L-W East Boys' Soccer Finishes Record Setting Season

The Griffins took both conference and regional titles in the 2012-2013 season.

For the Lincoln-Way East High School boys’ varsity soccer team, soccer isn’t just a sport — it’s a brotherhood. The Griffins finished their 2012-2013 season in the first round of sectional play with a 15-3-6 record, after winning both the conference and regional titles.  “It was really about mentality and leadership,” said head coach Ryan Decker. “This team had focus.” The team set a new school record during the season, allowing 16 goals in 24 games, 12 of which were shutouts. Decker credits the team’s strong defense for the season’s successes, as well as the Griffins’ ability to score on corner kicks, throw-ins and free kicks. Decker took particular pride in seeing the team unseat previous three-year conference champs Carl Sandburg High …

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Local Sports Notebook

L-W East Cross-Country Takes Third in Joliet Central Invite

Tom Rotondi and Mark Pedziwiatr lead the way for the Griffins in boys cross-country.

The Lincoln-Way East boys cross-country team took third place in Saturday's Joliet Central Invite. Tom Rotondi took sixth place (16:02) and Mark Pedziawiatr claimed eighth (16:10) to pace the Griffins. The Lincoln-Way East football team continue its assault on opposing defenses, running past Lockport on Friday, 38-7. The victory sets the table for a big Southwest Suburban Blue matchup against undefeated Homewood-Flossmoor on Friday night. An opportunity to begin the season 3-0 came to a halt over the weekend as Lincoln-Way North lost to Thornton 20-14. The Lincoln-Way East boys soccer team dropped a 2-1 decision to St. Ignatius on Thursday. The Griffins bounced back and played a scoreless draw against Eisenhower on Saturday. Lincoln-Way …

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Rachel Gilmore

8:07 am on Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Hi Chris. Thanks again for covering cross country! This is a wonderful encouragement for our kids! Please keep up the good work! I think maybe that Mark Pedziawiatr is not from East but from LW West?? Congratulations to him, though, for an awesome time!   more ›

Local Sports Notebook

L-W North, L-W East Football Riding High After Decisive Wins

Friday night's heat and humidity didn't slow down the Phoenix and the Griffins, as both teams improved to 2-0.

The high heat index delayed the start of Friday’s football game between Hillcrest and Lincoln-Way North, but all it did was give the Phoenix more time to prepare to put on a brilliant show of offense and defense. Lincoln-Way North cruised to a 40-14 victory and improved to 2-0 on the season. The Phoenix will take their show on the road Saturday when they play Thornwood at 1 p.m. Lincoln-Way East hammered Dunbar 49-15 on Friday night in Frankfort. The Griffins scored on their first play from scrimmage and never looked back as they improved to 2-0. The Lincoln-Way East boys soccer team dropped to 2-2-1 on the season with a couple of close losses to Hinsdale Central and Morton. The 1-0 loss to Morton on Saturday was with the Red Devil Invite …

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Lincoln-Way East Boys Soccer Comeback Stuns Oswego East

Manny Rios scores game-winner as Griffins rally from a 3-1 second-half deficit to defeat Wolves.

Talk about a making a name for yourself in your Lincoln-Way East debut. Manny Rios, who plays for the Chicago Fire Academy and transferred from Lake Central High School in Indiana, laced up his cleats for the first time on Thursday as a member of the Griffins soccer team. With 6:05 remaining in a 3-3 match, Rios showed what he's going to bring to the Griffins this fall, as he scored the game-winning goal, blasting a shot off the hands of Oswego East keeper Dakota Bruns and into the back of the net. "Soccer is funny game, and the score can change at any time," Rios said. "It was a good play, and I just took the shot and luckily it went in." Rios was given the opportunity to score the game-winner after a handball violation on the Wolves. …

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Local Sports Notebook

Lincoln-Way North’s Juniors Reacquainted With Baseball Championship

Deja vu all over again: Phoenix juniors also won state baseball title as eighth-graders at Summit Hill.

