Downers Grove North senior Philip Cupial, York sophomore Karlin Janowski and Montini senior Sydney Gertsen all won cross country state titles Saturday in school record times, Downers North's boys were second in Class 3A, St. Francis girls second in 2A and York girls third in 3A.

The Montini defense needed a little while to dig in and find its footing against a high-scoring Peoria Notre Dame offense. The Broncos offense, on the other hand, needed no such thing in a 47-17 Class 4A victory Saturday in Peoria.

A total of 12 CCL/ESCC football teams advanced to the second round of the 2025 IHSA state playoffs. Among the teams still in the hunt for state titles are defending champions Mount Carmel, Nazareth and Montini.

The Class 4A field was chock full of perennial powers on pairings night and most of them are still there as we head into Round 2. Steve Soucie breaks down the second round of the 2025 IHSA Class 4A Playoffs.

Coastal Carolina commit Dani Hopp took over with eight of her match-high 17 kills in the third set as Richmond-Burton rallied for a 13-25, 25-20, 25-21 victory against Montini in a Class 2A Boylan Sectional semifinal Tuesday.

C.J. Gray led Brother Rice over Jefferson, Zach Washington's kick return sparked St. Francis against Morgan Park and Israel Abrams tossed four TD passes to help Montini remain undefeated. Fenwick, St. Rita, Providence and IC Catholic Prep added first-round playoff wins.

The Chicago Catholic League/East Suburban Catholic Conference has revealed its All-Conference honorees and award winners for the 2025 varsity football season. Click the link below to read this year's award winners.

Enrollment changes lead to the 4A draw looking a bit different than it has in the past few years. Steve Soucie breaks down the opening round of the 2025 IHSA Class 4A Playoffs.

Montini made history with a win over St. Laurence, Joliet Catholic stunned Providence to make the playoffs and St. Patrick defeated St. Viator in a matchup of former NFL players turned head coaches. Marian Catholic, Brother Rice and Carmel each added wins in Week 9.

There are over a dozen CCL/ESCC teams participating in the IHSA football playoffs this season. Among the playoff qualifiers are defending state champions Mount Carmel, Loyola, Nazareth and Montini. Here are all of the first-round matchups for CCL/ESCC teams.

Playoff spots and divisional championships are on the line as all 24 of the CCL/ESCC football teams prepare to take the field this evening. Here are all of tonight's CCL/ESCC Week 9 matchups.

Montini is 8-0 and eyeing historic achievements, while Joliet Catholic finds itself in unfamiliar territory with an Orange Division title game against Providence looming. Niles Notre Dame defeated Leo and snapped a five-game losing streak, setting up a pivotal clash with Marist.

Nine CCL/ESCC football teams including Mount Carmel, Montini, Nazareth and Brother Rice have won six or more games and secured automatic bids to the IHSA playoffs. Several teams including St. Rita, Loyola and St. Patrick are still in the mix with a week left.

St. Laurence took a crucial matchup against St. Patrick, while IC Catholic Prep and St. Francis inched closer to automatic playoff bids. Providence outlasted Loyola and multiple teams including St. Rita, Carmel, Brother Rice, Mount Carmel and Montini picked up victories.

Five CCL/ESCC football teams have secured automatic playoff bids through seven weeks of the IHSA regular season. Nazareth, Fenwick and Brother Rice all improved to 6-1, joining Mount Carmel and Montini in the postseason. Several five and four-win teams are still in the hunt.

Nazareth took down St. Rita, St. Patrick handled Benet and Marian Catholic knocked off Marmion as divisional races heat up in the Chicago Catholic League/East Suburban Catholic Conference. Leo rolled over De La Salle to earn its third win for the first time since 2021.

Mount Carmel and Montini clinched automatic playoff bids, while several CCL/ESCC teams including Brother Rice, Nazareth and Fenwick are sitting comfortably with three weeks left in the regular season. Four-win teams include Carmel, Loyola, St. Francis, Providence and more.

Saturday morning in the Pat Savage Invitational at Niles West, Montini senior Sydney Gertsen rolled to first place in the individual competition with a time of 17:29.39.

In a thriller that saw the two teams combine for over 1,000 yards of offense, Montini survived Carmel by one point on Friday.

Marist and St. Rita snapped their recent losing streaks, while Trae Taylor threw for 5 touchdowns as Carmel scored 70 points against Marian Catholic. Mount Carmel and Brother Rice each improved to 5-0, setting the stage for a massive CCL/ESCC Blue Division showdown.

Israel Abrams threw for 250 yards and two touchdowns, Luca Florio returned a punt 67 yards for a TD and Montini scored on its first five possessions and rolled past Marmion 47-0 for its 15th straight win dating back to last year.

After missing his junior season to an ACL injury, Montini's Laddie Asay watched the Broncos finish 12-2 and win the IHSA 3A state championship. Now healthy and a team captain, Asay is motivated to lead to Broncos to a second straight state title.

