Sports

GenoaKingston’s Brody Engel runs the ball during a Class 4A quarterfinal game at Joliet Memorial Stadium on Nov. 13. Engel will lead his team as they push for another postseason run.

Shaw Local News Network file photo

PREP FOOTBALL Time to circle some top local games to watch

By MICHAL DWOJAK

mdwojak@shawmedia.com

Football teams and fans finally have what they’ve been waiting for: this fall’s football schedules.

The IHSA released its statewide football schedule Thursday. These will be the top matchups to watch in DeKalb County over the nine-week regular season.

Week 1: DeKalb (2-7 in 2021) vs. Sycamore (9-4) at NIU Huskie Stadium, 7 p.m. Aug. 26

These nearby rivals get the chance to start the season under the lights where Northern Illinois plays, which always makes for a fun atmosphere for players and fans. Sycamore, a Class 5A semifinalist last season, will try to get revenge against DeKalb after last season’s 23-16 overtime loss. DeKalb will once again want to start the season on a high note with a nonconference win. postseason with five wins last season will try to use that success and build off it this year. Kaneland ended its playoff run in the first round against Class 5A state champion Fenwick while Geneva lost to Collinsville in the second round in Class 7A. Both teams will be looking to pick up critical nonconference wins early in the season.

Week 3: Kaneland at Morris (10-1), 7 p.m. Sept. 9

Kaneland will start its conference slate by trying to end a two-game losing streak against Morris. Morris was one of two teams to hand Kaneland a conference loss last season and in order for Knights to win the Kishwaukee River/ Interstate 8 White division, they’ll need to pick up a critical early win.

Week 4: Byron (14-0) at GenoaKingston (10-2), 7 p.m. Sept. 16

Genoa-Kingston had this game circled as soon as the schedule came out. Bryon handed Genoa-Kingston its only regular season loss, and this game could decide the winner of the Big Northern Conference. The Cogs will need this win as they try to advance further than their Class 4A quarterfinal appearance last season.

Week 5: DeKalb at Naperville North (6-4), 7 p.m. Sept. 23

The Barbs will face a critical game early in their DuPage Valley schedule after going winless in conference play last season. After opening against Metea Valley in Week 4, DeKalb will face Naperville North, which won the DVC last season. Watch for this early conference battle as one that could decide a lot as the season progresses.

Week 6: Kaneland at Sycamore, 7 p.m. Sept. 30

The Knights and the Spartans will face each other in a critical game for positioning in the Kishwaukee River/ Interstate 8 White division. Sycamore finished second and Kaneland finished third last season, and this game could determine whether a Sycamore finale against Morris is for a title.

The Cogs will face an important, almost must-win situation when they take on Dixon. If they beat Byron earlier in the season, they hold their own destiny to a division title. If they lost, they’ll need to pick up a critical win for positioning in the conference. Either way, this game should have a lot at stake.

Week 8: Neuqua Valley (10-2) at DeKalb, 7 p.m. Oct. 14

DeKalb will get a late-season test that could determine whether it will play in the postseason. The Barbs will face a tough team that played in the Class 7A quarterfinal round last season, but it could present a good opportunity for DeKalb to show how good it is.

Week 9: Morris at Sycamore, 7 p.m. Oct. 21

This game could be for all the conference marbles. If both teams enter the game undefeated in conference, this regular-season finale would crown a champion just like last season’s finale did. Morris defeated Sycamore, 28-21, last season.

PREP FOOTBALL

Schedules released; number of playoff-eligible teams holds

By STEVE SOUCIE

ssoucie@shawmedia.com

The precipitous decline of playoff-eligible schools in 11-man football for the IHSA has reached an impasse for now at least.

For the first time in over a decade, there currently is no drop in the number of teams eligible to compete in the postseason as the number of teams sent to compete held firm at 494 teams.

Those 494 teams now have their road maps in trying to reach the state finals, which this year will be held at the University of Illinois in Champaign. The IHSA released the full 2022 season schedule Thursday.

It also might be the last year U of I hosts the finals, with the IHSA seeking bids for a venue capable of hosting the finals every year for a five-year term. Illinois can currently only host the finals every other year and has been trading seasons with Northern Illinois because of a Big Ten scheduling conflict. That decision likely will be announced around the time the state finals are contested in late November.

The primary reason the number of participating teams held was that there was a major change in the way that the Chicago Public League decided to structure itself for the 2022 season.

Last season, and for several previous seasons, CPL schools were divided into divisions of six teams. In 2021, the CPL had 48 teams that started the season eligible for postseason play.

Also in past seasons, Week 9 of the regular season served as the opening round of the CPL playoffs with teams’ opponents not declared until after the conclusion of Week 8 games.

This season, the CPL will have 52 teams which are eligible for the postseason with seven divisions. Five of those divisions will have eight teams and play seven divisional games with two nonconference games, while two divisions will have six teams and playing additional crossover games against the other six-team division to fill the schedule.

