Tourney a tribute to Stevie

May 10, 2012

Steven Bajenski wasn’t a five-tool guy or a flame-throwing pitcher. That’s why he wasn’t at the top of a lot of college baseball coaches’ wish lists as he entered his senior year at Mount Carmel. “In 2009, he was really panicking because the offers weren’t flying,” his dad, Mark Bajenski, …

Legend of Max to continue at Cal Poly

May 10, 2012

Max Schneider’s life is the stuff of legends, which is not something you can say about a lot of teenagers. Mark Miedona, Schneider’s wrestling coach …

IHSA putting student-athlete priorities to the test

May 10, 2012

Patricia Wojcik had to figure it was bad news when she was called into the principal’s office.

Local recruiting gone Wild

May 10, 2012

“Chicago’s Big Ten Team” is looking like more than just a savvy marketing slogan these days, at least as far as football’s concerned. When Maine …

WW South’s Matt Alley lends expertise to great cause

May 10, 2012

It wasn’t that long ago that Dan Vitale was a little kid going to Wheaton Warrenville South football games and looking up to the Tigers’ stars.

Exploring a solution to save city sports

May 10, 2012

Last week when I suggested the Chicago Public Schools look into corporate partnerships to support sports programs, it didn’t seem like such a revolutionary idea. …

Public League sports can’t afford cuts

May 10, 2012

Here in Chicago, we’re used to doomsday scenarios. Sometimes they come from state government, sometimes from the CTA. The latest is courtesy of the Chicago …

Bucking the city trend

May 10, 2012

For a long time, the Public League was seen as all things for all kids. That was back in the day when tens of thousands …

Equipment keeping it in the park

May 10, 2012

Mike Clark: Sam Kint obviously had a great sense of timing last spring. That goes without saying for a guy who turned around enough fastballs to hit a school-record 12 home runs to go along with a .437 batting average and 55 RBI for Mount Carmel. And he did it just before the window of opportunity likely closed for prep baseball players to put up video game-worthy offensive numbers.

Mat Max is a Public hero

May 10, 2012

By Mike Clark: By Saturday night, the prep career of Max Schneider — the guy who did as much as anyone to make Public League wrestling relevant again — will be over.

Grappling with a problem

May 10, 2012

Mike Clark: The IHSA’s dual-team wrestling tournament is pushing 30-years old and to say it’s struggled to find its niche is an understatement.

Illini’s Beckman off to good start, but still has work to do

May 10, 2012

Mike Clark: Like a lot of other people, Jason Robertson didn’t know what to expect when Tim Beckman was hired as Illinois’ new football coach in early December.

Lemont’s success starts at its coach

May 10, 2012

Mike Clark: Three years ago, Lemont’s boys basketball program wasn’t in very good shape. The Indians were coming off a two-win season, in the midst of a coaching transition and watching the town’s top eighth-grader head for greener pastures.

Brent Pearlman finds perfect fit

May 10, 2012

Mike Clark: If you don’t believe that timing is everything, consider the case of Wheeling’s football program and Brent Pearlman.

Congenie down, but isn’t out

May 10, 2012

Like every other wrestler in Illinois, Steve Congenie wanted his career to end with him atop the medals stand on a Saturday night in February …

The moments to remember

May 10, 2012

They’ve been playing high school football in Illinois since the 1880s, so you might think we had seen  everything. But the lesson of 2011 in …