By Bobby Narang The St. Charles East High School football team is attempting to take a giant leap this season. In recent years, the Saints’ program has been struggling to win more than two games, but the upcoming 2026-2027 season is showing signs of a possible shift of that recent
By Bobby Narang Downers Grove North High School is slated to start a new era this season. The last three seasons, all with quarterback Owen Lansu, included double-digit winning seasons highlighted by a second-place finish in 2023 in Class 7A. With Lansu at Minnesota, the Trojans are entering a new
By Bobby Narang Two years ago, Geneva High School finished its season by playing for the biggest prize in football: The State championship. The Geneva Vikings suffered a tough 42-28 defeat to East St. Louis at Illinois State University’s Hancock Stadium. One year later, the Vikings were unable to earn
By Bobby Narang The high school football season is rapidly approaching due to a shortened summer. In February, the Illinois High School Association member schools voted to pass a special bylaw proposal changing the start date of the first football practice. The first football practice will now be held August
By Bobby Narang Oswego High School junior point guard Ethan Vahl is aiming higher this season. Not only is Vahl focused on lifting the Panthers to another level, he wants to elevate his own game. Two years ago, Vahl played for 12-win team – coming off a four-win season –
By Bobby Narang Nazareth Academy senior Landon Thome had unreal expectations to start his high school career. As the son of MLB Hall of Famer Jim Thome, the younger Thome wanted to make his own name. But his father’s ties to the community – playing for the White Sox and
By Bobby Narang A month ago, Geneva High School junior wide receiver Bennett Konkey was excited about his future. The possibilities seemed bountiful for the two-sport star. After nursing a hamstring injury for 10 months, Konkey was finally at 100% for the Class 3A State track and field championships in
By Bobby Narang The Naperville Central High School baseball team walked away from the final weekend of the season with a satisfied, yet inspired look. The Naperville Central Redhawks lost both of their games at the Class 4A State tournament in frustrating fashion, but they earned the program’s third State
By Bobby Narang Gathering her team in the left-field bullpen following Saturday’s game, Oswego High School softball coach, Annie Scaramuzzi, tried to point out the positives to her team. The Panthers had just wrapped up their season, losing both of their games at the Class 4A State tournament at the
By Bobby Narang The Northern Illinois University baseball team made history this season. But the NIU Huskies couldn’t add another memorable chapter in their season last week. The Huskies lost both of their games in the NCAA Tallahassee Regional Sunday to end the best season in program history since 1972.
By Bobby Narang Northern Illinois University baseball is back. The Northern Illinois Huskies have broken new ground this spring in their program. Under coach Ryan Copeland, the Huskies have slowly become a consistent program over the course of the last three seasons. Last weekend, the Huskies captured the Mid-American Conference
By Bobby Narang Wheaton Warrenville South High School girls soccer coach Guy Callipari is enjoying another banner season. The WWS Tigers have one of the top teams in the State, including leading the DeKane Conference for most of the season. The Tigers (12-1-4, 3-0-2) have not lost a conference game
By Bobby Narang The Ed Watson Naperville Invitational lived up to the hype this season. The invite featured some of the top high school girls soccer teams in Chicagoland, concluding with Barrington and Naperville Central meeting in the championship game May 4. Oddly, the two teams were unable to determine
By Bobby Narang The Hinsdale Central High School girls soccer team is looking to make a run at the Class 4A State playoffs. The Hinsdale Central Red Devils (9-2-1, 2-0-0) have a balanced attack, relying on eight players with five points or more this season to sit in first place
By Bobby Narang The Joliet Catholic High School girls soccer team is aiming for a strong finish this spring. The Angels have been in a rebuilding mode since winning two games in 2024. They started four freshmen in hopes of building toward the future. In 2025, the Angels took a
By Bobby Narang Northern Illinois University football is embarking on new era this spring. In many ways, it will be a transformative season for the Huskies. In January, Northern Illinois announced it accepted an invitation to join the Mountain West Conference as a football only member in 2026. The Huskies,
By Bobby Narang The Lockport High School girls soccer team is undergoing a massive roster turnover this spring. But the Porters are keeping their sights set on another double-digit winning season. Junior midfielder Yurida Hernandez, a Bowling Green recruit who has scored over 22 goals in her first two seasons,
By Bobby Narang Benet Academy senior point guard Jayden Wright cemented his name in program lore this season. The Eastern Illinois recruit capped off an outstanding career with a stellar final season. In his junior season, Wright was one of the key starters behind Benet’s run to its first state
By Bobby Narang Benet’s quest for a second straight Class 4A State championship hit a small snag Saturday, March 14. Playing a familiar foe in East Suburban Catholic Conference member Marist, Benet struggled scoring points in the first half. Marist relied on its athletic guard to gain a lead in
By Bobby Narang Nazareth Academy High School senior forward, Stella Sakalas, carried the offense March 6. With Sakalas in foul trouble during Saturday’s Class 4A State championship game against Loyola, it was Nazareth junior guard Sophia Towne’s turn to provide the scoring. Towne scored 17 points and dished out five