The opening round CPL playoff matchups have been pushed into the “postseason” with qualifying teams playing after their IHSA playoff stints have ended. It will also allow for more clarity in how the playoff fields will be constructed.

Additionally, CPL-playoff eligible teams changed a bit as well with Harlan, Lindblom, Noble Street/Johnson, Orr, Prosser, Solorio and Washington losing playoff-eligible status. Corliss, Crane, Dyett, Little Village, Noble Street/Hansberry, Noble Street/Pritzker, Noble Street/Rowe-Clark, Noble Street/UIC, Chicago Richards, Senn, South Shore and UCCS/Woodlawn gaining playoff eligibility.

With the CPL jumping the number of eligible teams up by four, it balances out the other four programs that no longer have 11-man football teams set to play this season. • Cambridge-Ridgewood (0-9 last season) has dropped into the 8-man football ranks. The Lincoln Trail Conference now has eight teams rather than nine because of the defection. • East Dubuque (3-6) now is in a cooperative agreement with a school in Wisconsin. The Northwest Upstate Illini, which as recently as a few years ago had two full divisions of schools, has now dwindled in membership to nine teams. • Sandwich (0-9) recently announced that it would not be playing a varsity schedule this season. The Kishwaukee River/Interstate 8 Blue Division now has six members, and as of this moment just a few of the teams on Sandwich’s canceled schedule have been able to find replacement games. Teams will receive forfeit wins over Sandwich if they cannot. • Westmont (1-8), which has struggled with participation numbers for several seasons, does not appear on the IHSA’s master schedule. Six of Westmont’s opponents already have found other opponents to play, but three have declined to fill the date at this point.

As of Thursday, 16 teams have been unable to fill all weeks of their schedule. One team, Aurora Central Catholic, currently has two openings as it had scheduled both Westmont and Sandwich.

Teams with vacancies on their schedules currently are: Week: Teams missing game

Week 1: Aurora Central Catholic, Bradley-Bourbonnais, Dunbar, Proviso East Week 2: Dunbar, East Moline United, Loyola, UCCS-Woodlawn Week 3: Plano Week 4: Richmond-Burton Week 5: Johnsburg Week 6: Lena-Winslow, Thornton Week 7: Nokomis Week 8: Fenwick, Marengo Week 9: Aurora Central Catholic

Several teams also needed to add teams from outside Illinois to fill their slates with 37 out-of-state opponents on this year’s schedule. As is its custom, East St. Louis used all of its nonconference dates to play out-of-state opponents, including an interesting trip to play national power St. Frances Academy out of Baltimore to kick off the 2022 campaign. Loyola also is locking horns with a national power, as it hosts St. Xavier out of Cincinnati to kick off its schedule.

Missouri (11 opponents) and Wisconsin (10 opponents) lead the way on out-of-state opponents while Indiana (8), Kentucky (3), Michigan (2), Maryland (1), Ohio (1) and Georgia (1) round out the list.

There are no new conferences this season. The Chicago Public League assigned new names to its divisions changing to a color/directional label system similar to what is used in basketball. Notable changes on the horizon are a realignment of the CCL/ ESCC to accommodate for recent success patterns and the addition of new/ returning teams, the debut of the Chicagoland Christian Conference and the merger of the Lincoln Trail and Prairieland Conferences. All of these moves are slated for the 2023-24 season.

Marian Central currently is incorrectly listed as a member of the CCL/ ESCC Red Division. The Hurricanes have left the league, although they still play both remaining members in what now are nonconference games. They are one of only 13 schools with no conference affiliation.

Enrollment numbers will remain the same for the 2022 season and no schools will be subjected to the success formula. Four schools will complete their two-year term of electing to play up in classification: Loyola (playing up to 8A), East St. Louis (6A), IC Catholic (3A) and Joliet Catholic [if enrollment places the Hilltoppers in 3A, they will voluntarily play in 4A]. Only nine schools (Brother Rice, Marist, Mount Carmel, St. Rita, St. Teresa, Nazareth, Quincy Notre Dame, Rockford Boylan and Newman Central Catholic) face multipliers to their enrollment. Those numbers will be re-evaluated in the offseason for the next two-year enrollment classifications, set to be implemented for the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

The ranks of 8-man football expanded once again. Now at an alltime high of 29 teams, up from 24 last season, the 8-man association has divided into five smaller regions as opposed to the north/south breakdown it utilized last season.

Aforementioned Cambridge-Ridgewood joined 8-man from the 11-man ranks, Schlarman and Rockford Christian Life are returning to the 8-man mix after taking at least a season off, while Harvest Christian and Parkview Christian have instituted brand new programs.

Another interesting wrinkle of the schedule is a growing number of regular-season games scheduled for Thursday. There currently are 93 games slated to kick off on Thursday nights. The custom is somewhat common in the Chicago Public League, and about two-thirds of those 93 games still are Chicago Public League games.

