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Chicago Tribune
4 days ago
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Jacob Finley, wearing No. 5, keeps Marist alive to avoid state quarterfinal upset. His reaction? ‘We've got this.'
Why was senior setter Jacob Finley wearing No. 5 for Marist and why was the public-address announcer calling him Wyatt Olszewski during Friday's state quarterfinals? Shortly before the match, the RedHawks changed uniforms because Illinois High School Association officials said their numbers were too hard to read. Some players found theirs in alternate gray uniforms. Finley, who usually wears No. 12, ended up with Olszewski's jersey. But Finley wasn't paying attention to the announcer. 'I was really zoned in,' he said. 'I zoned out the crowd and focused on the court and my teammates.' Marist was out of its comfort zone for a little while, but after losing its first set to an Illinois team all season, the RedHawks recovered and pulled off a 17-25, 25-14, 25-21 win over Lake Park at Hoffman Estates. Ohio State-bound Christian Teresi paced Marist (38-2) with 15 kills and 13 assists. MIT recruit Nathen Toth tallied six kills and Finley added 12 assists. That put the defending state champion RedHawks into an 11 a.m. Saturday semifinal against Lane Tech (34-6), which earned a 25-21, 21-25, 25-18 win over Wheaton-Warrenville South (32-8) . Finley, who will be heading to South Alabama for college, is giving up competitive volleyball. Even though the Redhawks struggled mightily in the first game, Finley remained confident that his high school career wasn't coming to an end Friday. 'I knew we could come back — we've done it before in California,' Finley said, referring to a trip the RedHawks made in April. 'When we started off the second set hot, I was like, 'We got this.''' Sandburg was hoping to put a second Southland team into the semifinals but dropped a 25-23, 25-23 decision to O'Fallon in a match that featured 31 ties and eight lead changes. Sacred Heart recruit JT Snider totaled seven kills, Princeton commit Jeremiah Aro followed with six and Easton Donausky notched 19 assists for the Eagles (36-5), who were making their first quarterfinal appearance since 2016. Sutton Massey led the way with nine kills for O'Fallon (32-7), which needed to fend off five match points Tuesday against Lincoln-Way East to win 23-25, 21-29, 25-21 in the sectional final. Finley, meanwhile, shares setting duties with senior right-side hitter Teresi and the two are clicking. 'He brings a lot to the team in funny ways and serious ways,' Teresi said of Finley. 'We have our ups and downs, but we're at the point where we found our adjustment and it's paying off.' And it doesn't hurt to have a positive presence on the team. 'Finley is always the loudest in the gym,' Toth said. 'He's always the most positive guy. He's never afraid to admit when he has made a mistake, and he's a glue guy on the court.' On top of that, Finley puts a lot of energy into practices and games. 'You will never not hear him in our gym,' Marist coach Jordan Vidovic said. 'He gets the most out of what he wants to do. He came up with a huge dig (Friday) and I don't know if we won the point or not, but those are the spark plays and the energy plays and we needed that. 'He brings fun energy and comfort that settles everybody in.' While Finley said he received offers from other schools, the decision to walk away from volleyball wasn't easy. He confirmed he will miss playing the sport. 'I love the atmosphere with all of the parents and fans going crazy,' Finley said. 'I love my teammates. I love being there, and when we are in the gym together, nothing else matters. 'We work really hard and we are in it together. We all want the same thing, which is what I love.'
Chicago Tribune
29-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Loyola recruit Anna Kiel inches closer to 500 career strikeouts. But what about her hitting? ‘Even more impressed.'
