Prep primer: Volleyball's class acts

A handful of high schools are on the verge of earning a spot in the girls volleyball Final Four.

Earning sectional championships Thursday night were Benet, St. Charles East, Stevenson and Cary-Grove in Class 4A, Carmel and St. Francis in Class 3A, Timothy Christian in Class 2A and, in the school's first year in existence, Harvest Christian Academy in Class 1A.

One more victory for any of them in Saturday's supersectionals means a trip to Redbird Arena next weekend in Normal and a shot at a state championship.

Second-round football testsThe stakes only get higher as the football postseason continues, so don't miss out on our stage-setting previews as the second round of football playoffs begins Friday.

DVC dominance?DuPage County columnist Kevin Schmit breaks down the DuPage Valley Conference's stellar football reputation and concludes it will be more clear after this weekend if the league is up to its usual lofty standard.

Gators groupthinkCrystal Lake South's football success this fall isn't due to an individual star or two, but the Gators' cumulative achievement is impressive on its own merits, as Jerry Fitzpatrick explains.

Grant lines up a winnerThe success of Grant's football team, Patricia Babcock McGraw has found, can be traced to the success of its defensive linemen. The Bulldogs battle Lakes on Friday in a 6 p.m. Class 6A game.

Marchok's the manSchaumburg wrestling standout has won many decisions, and now he's made a fine decision to match. He's committed to Stanford, and he'll try to win a second straight title this winter for the Saxons. That's a rare feat, as Marty Maciaszek explains.

Brewster believes

Grayslake Central senior cross country standout Will Brewster suffered a badly broken leg two years ago and doctors thought he'd never run again. Brewster had other ideas, though, and his grit has led the Rams to the program's first-ever appearance in the state meet at Peoria's Detweiller Park on Saturday.