But that still leaves about 30 games already scheduled – and likely to increase – for Thursdays, which is well above the norm. The prospect for that number to increase certainly exists with a very real officiating shortage starting to cut into the availability of Friday night crews.

Matthew Apgar file photo – mapgar@shawmedia.com Crystal Lake South’s Nathan Van Witzenburg runs the ball against Crystal Lake Central on Oct. 1 in Crystal Lake.

BEARS

Naming rights, roof are Soldier Field’s top priorities

By SEAN HAMMOND

shammond@shawmedia.com

The 23-person Museum Campus committee organized by Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot released its 51-page report Thursday, which includes numerous recommended changes to improve Soldier Field and the surrounding area.

Top priorities include seeking out a naming rights sponsorship for the stadium and exploring the feasibility of enclosing the stadium with a roof. They are listed as actions that should be explored within the next year.

These improvements – still only ideas at this point – are an effort to entice the Bears to remain at the historic Chicago stadium. The Bears have played at Soldier Field since 1971. They are currently exploring an opportunity to build a brand new stadium in suburban Arlington Heights at the former site of Arlington International Racecourse.

In September, the Bears agreed to a $197.2 million purchase agreement with Churchill Downs Inc., which currently owns the 326-acre Arlington Heights property. The Bears previously said a sale won’t become official until late 2022 or early 2023.

Bears president and CEO Ted Phillips said in January that the team’s “focus for long-term development is exclusively on that property in Arlington Park.”

Lightfoot has been critical of the Bears’ interest in Arlington Heights from the beginning. In a statement released more than a year ago, Lightfoot said the bid was “clearly a negotiating tactic” and told the Bears to “focus on putting a winning team on the field.”

Since then, the Arlington Heights bid has only become more serious. Lightfoot created the Museum Campus committee in February in an effort to reimagine Soldier Field and the surrounding area.

The committee wrote that “although enclosing Soldier Field would incur significant investment, further analysis is required to fully understand the specific costs, the potential direct and indirect economic impacts, and the full range of potential funding sources available to determine options that are respectful to Chicago taxpayers.”

Adding a roof to the stadium could provide more opportunities for concerts in the winter, as well as chances to host the Super Bowl and the NCAA Final Four. Chicago has never hosted either event.

For naming rights inspiration, the committee pointed toward New Orleans, where the Caesars Superdome was able to obtain a sponsorship and keep the original “Superdome” name in its title. Recent stadium naming rights deals such as SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas have garnered more than $400 million in value.

As far as the game day experience, the committee wrote that “updating the stadium’s current seating configuration is imperative.” The committee recommends exploring new stadium boxes and clubs, and diversifying the mix of available spaces. The report mentions more relaxed environments with couches and lounging areas. Many newer NFL stadiums have field-level suites with such relaxed environments.

“Additional conventional seating, therefore, should focus more on maintaining existing capacity rather than significantly increasing it,” the report states.

The committee recommends expanding the stadium’s concourses, concessions, washrooms and retail areas. It notes that the Soldier Field concourse is “among the smallest in the NFL.”

Outside the stadium, the committee wants to explore returning Northerly Island to a nature area. That would make it necessary to move the Huntington Bank Pavilion concert venue. The committee recommends building a new outdoor concert venue on the grassy hill between Soldier Field and the Field Museum. The committee also wants to explore the potential for a Soldier Field visitors center or a Bears Hall of Fame, plus the possibility of including an in-person sports betting lounge.

“Our beloved Museum Campus is an essential part of this city and requires special attention and care,” Lightfoot said in a statement released Thursday. “The Museum Campus working group has provided us with a useful framework to guide that work, as well as to enhance the Campus overall. This report will also ensure our vision is aligned when it comes to creating a more enriching and rewarding Museum Campus experience for all who visit.”

The big question now is whether these potential changes are enough to keep the Bears in the city. The benefits of Arlington Heights could outweigh any changes to Soldier Field. The team could fully customize the entire Arlington Heights location, both the stadium and the surrounding area, plus it could own the stadium.

The team’s lease with Soldier Field runs through 2033, but the organization could pay a penalty to end the lease early.

AP file photo Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s Museum Campus committee has recommending exploring options for enclosing Soldier Field and potentially finding a naming rights sponsor.

TOP 25 MOST IMPORTANT BEARS IN 2022: NO. 12 JAQUAN BRISKER

2nd-round pick Brisker could be just what Bears’ secondary needs

By SEAN HAMMOND

shammond@shawmedia.com

Shaw Local is counting down the top 25 most important Bears for the 2022 season.

What makes one player more important than another? That’s subjective, of course. But for our purposes it comes down to this: Are the Bears worse off if this player can’t play? Does this player have untapped potential or past greatness to live up to? Is his story going to be one fans follow closely this season?

