Latest news with #Kaneland
Chicago Tribune
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Kaneland's Jake Buckley, who grew up as a West Aurora fan, turns heads at Battle of the Big Butts. ‘He's a beast.'
Kaneland's Jake Buckley, a two-way lineman, looked and felt right at home Thursday afternoon walking around the grounds of West Aurora's Ormond Stadium. And why not? The Blackhawks' athletic facilities are like a second home to the Knights' three-sport athlete. His dad, Jason, has been the athletic director at West Aurora since 2012. A bevy of young fans checked out hundreds of competitors in the Battle of the Big Butts, greeting the gregarious Jake with a fist bump or high five as linemen moved between seven event stations. 'I was a pretty fanatic West Aurora fan,' he said. 'I loved to dance when I was younger and I'd do it to hype up the crowd. I grew up rooting for both teams and still can since we're not in the same league and never see each other. 'It's fun being around here, seeing the culture this district has. It's similar to Kaneland culture.' Jake Buckley, a chiseled 6-foot-4 and 265 pounds, is easily recognizable, too. 'He's a beast,' Oswego assistant coach Marc Kersting said. 'He's definitely a good one.' A two-way starter for Kaneland coach Mike Thorgesen, Buckley plays left tackle on offense and rotates between nose guard and tackle on defense. 'With Jake, the secret is there is no secret,' Thorgesen said. 'He's the hardest working kid on the team in the weight room, plays three sports, tough as nails. I don't know that we instilled it in him. 'He's a natural. We're just high on him, and I'm going to enjoy having him this senior season.' Buckley, who also plays basketball and does throws in track, comes from an athletic family. His dad and mom, Jennifer Gabel Buckley, both played basketball at Aurora University. Jennifer coached the AU women's team from 1999 to 2005 and Jason started Oswego East's boys program, coaching varsity from 2005 to 2012 before moving into administration. Jake's older sister, Maddie, is a senior right-hitter for Ball State in volleyball. 'It has impacted me,' Jake said. 'I've wanted to push myself more, coming from a family who is sports happy and athletic. It's my job to carry the torch for the next family member. 'It's fun being one of the only football players in the family. I'm proud of myself for doing that.' He's drawing recruiting interest with offers from FCS Division I Drake along with McKendree, Roosevelt and Olivet Nazarene and a roster spot offer from North Central College. Walking past Buckley, West Aurora coach Nate Eimer chimed in. 'You can quote me — this kid needs more D-I offers,' Eimer said. 'What a joke. I'll tweet it tomorrow.' Thorgesen isn't sure what to think, figuring lower interest for some high school players is being driven by the growth and influence of the transfer portal on college recruiting. 'Jake is definitely getting attention with texts from other D-I schools,' Thorgesen said. 'I think he'll be impactful next level, but it's hard to compete with a 22-year-old adult.' Buckley, who does weights year-round, led a group of 20 players for Kaneland lifting before school four times a week last winter and spring to improve the team's strength. He doesn't seem worried. 'I had to battle because I didn't start playing collision football until eighth grade,' he said. 'I understand people want to go high Division I or a Power Four school. But do I want to go play good minutes right away or have to redshirt and sit for two years? 'I'm going to a place where I can play. That's what I want to do, and I feel like North Central, for instance, is a place I could do it.' This season comes first, however. It's his finale for Kaneland. 'We were young last year, starting seven sophomores,' Buckley said. 'We've gotten stronger and don't want to be a 5-5 first-round exit like last year. We want to be better and make a good run. 'Hopefully, we'll be disciplined and ready to go Week 1.'
