Play of the Week

Four-point play hurts Johnsburg

St. Viator point guard Alan Aboona makes a four-point play at the buzzer ending the third quarter, deflating the Skyhawks and giving the Lions a seven point lead.

Four-point play hurts Johnsburg

St. Viator point guard Alan Aboona makes a four-point play at the buzzer ending the third quarter, deflating the Skyhawks and giving the Lions a seven point lead.

Lewis slams C-G

Streamwood's Marcus Lewis proved to be too much for Cary-Grove in the Barrington Regional semifinal game. Here is one of two dunks he had that really set the tone for the game.

Melissa Dixon shakes defenders

Johnsburg guard Melissa Dixon uses her crossover dribble to beat one St. Viator defender and then goes up-and-under to beat the next defender and score. That basket gave the Skyhawks the lead back in the sectional semifinal.

McHenry's Madson slams it home

McHenry forward Brian Madson takes off and gets the big dunk, bringing down the house in the second quarter of the Warriors game against Cary-Grove.

McHenry's Bellich gets steal, basket

McHenry junior guard Jimmy Bellich makes the steal against Jacobs on the defensive end of the floor and then takes it down court and gets the layup.

C-G's Richter gets block, three-pointer

Cary-Grove junior guard Nick Richter blocks a Jacobs players shot on the defensive end, saves the ball from going out of bounds, and then gets the ball back on the offensive end and buries the three-pointer to give his team a double digit lead.

Rams' Nelson gets big block

Grayslake Central senior guard Cameron Nelson goes way up for the block on Johnsburg big man C.J. Fiedorowicz, which brought the house down. Central handed Johnsburg its first loss of the season.

Wismer goes end-to-end

Richmond-Burton senior forward Kyle Wismer makes the steal on the defensive end and dribbles down court on the fast break, goes around his back to avoid the defender and then lays it in with the left hand.

Cnota passes to herself

Jacobs senior guard Hailey Cnota inbounds the ball off of a Crystal Lake South defender, grabs it after a bounce and puts it in for two points.

Davenport rewarded for defense

Huntley sophomore forward Ryan Davenport makes a steal on the defensive end and then runs the floor and gets rewarded with this beautiful pass in traffic from Tyler Brunschon which he puts in for two points.

Dombrowski steals, scores

Johnsburg guard Mike Dombrowski steals this Huntley pass near his own basket and puts it in for two points and a 8-2 lead early in the game against the Red Raiders.

Hembrey TD changes game

Cary-Grove running back Alex Hembrey needed one yard for a first down when the Trojans went for it on fourth down at Saturday's state final playoff game. The senior got a lot more when he took the pitch from Tyler Krebs and got to the sideline where he managed to stay inbounds before making a move on a defender and taking it in for a touchdown. That gave the Trojans a 20-17 lead.

Trojans' McCarron scores on interception

Cary-Grove defensive back Chad McCarron set the tone as he picked off a Prairie Ridge pass and ran it back for a 30-yard touchdown a minute and a half into the semifinal game.

Richmond-Burton offense uses a little trickery

Richmond-Burton quarterback Adam Pittser hands off to running back Justin Russell, who throes to a wide open Kyle Wismer for a 35-yard touchdown.

Williams TD run swings momentum

Prairie Ridge quarterback Jon Williams calls his own number and then takes it 73 yards for the touchdown, giving the Wolves a 24-7 lead in the third quarter against Marmion.

Riordan makes interception, big run

Richmond-Burton's Kenny Riordan makes a nice catch on the interception of a Peotone pass and then takes it into scoring position with a good run after the pick.

Kremske makes one-handed grab

Woodstock wide receiver Mike Kremske makes a one-handed catch in the fourth quarter of the Streaks win over CL Central. He later caught the game winning TD.

Fiedorowicz picks seal Skyhawks win

Johnsburg WR/DB CJ Fiedorowicz had three interceptions in their win over Prairie Ridge on Friday. The second came in the end zone stopping a Wolves drive at 4:34 in the fourth quarter, the third was with about a minute left in the game with the Wolves once again driving. The 24-21 win should help the Skyhawks make the playoffs..