To be blunt, the numbers for South Elgin senior Anna Kiel are downright gaudy. But which statistics put up this season by the four-year varsity standout and Loyola recruit are more impressive, those for her pitching or her hitting? Take your pick, according to senior catcher Chloe Ricard. 'With Anna, you can call any pitch in any count,' Ricard said. 'I have a lot of confidence in her to throw whatever she wants and she has the confidence in me to call whatever I feel is best. 'But I think I'm more impressed with her hitting, which is remarkable. Usually, the standard is how far above .200 you are hitting, and she's hitting above .500.' On Wednesday, it had to be Kiel's work in the circle. The hard-throwing left-hander fired a three-hit shutout for the fifth-seeded Storm in a 4-0 shutout of 11th-seeded Addison Trail in a Class 4A South Elgin Regional semifinal. Kiel (14-3), the Upstate Eight West's pitcher of the year, struck out 13 and walked none to lead her team to a familiar place in the postseason. Her teammates put up three runs in the second inning, featuring a triple by sophomore left fielder Kaidence Rumachik and RBI singles by sophomore first baseman Jenna Sheehan and senior third baseman Adriana Jimenez. All three, along with Ricard, were all-conference selections. South Elgin (27-4), which set the program's single-season record for wins, advanced to a 4:30 Friday regional final against third-seeded Lake Park (21-7), the Storm's nemesis. 'Knowing every pitch matters is something I'm going to focus on,' Kiel said. 'I'm trying not to focus on the pressure but trusting the people around me, knowing we can get it done if we play together. 'We're definitely going into the game hungry on Friday.' Kiel was delighted to get in game Wednesday's game, especially after the area was hit with plenty of rain in the morning. South Elgin coach Brad Reynard said the U-46 grounds crew deserved an assist. It allows his ace to have the day off Thursday and be available for the final without pitching two days in a row. Each of the past three years, the Lancers have ended the Storm season, twice in regional championship games and her sophomore season in a sectional semifinal. Kiel's 13 strikeouts Wednesday pushed her career total to 494. 'She'll take one strikeout Friday as long as she gets the 'W' against Lake Park,' Reynard said. 'She's ready to go now. Anna doesn't get too high or too low. It's hard to read emotions sometimes from her.' Kiel had a single in three at-bats and carries a .558 average (43-for-77) with seven doubles, one home run and 23 RBIs, one of seven players on the team with 20 or more RBIs. 'She's just locked, hitting laser line drives, finding the hole between shortstop and third base and hitting the left-center gap,' Reynard said. 'This year, she told me, 'One of my goals is not to strike out.'' Close. So far, Kiel has struck out only once in 86 plate appearances. Kiel credited her work with New Lenox Lightning coach Jim Abbott and Phil Latoria of St. Charles for improving her hitting and St. Charles-based Jill Waldron on her pitching. 'I think it helps me as a batter being a pitcher,' Kiel said. 'I'm not guessing, I kind of know what they might be thinking throwing to me.' Loyola coaches will let her do both, she said, if she earns it. 'Offensively, she probably doesn't get as much praise as she should,' Reynard said. 'But for me, knowing she's going to be in the circle is hard to beat. 'I don't want to say she's the best player I've ever had, but she never ceases to amaze me and I've been doing this 25 years. It's like talking to an adult.'
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Willmar School Board on May 12 to again discuss eliminating positions
May 10---- The at its regular meeting Monday will continue discussion of the possible discontinuation of the district's health and wellness coordinator role. At a previous meeting, the board heard from the public, including the current Health and Wellness Coordinator Patti Johnson, and decided that more information was needed before a decision could be made. According to the agenda and accompanying materials for the May 12 meeting, the proposed resolution to be voted on Monday is part of the district's push for the restructuring of multiple departments. At the April 14 meeting, the board voted to discontinue two positions, assistant principal of Lake Park School/Prairie Lakes and the assistant principal of the Area Learning Center, as part of the restructuring plan. These two positions were eliminated within a resolution that also contained language for the elimination of the health and wellness coordinator; however, the board voted to amend the resolution and ask for more information on the final position. The board will also look at a second resolution, which would terminate the employment of Johnson at the May 12 meeting. The resolution cites financial limitations and restructuring in the district as the reason for this termination. If passed, the termination would be effective June 30, 2025. The complete agenda can be viewed on the School Board page of the district website at
Chicago Tribune
11-02-2025
- Health
- Chicago Tribune
Stevenson's Rocco Pagliocca sees his ‘lows' differently after thoracic outlet syndrome. But he's flying high.
