The spotlight shifted away from the West Side this season. Only Young has been a regular in the Super 25. More than half of the teams in the formerly mighty Red-North/West have losing records heading into the city playoffs.

North Lawndale, one of the traditional West Side powers, went through a coaching change right before the season began. Assistant Randy Stonewall stepped up to take over the program in November.

It’s been a down year overall for the Phoenix, who are just 9-10 after knocking off visiting Marshall 70-65 in the first round of the Public League playoffs on Wednesday.

North Lawndale, which opened in 1998 and started varsity basketball in 2000, has never finished a season with a losing record. So there is plenty of pride to play for over the next few weeks.

Senior Jemarje Windfield has been the rock for North Lawndale the past two years. The point guard came through again against the Commandos (12-10). He and junior Davarus Spann each scored 17 points.

“[Windfield] has been great,” Stonewall said. “He could score more if we needed but he’s accepted being more of a facilitator, balancing out his statistics with assists this season.”

Spann, Windfield and junior Tyshun Moore dished out too much pressure in the backcourt for Marshall to handle. It led to 23 turnovers for the Commandos.

“That was the game plan,” Spann said. “We thought their guards would give the ball up.”

Spann has emerged as North Lawndale’s leading scorer this season.

“It was a great victory,” Spann said. “We needed to win in this first round. We’ve been progressing as the days go by.”

Moore had 14 points and four steals. Senior Tresean Davis added nine points and three steals. Spann, a 6-4 guard, is the tallest player in North Lawndale’s rotation. The Phoenix were outrebounded 44-23.

“It’s been hard all season, battling against bigger guys and getting hit in the head all the time,” Windfield said. “We are just trying to box out and take charges.”

North Lawndale built double-digit leads several times in the second half but Marshall wouldn’t go away. A rebound and basket by Ja’Juan Cozark pulled the Commandos within 58-57 with 5:54 to play.

Marshall missed five free throws in the fourth quarter, ending any hopes of a comeback win, and shot just 11-for-22 from the line in the game.

“We need to make more free throws and have less turnovers,” Commandos coach Henry Cotton said. “The city playoffs are over for us now. We will have some time before the state playoffs. We just need to get consistent.”

Marshall is a Class 1A school in the state playoffs. The Commandos have the size and ability to make a serious run at a trip to Champaign.

Cozark, a 6-6 senior, may be the best unknown player in the city. He finished with 29 points and 13 rebounds, shooting 10 of 14 from the field and 2-for-3 from three-point range.

“He’s a double-double every night,” Cotton said. “He has a lot of junior colleges interested. He can play with the best in the city.”

North Lawndale will face Lindblom, a 77-56 winner against Morgan Park, in the second round of the playoffs on Friday.

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In an age when college coaches often look to the transfer portal first and when high school prospects continue to tout offers and take visits after committing, K’Vion Thunderbird stands out from the crowd.

The vast majority of prep football standouts finalize their college choices in the December early signing period, sometimes to different programs than they originally committed to.

But Thunderbird, a three-star linebacker from Kenwood, took his time in order to get his choice right. He committed less than a week before signing with Arizona State on Wednesday, the first day of the late signing period for football.

“It’s been a very stressful recruiting process,” said Thunderbird, who is the consensus No. 20 senior in Illinois and No. 78 linebacker nationally according to 247Sports. “I’m just glad it’s over.”

He had plenty of options with 20 offers, including four each from the SEC (Auburn, Missouri, Mississippi and Tennessee) and the Big Ten (Michigan State, Nebraska, Penn State and Purdue).

For a while, it looked like Thunderbird’s destination would be Oregon. “It was definitely an option, a big option,” he said.

But then Ducks offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham, a rising star in the profession, left to return to Arizona State, his alma mater, as head coach.

“He was a big factor in my recruiting process,” Thunderbird said, and he ultimately decided to follow Dillingham to Tempe.

But the head coach wasn’t the only draw for the Sun Devils.

“The whole city is amazing,” Thunderbird said. “The people down there, the players, the fans, everybody. It’s just a beautiful atmosphere.”

Kenwood coach Sinque Turner, who played with Thunderbird’s dad Kevin at Simeon under legendary coach Al Scott, has known the younger Thunderbird pretty much the latter’s whole life. That level of familiarity, plus his belief in Thunderbird’s ability, made him confident that holding off to sign in Feburary wouldn’t leave his star player out in the cold.