O'Kane run more than OK

Richmond-Burton running back Chad O'Kane gets the Rockets on the scoreboard a couple minutes into their big BNC East game against Harvard with this 70-yard run. He breaks to the outside, jumps over his own man, outruns the defense and gets a great block along the way. The wins all but gives the Rockets a division title.

Fiedorowicz makes great catch, outruns defense

Johnsburg WR CJ Fiedorowicz makes a one-handed catch of a George Bielis pass and then outruns the Woodstock defense for the 88-yard touchdown.

Kleckner outruns defense

Huntley's Brett Kleckner catches a pass from Tim Lycos, gets by some would be tacklers and then outruns the defense to score the 83-yard touchdown. It was their only TD of the game.

Tigers' Harrah breaks tackles, finds end zone

Crystal Lake Central RB Gage Harrah breaks a couple tackles, breaks free, and doesn't stop until he finds the end zone for a 91-yard TD in the Tigers 42-20 homecoming win against McHenry.

Krebs finds Hembrey for 60-yard TD

Cary-Grove quarterback Tyler Krebs throws for one of his five touchdowns on the night, finding running back Alex Hembrey down the far sideline for this 60-yard reception. C-G beat Woodstock 60-6.

Fiedorowicz makes it look easy

Johnsburg WR C.J. Fiedorowicz catches this pass from QB George Bielis that goes for a 60-yard TD on the Skyhawks first play from scrimmage against Jacobs. Johnsburg won the game 42-28.

Giles interception clinches victory

Crystal Lake South defensive back Alec Giles intercepts a Grant pass with 7:57 remaining in the fourth quarter to help the Gators secure an opening-night win.

Bruns HR proves to be the game winner

Cary-Grove pitcher Corey Bruns hit a solo home run in the second inning against Huntley that proved to be the game winner.

Nelsen HR helps Cary-Grove advance to regional final

Cary-Grove's Matt Nelsen hit a two-run homerun in the bottom of the third inning that drove in Chris Waylock and proved to be the game winner.

Kronforst goal helps C-G advance

Cary-Grove's Korey Kronforst scored the games only goal against CL South on an assist by Ashley Gustafson. The Gators knocked the Trojans out of the playoffs the past two seasons, but C-G advanced this year..

Lipp HR helps Huntley take division lead

Craig Lipp's two-run homerun propelled Huntley to a 3-1 win over Prairie Ridge and a half game lead in the FVC Fox Division, while stopping PR's 20-game division win streak.

Kaczmarski makes big catch for PR

Prairie Ridge center fielder Kevin Kaczmarski makes a diving catch on a lazy fly ball that would have scored two runs for CL Central, and given batter Steven Dominisi a couple of RBIs. PR came from behind to win the game by one run.

C-G's Haley shows off arm

Cary-Grove center fielder Alexis Haley throws out Jacobs Natalie Chapa on a hit by Kelsey Peterson, with catcher Beth Maloney making the tag for the Trojans.

McHenry gets early goal

McHenry's girls soccer team got on the scoreboard first against Crystal Lake South with this goal by Gabby Breisch, assisted by Molly Machometa, who's shot hit the crossbar.

Marengo's Darlington hits warning track

Marengo's Jake Darlington starts off the scoring against Woodstock with this double to the warning track in left field that drove in Scott Smith. Woodstock went on to win the game.

Marengo's Velasquez hits homerun

Marengo's Kaleigh Velasquez hits a inside-the-park homerun in the top of the sixth inning that drives in Danielle Simons and gives the Indians a comfortable 4-0 lead.

Huntley scores again

Huntley's Kelly Creager beats the defender and makes a great pass that splits the goalkeeper and defender, and finds Corinee Wronski coming in from the other side and she scores the goal.

