Butler does it for Szafranski
Jayme Szafranski is going from winning football program to another.
The Fremd senior safety and Daily Herald All-Area selection has decided to continue his college football career at Butler University, a non-scholarship NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) school.
The 6-foot, 190-pound Szafranski will join a Butler program which went 11-1 under fourth-year coach Jeff Voris, an Aurora native, and won the Pioneer Gridiron Classic Bowl over Central Connecticut State.
Szafranski was instrumental in Fremd going 11-1, reaching the Class 8A state quarterfinals and winning a Mid-Suburban League record seventh consecutive division title. Szafranski had 48 tackles and intercepted 5 passes and also caught 36 passes for 491 yards.
Szafranski, who has a 3.9 grade point average and scored 26 on the ACT, plans to study secondary education.
Delaney to Columbia: Loyola senior punter and Palatine resident Paul Delaney will continue his college career in the Ivy League at Columbia University.
The 6-3, 200-pound Delaney punted for a 42-yard average as Loyola reached the Class 8A state semifinals. He earned all-state honors and was an all-Chicago Catholic League selection.
Delaney, who has a composite ACT score of 28, chose Columbia over preferred walk-on offers from Illinois, Purdue, Miami and Western Michigan.
Hersey grad Platek honored: Drake senior running back Steve Platek, a former Hersey standout, was an honorable mention selection on the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision "Fabulous 50 Team" by the College Sporting News.
The 6-foot, 222-pound Platek, who has one more year of eligibility remaining, is a two-time all-Pioneer Football League selection. This past season he was Drake's MVP as he caught 49 passes for 553 yards and 3 touchdowns and rushed 30 times for 147 yards and 6 touchdowns.
Sheetz joins national champions: Barrington senior Jack Sheetz has decided to play for Division III national champion Wisconsin-Whitewater. The 6-2, 225-pound Sheetz played offensive line and also some fullback for the Broncos.
Ingram to Middlebury: Barrington senior center Michael Ingram will play for Division III Middlebury College in Vermont.
Elk Grove's Hoops for Haiti: Elk Grove will hold a fundraiser for those affected by the Haiti earthquake with a staff vs. students basketball game at 7:30 p.m. today.
Admission is $2 and all proceeds, along with those from a bake sale and T-shirt sale, will go to Direct Relief International, which will apply all the money to medical needs to do ctors in Haiti.