Tigers cool off Mustangs' offense
Defense and special teams were key for the Wheaton Warrenville South Tigers who stifled the St. Rita Mustangs en route to a 23-14 victory in a Class 7A quarterfinal playoff matchup Nov. 13 in Chicago.

No comeback for Falcons this time
This time was different.

Raiders' valiant comeback falls short
Logan Kunzie made the right audible. On third-and-7 and the game in the balance, the Woodstock senior quarterback rolled right and hit Scott Rausch for a 77-yard game-clinching touchdown as the host Blue Streaks outlasted visiting Glenbard South 44-35 in a Class 5A quarterfinal Nov. 14.

Most awards up for grabs
And the winner is ...

Tigers return with a souvenir
Four Wheaton teams made it down to the Nov. 7 state cross-country meet at Detweiller Park in Peoria and one came back with a trophy.

Falcons' playoff run gains speed with quarterfinal berth
Down 10 points with four minutes left in Week 9 against Glenbard East, Wheaton North football coach Joe Wardynski was starting to get realistic about his 4-4 squad.

Leg pain known as shinsplints is a treatable condition
High school sports are in full swing and with them are the prevalence of shin pain in athletes' lower legs.

Geneva gels too late against WW South
Jim Owczarski: As Wheaton Warrenville South was forced into yet another second-half punt, the Geneva defensive coaches couldn't contain themselves any longer. While the hard reality is that the Vikings are going home, 30-16 losers to the Tigers Friday night in the second round of the Class 7A playoffs, the statement wasn't wishful hyperbole.

Falcons make their presence known
Wheaton North showed Oct. 31 how playoff seeds can quickly become meaningless. The Falcons (6-4) traveled to No. 2 Rockford Boylan as a 15th seed in Class 7A. North quarterback Reece Butler threw for 129 yards and two touchdowns as the Falcons upset the previously undefeated Titans, 17-13.

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

Glenbard South's quickness overwhelms
With its home field unplayable because of rain, Glenbard South used fellow district school Glenbard North's artificial turf to derail the Rochelle Hubs 35-14 in Class 5A action at Weber field in Carol Stream on Dec. 31.

Hilltoppers make quick work of first-round foe
Running backs Adam Bruere and Pierre Washington Steel had touchdown runs to help top-seeded Glenbard West down No. 16 Rockford Guilford 28-0 in Class 7A first-round play.

Tigers shake off last season's first-round blues
What a difference a year makes.

Spartans spare no one
WHEATON -- There's a reason why Kelsey Robinson, a 6-foot-1-inch senior on the St. Francis girls volleyball team, is heading to Tennessee next year.

WW South boys soccer looks back at season
All the Wheaton Warrenville South boys soccer team wanted was a shot at the best. The Tigers received their chance on Oct. 31 when they met top-ranked Neuqua Valley in the championship match of the Class 3A Naperville North Sectional.

Participants also learn at school fundraiser
SS Peter and Paul, in conjunction with Western DuPage Special Recreation Association, hosted its third annual volleyball fundraiser Tuesday at the Naperville school. The event pitted the two eighth-grade teams of each gender, sandwiched around an enlightening wheelchair basketball demonstration.

Vikings pull hat trick on Bulldogs
Give the Batavia volleyball team credit for reaching Saturday's regional final at Addison Trail after having to fight back to defeat Wheaton-Warrenville South on Thursday. But given a third chance to knock off Western Sun Conference champion and No. 2 seed Geneva, the Bulldogs were out of mojo as the Vikings (35-2) took the regional title 25-19, 25-11.

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.

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.

wild ride into the playoffs
One play decided two teams' destinies.

Hilltoppers run the table, hit 9-0
Glenbard West, ranked No. 2 by the Chicago Sun-Times, unleashed a potent ground game as running backs Adam Bruere and Pierre Washington Steel scored two touchdowns as the Hilltoppers overcame a 7-0 deficit to down host Lyons Township 28-7 on Oct. 23.

Falcons hot, reach sectional final
Wheaton North's boys soccer team was not among the favorites to reach a sectional final as the regular season came to an end.

Tigers prevail in four overtimes to reach final
If it weren't for the play of senior goalie Mike Wiest, Naperville North would not have been the No. 2 seed in the sectional or made it to the sectional semifinals.

Area tennis players wrap up successful seasons
It was only a short time after Wheaton-Warrenville South's senior doubles team of Andrea Kerwin and Melanie Milling lost their fourth-round match and ended their illustrious high school tennis careers Oct. 23.

Neuqua's 23rd straight win didn't come easy
Give extra space to a player with the talent that Neuqua Valley's Bryan Ciesiulka possesses and more than likely he'll make the opposition pay. Naperville Central discovered that the hard way Wednesday night.

North's nemesis victorious again
If it weren't for the play of senior goalie Mike Wiest, Naperville North would not have been the No. 2 seed in the sectional or made it to the sectional semifinals.

Area teams make state football playoffs
The IHSA announced the state football playoff pairings and seeds Saturday night. The following area teams made the cut: 

For whom the bell tolls
Against third-ranked Wheaton College on Saturday, No. 13 North Central College found itself in a rare position early: trailing. The Cardinals recovered from a seven-point deficit -- their first since their season opener against Ohio Northern -- to take sole possession of first place of the CCIW after a 27-7 upset of the previously undefeated Thunder.

West RB hits 1,000 in loss to WW South
No matter what route West Aurora's football season has taken this fall, there has been one constant. That constant has been senior running back Leon Spears. And he capped off his excellent career in Friday's 61-0 season-ending loss at Wheaton Warrenville South by eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark for the season.

Benet falls from soccer playoffs
The offensive struggles for the Redwings resurfaced during Benet's 1-0 loss against Wheaton Warrenville South in the Bolingbrook Regional championship played on a cold, wet and windy Friday afternoon.

The DVC throne is nearly theirs
Wheaton Warrenville South turned a potential classic DuPage Valley Conference matchup into a rout as the Tigers dominated Glenbard North 35-7 at Weber field in Carol Stream on Oct. 16.

It's a fifth-place finish for WW South
The Wheaton Warrenville South girls golf team placed fifth in the Class AA state golf meet that wrapped up Oct. 17 at Hickory Ridge Golf Course in Carbondale.

The Falcons taste this sweet victory
Wheaton North and Naperville North appeared headed toward overtime, unless someone made a difference in special teams or gained enough separation to make a big play.

Even mud doesn't stop Hilltoppers
For Downers Grove North coach John Wander and his Trojans, it must have felt like it was David versus Goliath as they prepared for undefeated Glenbard West on Oct. 16.

Glenbard West heads to state after sectional title
When the dust and the rain cleared, what seemed like a marathon tennis sectional was finally completed Oct. 19 and Glenbard West won the Downers Grove South Sectional championship 26 points to 23 over the host Mustangs.

Three area teams advance to regional finals
On Tuesday night, Wheaton Warrenville South fans found out that football is not the only game of inches.