Thornton Fractional's Nicole Vega is The Times 2013 Girls Soccer Player of the Year

Whether they're a freshman or not, when a player scores 55 goals in a rain-shortened season, it's going to get noticed.

Wheeler softball's bid for state comes up short

LAKEVILLE | Wheeler's bats didn't come up when the Bearcats needed them most Saturday night.

Wheeler edges Carroll in Class 2A semistate semifinals

LAKEVILLE | It was obvious early that a single run could be the lone output in this Class 2A LaVille Semistate semifinal.

Host Boone Grove wins Class 2A baseball sectional title

PORTER TOWNSHIP | When Boone Grove pitcher Dean Hill found out Monday that the sectional championship was being postponed a day, he had one message for his coach: give me the ball.

Fast start carries Munster to sectional softball title

HIGHLAND | Munster starting pitcher Carly Murphy received the best birthday present a pitcher could ask for.

Griffith, host Clark head to softball sectional title game

HAMMOND | Griffith's Jamie Rex thought she saw something different about Hammond starter Jazzlyn Baines.

Resilient Spartans continue playoff run

NEW LENOX | Marian Catholic's Abby Kresal just wanted to do whatever it took to get the Spartans this win.

Losselyong leads underdog Spartans into sectional semi-finals

Marian Catholic's Hailey Losselyong has no illusions about what her role is on the Spartan soccer team.

T.F. South beats North, will face Plainfield Central today at Joliet Central

LANSING | T.F. South's Daviea Cowans usually has trouble waiting back on slower pitchers.

Vikings routed by Chicago Christian in regional championship

PALOS HEIGHTS | Illiana Christian coach Mike Oppenhuis knew going into Saturday's 2A Agricultural Science Regional championship game that Chicago Christian was going to be ready to play.

Thornridge wins Class 2A Thornridge Sectional title

DOLTON | Thornridge's Nick Fizer has one message Thursday for all 2A state final qualifying teams: watch out for the Falcons.

Beecher's Crews mows down Reed-Custer in softball regional semifinal

BEECHER | Beecher pitcher Sarah Crews believes when her team is working well, it can calm her down more than any early lead her offense may give her.

Warriors pick up non-conference win over T.F. South

LANSING | When 2003 T.F. South graduate Ryan Hensley joined the Marines, he hoped for a chance to spend time with fellow Rebel alum Philip Martini. Tragically, Martini was hit by a sniper's bullet in Anbar Province on April 8, 2006, during his second deployment to Iraq.

Illiana Christian freshmen soccer players take edge off 'rebuilding'

When Illiana Christian girls soccer coach AJ Turkstra started the season, he thought this was going be a dreaded "rebuilding" year.

Meteors win South Suburban Blue meet

COUNTRY CLUB HILLS | The 2013 T.F. North track team has accomplished a goal nearly 50 years in the making: winning a conference title.

Vera and Baron lift Crete-Monee past Bloom Township in girls soccer

CHICAGO HEIGHTS | Crete-Monee freshman Adrianna Vera has a motor that wasn't going to stop and let her Warriors lose.

Sting hold on against St. Francis de Sales

CHICAGO | Seton Academy baseball coach James Thornton and his staff have been working with center fielder William Thomas about when to dive and when not to dive for fly balls.

Beecher's Bobbi Stanula set for playoffs

BEECHER | Bobbi Stanula and the Beecher girls soccer team may have had some trouble finishing their scoring chances this 2013 season, but that hasn't stopped the Ladycats from being competitive and posting a winning record of 9-5-1 this year.

Sting come back against St. Francis de Sales

SOUTH HOLLAND | Despite some early errors behind him, Seton Academy starter Nick Tanniehill battled through and decided to pick his team up.

Beecher falls to Herscher in girls soccer

BEECHER | Beecher's Bobbi Stanula knows the Ladycats can play with anyone. Stanula and company are just having trouble finding the net to finish their scoring chances and win the close matches.

Illiana Christian girls win Chicago Christian track invitational

PALOS HEIGHTS | Just two weeks ago, Illiana Christian's Victoria Archie thought it would be fun to give the long jump a try. Now, she's taking first place in the same competition.

Thornton Fractional freshman Vega making a big splash

Thornton Fractional freshman Nicole Vega may still be getting used to her teammates, but that's not stopping her United from winning their way through the learning curve.

Freshman keeper Mikinsey Pruim records first career shutout

SOUTH HOLLAND | Illiana Christian freshman goal keeper Mikinsey Pruim came up with what became the game-winning save with three minutes remaining in the Vikings non-conference match with Bloom Township.

Campbell leads Rebels in cold temps, night after prom

LANSING | T.F. South's Jackson Campbell doesn't like jumping in the cold. That didn't stop him from capturing first with a 19 foot, 4-inch leap in the long jump at Saturday's T.F. South Invitational.

Riverside BrookfielVikings dominate Bulldogs

LANSING | After a spring filled with rain, Illiana Christian's Brooke Van Der Aa was just happy to get the Vikings' first home game in without another cancellation.

