Category Archives: high schools

Bishop Mac holds on

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Bishop McNamara holds of St Laurence

BY MICHAEL WOJTYCHIW                                                                           October 1, 2011

Bishop McNamara used the pass in the first half and the run in the second, to hold off a late St. Laurence rally and give it a 20-16 Catholic League White win at St. Laurence Friday night. Continue reading →

Glenbard West rolls

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Glenbard West wins game, may lose QB

BY MICHAEL WOJTYCHIW                                                                           October 1, 2011

Glenbard West got on the board early and often as it rushed out to a 30-6 halftime lead en route to a 51-13 win over Proviso West in Glen Ellyn Saturday afternoon.

But it it wasn’t all good news for the Hilltoppers. Continue reading →

Young keeps rolling

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Young, Von Steuben advance with wins

BY MICHAEL WOJTYCHIW                                                                         October 11, 2011

Once again Young used the arm of Madisen Lenzini and the hands of setter Jenna Jacobson as it continued on its quest for the city championship, this time downing Taft 25-15, 25-18 Tuesday afternoon at Northside. Continue reading →

Pritzker keeps rolling

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Alghazali’s five scores lifts Pritzker

BY MICHAEL WOJTYCHIW                                                                         October 8, 2011

Riding a 15-game winning streak, Pritzker continued its run with a 36-6 win over Golder Saturday at Winnemac Stadium. Continue reading →

Shamrocks rally falls short

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Taylor, Spartans top Shamrocks

BY MICHAEL WOJTYCHIW                                                               September 24, 2011

In a game where one mistake can make or break the game, it was Marian Catholic that capitalized on a St. Patrick mistake as they came back for a 42-35 win Friday night at Hanson Stadium. Continue reading →

Notre Dame dominates Leo

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Notre Dame picks up first win

BY MICHAEL WOJTYCHIW                                                                  September 17, 2011

It took four games, but Notre Dame finally got that elusive first victory of the 2011 season Friday night as the Dons held on to defeat visiting Leo 27-8 in Niles.

“It’s a really good feeling to get it,’’ said quarterback Nick Pieruccini. “We needed it and we just have to take it one game at a time to get to the goal of the playoffs.’’

Notre Dame (1-3) rushed out to a quick 7-0 lead in the first quarter, as sophomore running back Chris James scored on a 32-yard run. His run capped off a six-play, 86 yard drive, in which James rushed for 59 yards.

Down 14-0 before the half, a fumble on a failed double reverse gave Leo (2-2) its best starting field position it would have all night, at the Notre Dame 32. Unfortunately for the Lions, quarterback Jarod Cooper threw four incomplete passes and the threat was thwarted.

Leo was able the hold the ball for the majority of the third quarter, 10-and-a half total, but was unable to capitalize. Both drives ended at within the Notre Dame 25.

Through out the first three and a half quarters, the two teams combined for 14 points. Within the last six minutes of the game, the two combined for 21, as the Dons widened their lead to 20-0 on a 15-yard pass from Pieruccini to Joe Parrinello.

Leo answered on a 61-yard screen pass from Cooper to speedy running back Keith Harris Jr.

The Dons would answer back four plays later, when Nick Lato broke through for a 38-yard touchdown to cap the scoring.

“Our offense works much better when the run is setting up the pass,’’ said Pieruccini. “As you can see, it makes it flow a lot more easily and makes us look better.’’

Pieruccini would finish completing 8 of 14 passes for 99 yards and a touchdown. He also added a one-yard rushing touchdown. James finished with 118 yards on 13 carries.

Harris Jr. finished with 74 yards on 22 carries for the Lions.

Jones wins thriller

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Chico bounces back for Jones

 BY MICHAEL WOJTYCHIW                                                                               June 4, 2011

Since the IHSA went to the four-class state tournament in the 2007-2008 school year, Jones has made themselves a fixture in the Class 3A bracket. The Eagles have won the sectional title in 2008 and 2009 and was looking to make it three of four when they hosted Kenwood Saturday afternoon. After some late extra-inning heroics the hosts earned a 5-4, eight-inning victory to earn a sectional title.

“Coming into the sectional I knew it meant a lot to us,’’ John Chico said. “We were disappointed last year and didn’t want that to happen again. We knew we had a team and came out here and played with confidence.’’

Despite, misplaying a ball in the top of the eighth inning to help give Kenwood the lead, Chico blasted a two-run homer to center in the bottom of the inning, sealing the game.

“I just had to come out there with confidence,’’ Chico said. “I knew the pitcher was good, but as soon as he gave me a pitch down the middle I just turned on it.’’

The Broncos (10-17) got on the board in the top of the first, scoring twice on Chico, who started the game on the mound for Jones. Both runs were scored on a throwing error by the catcher.

