There were some highlights and also a few lowlights. Sandburg played three pool-play volleyball matches Friday to start action at the Rich East Invitational. The Eagles passed their first tests against Downers Grove South (25-23 25-18) and Rich East (25-5, 25-7). Providence, however, proved too much and the Celtics pulled out a 25-11, 25-19 victory. Sandburg shook off the loss and defeated Wheaton-St. Francis (27-25, 25-15). The Eagles reeled off three points after being down 25-24 to win Game 1.  The highlight of the tournament for the Eagles came against Lincoln-Way East when the two met in…

The Sandburg girls volleball team entered play at the Wheaton Classic after coming off a commanding victory in its home-opener against Thornton Thursday (25-7, 25-4). The two-game sweep was good for Eagle momentum and Sandburg carried that momentum over in Wheaton. The Eagles opened with a 25-20, 25-21 sweep of Marist, handing the RedHawks their first loss of the season. And they advanced to semifinal play before losing to Hinsdale South 25-20, 25-20. In the third place match, Sandburg defeated Hinsdale Central 25-21, 25-20. In the pool play stages of the tournament, the Eagles defeated both …

Sandburg alum Lukas Verzbicas might just be good enough to run in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Over the weekend, he took another giant step toward achieving that goal. Verzbicas was running in the host city of the 2008 Summer Games as a competitor in the World Junior Triathalon in Beijing. He showcased his talent with a first-place finish and displayed a heart of gold, too. According to the Chicago Tribune's Philip Hersh, Verzbicas gave his gold medal to a friend from Geneva who recently was diagnosed with cancer. Verzbicas is one of several highly touted freshmen running for …

Move over Halloween. October no longer is only a month for ghosts and goblins. The Bulls/Sox Training Academy is coming to Orland Park. On Oct. 4, Orland Park youngsters between the ages of 5-17 will have an opportunity to work on their basketball, baseball and fast-pitch softball skills or their overall conditioning. The Village of Orland Park announced a partnership with the Bulls/Sox Training Academy. The academy will house its Orland Park lessons at the Orland Sportsplex, 11351 W. 159th St. “We couldn’t be happier with this relationship," said Joe Lachcik, president of operations at the …

Saint Xavier University made it all the way to the NAIA football semifinals last season. In fact, the Cougars fell just short of getting to the national title game in both 2009 and 2010. The Cougars are expected to be a powerhouse again this year. According to a SouthtownStar article, the Cougars are right where they want to be with their No. 2 national ranking. They will open the season at home on Saturday at 6 p.m., hosting Olivet Nazarene. The Cougars men's soccer team also received NAIA Top 25 honors, coming in at No. 25 in the rankings, according to the school's athletics site. Sandburg …

A couple of days before they hit the books, Sandburg boys and girls golfers hits the links. Freshman Frankie Saban shot 45 to lead the Sandburg girls to a 189-194 victory over Stagg at Silver Lake Country Club on Wednesday. The Sandburg boys ruled the roost in the Thornton Fractional South Invitational at Balmoral Woods in Crete on Tuesday. The Eagles compiled a team total of 321 and edged Marian Catholic in the chase for the team title. Orland's Dudak Rolls in Senior Open Bowling is game many of us have tried, be it for fun or in a league, or at a fundraiser or birthday party, but not many …

Mayor Kyle R. Hastings and the Village of Orland Hills Trustees will host a Fall Kickoff Football Clinic for the Orland Hills Wolves Youth Football and Cheerleading Association today (Aug. 13) at Kelly Park. The clinic will offer the Orland Hills Wolves football players free instruction from the Olivet Nazarene University football team. The clinic will run from 4:15 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. Afterward, the college team will hold a team practice on the Kelly Park football field from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. For more information, please contact the recreation department at 708-349-7211. Orland Park …

Earlier this week, Patch reported the story of two Sandburg teammates and best friends who parted ways to play collegiate softball at different schools, one at Illinois, the other at Indiana. Despite the rivalry between the two Big Ten schools, when Sara Olson and Ashley Conrad played each other, they still wished each other the best of luck, even if they did not always admit as much to their Illini or Hoosier teammates. Conrad shared her feelings. "Although it definitely is a rivalry between the two schools, I don't ever think it was between Sara (Olson) and me," she said. "Yes, we wanted …

Sandburg's girls volleyball team played four matches in a span of five hours Thursday night at Palos Courts, winning all four to finish its summer league at 13-2 and in first place out of 16 teams. The Eagles didn't lose a game Thursday night, defeating Marian Catholic (25-20, 25-20), Lincoln-Way North (25-11, 25-19), Lincoln-Way West (25-12, 25-15) and Lincoln-Way East (25-12, 25-23) in the title match. On Friday, head coach David Vales talked about the summer season and the challenges his Eagles will face when they begin the regular season in late August. Other results of note: Lincoln-Way …

Another race, another victory. Ho-hum. Lukas Verzbicas wins races all the time. But, on July 10, he was in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and up to new new tricks. Verzbicas took part in the Pan American Junior Championship triathlon. How did he do? He won. No surprise there. He was clocked in 55:24. The triathlon was a preliminary event for Verzbicas, who will be heading to Beijing to run in the World Triathlon Junior Championships, according to the Chicago Tribune. Sandburg Alum Precin Joins 'Cats Staff Brandon Precin wrestling resume continues to grow. He was a three-time All-America selection…