Illinois recruit Will Vala has taken on an expanded role for a Downers Grove North team without injured quarterback Owen Lansu, playing some running back and receiver. That, Lemont takes care of business to move back to .500 and kids keying Montini's 4-0 start in football notes.

Providence and Marmion are rolling into divisional play, Joliet Catholic stunned Marist on a scramble-drill touchdown and Nazareth held off IC Catholic Prep on a game-winning field goal. Montini held off Fenwick to stay unbeaten and Mount Carmel rolled over St. Ignatius

A failed two-point try that could have tied it was the difference as Montini bested Fenwick 31-29 Friday night.

The Montini football team hosted Fenwick Friday night in Lombard.

Montini and IC Catholic are 3-0 after wins over bigger schools, Loyola exacted its revenge on St. Francis and Brother Rice nabbed a ranked win over St. Rita in Chicago. Also included in this week's notebook are updates on the CCL/ESCC White and Red Divisions.

Led by seniors Philip Cupial and Will Surratt, Downers Grove North is aiming to become the first Class 3A boys cross country team to win three straight state championships since York’s last title streak with legendary coach Joe Newton from 2002-06.

Nazareth, St. Francis and Fenwick are three notable Week 2 winners primed for big matchups in the CCL/ESCC this coming weekend.

The number of teams undefeated through two weeks is about the same, but some of the names of the teams on the list are a bit surprising. Steve Soucie takes a look at what we learned in Week 2.

Here are highlights and notes from Week 1 results around the Chicago Catholic League/East Suburban Catholic Conference.

Johnny Louise kicked two 42-yard field goals to account for all of Montini's points in the second half and had a key deflection on an interception late in the Broncos' 20-16 win over three-time defending Michigan state champion Lumen Christi.

The wait is over. The many, many questions that teams have for the 2025 season are about to begin getting answered. Steve Soucie takes a look at the games to watch in the first week of the IHSA football season.

The 2025 boys soccer season starts this week. Here are previews of teams from around the Suburban Life coverage area.

The 2025 girls volleyball season starts this week. Here are previews of teams from around the Suburban Life coverage area.

The “memorandum of understanding” creates access and opportunity for high school students across the Diocese of Joliet to enroll at USF in Joliet, according to a release announcing the agreement.

Izzy Abrams has had a calendar year that would make a young man dizzy. The Montini quarterback was not even promised playing time going into last season. And then he led the Broncos to the Class 3A championship. A recruiting circus followed, and now he has upwards of 20 offers.

Team breakdowns, five players to watch, five can't miss games and Steve Soucie's predictions for the CCL/ESCC White.

The Illinois high school football season gets underway Monday, Aug. 11, with the start of preseason practices. Here are some of the top storylines to watch in the Suburban Life area this season.

Here is the 2025 Suburban Life All-Area softball team.

Nazareth senior Jaden Fauske and junior Landon Thome, York senior Josh Fleming, Downers Grove North senior Brady Schallmoser and Glenbard East senior Josh Ziemer were among those named Class 4A All-State by the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association just announced.

The magical postseason run by the Montini softball team came to a heartbreaking end Monday at the Class 3A Benedictine Supersectional at the hands of St. Laurence.

Montini lost to St. Laurence softball in a Class 3A Benedictine Supersectional on Monday, June 9, 2025 in Lisle.

Montini stampeded its way to a Class 3A sectional softball championship on its home field with a 13-2 run-rule victory over St. Francis in five innings on Friday evening in Lombard.

Westmont junior Kyla Babb pulled off an impressive distance double on Saturday at the state track and field meet, taking second in the Class 1A 3,200 meters and third in the 1,600. Downers Grove North, Downers Grove South and Wheaton North were among other schools with medals.

How will St. Francis' record-setting distance crew line up in Charleston? Can Westmont's Kyla Babb pull off the distance double? Here are five storylines to watch for Suburban Life area athletes at the IHSA girls state track and field meet.

Nazareth senior Chase Zidlicky was slated to be the staff ace this spring, but a rash of injuries has put additional stress on him to pitch deeper into games. Zidklicky, 7-0 with a 1.73 ERA, has been up to the task. That and notes on Riverside-Brookfield and more from Bob Narang.

Wheaton Warrenville South softball beat Wheaton North 1-0 in a wild ending, Sophia Rosner struck out 11 and homered for Benet softball, plus the rest of the baseball, softball soccer and volleyball results in Wednesday's Suburban Life roundup.

Marmion baseball took off from the first pitch with a seven-run first and never looked back in earning an 11-1 triumph Tuesday over Montini.

Wheaton Warrenville South is among a handful of Class 3A teams that remain undefeated this season heading into a challenging week. That, plus notes on Downers Grove South, Montini, Westmont and more in Chris Walker's soccer notebook.