Chicago Tribune
02-07-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Kaneland School District 302 taking applications for planning committees for facility improvements
Kaneland School District 302 is taking applications from community members, students and staff members for committees that will provide input and make recommendations on the district's upcoming facility improvement projects, according to a news release from the district. This is the district's latest step in its facility improvement plans. In April, a majority of voters approved via referendum the district's request to issue over $140 million in bonds to pay for building improvements at all campuses across the district, according to past reporting. The upgrades are focused on improving safety and accessibility, modernizing classrooms and upgrading buildings' infrastructure, officials have said. The district's school board recently gave the green light on a $38 million bond sale to begin funding the projects and refund some outstanding obligations, according to past reporting. The board has also approved the execution of an escrow agreement, the levy of a direct annual tax to repay the bonds and the approval of the sale of the bonds to the purchaser. The intention for the Core Planning Committees is for the community to provide input on the projects, monitor their progress and give recommendations to stakeholders during the renovation and construction processes, the release said. The district is looking for individuals with 'relevant experience that aligns with its facility improvement goals,' per the release. Committee members will be expected to attend roughly two evening meetings per month. Kaneland will be accepting applications through July 11. Interested applicants can apply at:
Chicago Tribune
02-07-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Kaneland School District 302 upgrades confidential tip line for calls about bullying, violence
Kaneland School District 302 is upgrading its safety tip line for calls about bullying, violence and crises, according to a news release from the district on Tuesday. The district currently has a safety tip line, but is switching to a new service with Gaggle that will be monitored by trained professionals at all times, the release said. Per the release, Gaggle has been around for more than two decades, and uses artificial intelligence and trained experts to help prevent bullying, violence and self-harm. The new tip line, called SpeakUp for Safety, is meant to streamline the reporting process and improve accessibility for calls made in the district, the release said. Non-life-threatening reports will continue to be routed to Kaneland staff, but urgent issues will initiate notifications to district contacts or law enforcement when necessary, the release said. The service will be integrated with Google Workspace for Education, meaning students will have access to it without additional apps. 'We are committed to enhancing student support. The upgraded SpeakUp for Safety tip line empowers students to report their concerns confidentially, allowing us to address incidents of bullying and crises more effectively,' Kaneland School District Director of Technology Tim Wolf said in the release. The new tip line has already been activated, a district spokesperson said on Tuesday. The email for the new tip line is speakup@ and the phone number (which can be used for voice calls and text) is 630-332-0142.
Chicago Tribune
03-06-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
At age 36, Kaneland alum Casey Crosby makes pitching comeback for Kane County Cougars. ‘Somebody said he threw 98.'
Last summer, Casey Crosby did what many dads do. The Kaneland graduate and former MLB pitcher took his wife, Haley, and their four kids to see a Kane County Cougars game. 'My kids were rolling down the hill,' Crosby said. 'My wife and I had some drinks. It's just a fun time to be out here. It was a different perspective when I came back here for a couple of games.' Four years removed from the end of his professional baseball career, Crosby had earned his master's degree in accounting at Northern Illinois and completed his CPA. 'I was done, mentally and physically,' Crosby said. 'It was time to start the next chapter.' Noticing former Chicago Dogs teammate Harrison Smith, however, get ready before the game tugged at Crosby. 'I was sitting there watching him warm up and I was like, 'I think I could do this with how life is right now,'' Crosby said. 'That's when the idea came into my head. 'I put that in the back of my head and started throwing a little bit. I felt good.' Fast forward to Thursday, and you can officially change his Wikipedia page from former professional baseball player to current professional baseball player. With blessings from his family and his bosses at a St. Charles commercial real estate firm, Crosby officially signed with the Cougars and pitched three scoreless innings in two outings at age 36. It was his first professional action since the 2020 season with the Chicago Dogs. 'Basically, there were no obstacles in my way to do it, just myself, my own mentality of going for it,' Crosby said. 'If I can still do it and there's nothing stopping me, why wouldn't I?' Crosby enlisted the help of Kaneland catcher Nate Campbell to work his bullpen sessions at Elburn Field House. Crosby was drafted in by the Detroit Tigers right around the time the Coe recruit was born but Campbell was glad to help out. 'He's in his mid-30s, but he's a great guy and he treats me like a brother,' Campbell said of Crosby. 'I was impressed. He just recently picked it back up. Right away, he was throwing heat. 'I was like, holy cow, especially from the left side.' Crosby asked Smith, ex-teammate, to help him get in touch with Cougars manager George Tsamis. In his time managing independent baseball teams, Tsmasis has fielded similar calls. 'Sometimes, you get these with guys who haven't played in years and then you never hear from them again,' Tsamis said. 'In this case, he really wanted the opportunity.' Crosby's start to the season was delayed due to biceps soreness. When Crosby was finally ready to go, Tsamis signed him and immediately put him into a pressure situation. 'That one inning the other night was pretty nice,' Tsamis said. 'Somebody said he threw 98. That's amazing to me. It's nice and easy. It's very impressive.' Crosby said he did a lot of work on his mental health in his time away from baseball. The unburdening of the pressure from being a fifth-round draft pick and relying on the sport as his livelihood has freed him up this time around. 'I dealt with my fair share of trials and tribulations throughout baseball,' Crosby said. 'It just helped me get a new perspective on what I'm doing and what this is.' This time around, Crosby has a new outlook. 'It's a new goal — just to have fun and enjoy the game.' he said. 'I felt like I wasn't able to enjoy the game with that kind of stuff weighing on me.' With that burden off his shoulders, Crosby is giving it one more shot. 'When you strip everything down, the crowd, the money that's in baseball, it's a fun game,' Crosby said. 'For me to do this professionally for a third stint, I just count my blessings all the time.'