For example, Justin Fields might not be the best player on the Bears in 2022 (or maybe he will be), but he certainly is among the most important.

No. 12 Jaquan Brisker

Position: Safety

NFL experience: Rookie

Last year’s ranking: N/A

Looking back: It wasn’t too much of a surprise when new Bears general manager Ryan Poles selected a cornerback, Kyler Gordon, with his first draft pick in April. The Bears drafted Gordon in the second round with the 39th overall pick. It was a surprise, however, when the Bears went back to the secondary with their second pick at 48th overall and selected safety Jaquan Brisker out of Penn State. Poles said later that night that the Bears had a chance to pick up two surefire starters for their defense. That was an opportunity too good to pass up.

Brisker comes to Chicago after three seasons as a ball-hawking safety for the Nittany Lions. In three seasons, he had five interceptions and 14 passes defended. He grew up near Pittsburgh and started his college career at Lackawanna College in Scranton, Pennsylvania, before transferring to his dream school. The Bears drafted Brisker with a second-round pick they acquired in the trade for former pass rusher Khalil Mack.

Looking forward: The Bears believe Brisker could be what this secondary needs. An aggressive safety like Brisker should give veteran safety Eddie Jackson the freedom to do what he does best – play deep and keep the whole field in front of him. With Gordon and Brisker both likely jumping into the starting lineup, the secondary could be the Bears’ most improved position group.

Brisker should fit right into head coach Matt Eberflus’ 4-3 defensive scheme. He will likely step up into the box more than Jackson. Brisker isn’t afraid to guard a tight end or a bigger receiver if necessary. He already has impressed his coaches with his eagerness to punch at the football.

For a defense that didn’t create enough turnovers in 2021, that is exactly what the Bears need. If Brisker has the type of rookie season the Bears think he is capable of, there’s reason to be optimistic about this year’s defense.

BLACKHAWKS

Blackhawks begin dismantling, trade DeBrincat and Dach

By JOHN WAWROW and STEPHEN WHYNO

The Associated Press

The long-anticipated dismantling of the Blackhawks’ roster begun Thursday with the team trading Alex DeBrincat to the Ottawa Senators and Kirby Dach to the Montreal Canadiens.

The Hawks acquired the seventh and 39th picks in this year’s draft and a third-rounder in 2024 for DeBrincat, who is likely a year away from a big payday. The Hawks used that pick on Canadian defenseman Kevin Korchinski minutes after acquiring No. 13 from Montreal for Dach, a restricted free agent.

Dealing DeBrincat signals a shift into win-soon mode for the Senators, while the Hawks moved even further away from contending again a year after making moves like acquiring defenseman Seth Jones and Marc-Andre Fleury.

“I think they’re trying to do something that maybe we were trying to do a few years ago,” Senators general manager Pierre Dorion said at the draft in Montreal. “Now we’re trying to do something that a lot of teams were trying to do, and that’s win a lot of hockey games.”

With a lot of losses coming up next season and beyond, the attention now turns to the future of longtime Blackhawks stars and three-time Stanley Cup-winners Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, whose matching contracts expire after next season.

They already gained some financial flexibility by trading DeBrincat, who is expected to attract a hefty raise once his current deal expires after the 202223 season.

DeBrincat, 24, has one year left on a $19.2 million, three-year contract, after which he is eligible to become a restricted free agent. Dorion said the Senators expect to start extension talks with DeBrincat’s agent next week when league rules allow them but added the team wants to make sure he’s a good fit in coach D.J. Smith’s system.

“Obviously, we would like to extend him at some point in time,” Dorion said. “He was pretty excited. He talked to both myself and DJ earlier, and he was really excited. He knows we’ve got a really good, young group of players.”

The Hawks didn’t have a first-round pick entering the draft.

“It was an incredibly difficult decision to trade a player of Alex’s caliber. We feel as if this move sets the Blackhawks up for future success by giving us additional flexibility and future talent,” Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson said in a statement.

“Securing this early of a first-round pick for tonight and an additional second-round selection tomorrow allows us to fortify our prospect base with high-end players who we expect to be a difference-makers in the coming years.”

The trade comes with the Hawks having reached a crossroad in their franchise’s direction. Chicago has missed the playoffs in four of the past five seasons, and hasn’t won a postseason round since 2015, when the Hawks won their third Stanley Cup in six years.

The DeBrincat deal will create more questions for longtime Hawks stars Toews and Kane.

Toews and Kane – still one of the league’s most dynamic players at age 33 – have no-movement clauses, making a trade unlikely unless they ask for a change in scenery. But DeBrincat’s departure could prompt Kane or Toews to seek a new home.

DeBrincat was selected by the Hawks in the second round of the 2016 draft. He put up big numbers with the OHL’s Erie Otters in juniors, but he slipped down some draft boards because of his height at 5-foot-7.

Those concerns turned out to be unfounded.

