Oak Lawn Takes Big Step Toward Football Playoffs

won a pivotal midseason football showdown with Hillcrest last Friday night, as the Spartans edged their conference rival 20-18 in Country Club Hills.

Sean Hayden did most of the offensive damage with 159 yards rushing on 23 carries. Hayden scored on a 40-yard touchdown and Pat Nudo had an 11-yard touchdown catch for Oak Lawn.

The Spartans visit Evergreen Park on Friday night for another crucial game. Both teams are 3-2, and the loser will face an uphill battle in trying to make the playoffs.

Richards, Oak Lawn Rule the Pool

and Oak Lawn both finished in the top three at the Evergreen Park Invitational over the weekend. Richards (274 points) won the meet, while Oak Lawn (196) took third in the six-team tournament. Evergreen Park (255) finished second, while Marist (171) took fifth.

Oak Lawn also defeated Shepard 103-80 in a dual meet last week.

Girls Volleyball: McAuley Upends Marist in Rematch

After swept two weeks ago, the Mighty Macs exacted some revenge by defeating the RedHawks in the semifinals of the Rich East Invitational this past weekend.

Marist and Mother McAuley both swept through pool play, going 3-0 and not dropping a game to set up a midseason rematch between the two rivals. But this time McAuley came out on top, beating Marist 25-17, 29-27 to advance to the championship. There, McAuley defeated Lyons 25-19, 25-21 to win the invitational title. Marist settled for third after beating Providence in the consolation match 25-21, 25-18.

Both teams were represented on the all-tournament team, as Marist’s Ashley Holder and Mother McAuley’s Lizzie Scanlon and Courtney Joyce received the honors.

Football: Brother Rice, Marist Fall to 3-2

Both  and Marist had trouble stopping the run on Friday night, resulting in double-digit conference losses for the two area private schools.

 of Nazareth RB Rudy Romagnano. He scored four touchdowns on the day, including two that went for 60+ yards. The rainy weather played right into Nazareth’s hands as Marist had trouble getting its passing attack going in the second half.

For Brother Rice, it was Brandon Greer providing the offensive kryptonite. The Mount Carmel running back totaled 240 yards and three touchdowns in the Caravan’s 35-24 victory.

Soccer: Marist Earns Back-to-Back Wins

The RedHawks posted two victories last week, defeating St. Patrick 2-0 and Nazareth 6-1. Joe Gainer and Roger Ciszewski scored for Marist against St. Patrick.

With the two victories, the RedHawks moved to 8-5-1 on the season, including 3-0 in East Suburban Catholic play.

Soccer: Barragan Is Center of Attention for Oak Lawn

As the central midfielder, Oscar Barragan is literally and figuratively in the middle of everything for Oak Lawn’s soccer team.

The senior playmaker is starting to help the Spartans find their rhythm offensively after a tough start to the season. Barragan had three goals and three assists for the Spartans as they went 2-1 last week. Oak Lawn beat Rich Central and Chicago Hope, but lost 3-2 to Shepard.

“He’s a great central midfielder who creates opportunities for the whole team,” Oak Lawn head coach Nate Joiner said. “He’s the playmaker, most balls go through him and he distributes.”