When the Lincoln-Way North baseball team posted a 30-4 record last spring, the sophomores also were busy playing a full season at their own level, preparing for what would lie ahead at the varsity level the following year. Those sophomores became juniors over the summer season, playing for the Phoenix during the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association Phil Lawler Summer Classic. With the majority of the starters from the 30-4 team lost to graduation, plenty of newcomers were given an opportunity to play every day. They certainly made the most of the opportunity, helping lead the Phoenix to a championship. While playing on the summer’s biggest high school stage could’ve been nerve-wracking for most, the Phoenix played like they …

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The British Are Coming! Actually, They're Already in Frankfort, Sharing Soccer Knowledge with Kids

Future stars—and pink fluffy ones—are enjoying the unique experience of British Soccer Camp this week.

A teenager struggled a bit with his footwork during an exercise on Monday afternoon in one of the opening sessions of this year’s British Soccer Camps on the campus of Grand Prairie School in Frankfort. Instructor Nikolas Cakarevic, better known as Niko, didn’t holler at the kid. Instead, he explained to him what he did wrong and then kindly asked him to do several jumping jacks while shouting “I am a pink fluffy star!” Some serious soccer, mixed with a lot of good humor. “We bring our soccer knowledge, and my goal as a coach is to teach them how to play soccer better but also to have fun and enjoy it,” Cakarevic said. “That was one of the ways I make sure they enjoy that they’re out here.” Challenger Sports’ British Soccer Camps are …

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Gimme 5: For Mokena Park Supervisor Smith, It's All About Fun (And Games)

Mokena Park District athletic supervisor Duane Smith has been involved with sports his entire life.

Duane Smith has loved sports his whole life. He played baseball and soccer at the Division III level and is now helping kids stay active through an assortment of offerings at the Mokena Park District as the athletic supervisor. Smith commutes from Evergreen Park where he loves to spend time with his wife, son and daughter.

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Boosters Need Your Support to Help L-Way Athletics

The athletic boosters in the Lincoln-Way district are always looking for volunteers to help create better opportunities for student-athletes.

A baseball team has to have a catcher, a football team is only going to go as far as the quarterback takes it and a basketball team needs a ballhander and playmaker at point guard. Similarly, a high school sports program needs athletics boosters. These hardworking volunteers play a vital role in an athletic program’s success. They advocate school spirit and sportsmanship, provide social opportunities for family members and help raise money for the many different programs offered by the athletic department. Lincoln-Way Central and Lincoln-Way West are both located in New Lenox, but while West is still a baby, having opened in 2009, Central is the original Lincoln-Way of the four current Lincoln-Way schools and opened in 1954 when the New …

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Championship Team: L-W East Sports Boosters Carry the Load

The Lincoln-Way East sports boosters have supported, promoted and encouraged athletics programs for nearly 25 years thanks to the tireless efforts of its members.

Orville Redenbacher would be very proud. It was during a break in a freshman girls volleyball game. Dave Brost was jonesing for popcorn. He wasn't the athletic director at Lincoln-Way East back then; he was a parent cheering on his oldest daughter. "I went to the hallway to get a bag of popcorn and there were no concessions," Brost said. "I figured, 'What the heck is this?' So, I found this guy, Tom Lewis (former Lincoln-Way athletic director), and he said there was no concession stand. "I asked about boosters, and he said they hadn't had (a boosters organization) in five or six years. I said, 'That's not right.' He asked me if I was interested. I told him I was. My daughter was a freshman, and I was going to live the next four years there…

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Local Sports Notebook

L-W North’s Offensive Juggernaut Finally Sputters

After lighting up the scoreboard and racking up 30 wins, bats go silent in season-ending loss to district rival L-W East.

You can talk about numbers all you want in baseball. While the percentages might give you a good idea of what will happen most of the time, they don’t always play out as anticipated. Lincoln-Way North entered Thursday's Class 4A Sandburg Sectional semifinal against Lincoln-Way East with a team batting average of .380 and had scored 10 or more runs in better than 70 percent of its 33 games. Lincoln-Way East junior Mark Chemello frustrated the Phoenix, pulling off the rare feat of not only handing North just its fourth loss all spring, but shutting out the Phoenix. “We looked it up. It’s happened before (2-0 loss to Bradley-Bourbannais),” Phoenix coach Joe Skarbek said. “We talked about what an anomaly it is. I’m not crazy shocked. It was …

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