DeBrincat has been one of the NHL’s most prolific scorers since his debut with the Hawks in 2017. The winger matched his career high with 41 goals this past season and set a career best with 37 assists in 82 games.

Overall, he has 160 goals and 147 assists in 368 games.

But the Michigan native also has improved on the defensive end, becoming a more well-rounded player since entering the league.

He joins a burgeoning Senators roster that already features a collection of promising youngsters including Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stutzle.

AP file photo Blackhawks left wing Alex DeBrincat skates against the San Jose Sharks April 23 in San Jose, California.

SPORTS BRIEFS

Rookie Brieske outduels Cease, Tigers beat White Sox, 2-1

CHICAGO – Rookie Beau Brieske tossed two-hit ball into the seventh inning while outpitching Dylan Cease, Javier Báez homered and the Detroit Tigers hung on beat the White Sox, 2-1.

The Tigers won their fifth straight. They began this four-game series against the reigning AL Central champs after a four-game home sweep of the Guardians, their first against Cleveland in nine years. Spencer Torkelson had an RBI single in the ninth to give Detroit a 2-0 lead. The Sox made it interesting in the bottom half against closer Gregory Soto, who earned his 17th save. Luis Robert had a one-out RBI double before Soto struck out two batters to end it.

WNBA’s Griner pleads guilty at her drug trial in Russia

MOSCOW – WNBA star Brittney Griner

pleaded guilty to drug possession charges on the second day of her trial in a Russian court in a case that could see her sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.

Her abrupt guilty plea came amid a growing chorus of calls for Washington to do more to secure her freedom about five months after her arrest amid rising tensions between the U.S. and Russia over Ukraine. A senior Russian diplomat said earlier that no action could be taken by Moscow on Griner until the trial was over. Griner was detained at a Moscow airport while returning to play basketball in Russia. Police said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage.

Bears WR David Moore arrested on drug, weapons charges after falling asleep in Taco Bell drive-thru

Bears wide receiver David Moore was arrested Monday in Texas on drug and weapons charges after reportedly falling asleep in a Taco Bell drive-thru with cannabis-infused edibles and multiple firearms in his car.

Moore was arrested in his hometown of Gainesville, Texas, as first reported by KXII news station in Texas. TMZ later reported that Gainesville police found Moore asleep in a car at a Taco Bell drive-thru, smelling of weed. Police reportedly found “THC edible candies along with three pistols” in his car. Moore was charged with possession of a controlled substance and unlawful carrying of weapons, per KXII.

U.S. women beat Jamaica 5-0 at the W Championship

MONTERREY, Mexico – Sophia Smith scored twice in the opening minutes and the U.S. women’s national team edged closer to a spot in the 2023 World Cup with a 5-0 victory over Jamaica on Thursday in the CONCACAF W Championship.

With two victories at the W Championship, the United States was atop its group and in position to qualify for next summer’s World Cup, co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand. The Americans could clinch later Thursday with a win or draw for Haiti over Mexico.

Injured Nadal out of Wimbledon; Kyrgios advances to final

WIMBLEDON, England – Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from Wimbledon a day before he was supposed to play in the semifinals because of a torn abdominal muscle. Nadal announced that he was pulling out of the Grand Slam tournament at a news conference Thursday.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion was scheduled to face Nick Kyrgios for a berth in the final on Friday. Kyrgios advanced to his first final at a major tournament. He will meet either Novak Djokovic or Cam Norrie for the championship on Sunday. – Wire and staff reports

Former NIU quarterback Chandler Harnish passes against Ohio during the 2011 MAC championship game in Detroit.

AP file photo

NIU

Northern Illinois athletics releases 2022 Hall of Fame class

By DAILY CHRONICLE

The Northern Illinois athletics department announced the 2022 class for its Hall of Fame on Tuesday, featuring seven former student-athletes.

Amy Foulke (volleyball, 1990-93), Thomas Hammock (football, 19992002), Chandler Harnish (football 2008-11), Kristin Hoffman (volleyball, 2008-11), Sandra Lutz (field hockey, softball and volleyball, 1966-70), Scott Simon (baseball, 2003-07) and Chad Spann (football, 2007-10) all will be inducted. They will be joined by coach and administrator Robert Collins, special contributor Rick Cerrone and the Barsema, Chessick, Rich and Yordon families.

The induction will take place Oct. 7 as part of Northern Illinois’ 115th homecoming weekend celebration. More information about the ceremony will be available later in the summer.

A larger than usual class was selected this year because of last year’s postponement because of uncertainty from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“With this bigger class due to COVID, we feel that we have selected an elite class that represents the best of Huskie Athletics,” Hall of Fame committee chairman Rodney Davis said in a news release. “We are very excited to induct this group into the Hall of Fame, and we hope that the entire NIU community will join us for the celebration.”

Foulke is the NIU career leader in blocks and matches played on the volleyball court. She was a key part of the volleyball program’s success in the early 1990s, which included three postseason appearances in her four seasons.

