ponds in my July 23 article. Boy, have the letters and e-mails been coming in. My readers are saying it loud and saying it proud, and I want to share some of them with you.

Dreesen celeb invite in Bolingbrook next week
The Tom Dreesen Celebrity Invitational golf tournament at Bolingbrook Golf Club, benefitting the United Way of Will County, is scheduled next week.

Women are bowling them over
They brought in extra seating Wednesday night to accommodate the overflow crowd wanting to see the finals of the U.S. Women's Open bowling tournament at Brunswick Zone XL Lanes.