Jones (20-11) got one of the runs back on a two-out single by Martin Lara, but Lara was stranded on third to end the inning. The Eagles were able to take the lead in the second inning, however, as they got two runs on four walks and one hit. Kenwood walked 13 Jones players in the game.

Jones, who had runners on second and third with no outs in the bottom of the seventh but couldn’t score, was led by Chico, who had one of the four Eagles hits and drove in the two runs. Joe Casa, who pitched the last two innings picked up the win and drove in an run. Lara and Floyd Sumrall also drove in runs.

Brandon Holmes led Kenwood with four hits and scored two of the Broncos’ four runs.

It’s pretty cool to be the only Public League team still alive in the playoffs,’’ said Chico.

>Steroid Tests in High School: A Policy Worth Discussing

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By: Michael Wojtychiw and Stephen Villatoro
For all athletes, the pressure of being the best is something that can cause some to do things they would have never imagined.            
Anabolic steroids and performance-enhancing drugs have been a part of the sports landscape since the 1970s, from professional sports to high schools. And for Illinois prep athletes as well as many in other states, testing for these banned substances can be the only way to keep the playing field level and the athletes healthy. 
However, randomly testing student-athletes doesn’t sit well with everyone.   
        
In December 2006, Illinois High School Association member schools approved a bylaw that took effect on July 1, 2007 and identifies what schools or school officials can and cannot distribute to student-athletes as far as testing. According to the IHSA Web site, this bylaw is a change aimed at strengthening the relationship between students and their schools by affirming the school’s commitment to offering a safe environment in which students can develop.           
Paul Murphy, varsity football coach at Waubonsie Valley High School and trustee for the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association, said he believed the IHSA is moving in the right direction with their drug testing policy.           
“Performance enhancing substances are not good for anyone, especially teenage athletes who have no idea what they are putting into their bodies and what the drugs are doing to their bodies,” said Murphy.  “As coaches and teachers, we do the best we can to educate student-athletes on the harmful effects of performance enhancing substances.”           
 
But not everyone agrees that testing is the right approach to take.           
Ed Yohnka, director of Communications for the American Civil Liberties Union, said the ACLU does not support this type of testing program, suggesting that random testing is irresponsible and doesn’t send a good message to student-athletes.           
“We are concerned about any intrusive, invasive drug testing that is random and suspicionless,” Yohnka said.  “We do not agree that we address the serious problems posed by the use of steroids and other performance enhancing drugs by subjecting every student-athlete in Illinois to a dragnet of drug testing.” 
Is the Policy Working?        
Steroids and other performance enhancers in sports has become a major topic in professional sports over the past decade.  However, when it involves high school athletics it becomes a complicated and highly debatable issue.            
Currently 1,000 Illinois student-athletes are randomly tested each year.  The Illinois High School Association is made up of 765 schools.  That equates to less than two student-athletes per school being tested.      
      
While no one interviewed said steroid use could be avoided, some wonder if it can even be regulated efficiently. A year after the testing measure passed, the IHSA sent out a survey to its 765 members, with questions ranging from performance-enhancing drugs to the expansion of classes. Of the 765 administrators asked to fill out the survey, approximately 54 percent responded. The results suggest the drug testing policy has a long way to go before it’s effective.
See the survey results.
Seventy-two percent of the respondents said they did favor a drug-testing program. Those who did favor the plan were asked to answer five more questions about the program.  Nearly all of the respondents (284 of the 294) said they would favor declaring ineligible any player who was caught using performance-enhancing drugs or steroids. However, 60 percent said they would not favor the forfeiture of any post-season award.            
Matt Troha, assistant executive director of the IHSA, believed there was an explanation for the statistics.           
“I believe the majority of the membership who voted this way wanted each case reviewed by our Executive Director rather than having a broad plan,” Troha said. “For example, if a student who was sitting out all postseason because of injury was tested through our program and tested positive, the administrators felt like that student had no barring on the result and the other kids should not be punished.”           
Troha said 10 athletes have tested positive so far, but were given exemptions by a medical review officer.  The numbers suggest IHSA athletes are staying clean but the plan is designed to test only a small amount of students.  However, the study proved the program still has unresolved issues.           
Loyola Academy senior football player Quinn Kaiser said the results of the test proved just how different certain schools and officials feel about the whole program.
“That just goes to show how greedy some people can be I guess,” Kaiser said.  “Some people just care more about winning than being right and that’s sad.  I know if it was me, and I am pretty sure it goes for the rest of the people here at Loyola, but if someone messes up, you need to do what’s right.  If you cheat, take responsibility.  It’s only right.”

National Institute on Drug Abuse | Drug Free Sport | Sport Safe Testing Service