“Absolutely,” Turner said. “We [were] comfortable allowing him to wait past December. There were a couple Group of Five schools where he was at the top of their list and they would have been a pretty good security blanket.

“But he wasn’t a misleading kid at all. So he didn’t make any commitments to decommit from. He just was honest all the way through the whole process and then he got what he deserved.”

Turner believes the 6-1, 215-pound Thunderbird is a good fit for the Sun Devils and the Pac-12. “Just his stature, more a lean linebacker — that’s more of a passing league,” Turner said. “I think he’ll be a … potential all-conference guy after his second year.”

That level of success is something Thunderbird has dreamed of since he started playing football as a 7-year-old with the Southside Wolverines youth program.

“I just kept God around,” Thunderbird said. “I just prayed every night. … It just all worked out. Everything happens for a reason.”

Howard picks Badgers

Marist three-star defensive tackle Jamel Howard, the only other top-30 unsigned senior in Illinois, is heading to Wisconsin.

The 6-3, 320-pounder had committed to the Badgers but reopened his recruiting after the school changed coaches.

Ranked 26th among Illinois seniors, Howard also had offers from Michigan, LSU, Miami and Illinois among others.

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The Bears made a handful of staff changes, including bringing back Jon Hoke as cornerbacks coach and defensive passing game coordinator.

Hoke, 66, went into coaching shortly after his brief career as a defensive back that included 11 games for the Bears in 1980. He was their defensive backs coach from 2009 through ’14 under Lovie Smith and Marc Trestman. Hoke spent the last two seasons as the Falcons’ secondary coach.

He replaced former Bears cornerbacks coach James Rowe, who left last month to coach at South Florida.

The Bears also added offensive quality control coach Zach Cable, Isaiah Harris as part of their player engagement and strength and conditioning staffs and assistant strength and conditioning coach Pierre Ngo.

They announced several promotions as well. Omar Young, a quality control coach this season, moved to assistant quarterbacks and wide receivers coach. Carla Suber was promoted to director of wellness, and Mike Wiley got a new title of director of mental skills/performance.

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A retired Chicago firefighter with apparent ties to militia groups faces federal criminal charges for allegedly participating in an hours-long siege amid the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Joseph Pavlik, 65, is charged with obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder, entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, and disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds.

Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford confirmed that Pavlik joined the department in 1981 and retired in 2013. Pavlik is now among at least 36 Illinois residents charged in connection with the Capitol riot.

Federal authorities allege Pavlik is associated with a group known as “B Squad,” a subgroup of a militia-style, Florida-based organization known as the “Guardians of Freedom.” Pavlik allegedly traveled to Washington, D.C. and stayed in a hotel in January 2021 with other “B Squad” members.

An FBI special agent wrote that Pavlik and other “B Squad” members — who face separate criminal charges — joined rioters who spent more than two hours assaulting officers as the rioters tried to force their way through an area known as “The Tunnel.”

The area was part of the inaugural stage that had been erected at the Capitol. Some members of Congress had been sheltering in place near the entrance on the other end, court records show.

Pavlik appeared to push on the police line and was caught on video struggling with officers, according to the FBI agent.

When investigators interviewed Pavlik in August, the FBI agent said Pavlik claimed he was pushed by the crowd into the police line but kept his hands up to show he was not a threat.

During a second interview in October, Pavlik said he only wanted to talk to officers and let them know he meant no harm. He allegedly said he got stuck in the Tunnel and asked a police officer to arrest him so he could leave safely.

But the feds say Pavlik appears to have multiple links to militia groups, and his telephone number was listed on an Oath Keepers roster from 2009 to 2015. Members of the Oath Keepers have been convicted on seditious conspiracy charges stemming from the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

Authorities also identified several comments Pavlik allegedly made on social media in the weeks leading up to the riot, including a Dec. 14, 2020 post that read, “These are now indoctrinated terrorists that have made a conscious choice to ruin America … the sooner it is taken to a serious level to remove these terrorists the sooner these terrorists climb back into their basements … only until their bodies hit the ground will the terrorism stop.”

Pavlik also allegedly wrote on Dec. 26, 2020 that, “WE ARE THE STORM THAT THE DEMOCRATS AND RINOS THOUGHT WOULD NEVER SHOW UP and we are just getting started.”

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Chicago Bears fans, take a deep breath. Justin Fields will not be traded.