Chicago Tribune
31-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
A sacrifice fly? Think again, Quinn Rooney. ‘It just kept going.' He makes sure Benet keeps going too.
Benet sophomore first baseman Quinn Rooney put his head down and ran hard after hitting the towering fly ball to right field. It wasn't until he got to second base that he realized what he had done. Kaneland junior right fielder Carter Grabowski drifted back and got ready to catch what everyone figured would be a sacrifice fly. Then he signaled that he couldn't find the ball. That's because it was gone for a tie-breaking three-run home run. 'I actually didn't think it was a home run,' Rooney said. 'I thought it was like a sac fly to the right fielder. But as I was rounding second, I saw the home plate umpire point like that, and I just got really excited.' So did Rooney's teammates, who mobbed him after he crossed home plate with what turned out to be the decisive run in Benet's 5-4 victory in the Class 3A Kaneland Regional championship game. Rooney's first home run of the season, coming in the fifth inning, capped a five-run rally by the second-seeded Redwings (23-12), who advance to the Kaneland Sectional semifinals to play top-seeded Burlington Central at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. Third-seeded Kaneland (25-11) led 2-0 when junior second baseman Nathan Cerocke and senior third baseman Merrick Sullivan led off the inning with singles for Benet. Senior right fielder Luke Wildes walked to load the bases for senior center fielder Josh Gugora, who hit a slow tapper to third. An errant throw home allowed two runs to score. Rooney followed with his decisive swing. 'Off the bat, I was excited because, all right, at least that's one, you know, if it was a sac fly,' Benet co-coach Jorge Acosta said. 'He caught enough to backspin it, and it just kept going and got out of here. It was awesome, a good moment for him.' Rooney has had many good moments this season. The Redwings originally planned to use him as a pitcher, but he impressed so much at first base during the preseason that he earned the starting spot there. 'He's been one of our biggest clutch hitters all year long,' Acosta said. 'I think this is his fourth or fifth game-winning hit. 'He had a couple walk-off hits back-to-back days against Naperville North and Carmel. He's very calm in big spots and keeps things simple. He just finds a barrel, and good things happen.' Not much good was happening in this game for the Redwings, who had mustered only two singles off Kaneland junior pitcher Hayden Foster through the first four innings. But Foster's day was done after Rooney's homer. 'I just had to stay relaxed just like any other at-bat,' Rooney said. 'You can't tense up in those tough moments but just got to show up for your team.' The Redwings know they can rely on Rooney to do so. 'He's been huge all year coming through in big spots,' Benet senior pitcher Gino Zagorac said. 'As a sophomore especially, it's tough. 'There's a lot of pressure on you, but he's thrived through all the pressure, and he's came up in big spots for us a lot throughout the year. You've got to give a lot of credit to him for staying composed.' Zagorac (3-2), a Wichita State recruit, stayed composed despite some struggles with command. He walked four and hit a batter but allowed only two hits and struck out six, leaving after issuing a leadoff walk in the sixth. 'It was tough in the beginning trying to find my all my pitches, and then as the game went on, I was able to throw three pitches in the zone for strikes,' Zagorac said. 'That helped me keep them off balance and battle through even though I didn't have my best stuff.' Benet junior Lucas Kohlmeyer pitched two innings to get the save. Rooney helped him by making a diving catch for the first out of the seventh inning and then grabbed a grounder and tossed the ball to Kohlmeyer for the second out. Northwestern-bound senior Jake Rifenburg is scheduled to pitch for Benet on Wednesday. Zagorac said 'the entire school' has confidence in Rifenburg, while Rooney said the Redwings have confidence in themselves. 'We've been battling all year, but we just got to keep going,' Rooney said. 'We're just going to keep winning games, eventually getting to state. That's the goal.'