Stevenson junior guard Rocco Pagliocca kept telling himself that it would feel better soon. But his pain lingered as the season drew closer. 'I thought it was something with my back, but it wasn't anything crazy, so I tried to play on it a couple of times,' Pagliocca said. 'But it really wouldn't go away and wasn't getting any better.' The 6-foot-2 Pagliocca had suffered a fracture in his first rib — he didn't know how — and the healing process created a more serious issue. 'The way it healed, the bone got a little bigger and built callus around it, so it started to cut the blood flow off down my arm,' he said. 'When I would move my arm, the blood flow would get cut off. I would feel pain from the nerve whenever I lifted my arm. That stuck with me. It confused me why that was hurting, and it was pretty painful.' In November, doctors determined that Pagliocca was suffering from thoracic outlet syndrome, a condition that occurs when nerves or blood vessels are compressed between the first rib and collarbone. Pagliocca, who was coming off an impressive sophomore season, needed surgery. 'It was pretty hard to hear that I would be having surgery right before my junior season,' Pagliocca said. 'It was a pretty big surgery. They had to be so careful to go around the nerves.' Pagliocca actually played in the Patriots' season opener against Lake Park in Palatine's Ed Molitor Thanksgiving Classic on Nov. 25. His surgery came two days later and took more than four hours, he said. His recovery, at least in his mind, was slow. 'For the first week, I had to get helped up,' Pagliocca said. 'I couldn't sit up on my own. I couldn't really eat on my own because of the multiple incisions in my chest area and down my back. 'I was pretty worried because I had never gone through something like that. There was pain in so many different places. I was thinking, 'How am I supposed to go out there and play basketball again?'' Yes, basketball was his primary concern, reflecting his lifelong passion for the sport. But Pagliocca's father Jeff, a longtime local basketball trainer who is the general manager of the Chicago Sky, was more worried about his health. 'Basketball is his identity,' Jeff Pagliocca said. 'It's my identity. He loves the game and pours his life into it. But in the situation he was in, basketball became a distant second. Even after the surgery, we knew his pain would be significant for months. 'For him to bounce back as quickly as he did, a major part of it is that he's really tough and him just wanting to play basketball.' Rocco Pagliocca played a few minutes off the bench on Dec. 17, just 20 days after surgery, and hit four straight free throws late in the game to help North Suburban Conference leader Stevenson (18-8, 9-2) beat Lockport. Two games later, he scored 23 points in a loss to Fremd in the Wheeling Hardwood Classic. Despite his strong showing, Pagliocca didn't feel confident. 'I wouldn't say I was scared something was going to happen, but I wasn't used to any of this,' he said. 'Usually I can play through stuff, but it was affecting me mentally too.' A lack of practice time also held him back. 'Rocco is a kid who loves practicing, so that added to the tough times he was experiencing,' Stevenson coach Will Benson said. 'It was hard to see him go through all of that, just from a human standpoint. Once we got around MLK weekend, you could tell he was getting closer. 'It's nice to see him back having fun again.' Pagliocca is having fun, as are the Patriots, who entered the week having won six straight games and nine out of their past 10. It's no coincidence that Pagliocca is finding his stride. He's averaging 12.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 steals, but his scoring has jumped to 16.8 points over the past five games. He had 23 points in a win against Prospect on Jan. 25 and a game-high 22 points in a key conference win against Waukegan on Jan. 31. Pagliocca also ranks second on the team in charges taken. 'I'm definitely more confident now, and we're building that team chemistry and playing at a level I think we should be at,' Pagliocca said. 'And when I'm having lows, I remind myself of what I'm doing now compared to what I was going through a couple of months ago.'