Rebels topple T.F. North

LANSING | For T.F. South starter Devin Pieper, it sure makes a day on the pitching rubber easier when your team scores eight runs in the first. The Rebels used an eight run bottom of the first to overcome South Suburban Blue Conference rival T.F. North 17-0 in five innings. Rebels leadoff hi…

Rebels win T.F. South Red Invite

LANSING | T.F. South's Jessica Gomez may be undefeated, but she's not letting her unblemished record make her complacent. Gomez ran her record to 40-0 on the season and went 7-0 on the day to win first place in the No. 1 singles at the T.F. South Red Invite. The Rebels won the team competiti…

Thornton Fractional soccer team holds on against Reavis

CALUMET CITY | Thornton Fractional's Debo Akinsanya wasn't going to give up on this play until the ball was in the back of the net.

Weather postpones Illinois Lutheran-Beecher matchup

BEECHER | For Beecher baseball coach Brandon DuBois, the game cancellations keep coming, and it's starting to appear that some of the 2013 season will be lost for good.

Andrew too much for young Spartans

CHICAGO HEIGHTS | After Tuesday's loss to Andrew, Marian Catholic coach Kerri Evans reminded her team that the 2012 softball season got off to a shaky start before the Spartans settled in and learned from their early season struggles.

Thornton Fractional handles Bremen

CALUMET CITY | Considering his girls are on spring break, T.F. United coach Alejandro Lagunas thought his team might lose a little bit of focus at Thursday's South Suburban Blue match against Bremen. After a quick pregame chat, the United got down to business and came out focused on the way …

Thornton Fractional's Vega scores 7 goals in win

CALUMET CITY | Thornton Fractional freshman Nicole Vega sure isn't fazed by the varsity game or the level of competition.

Vera No. 1 student in freshman class at Crete-Monee

Crete-Monee freshman Adrianna Vera has already been impressing her soccer coaches with her play on the pitch, and with the impressive resume she's built in the classroom, it looks like the Warriors have found a special player for the coming years.

Times Illinois Girls Basketball Player of the Year: Bloom Township's Bria Gaines

Bloom Township's Bria Gaines is a team player. Period.

Times Illinois Girls Basketball Coach of the Year: Marian Catholic's Annie Byrne

Marian Catholic coach Annie Byrne has been leading a busy life since the team won the Class 4A state title on March 2, but she isn't minding the extra obligations.

Spartans win first sectional crown

HARVEY | For the Marian Catholic boys basketball team, this win has been a long time coming.

Bloom Twp holds off Stagg in Class 4A Thornton Sectional semifinal

HARVEY | When Stagg cut Bloom Township's lead to 37-34 with just over five minutes left in the game, it appeared as if the Class 4A Thornton Sectional semifinal was about to get interesting.

Spartans advance at Thornton Township Sectional

HARVEY | Marian Catholic's Ki-Jana Crawford embraces his role of shut down defender, and on Wednesday night at the 4A Thornton Township Sectional opener, he excelled in that defensive role.

Seton Academy one step from return trip to state

Around the halls of Seton Academy, it's just not good enough to reach the state finals any more. The Sting want to get there, and they want to win it all.

Meteors suffer stagnant fourth quarter

LOCKPORT | When T.F. North's Greg McClain stole the ball and scored an open layup for the Meteors with 3:30 left in the third quarter, no one in the gym knew that would be the Meteors only bucket for the next nine minutes.

Class 4A Marian regional semifinal -- Crete vs. Thornton

CHICAGO HEIGHTS | Thornton proved Wednesday it's not how you start, but how you finish.

Thornton wins overtime thriller over Eisenhower

CHICAGO HEIGHTS | Thornton may have struggled with rebounding all night, but Da'Marques Turner secured the ball for the Wildcats when they needed it most.

T.F. North downs Oak Forest

OAK FOREST | Deland Deere and the Meteors are made for just this type of game.

Spartans move on at Mother McAuley Sectional

CHICAGO | Marian Catholic traveled all the way to Mother McAuley on Tuesday night and returned to Chicago Heights with a 57-35 sectional semifinal win against neighboring Bloom Township.

Cole and Jackson control the inside for Seton

Seton Academy's Mariah Cole and Desiree Jackson are the last line of defense on a team that takes pride in its defense.

Crete-Monee falls to McAuley at Eisenhower Regional

BLUE ISLAND | Despite the way the season ended, first-year Crete-Monee coach Christina Cobbins helped the Warriors take one giant leap forward this year.

T.F. South wrestlers looking to do well at Class 3A state meet

LANSING | Last season, T.F. South's Joe Young just wanted to reach the state finals. This season, Young is a year older, and he wants a little bit more.

Crete-Monee overcomes early hole to defeat Homewood-Flossmoor at regional

BLUE ISLAND | Crete-Monee's first sectional victory in three years didn't come easy.

Thunderbirds top T.F. South

SOUTH HOLLAND | Janeah Stewart and the Thornwood girls basketball team know they're going to have to play better than this if they're going to hang around the playoffs for much longer.