The reward for a sore back was a baseball thriller. Fans in the stands Thursday at Sandburg were treated to a wild summer league high school baseball game. Stagg rallied to top the Eagles 11-8 in the final regular summer league game on both teams' schedule. Sandburg trailed until Austin Cangelosi connected for a two-run single to put the Eagles up 6-4 in the fifth inning. And Sandburg remained in control with an 8-7 lead entering the top of the seventh. Stagg's Mike Farnan launched his first home run since being called up to the varsity roster to tie the game 8-8. The Chargers rode that …

No, they won't be appearing in a major motion picture, but the day finally has arrived for students from Joon Lee’s Tae Kwon Do School, which has a location in Orland Park. Today, 28 students ranging in age from 5-62 are competing in Los Angeles in the ATU National Championships. The event has been called the Super Bowl of Martial Arts. Earlier in the week, Patch had the opportunity to catch up with some of the students who will be competing. Orland Youth Association Softball Tourney On Wednesday, Patch stopped by Humphrey Park and checked out the OYA Softball Tournament featuring some of the…

Ask members of Sandburg’s 2011 state champion boys volleyball team if what they achieved has sunk it yet, and you’re likely to get some very different answers. "It's about set in right now. We're getting fitted for our rings," assistant coach David Vales said Wednesday as he and members of the team waited outside the school’s physical education department. Head coach Sean Airola, however, said the accomplishment still hasn't sunk in. On Monday, Airola learned he was named High School Coach of the Year by Volleyball Magazine "The title hasn't set in for me yet, but it's a great honor to be …

It’s always good to play catch-up with former local high school athletes. Here’s a trio who have continued playing baseball in their post-prep days. Sandburg alum Greg Billo is having a strong season on the mound for the Kane County Cougars, the Class A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. Through 12 appearances, Billo was 4-1 in five starts with a 1.76 earned run average. According to the team's official stats page, Billo had allowed just 11 earned runs in 56 1/3 innings pitched. Sandburg alum Will Keuper recently finished his junior season at Harvard. According to his biography page, Keuper…

Lukas Verzbicas defended his Dream Mile title in spectacular fashion Saturday. As reported by the Chicago Tribune, the Sandburg graduate and Orland Hills resident won the High School Dream Mile at the Adidas Grand Prix in New York with a time of 3:59.71, becoming one of only four U.S. high school runners to break the four-minute mark. The Dream Mile field featured top runners from across the country. Athletes competing in the Dream Mile and Dream 100 had the chance to receive coaching from mile legend Jim Ryun and Olympic gold medalist Maurice Greene.  Last weekend, Verzbicas broke the …

Two sectional titles in one day? And a state title, too? It doesn't happen very often, but the opportunity is there for Sandburg to grab lots of IHSA hardware today, and the opportunity speaks volumes about the depth and scope of the school's athletic program. The Eagles are playing in sectional championship games today in two sports (softball and baseball) and gunning for a state title in boys volleyball. Sandburg moved a step closer toward reaching that goal by rallying to defeat New Trier in a three-set thriller in the IHSA quarterfinals on Friday night at Hoffman Estates High School. …

The Sandburg boys water polo team put together another sparkling season. The Eagles finished their fourth-place run in the IHSA state tournament with a pair of disappointing setbacks. But the two losses did nothing to take the glow off a 15-14 victory over Naperville Central in a quarterfinal thriller. Balys Gintautas put the winning goal in the net with just 13 seconds left in the extra period as the Eagles ousted the Redhawks. It was the fourth time in as many years that Naperville Central has missed a chance at a state trophy. Then, Sandburg was overpowered by eventual state champ Fenwick …

Sandburg captured the Southwest Suburban Blue softball title with a win over Lincoln-Way East on Monday. The Eagles added three more wins and took a 23-5 record into the weekend. One of those wins came against a tough New Trier team. The day before, the Eagles celebrated senior day. And senior shortstop Lizzie Wojtowicz carried the theme over in a 5-0 win over the Trevians. She went 4-for-4 with a pair of singles, a double, and drove in one run. Senior catcher Lexi Bryant went 2-for-3 with a single, a double and two RBIs. But it was junior Amanda Barna who was the story on the mound. She …

When the Sandburg boys' volleyball team traveled to Lewis University to take on Providence, the Eagles were greeted a playoff atmosphere and there was a lot heart, both on and off the court.  Sandburg coach Sean Airola was a classmate of Providence coach Brett Krapil. The two played volleyball together at Providence in 1999. Airola had heard the story of Brandon Janik from one of his P.E. students. Janik's brother, Eric, kept Airola informed of Brandon Janik's recent cancer diagnosis and treatment. Airola decided to act on the information. Hence, the matchup vs. Providence at Lewis. "Doing …

In the final week of the regular season, the Sandburg boys water polo team needed just one more conference win to wrap up the SWSC Blue title. And the Eagles did one better than that. Sandburg notched a 14-4 victory over Lincoln-Way Central on Monday that clinched a share of the crown for the Eagles. But there was still one team standing between Sandburg and sole possession of some new hardware. Homewood-Flossmoor came in on Wednesday with a chance to gain a share of the conference title, as the teams each had one conference loss going in, but the Eagle attack put them away 10-4. Sandburg …