Hammock, the current head football coach, recorded two 1,000-yard rushing seasons as a running back. He finished his playing career as the seventh all-time leading rusher in program history with 2,432 yards and currently is 13th on that list.

Harnish is NIU’s career leader in passing yards and is in the top 10 in rushing yards. His 11,927 yards of total offense are the most in school history. That number includes his 8,944 career passing yards. As a senior in 2011, he was the Mid-American Conference MVP.

Hoffman is one of only four Huskies volleyball players ever to earn All-America honors. She ranks third in NIU history in career assists. She helped guide NIU to the NCAA tournament as a senior in 2011.

Lutz was a standout field hockey goalie at NIU in the late 1960s, while also excelling on the volleyball court and the softball field. In field hockey, she was a three-time Midwest College Field Hockey Association All-College First Team honoree.

Simon is the baseball team’s career leader in hits (318), RBIs (193) and doubles (69). He was a First Team Freshman All-American in 2003 and hit over .300 all four years he played at NIU.

Spann ranks second in school history with 49 career touchdowns and 10th with 2,916 rushing yards on the football field. He was a two-time First Team All-MAC performer.

Collins served as men’s basketball assistant coach for three seasons in the late 1980s. He returned to DeKalb in 1992 as an administrator. He served in various roles, including interim athletic director in 2008. He oversaw the expansion and renovation of numerous athletic facilities.

After graduating from NIU, Cerrone worked as a writer, editor and media relations specialist in pro baseball. He was the Senior Director of Media Relations for the New York Yankees from 1996-2006. In 2018, he became the Editor in Chief of Baseball Digest.

The Barsema, Chessick, Rich and Yordon families are being honored for the support they have given to the athletic department over the years.

Central Division W L Pct GB

Minnesota 47 38 .553 –Cleveland 40 40 .500 4½ White Sox 39 42 .481 6 Detroit 35 47 .427 10½ Kansas City 30 51 .370 15

East Division W L Pct GB

New York 60 23 .723 –Tampa Bay 45 37 .549 14½ Boston 45 38 .542 15 Toronto 45 38 .542 15 Baltimore 40 44 .476 20½

West Division W L Pct GB

Houston 54 28 .659 –Seattle 41 42 .494 13½ Texas 37 43 .463 16 Los Angeles 38 46 .452 17 Oakland 28 56 .333 27

Thursday’s Results

Detroit 2, White Sox 1 Houston 5, Kansas City 2 Baltimore 4, L.A. Angels 1 N.Y. Yankees 6, Boston 5 Toronto at Seattle (n)

Friday’s Games

Detroit (Skubal 5-7) at White Sox (Giolito 5-4), 7:10 p.m. Tampa Bay (McClanahan 9-3) at Cincinnati (Castillo 3-4), 5:40 p.m. L.A. Angels (Lorenzen 6-6) at Baltimore (Wells 7-4), 6:05 p.m. N.Y. Yankees (Cortes 7-3) at Boston (Wacha 6-1), 6:10 p.m. Minnesota (Gray 4-1) at Texas (Pérez 7-2), 7:05 p.m. Cleveland (Civale 2-5) at Kansas City (Singer 3-3), 7:10 p.m. Houston (Urquidy 7-3) at Oakland (Blackburn 6-3), 8:40 p.m. Toronto (Stripling 4-3) at Seattle (Kirby 2-3), 9:10 p.m.

Saturday’s Games

Detroit at White Sox, 1:10 p.m. L.A. Angels at Baltimore, 3:05 p.m. Minnesota at Texas, 3:05 p.m. Houston at Oakland, 3:07 p.m. Cleveland at Kansas City, 3:10 p.m. Tampa Bay at Cincinnati, 3:10 p.m. N.Y. Yankees at Boston, 6:15 p.m. Toronto at Seattle, 9:10 p.m.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Central Division W L Pct GB

Milwaukee 47 37 .560 –St. Louis 45 40 .529 2½ Cubs 34 48 .415 12 Pittsburgh 34 49 .410 12½ Cincinnati 29 54 .349 17½

East Division W L Pct GB

New York 52 31 .627 –Atlanta 49 35 .583 3½ Philadelphia 44 39 .530 8 Miami 39 42 .481 12 Washington 30 55 .353 23

West Division W L Pct GB

Los Angeles 52 29 .642 –San Diego 47 36 .566 6 San Francisco 41 39 .513 10½ Arizona 37 45 .451 15½ Colorado 35 47 .427 17½

Thursday’s Results

Cubs at L.A. Dodgers (n) Pittsburgh 4, Cincinnati 2, 1st game Cincinnati 5, Pittsburgh 1, 2nd game Philadelphia 5, Washington 3 N.Y. Mets 10, Miami 0 St. Louis 3, Atlanta 2, 11 innings Colorado at Arizona (n) San Francisco at San Diego (n)