Kimbrough's monster dunk

Dundee-Crown forward Aaron Reams blocks a shot which is scooped up by guard Jeff Beck, who finds center Charles Kimbrough for the monster dunk.

Dixon makes tough shot

Johnsburg's Melissa Dixon and Megan Lopez work the give-and-go off the inbounds play to perfection. Dixon makes the three pointer with the Freeport defender in her face to cut their deficit to one point with 2.9 seconds remaining and gives them a chance to win the game.

Henry inbounds play secures title for D-C

Dundee-Crown guard Marcus Henry inbounds the ball off the hip of the Jacobs defender and then picks it up and lays it in for the 56-55 lead. Jacobs could not score with 4.8 seconds remaining in the game, and the Chargers went on to win the FVC Valley Division outright.

South fast break ignites big quarter

After a very low scoring first half, the Gators get it going in the third quarter against Jacobs with this fast break. Carly Juliano avoids the defense and makes the outlet pass to Katie Burton, who finds Michelle Gaede streaking to the basket. The Gators won their first regional title in 26 years.

PR's Pressure defense equals points

Prairie Ridge junior guard Sam Mandl (23) makes the steal and then finds Junior guard Chad Ljunggren (10) streaking toward the basket with a great pass, who drives for the layup. This is how the Wolves built an early lead that Johnsburg could not overcome.

Play of the week - You pick

Here are four plays from the Dundee-Crown at Jacobs FVC Valley Division boys basketball game on Friday night. Use the poll question to vote on which one you think is the best. First clip is No. 1, second clip is No. 2, third clip is No. 3 and the fourth is No. 4. First clip is D-C's Charles Kimbrough blocking a shot, second clip is Kimbrough with the slam dunk, third is another Kimbrough dunk and the fourth is what turned out to be the game-winning three-point shot by D-C's Rob Stupar with :35 remaining.

C-G's Bart makes it rain three pointers

Cary-Grove guard Liz Bart made nine three pointers and led all players with 29 points in the 67-60 win over Jacobs. Bart's performance placed her 12th all-time in the state for three-ponters made in a girls basketball game.

CLC's Kielbasa rolls toward FVC tournament

Crystal Lake Central's Joey Kielbasa beat Cary-Grove's Ray White by fall, and showed his strength and skill in the process. Kielbasa is the favorite to win the FVC Tournament championship at 145 pounds next weekend.

Curtis swimming towards state

Cary-Grove senior swimmer Brent Curtis has high hopes for the state meet next month, and shows why he is a favorite to medal with meets like he had this week. Here is footage of the 100 meter freestyle win againist Dundee-Crown. The senior won the 100 meter freestyle (53.94), the 100 breaststroke (1:09.74) and anchored the first-place 200 freestyle relay.

Kimbrough blocks shot, then dunks

Dundee-Crown center Charles Kimbrough blocks the Johnsburg shot attempt on the defensive end and then comes down the court, takes the pass, and slams it down. The senior is a rebounding, shot blocking machine that often plays above the rim.

Marengo's Overlee big in the clutch

Marengo forward Jenna Overlee (#24) blew past the Huntley defense and drove the lane, scoring the eventual game winning basket with seven seconds remaining. Then Overlee sealed the win by stealing the Red Raiders inbounds pass. The senior finished with 23 points and 15 rebounds in the win.

Solid passing, easy baskets equals win

Cary-Grove guard Mark Zasadil finds senior forward Brandon Coleman under the basket with the no-look pass for the easy two points. This is a good example of how the Trojans dominated St. Edward in the opening game of the Jacobs Holiday Tournament.

Harvard's Figueroa leads way to 500th

Harvard's Sergio Figueroa (119 pounds) dismantled his opponent from Genoa-Kingston and put an exclamation mark on coach Tim Haak's 500th dual meet win on Thursday. The senior may be the Hornet's best chance at a individual state title this season.

Blazier steps up defense in overtime

Harvard's Chase Blazier led all scorers in the Hornets first win of the season with 21 points against Marengo, but perhaps his best contribution was on the defensive end of the floor in overtime. Blazier scored, rebounded and blocked several shots which helped to keep the Indians from mounting a serious threat in the extra period. The blocked shots made the statement that his team needed to make to get into the win column.