After a tough rookie season under coach Matt Nagy, Justin Fields showed significant improvement in his sophomore season. Fields was a top 10 rusher in the NFL (#7) and average a league-best 7.1 yards per attempt. This would propel Fields to break the single-game rushing record by a quarterback and become the first quarterback to throw for 3+ touchdowns and run for 140+ yards.

Throughout the season, a lot of people speculated about Fields’ ability to be a prolific passer in the NFL. This led to talks of the Bears trading Fields and drafting a quarterback with the #1 overall pick. But what people don’t realize, is that Fields had one of the worst pass-blocking offensive lines and wide receiver corps in the NFL. Due to inexperience and injuries, he didn’t have anyone to throw to or time to throw for that matter. The Bears’ offensive line allowed 58 sacks this season which was fourth worst in the NFL. Also, his wide receiving corps just consisted of Darnell Mooney who is not a traditional WR1. Despite all these holes in the Bears’ offense, Fields still showed the league that he is a force to be reckoned with. Which is why…

The Chicago Bears will not trade Justin Fields

According to senior NFL reporter Albert Breer, the Bears will NOT be trading Justin Fields and will instead be looking to trade the #1 overall pick.

I’m sure this isn’t a shock to anybody that watched a Bears game last year, but it is relieving to know that we will not be trading away our franchise quarterback. After producing a record-breaking season with little to no help, the Bears would be crazy to trade Fields.

So now that the Bears are officially trading the #1 pick, this begs the question: What should we do with it? Looking at the possible scenarios, it would be pretty hard to mess this up. There’s plenty of teams below us who desperately need quarterbacks, and the departure of Tom Brady just added another. I could definitely see the Bears trading down for a pick and either Colts DL Deforest Buckner or Raiders WR DaVante Adams. Both teams are low enough to the point where they may not get their QB and this would solve a positional need for the Bears while giving them another high pick to take either a DL/WR depending on who they trade with. I also wouldn’t be upset with them trading down for a bunch of picks and taking Jalen Carter or Will Anderson.

Get ready for a crazy off-season Bears fans, and get excited for the 2023 season.

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Wednesday, February 1, 2023

CHICAGO PREP

Cristo Rey at Ellison, 7:00

Hope Academy at Northtown, 7:00

Ida Crown at Holy Trinity, 6:30

Walther Christian at Christ the King, 7:00

ILLINOIS CENTRAL EIGHT

Peotone at Reed-Custer, 6:45

INDEPENDENT SCHOOL

Northridge at Francis Parker, 6:00

KISHWAUKEE RIVER

Harvard at Woodstock North, 7:15

Richmond-Burton at Marengo, 7:00

LAKE SHORE ATHLETIC

Roycemore at Lycee Francais

METRO PREP

Hinsdale Adventist at CPSA, 5:30

NIC – 10

Auburn at Belvidere North, 7:30

Boylan at Jefferson, 7:15

Guilford at Freeport, 7:15

Harlem at Belvidere, 7:00

Hononegah at Rockford East, 6:30

NON CONFERENCE

Ashton-Franklin Center at Alden-Hebron, 7:00

Bradley-Bourbonnais at Rich, 7:00

Bremen at University High, 6:30

British School at Alcott, 5:00

DRW Prep at Phoenix, 5:00

Dwight at Gardner-So. Wilmington, 6:45

Eisenhower at Providence, 7:00

Fasman Yeshiva at Morgan Park Academy, 6:00

Fieldcrest at Midland, 7:00

Julian at Urban Prep-Englewood, 5:00

Little Black Pearl at Intrinsic-Downtown, 6:30

New Trier at North Chicago, 7:00

Niles-North at Sullivan, 5:00

Northside at Crane, 5:00

Roosevelt at EPIC, 5:00

Universal at Horizon-McKinley, 5:30

Wauconda at Yorkville Christian, 7:00

PUBLIC LEAGUE PLAYOFFS

First Round

Amundsen at Young, 5:00

Taft at Brooks, 5:00

Perspectives-MSA at Lincoln Park, 5:00

Agricultural Science at Curie, 5:00

Catalyst-Maria at Simeon, 5:00

Englewood at Clark, 5:00

Morgan Park at Lindblom, 5:00

Marshall at North Lawndale, 5:00

Corliss at Kenwood, 5:00

Dyett at Lane, 5:00

Longwood at Phillips, 5:00

Northside at Orr, 5:00

Jones at Westinghouse, 5:00

Payton at Perspectives-Lead, 6:30

Prosser at Farragut, 5:00

Bogan at Hyde Park, 6:00

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The Chicago Bears coaching staff has a slight change

The Chicago Bears coaching staff will look different for the 2023 season. But not as different as it could have been following one of the worst seasons in the team’s history. The Chicago Bears recently asked for permission from the Green Bay Packers to interview Jerry Gray for an undisclosed job.