Friday’s Games

Cubs (Thompson 7-3) at L.A. Dodgers (Anderson 9-1), 9:10 p.m. Tampa Bay (McClanahan 9-3) at Cincinnati (Castillo 3-4), 5:40 p.m. Miami (López 5-4) at N.Y. Mets (Bassitt 6-5), 6:10 p.m. Washington (Fedde 5-5) at Atlanta (Morton 4-3), 6:20 p.m. Pittsburgh (Brubaker 2-7) at Milwaukee (Ashby 1-6), 7:10 p.m. Philadelphia (Gibson 4-3) at St. Louis (Wainwright 6-6), 7:15 p.m. Colorado (Kuhl 5-5) at Arizona (Gallen 4-2), 8:40 p.m. San Francisco (TBD) at San Diego (Snell 0-5), 8:40 p.m.

Saturday’s Games

Cubs at L.A. Dodgers, 9:10 p.m. Philadelphia at St. Louis, 1:15 p.m. Colorado at Arizona, 3:10 p.m. Miami at N.Y. Mets, 3:10 p.m. Pittsburgh at Milwaukee, 3:10 p.m. Tampa Bay at Cincinnati, 3:10 p.m. Washington at Atlanta, 3:10 p.m. San Francisco at San Diego, 6:15 p.m.

Friday: at Los Angeles Dodgers, 9:10 p.m., Marquee

Saturday: at Los Angeles Dodgers, 9:10 p.m., Marquee

Sunday: at Los Angeles Dodgers, 3:10 p.m., Marquee

Friday: vs. Detroit Tigers, 7:10 p.m., NBCSCH

Saturday: vs. Detroit Tigers, 1:10 p.m., NBCSCH

Sunday: vs. Detroit Tigers, 1:10 p.m., NBCSCH

SOCCER

MLS

EASTERN CONFERENCE W L T Pts GF GA

New York 9 5 5 32 29 20 Philadelphia 7 2 9 30 22 13 CF Montréal 9 7 2 29 32 33 New York City FC 8 4 5 29 33 19 Cincinnati 7 7 4 25 29 32 Orlando City 7 7 4 25 23 28 New England 6 5 7 25 29 28 Charlotte FC 7 10 2 23 19 23 Inter Miami CF 6 7 4 22 18 26 Columbus 5 5 7 22 20 18 Atlanta 5 7 5 20 26 26 Toronto FC 5 10 3 18 24 34 D.C. United 5 9 2 17 23 30 Fire 4 9 5 17 16 24

WESTERN CONFERENCE W L T Pts GF GA

Los Angeles FC 11 4 3 36 35 19 Austin FC 10 4 4 34 35 22 Real Salt Lake 8 5 5 29 22 22 LA Galaxy 8 6 3 27 24 19 FC Dallas 7 5 6 27 28 21 Nashville 7 5 6 27 24 21 Seattle 8 7 2 26 26 19 Minnesota United 7 8 3 24 23 23 Vancouver 7 8 3 24 19 28 Portland 5 6 8 23 29 29 Houston 6 9 3 21 22 23 Colorado 5 8 4 19 19 24 San Jose 4 7 6 18 27 35 Sporting KC 4 11 4 16 16 33 • Three points for victory, one point for tie.

Friday’s Matches

D.C. United at Philadelphia, 6:30 p.m. LA Galaxy at Los Angeles FC, 9 p.m. Minnesota at Vancouver, 9:30 p.m.

Saturday’s Matches

Columbus at Fire, 7 p.m. New England at NY City FC, noon Portland at Seattle, 3:30 p.m. Austin FC at Atlanta, 6 p.m. Nashville at Charlotte FC, 6 p.m. New York at Cincinnati, 6:30 p.m. Sporting KC at CF Montréal, 6:30 p.m. San Jose at Toronto FC, 6:30 p.m. Miami at Orlando City, 7 p.m. FC Dallas at Houston, 7:30 p.m. Colorado at Real Salt Lake, 9 p.m.

NWSL

W L T Pts GF GA

San Diego Wave FC 6 2 3 21 18 9 Red Stars 5 1 4 19 17 10 Portland 4 1 5 17 22 8 OL Reign 4 2 4 16 9 6 Houston 4 3 3 15 16 12 Angel City FC 4 4 2 14 8 10 Kansas City 3 4 3 12 10 14 Louisville 2 4 4 10 12 16 Gotham FC 3 5 0 9 5 12 Washington 1 4 6 9 11 14 Orlando 2 5 3 9 11 26 North Carolina 2 5 1 7 12 14 • Three points for victory, one point for tie.

Friday’s Matches

Houston at Orlando, 6 p.m. Gotham FC at Louisville, 7 p.m.

Saturday’s Matches

San Diego Wave FC at Angel City FC, 9:30 p.m.

Sunday’s Matches

North Carolina at Red Stars, 5 p.m. Kansas City at Washington, 4 p.m. Portland at OL Reign, 5 p.m.