Ratay finds daylight against CL South

This 52-yard sprint down the middle of the field by Geneva's Michael Ratay ended up being the game winning score against Crystal Lake South in the Class 7A state playoff semifinal game.

R-B's Riordan has big run, day

Richmond-Burton fullback Ken Riordan runs for one of his five touchdowns on the day, about a 60-yarder. Riordan showed both speed and power in this game, as the Rockets roll to a easy win over the Cogs.

Header leaves no doubt

McHenry's Jose Tello scores the teams fourth goal on this beautiful header in the second half against Prairie Ridge, in the Class 3A McHenry Regional. The assist goes to Matt Rogers.

Larkin FG in OT gives Raiders win

Huntley's Tor Larkin (12) booted a 18-yard field goal in overtime that gave the Red Raiders at least a share of the FVC Fox Division championship.

Harvard nets spectacular goal

Harvard's Eric Vaughn uses a great flip throw to find Alejandro Navarrete in space, and the senior F/MF heads in the goal to the far side to give the Hornets a 1-0 lead. Harvard went on to beat Richmond-Burton 2-1, winning the BNC title.

Mack helps lead Wolves' defense

Prairie Ridge free safety Will Mack (11) helped lead the defense to its first shutout in four years with two interceptions. Mack, along with Brad Young and others, also helped to set the tone with some real big hits on defense. The win put the Wolves on top in the Fox Division, along with Huntley.

Chargers' Larsen hauls in pass for TD

Dundee-Crown wide receiver Willy Larsen made a spectacular catch against Woodstock in the first quarter that tied the game at 7-all. The Refs ruled that he had possesion and a foot in bounds, you make the call? Either way Larsen's catch is the Play of the Week, despite a Chargers loss.

CL South's Macaulay will not be denied

Crystal Lake South running back, linebacker and kick returner Alex Macaulay bounces off a Prairie Ridge defender on his way to a 14-yard TD reception from Drew Ormseth. The TD put the Gators up 10 points, with 6:57 remaining in the third quarter, and they never looked back.

Early run sign of things to come

Huntley's David Conrad takes the handoff on the third play from scrimage and finds nothing but open field and the end zone, on this 65-yard touchdown in the Red Raiders win over McHenry.

Cary-Grove defense sets the tone early

This interception by Stuart Gaulke early in the first quarter was one of four turnovers that the Cary-Grove defense collected against Marian Central. It set the tone for the entire game and quickly gave the Trojans the monentum.

Hard hit stops drive

Johnsburg defensive back Justin Peete delivered a run-stopping hit on a Grant 4th-and-goal in the first half. Both teams were held scoreless in the first half.

Freshman Has Big Arm

Marengo right fielder Lauren Roudabush (17) makes the catch, during the Richmond-Burton Supersectional game, and then throws out the Elmwood Park runner trying to tag up and advance to third. Defensive plays like this one are what helped get the Indians to the state tournament.

Wolves win state

Nick Martini strikes out the final batter in the Class 4A state championship game, and a celebration ensues.

Game-ending double play

Crystal Lake South wraps up their regional victory against Cary-Grove by turning a double play.

Instincts Net Game-Winner

Crystal Lake South's Karley Mecko scored what turned out to be the game winning goal with 10 minutes remaining in the first half of Wednesday's Class AA CL South Regional semifinal. She won the ball on the right side of the field, split two defenders and fired a shot past the goalkeeper, high into the Cary-Grove net.

Kinghts Flash Leather

Grayslake North right fielder Mindy Runge (21) makes a great catch to end the inning. The sophomore and her team played solid defense in the loss to Prairie Ridge.

