At one point in the fourth quarter of Lincoln-Way East’s 35-20 football victory over Homewood-Flossmoor, Griffin linebacker Kyle Langenderfer cut down Viking back Taje Smith just before he squirted loose in the middle of the field. Smith picked himself up and patted Langenderfer on the top of his helmet, then returned to the H-F huddle. One little guy was showing another a bit of respect. Smith, a 5-foot-7, 160-pound speedster, scored two second-half touchdowns for the Vikings. Langenderfer enjoyed the last laugh, though. He is a 5-8, 150-pound package of what making the most of  the least is…

Two weeks after visiting the New York Stock Exchange with the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Team and ringing The Closing Bell, Bobby Douglas was playing a game of “Beat the Streets” back in the Midwest. “Listen to the instruction,” he implored youngsters during a warm-up session to launch a two-day wrestling clinic Friday at Shepard High School in Palos Heights. Douglas is a 70-year-old two-time former Olympian (1964, 1968), World silver and bronze wrestling medalist and a two-time former Olympic wrestling coach (1992, 2004). He still is fit as a fiddle. And he is preparing himself these days to …

Small adjustment in the cage. Big day at the plate. Lincoln-Way East’s Kevin Duffin discovered he was flying open too soon and pulling off the ball during an extra batting practice session leading up to the Griffins’ semifinal baseball game in the Class 4A Providence Regional. Duffin, a junior catcher, worked with East coaches Paul Babcock and Andy Paszko to correct the flaw, to stay closed a split second longer and follow through on his swing. And the results were stunning. Duffin went 4-for-4 and spearheaded the Griffins’ 10-8 comeback victory over district rival Lincoln-Way Central …

Mike Miller has been sharper. Rarely has he been more effective. Miller, a junior right-hander, scattered six hits over seven innings in Lincoln-Way North’s 6-3 baseball victory over Andrew on Wednesday afternoon in Frankfort. He struck out nine as the Phoenix (25-5, 11-0) moved a full game ahead of the Thunderbolts in the chase for the Southwest Suburban Red Conference championship. He used a slider, curve and changeup to keep the Thunderbolts from digging in at the plate. And he pitched out of a couple of tense situations with the game on the line. Andrew (20-8, 10-1) took a 3-2 lead in the…

Running up the score is a dirty subject no one in sports wants to talk much about, particularly not when it involves high school sports and accusations of poor sportsmanship on the part of coaches and/or players. The subject reared its ugly head on Patch message boards following Lincoln-Way East’s 45-9 girls basketball victory over district rival Lincoln-Way Central on Tuesday. “Shame on you,” is how one commenter chose to berate East’s coach. I say cheap shot. I’m sure there are occasions when coaches and/or players attempt to run up the score on opponents. It’s human nature to hold a grudge…

From now on, I will be prepared when somebody stops me and asks, “Why would anyone in his right mind play small college football?” My answer: St. Xavier University. The Cougars capped a stirring run to the NAIA national championship with a 24-20 victory over Carroll (Mont.) on Saturday at Barron Stadium in Rome, Ga. The game was a classic—just like St. Xavier’s season—featuring enough back-and-forth drama and late-game heroics to fill a scrapbook with memories that will last a lifetime. And that’s what small-college football is all about—making memories with friends and classmates, sharing in…

In the hours—then minutes—before kickoff, St. Xavier football coach Mike Feminis will not waiver his tried and true routine, at least not much. Feminis will call on his captains to speak in a team meeting at the hotel before St. Xavier takes the field to face Carroll (Mont.) in Saturday’s NAIA national championship football game (3:30 CST, CBS Sports Network). Then, ‘Fem’ will open the floor for other players and his assistants to say a few words. Finally, he will finish up with his own thoughts, those thoughts ranging from paying attention to assignment detail and execution of the Cougars’ …

In the sports world, there is a tendency for all of us to get caught up in hero worship. The big names and big stars are people all of us follow, if only to satisfy our celebrity curiosity craving. What does Bulls guard Derrick Rose think about getting back to work now that the NBA labor dispute has been settled? How much money did he lose during the strike? Who does a better touchdown dance? Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers? Or the two hopelessly out-of-touch folks in the television insurance company ad? You know the ones: they mimic Rodgers’ championship belt routine by working their hands…

Brace yourself college football fans for the Game of the Century, Part II. No, I’m not talking about a potential rematch of Alabama vs. LSU for the Division I national championship, though the SEC rivals remain in line for the game’s next great apocalyptic adventure. Rather, I’m referring to a semifinal matchup of St. Xavier vs. Marian as the cataclysmic battle of small-school college football powerhouses. The two will be meeting for the second time this season, a trip to the nationally televised NAIA championship game Dec. 17 in Rome, Ga., resting in the balance. Kickoff is at noon (CST) …

An old friend of mine, Edgy Tim O’Halloran, noted recently in his column for the Chicago Tribune how impossible it is to select a high school football Player of the Year and a Coach of the Year. To be sure, this is a task that falls under the category of inexact science. Do you side with the best player? Or the best player on the most successful team? And do you automatically pick the winningest coach? Or do you like the coach who turned a sleeping giant into a winner? Tough questions. No right or wrong answers, either. After boiling my list of candidates down to five, I picked Lincoln-Way …

Anyone who watched attentively will tell you Rob Ninkovich was a terrific high school football player. He just wasn’t cut from the mold of a five-star recruit coming out of Lincoln-Way Central in 2001-02. He was judged too small to play on the defensive line in the collegiate ranks. He was deemed inadequate for a tryout at tight end or fullback. And there was some question whether he would make it academically, too. So, now a decade later, who would’ve figured Ninkovich would be cast in a spotlight role on Sunday Night football, his most recent breakout performance beamed into living rooms …