Junior Addie Brookbank (5) and Barrington will try to improve to 12-1 when they visit Mid-Suburban West rival Fremd on Tuesday. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorThree weeks in the books and we still have more questions than answers.This week's Wheaton Classic may answer a few of those questions in Class 4A, or it could leave us with a preponderance of riddles much like the Lincoln and Effingham tournaments did last weekend.Meanwhile, while some schools already know if they are hosting regionals, we are lookin...
Timothy Christian dons pink, but could they be seeing red in less than a month?
Timothy Christian players and their fans were decked out in pink Wednesday to raise cancer awareness, after which they paused to celebrate another Trojans' victory. By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorPlaying without 6-3 junior outside hitter and University of Texas recruit Abby VanderWal for the first 10 matches of the season – a stretch during which the Trojans went 7-3 and lost to rival and probable sectional foe IC Catholic Prep -- might not have been the worst thing to happen to Timothy Christian.“I think we were able to learn and bui...
Here are the most recent Michio Chicago VBA/Illprepvb.com Girls H.S. Rankings
Mother McAuley defeated Notre Dame Academy (Louisville, Kentucky) on Saturday to win its second consecutive ASICS Challenge championship. By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorIt’s the same old story – B beats A, C beats B, A beats B.Can anyone hold down the top spot in the Michio Chicago VBA/Illprepvb.com Girls High School Class 4A rankings?We could find out this week when Marist, which beat Mother McAuley to open the door for Benet Academy to assume the top spot after the Redwings beat Marist in the finals of the Wheaton Classi...
Presenting the preseason Michio Chicago VBA/Illprepvb.com girls rankings
Mother McAuley and Benet Academy could be headed toward another IHSA Class 4A championship match clash, or will the folks downstate pair the two big-school powerhouses in a supersectional smashup like they did in 2014? Stay tuned. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) Notice: You may not distribute, modify, transmit, reuse, re-post, or use the content of the Site for public or commercial purposes, including the text, images, audio, and video, without Illprepvb.com, LLC’s written permission.By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorLet the (guessing) games be...
Benet Academy plays rotation roulette, wins twice at Wheaton North tournament
Benet Academy rolled out a few dfferent lineups Wednesday in the opening round of the Wheaton North Blue & Gold Invitational, but won both of its matches against Kaneland and West Aurora. By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorSetters playing outside. Middles playing rightside. So many substitutions you needed a GPS tracker to keep pace.Simply put, to quote one of the greatest movie lines of all time, it was, “Madness.”“We thought we had a lineup, but then we had an injury, so now we've had a few days to try to mix and match a little...
Suitable for viewing: Parker Moorhead, Glenbard West enjoy Act II against Marist
Parker Moorhead (12) had 8 kills, including the final two of the match, as Glenbard West defeated Marist for the second time this season, 26-24, 25-23, Thursday in Glen Ellyn. (File photo by Dave Ruggles). By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorGlenbard West’s Parker Moorhead loves watching game film.“I always love watching film,” he said. “I like watching myself. I can't lie. This was just so much fun. I’ll probably watch this like 10 or 12 times.”Moorhead will particularly enjoy watching the final two points of Thursday’s match against ...
Presenting the Sports Performance VBC Illprepvb.com Coaches Hall of Fame Class of ’23
Legendary coach Larry Sample guided Jacksonville to an IHSA Class AA championship, the first won by a downstate school in the big-school class, in 1988, then later coached (Chatham) Glenwood for three years before retiring following the 2008 season. (Photo courtesy of the Springfield State Journal-Register). By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorFive years ago, Illprepvb.com was approached to collaborate on the creation of an Illinois High School Volleyball Coaches Hall of Fame.Unfortunately, at the time, nothing ever came of that phone call...
Together at last, Minooka’s Brass sisters hope to create golden memories on the court
Minooka's Brooklyn Brass (far right) played club volleyball for Sports Performance's 15 Elite team last season. This fall at Minooka, she'll finally be able to play with her two older sisters, twins Kennedi and Makenzie, (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.comPeople often assume that Minooka sisters Kennedi, Makenzie and Brooklyn Brass are triplets.They are only two-thirds right.Seniors Kennedi and Makenzie are triplets, but with their brother Trey, who plays basketball.Brooklyn, a sophomore, is two years younge...
Henderson, Downers North exude confidence; Glenbard South rally stuns Benet
Junior middle hitter Adam Janowiak had 8 kills and a block in Downers Grove North's win over Oswego at Glenbard South. (File photo by Dave Ruggles) https://youtu.be/idz93dLMcEA By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorGlenbard West. Lyons Township. Oak Park-River Forest. Plainfield East. York. Fishers (Indiana).Downers Grove North has played them all … winning some, losing some, and hanging with just about everybody on their schedule.The IHSA tournament road ahead doesn’t get any easier for the Trojans, who advanced to Thursday’s 6:00 ...
Togetherness, intensity drive St. Francis to victory over visiting Glenbard East
Glenbard East's 6-4 junior rightside Danny Overlin (18) sat out Wednesday's loss at St. Francis after suffering a severe ankle sprain in a recent match against Naperville Central. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorWhat drives St. Francis?Intensity, said 6-2 junior libero JT McCormick.“Intensity has always driven us,” McCormick said. “Whenever we’re up, whenever we’re loud, we tend to score the points that are necessary to win. When our intensity is up, so is our play.”Togetherness, said 6-5 junior setter Kyle Zedi...