Martini Smash Still Flying

When Nick Martini hit a ball just foul over the right field fence it might have been a sign. Four pitches later, with a full count, Martini kept it fair and crushed a two-run home run over the right-center field fence that gave Prairie Ridge a 4-2 lead over Huntley. The Wolves won the FVC Fox Division game, making it two straight over the Raiders and nine straight overall.

Robson Helps Keep Streak Alive

Marian Central centerfielder Steph Robson threw out this St. Francis runner at the plate late in the game to help preserve the shutout win, and pitcher Heather Gradishar's streak of 56 scoreless innings. (now up to 61)

Jacobs finishes one, two

Jacobs' teammates J.M. Salcedo (11.26) and Mike Wallace (11.59) finish first and second respectively, in the 100-meter dash at Friday's McHenry County Track and Field Meet. Jacobs boys have won the meet six of the last seven years.

Kraus Launches Home Run

Hampshire third baseman Jessica Kraus (32) smashed a two-run home run to left-center field in the top of the third inning to give her team a 3-2 lead over CL Central.

Hyde Finds Back Of Net

Crystal Lake Central's Jenny Hyde scores the teams third goal of the game on a assist from Kristen Benson. Hyde used her body to get the ball and get off a shot, even though her back was to the goal just before she let it fly. She had good field awareness, finding the back of the net on somewhat of a blind shot.

Moran Makes It Look Easy

Jacobs' standout John Moran drives the lane during the sectional semifinal, blows past the first defender and then instead of committing the charge, scoops the ball under the next defender and in for the basket and the foul.

Jacobs' Moran Creates Offense

Jacobs' senior point guard John Moran shows why you can never let up on defense against him. He can hit the jump shot, or drive to the basket as he does here. Moran shakes his defender by changing direction, and then bursts to the basket, spliting the defense and laying it off the glass for two and the foul.

Rams Steal Title

Grayslake Central beat Huntley on Friday night to win the FVC Fox Division title. The Rams forced 11 second-half turnovers, this is one of three steals in the second-half that Central scored off of. Alex Anderson steals the pass, and finds Mike Brumm streaking to the basket. Jared Zygmunt, who was following the play, tips in the Brumm miss.

Kimbrough Adds Excitement

Dundee-Crown's Charles Kimbrough makes the highlight reel for the second straight week with a couple of big dunks. Kimbrough has made it clear that he is one of the area players that can play above the rim. In both dunks Kimbrough gets the ball in the low post and takes two steps and slams it home.

Kimbrough Throws Down

Dundee-Crown beat the Woodstock press, and then Greg McNally found Charles Kimbrough, who took it to the basket and slammed it down, adding the exclamation point to the win.

Raiders Win On Buzzer Beater

Crystal Lake Central was up 44-43, when a jump ball was called, and possesion went to Huntley. The Red Raiders took the ball out under their basket with 2.2 seconds remaining in the game. Zac Boster set the screen for Dan Regan, who got the ball and dribbled once from about ten feet out. Regan went up and got the shot off over the Tigers' Josh Polk, and made the basket for the dramatic 45-44 win.

Tigers show razzle dazzle

Crystal Lake Central's Carson Sterchi (14) makes a beautiful one-handed pass to Ferrell Kemp (23), who is cutting to the basket. Kemp gets the ball and has to fake out the defender in the air to make the shot.

McCord steals and gets three

Cary-Grove's Matt McCord made a good play during the second quarter of their game against Jacobs. McCord steals the ball from Jacobs' John Moran at the top of the key and takes it doen to the other end where he makes the layup and gets the foul. That three-point play gave the Trojans a lot of momentum and a 22-21 lead.

Burzak burns defense

Hampshire's T.J. Burzak got the ball close to the baseline, and eyed up the Richmond-Burton defender. The senior went left, and then went up with a wicked spin move and buried the floating jumper.

Jacobs gets it done on both ends

Jacobs' Hailey Cnota blocks a shot by Huntley's Daisy Jara. Sam Vojtsek picks up the ball for the Eagles, and finds Markie Rahn streaking down the sideline. Rahn takes it to the basket and draws contact, spins and hits the short jumper.