It was assumed Gray, who was hired by the Atlanta Falcons, was asked to interview for an opening left by James Rowe, who was the Bears’ defensive backs coach last season when he darted out of Chicago to find yellower pastures as USF. The defensive backs coach has been filled.

According to a statement by the Bears, Jon Hoke will be the Bears’ next defensive backs coach and is coming from the Falcons–where Gray was just hired… Hoke does have prior coaching experience with the Bears:

“Hoke boasts 42 years of coaching experience, including 18 seasons in the NFL and spent the last two seasons as the Falcons’ secondary coach. Hoke returns to the Bears after spending six seasons with the club as the defensive backs coach from 2009-14, a period in which the Bears defense tied for the fourth-most interceptions (111) and lead the league in interceptions returned for touchdowns (20).”

The Bears secondary had pretty good success with Hoke. He was there towards the end of Charles Tilliman’s career with the Bears. Tillman helped the Bears learn his famous “Peanut Punch” during spring practice last season.

They also announced a few minor Chicago Bears coaching staff changes:

“Zach Cable (offensive quality control), Isaiah Harris (player engagement/strength & conditioning) and Pierre Ngo (assistant strength & conditioning).”

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While playing for Team Canada at the World Junior Championships in late December and early January, Blackhawks defensive prospect Ethan Del Mastro suspected he would soon be traded within the Ontario Hockey League.

But he didn’t yet know where it would take him.

“I had a little knowledge that Mississauga was looking to sell,” he said. “It was a little weird when you’re there. You’re trying to focus on the tournament. Some of the guys…were trying to get you to come to their team, so it was funny.”

Two days after Canada defeated Czechia in overtime Jan. 5 to win the tournament, Del Mastro was indeed dealt from the Mississauga Steelheads — where he had played the past three years — to the Sarnia Sting, uniting him with Canada teammate Benjamin Gaudreau (a Sharks goalie prospect).

“It’s a whirlwind, getting traded right away,” Del Mastro said. “Finally [I’ve] settled in the past couple weeks and been able to get into a schedule.”

This winter might feel chaotic, but all of this experience should only help prepare Del Mastro for next season, his first as a pro. It’s guaranteed to be that because his three-year entry-level NHL contract is already on the books, albeit likely sliding this season.

The 20-year-old Ontario native is one of many standouts in the Hawks’ impressive pool of defensive prospects, and the organization harbors high hopes for him — even if he’ll likely end up starting 2023-24 in Rockford.

“Over a bigger sample size, he has been doing a lot of good things,” said Mark Eaton, the Hawks’ assistant general manager who oversees player development. “He has the size and skating ability that makes him a real effective defender with his range, and he can move pucks.

“You hope Sarnia makes a run and he experiences going deep into the OHL playoffs, but he has gotten most everything out of junior hockey that he can. The next progression for him is a pro season and just, day-in and day-out, playing against men.”

Del Mastro and fellow Hawks prospects Kevin Korchinski and Nolan Allan collectively formed half of Canada’s WJC defensive corps, and the three of them have become close friends while looking toward the future together.

Del Mastro, with his 6-4, 210-pound body, fits best in the “defensive defensemen” subsection of the Hawks’ pipeline along with Allan, Alex Vlasic and Isaak Phillips (although all four are left-handed shots.) That makes his road ahead somewhat less crowded than it appears, considering Korchinski, Wyatt Kaiser, Alec Regula and Sam Rinzel are conversely more offensive guys.

But that means most of Del Mastro’s work at the moment is on offensive skills, since those are what must improve for him to eventually succeed in the NHL. The Hawks recommended he focus specifically on making plays more quickly.

“Being at the NHL camps, you see how fast they make plays and how quick their minds think,” he said. “That’s one thing I’ve been working on a lot — trying to get that pro mentality and learn it a little earlier, so when I move to that next level, I already have a little bit of that skill. And also [I’m working on] shooting from the blue line, whether that’s creating lanes, having a harder shot, making a little move or putting it on net quick.”

After tallying just seven points in 57 games his first OHL season and then 48 points in 68 games in his second, he touts 32 points in 30 games so far this season, including a torrid 10 in his last five games since getting comfortable in Sarnia.

