PLainfield East junior outside hitter Benjamin Salama (29) hits over the outstretched hands of Lincoln-Way West's junior middle hitter David Neylon (20) during the Bengals' victory Wednesday. (PHoto by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com Editor Wheaton Warrenville South’s Simon Bratt is not the kind of player who yells at his teammates after a game. But then again, he’s never played alongside two freshmen and two sophomores.“The Nazareth game (Wednesday) was pretty bad,” he said. “We made a lot of unnecessary errors. I told the...
Young Edison is electric as Bolingbrook pulls the plug on visiting Neuqua Valley
Bolingbrook sophomore Edison Ah-Yo had 9 kills to lead the Raiders past visiting Neuqua Valley on Tuesday. (File photo by Dave Ruggles) By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.comEdison Ah-Yo and his Bolingbrook teammates have an extra incentive to do well this season.For the first time, Bolingbrook is hosting the state finals. Does that get the juices flowing a little more?“Absolutely,” Ah-Yo said. “We wall want to play our last games on our wood court.“You know home field advantage – that’s what it is for us. We just want to come here and pla...
Let the guesswork begin! Here’s the Michio/Illprep HS boys preseason poll
Richard Barwicki and Lane Tech broke the Public League's 32-year quartertfinal winless drought at the IHSA tournament last spring. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com Editor Putting together a preseason poll is part guesswork, part conjecture and part Ouija board.However, looking back at last year’s preseason pool, we did pick the final two teams – Marist and Glenbard West – correctly at Nos. 1-2. The rest of the poll? Eh.We did have IHSA quarterfinalists Lake Park and Wheaton Warrenville South in the top 10, San...
Marist RedHawk Invitational
Monday, March 23 results
Monday, March 23 resultsBelleville West def. Gateway Tech (St. Louis, Missouri) 25-15, 25-5 Brother Rice def. Sandburg 25-15, 25-20Sandburg (0-1 overall, 0-0 in the Southwest Suburban Conference).Brother Rice (1-0 overall, 0-0 in the Chicago Catholic League).Cristo Rey St. Martin def. Round Lake 25-17, 25-21Downers Grove North def. Naperville Central 25-22, 25-8Downers Grove North (1-0 overall, 0-0 in the West Suburban Silver): Emperor Pratts (7 kills), Ethan Weiner (12 service points, 11 assists), Jude Caldwell (10 assists, 6 service point...
Trojans’ Emperor rules during Downers North’s conquest of Naperville Central
Downers Grove North's Jude Caldwell had 10 assists and 5 kills during the Trojans' victory Monday over Naperville Central. (File photo by Dave Ruggles) By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.comThere is a story behind how Downers Grove North sophomore Emperor Pratts got his unique name.“My mother told me, ‘When you were in my womb, you were a knight. When you came out, you were a king,’” Pratts said.Pratts, a 6-foot-1 rightside hitter, ruled the court at times during his varsity debut on Monday. He came off the bench and led all players with 7...
Belleville East Invitational
Niles Invitational
Looking at more of the boys HS teams getting ready for the 2026 IHSA season
Despite some key departures, Barrington coach Charlie Spry's Broncos will reload behind two of the top players in Illinois as they seek to defend their Mid-Suburban League and regional titles. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorToday, we continue our look at some of boys’ volleyball teams across Illinois. Illprepvb.com reached out multiple times to every coach in Illinois requesting information about their teams and the upcoming 2026 season. This preview reflects some of the responses we received.We thank those ...
Here’s a look at more of the boys HS teams preparing for the 2026 IHSA season
Aaron Grey (15) is one of three returning starters for Downers Grove North. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorToday, we continue our look at some of boys’ volleyball teams across Illinois. Illprepvb.com reaches out multiple times to every coach in Illinois requesting information about their teams and the upcoming 2026 season. This preview reflects some of the responses we received.We thank those coaches who responded for promoting boys volleyball in Illinois, and, more importantly, supporting their student-athlete...