Friday, July 15

Angel City FC at North Carolina, 6:30 p.m. Louisville at San Diego Wave FC, 9 p.m.

EASTERN CONFERENCE W L Pct GB

Sky 16 6 .727 — Connecticut 14 8 .636 2 Washington 14 10 .583 3 Atlanta 10 12 .455 6 New York 9 12 .429 6½ Indiana 5 19 .208 12

WESTERN CONFERENCE W L Pct GB

Las Vegas 15 7 .682 — Seattle 14 8 .636 1 Los Angeles 10 11 .476 4½ Dallas 10 12 .455 5 Phoenix 9 14 .391 6½ Minnesota 8 15 .348 7½

Thursday’s Results

Sky 93, Indiana 84 New York at Phoenix (n) Seattle at Los Angeles (n)

Sunday’s Game 2022 All-Star Game

Team Wilson vs Team Stewart, noon, Chicago

AUTO RACING

NASCAR CUP SERIES

QUAKER STATE 400 BY WALMART

Site: Hampton, Georgia Schedule: Saturday, qualifying, 10:35 a.m.; Sunday, race, 2 p.m. (USA) Track: Atlanta Motor Speedway Race distance: 260 laps, 400 miles Last year: Kurt Busch won after starting eighth. Last race: Tyler Reddick outdueled Chase Elliott and cruised to victory at Road America for his first victory in NASCAR’s premier series. Fast facts: Reddick became the 13th different race-winner through 18 events and the fifth first-time winner this season. ... His victory made 2014 series champion Kevin Harvick, the fourthranked non-winner in the standings, the first driver who would not make the 16-driver playoffs if the standings remain the same through the final eight races of the regular season. ... Elliott expanded his points lead to 33 over Ryan Blaney and 35 over Ross Chastain. ... Blaney, Martin Truex Jr. and Christopher Bell are the non-winners in the top 16. Next race: July 17, Loudon, New Hampshire.

GOLF

BARBASOL CHAMPIONSHIP

Thursday At Champions at Keene Trace Nicholasville, Ky. Purse: $3.7 million Yardage: 7,328; Par: 72 First Round Adam Svensson, Canada 30-32—62 -10 Ricardo Gouveia, Portugal 31-33—64 -8 Robin Roussel, France 32-32—64 -8 Mark Hubbard, U.S. 33-32—65 -7 Michael Kim, United States 33-32—65 -7 Max McGreevy, UU.S. 32-33—65 -7 Trey Mullinax, United States32-33—65 -7 Matthias Schmid, Germany31-34—65 -7 David Skinns, England 31-34—65 -7 Bo Van Pelt, United States 32-33—65 -7 Camilo Villegas, Colombia 32-33—65 -7 Tom Lewis, England 33-33—66 -6 Taylor Moore, United States31-35—66 -6 Yannik Paul, Germany 31-35—66 -6 Cameron Percy, Australia 35-31—66 -6 Doc Redman, United States32-34—66 -6 Greyson Sigg, United States33-33—66 -6 Kevin Streelman, U.S. 32-34—66 -6 Justin Walters, South Africa34-32—66 -6 Andrew Wilson, England 33-33—66 -6 Dylan Wu, United States 32-34—66 -6 Julien Brun, France 34-33—67 -5 Jonathan Byrd, United States33-34—67-5 Jason Dufner, United States35-32—67 -5 Tyler Duncan, United States33-34—67 -5 David Hearn, Canada 32-35—67 -5 Kramer Hickok, U.S. 32-35—67 -5 Satoshi Kodaira, Japan 34-33—67 -5 Ben Kohles, United States 34-33—67 -5 Niklas Lemke, Sweden 33-34—67 -5 Hugo Leon, Chile 32-35—67 -5 Kevin Tway, United States 33-34—67 -5 Jared Wolfe, United States 31-36—67 -5 Ryan Brehm, United States 32-36—68 -4 Jacob Bridgeman, U.S. 34-34—68 -4 Alejandro Canizares, Spain 34-34—68 -4 Derek Ernst, United States 33-35—68 -4 Gavin Green, Malaysia 33-35—68 -4 Harry Higgs, United States 32-36—68 -4 Bo Hoag, United States 35-33—68 -4 David Lingmerth, Sweden 34-34—68 -4 Hurly Long, Germany 32-36—68 -4 Niklas Moller, Denmark 35-33—68 -4 Ryan Moore, United States 34-34—68 -4 Seung-Yul Noh, South Korea35-33—68 -4 Sean O’Hair, United States 33-35—68 -4 Nathan Petronzio, U.S. 35-33—68 -4 Carlos Pigem, Spain 35-33—68 -4 Conrad Shindler, U.S. 35-33—68 -4 Vaughn Taylor, U.S. 35-33—68 -4 Josh Teater, United States 34-34—68 -4