Trotter shows moves

Rockford Jefferson's Virginia Trotter (23) blows by the Hurricanes defender and goes up with a one handed shot that goes off the glass and in, for one of her 23 points. That basket gave the J-Hawks their first lead, as they came back from behind to win 60-55 over Marian.

CLC's Parlberg gets pin

Crystal Lake Central 171 pound wrestler Trevor Parlberg shows why he's one of the area's best with this pin over Jacobs' Vince Mangiameli.

Woodstock's Derek Brown steals, scores

Woodstock junior Derek Brown steals the ball from Huntley's Tom Giordano, and goes strong to the basket for the hoop and the foul.

Lukowski takes early lead in classic match

Dundee-Crown's Mike Lukowski wrestled Cary-Grove's Paul Rands at 215, and jumped out to an early 2-0 lead after getting the reversal on Rands. Lukowski went on to win the early season match 5-2.

Peart makes an amazing grab

With 9 seconds left in the first half Marian Central's Jordan Peart makes a great effort to pull in quarterback Jon Budmayr's pass. With the score, Marian went into halftime tied with Nazareth 13-13.

Hornets defense swarms ball carrier

Following a Harvard punt that went out at Oregon's 3-yard line, the Hornets' defense stopped three straight runs, the third one in the end zone for a safety, which put the Hornets up by two scores late in the fourth quarter.

Hurricanes air it out

Marian Central QB Jon Budmayr throws a screen pass to WR Adam Olson, he jukes one defender and outruns the rest, taking it 58-yards for the TD, and the first quarter lead.

Harvard, Binz go over the top

Harvard QB Dusty Binz throws over the Burlington defense, finding RB Jimmy Cradic down field for a 49-yard second quarter TD. The TD was one of two pass attempts on the night.

Gray takes Hodger's toss to the house

Cary-Grove's RB Kyle Gray takes the pitch from QB A.J. Hodger and rushes for a 24-yard touchdown. Gray ran for all of Cary-Grove's 3 touchdowns on the night.

Burzak makes a spectacular catch

Hampshire TE T.J. Burzak shows his hands and concentration while making an unreal catch as he is falling down. He was just short of the end zone, but the Whip-Purs did score from the 1-yard line on the next play.

Matteson finds sideline, end zone

Harvard RB James Matteson uses his blocks and then shows his speed to the sideline, outrunning the defense until he finds the end zone for a a 24-yard TD, his second of the game. The Hornets beat the Rockets 26-0.

RB Freund tosses TD

Woodstock RB Cole Freund takes the pitch from QB Derek Brown on a option pass play and finds WR Ryan Ortmann in the end zone for the TD, giving the Blue Streaks a 28-7 lead in the third quarter.

Salvatini earns touchdown

Dundee-Crown RB Ian Salvatini did a little of everything when he scored on this 22-yard touchdown run in the third quarter against CL Central. He sheds a tackle, outruns a defender and then dives for the pylon.

Fahey's foot ends C-G streak

Prairie Ridge's Cullen Fahey made a 42-yard field goal as time expired to give the Wolves a 16-14 win over Cary-Grove. The Wolves win ended a 29-game regular-season winning streak.

D'Angelo scores on fumble return

McHenry's Hank Hartwig (36) strips the ball from Larkin's Alex Giardino, and Mark D'Angelo catches the ball and returns it 38 yards for a touchdown.

Henry starts scoring

Senior Corey Henry started the scoring for Dundee-Crown in the semi-finals of the IHSA State Tournament with a double to the warning track in right center field. The Hit drove in Vince Camarata from second base to ease the early game nerves of Chargers fans.

Gorski shows off arm

Freshman right fielder Sam Gorski guns down a Cary-Grove runner trying to advance to third base with a perfect throw to third baseman Alyssa Popp, who tagged the runner out.

Burke's header puts Hampshire up

Kelsey Burke heads a perfect Joy Van Eck free kick into the back of Princeton's net for Hampshire's only goal in its 1-0 victory.