“This team has been good at involving me and allowing me to adjust really quick,” he said. “I’ve found my play style [and] my game really fast.”

Added Eaton: “He’s right on track for that next step.”

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Sport is perfect for health and can significantly contribute to scholarships and education. A student needs to get good grades and collect positive recommendations to receive a grant and a monetary reward. Writing an introductory essay is also laborious because it takes work to describe your best sides. Choosing a program that can give you more than the rest is challenging, but it is quite possible. Some scholarships give students more money and compensation to allow them to study and not think about work. In our post, we have tried to put together a list of the best football scholarships. Please read all program information in detail before submitting your application.

List of Top Football Scholarships

There are a lot of scholarships that are given to students in vast fields. Applicants worldwide can receive scholarships and continue to play sports in peace. Football scholarships are very unusual and rarely given out. Every year, young people’s desire to become professionals in this sport becomes less, which is quite understandable. Therefore, the most famous companies and associations are ready to provide scholarships to potential stars. If a difficult moment comes, then professional personal statement writers are always prepared to provide support and, at the same time, deliver the paper on time. Thus, applicants are freed from difficult decisions and choices. Read our list of the best football scholarship programs to know who to rely on.

Future Elite Sports Scholarships 

In this scholarship program, there are more than proposals for the most popular top universities. Students lucky enough to receive a scholarship from Elite Future Sports will have access to high-end training facilities and stadiums. This program includes the best athletes who seek careers and education. With the help of their scholarships, students help them build the foundation for their future careers and develop in the sport. Therefore, if you want to get the best education and at the same time trust the specialists, then you should go to their website and get acquainted with the information.

NAIA Football Scholarships 

This program was created by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletes and allowed students who are fond of sports to receive education in large-scale educational institutions. The NAIA has over 257 colleges and universities in America. Even though this organization is not the most popular, it still provides hundreds of athletes with the opportunity to receive an excellent education. Using their skills in sports, students will be able to pay for their education and not use loans. Before choosing a program, you need to familiarize yourself with the entire list of privileges that the scholarship holder receives.

NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship 

The NCAA gives students 126 scholarships each year. These opportunities are given to athletes who have demonstrated excellent results in training and sports. To receive a scholarship, students must complete their last college year. This scholarship consists of $ 10,000, which can be obtained only once. The scholarship is issued three times a year in each sports season. You need to ensure that you can take care of yourself financially while the scholarship is unavailable or be saved.

NJCCA Football Scholarship 

525 colleges are members of the association that gives these scholarships, and 67 give excellent football programs. These educational institutions provide an opportunity to study in those that a four-year program cannot afford. Many junior colleges offer scholarships to students who have completed high school. People who need it from the NJCCA can receive substantial financial assistance. Students should contact the sports department to learn more about this opportunity and consult all documents and application principles. “I need a cheap assignment help” is a phrase that you can say to expert authors after you decide on the choice of association. The introductory essay is an essential part of the preceding period that you must carefully take care of.

NCAA Football Scholarships  

The NCAA is considered to be the organization responsible for the custodianship of students who are passionate about sports and oversee all aspects of college football. The association consists of three divisions that are responsible for the regulation of players and the selection of those who will receive financial aid. Each department is responsible for assigning privileges to the coaching staff and scheduling training sessions. You have nothing to worry about if you choose this program since all association institutions adhere to clear rules and do not violate them. It’s definitely nice to see a professional approach that helps young talents get diplomas and build a sports career. All information can be found on the association’s website.

US Sports Scholarships 

These scholarships are considered very high quality and backed by US, Cyprus, UK, UAE, and France offices. Each year they offer over 50 sports scholarships in the program to give every athlete the attention they deserve. This will help them guide athletes through the difficult journey and support them financially. Each player receives a personal representative who accompanies him at every stage of his development and training. US Sports Scholarships has a massive database of universities with over a thousand American schools. The program’s reputation and rating is very high, which is very attractive to players seeking education. Check out the ratings to ensure you choose the proper schedule and can entirely rely on their guarantees before applying for support.

The first step in obtaining financial aid for education is choosing a program. The bottom line is to weigh all your capabilities and the requirements that you need. Of course, you will be more likely to get a scholarship if you choose several associations and try to cope with writing an entrance essay. Writing a high-quality admission essay is very important to convince the admissions committee. If you can describe your strengths and demonstrate your intentions, you’d better find experts to help you. Uniqueness, quality, and timely delivery are guaranteed to you as the authors professionally assist applicants striving to get a scholarship.

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