Welcome everyone to the Beacon News' live blog from the IHSA Class 7A state championship game between Geneva (13-0) and East St. Louis (12-1) from Memorial Stadium on the campus of the University of Illinois in Champaign.

This is the rematch of last year's Class 7A quarterfinal in with the Flyers defeated the Vikings 34-26 in East St. Louis. It is also the first time the Vikings have reached the state title game since 1975. This is the Flyers' ninth appearance but first since 1991. On an individual note, Geneva running back Michael Ratay is one touchdown away from tying the IHSA single-season record for rush touchdowns in a season.

Click below to interact live with Beacon News football writer Jim Owczarski!

Friday night was a classic in Champaign folks - Bloomington Central Catholic and Aurora Christian combined to set or tie 13 individual and team Class 4A championship game records.

Which is no small feat since the Class 4A title game has been played since 1974.

Here's a run down of the records set (with old record in parentheses)
Total offense, both teams - 892 yards (889)
Most passes attempted, both teams - 77 (69)
Most passes completed, Aurora Christian - 27 (25)
Most passes completed, both teams - 43* (34)
Most yards passing, Aurora Christian - 365 (321)
Most yards passing, both teams - 684 (541)

Most pass attempts - Jordan Roberts, 55 (49)
Most pass completions - Jordan Roberts, 27 (25)
Most pass yards in a game - Jordan Roberts, 365 (305)

David ZielkeMost receptions in a game - David Zielke, 10 (8)
*tied overall IHSA title game record

Records tied
Most touchdowns passing, Aurora Christian - 4 w/Sacred Heart Griffin
Most passing touchdowns in a game - Jordan Roberts, 4 w/ three others
Most receiving touchdowns in a game - David Zielke & Matt Morse, 2 w/ six others

Welcome everyone to the Beacon News' live blog from the IHSA Class 4A state championship game between Aurora Christian (13-0) and Bloomington Central Catholic (14-0) from Memorial Stadium on the campus of the University of Illinois in Champaign.

This is the first time an Aurora high school has made it to the state title game in football, and history is on the line against a Saints team that was the Class 4A runner-up last season.

Click below to interact live with Beacon News football writer Jim Owczarski!

Today marks the first time an Aurora high school plays for a state championship in football.

Here are some words from three men who took their team to the semi-finals, but weren't able to get over the hump in Mike Curry (Aurora Central Catholic), Paul Murphy (Marmion Academy and current Waubonsie Valley coach) and B.J. Luke (Waubonsie Valley), as well as former Aurora University coach Jim Scott, who along with the Aurora Noon Lions annually hosts the Aurora football coaches at Luigi's for a pre-season roundtable.

"It is a first. It was going to happen sooner or later," Curry said. "Somebody was going to do it. It just so happens that this year Aurora Christian, things fell into place for them."

Mike Curry - won 2 state titles in 1981 and 1986 at Freeport Aquin. He lost a 1980 semi-final at Aquin and in 1994 at Aurora Central Catholic:

Paul Murphy: - has won over 100 games in his career and coached Marmion Academy to the 1989 semi-finals. He has taken Waubonsie Valley to the playoffs in three of the last four years.

B.J. Luke - has won over 100 games in his career, and coached both Yorkville (1982) and Waubonsie Valley (1992) to the semi-finals. He is the current head coach at A.D. at Danville High School. He has made the playoffs 15 times.

Jim Scott:

On what it takes to get to a state title
Health & Luck
Curry: One of the keys at this particular juncture is for the most part they're pretty healthy. Teams that are healthy at this stage stand a pretty good chance. You've got to healthy and you've got to have some luck. When I was at Freeport Aquin we were lucky enough to do it twice, and each time we were lucky to get it done.

There was luck involved in both of those victories we had and you have to have the ball bounce your way. It's your kind of season if the ball bounces for you. There were times when Aurora Christian's back was against the wall, even last week, where the ball bounced their way. When things like that happen you know it's your year.

I'll be the first to admit this, when it happened to us twice in Freeport, you have to, have to have the ball bounce your way and for you to be healthy. Those two things, people don't put a whole lot of stock in that. Sometimes people, even if they watch every single game and every single play, they remember the times of spectacular plays, but they don't remember the times and plays in the game that were lucky. And if the ball (doesn't) bounce your way, you could lose. We had those games at Freeport too. It's Aurora Christian's year. They've got a tough opponent though. I hope they can hang in there.

Luke: I think back to some of the tough finishes in the playoffs that we had and I agree with Coach Curry. We lost on a two point conversion twice - once in the quarterfinals and once in the semi-finals and those are the things that stick with you for a long, long time. You have to have a lot of things go right, you have to have the ability and you have a lot of things going in your direction and you also have to have a little amount of luck also. And you always like to have a little bit of that on your side. Overall, it comes down to ability and the kids making the breaks. It sounds like Aurora Christian has done a good job of making their own breaks during the season."

Hunger
Curry: But I always thought, and I've been through this two times before and two other times in the semi-finals and got beat so I know what it feels like and get to the semi's and lose close games. Once at Aurora Central and once at Freeport Aquin, and the next year you come back hungry. I think that was part of the deal this year for Aurora Christian because they were hungry after what happened to them last year. And you have to be. You have to be focused, get on the bus, go play your game, go home, get in your routine and do the same thing week in and week out and they've done that.

The Right Players
Murphy: It boils down to getting that group of young men, which Coach Beebe has done at Aurora Christian that are committed to attaining a goal. A lot of teams have had the talent to get there and sometimes you just run out of gas. They wore down, got distracted or whatever the reasons are you don't finish the goal.

I haven't been that close to the Aurora Christian scene this year other than the coach's night they had back in August and I challenged Coach Beebe to get to the championship game because I knew he had a good team coming back. And I congratulate them because they got it done. They've worked extremely hard to get there and I'm sure they had a few breaks along the way and for the most part they made it happen.

The Right Coach
Luke: They've also got a pretty good football guy coaching them too. We competed against him when I was at Yorkville in the early 80's and he was a good competitor then and I'm sure he's a good competitor as a coach and that always helps because your teams always take on the personality of he coach and they've got a good on there.

Scott: They struggled for several years with numbers but they stayed the course and then (coach Andrew Price) kind of got a foundation going and then Coach Beebe has great name recognition and he's kind of an icon in the Fox River valley and well respected will be a magnet for people.

But he is also a very devoted Christian, so he has a couple things going in his favor for that particular school. He lives the life, he has a great reputation, which in itself doesn't make him a great coach but honestly he has great people skills and he has taken some things from his lessons in life. He had a different way of getting to the NFL. He went to Aurora college as a freshman, then he went to Western and then he went to Chadron State and the rest is history. So, he honestly can relate and he can teach. So many people with his background can't teach, but he can teach. Maybe it's because he got involved with his House of Speed. That was successful and a lot of people try to have those and they aren't successful, so obviously he has some teaching ability and he's done it the right way. He has some skill player and has coached them up.

note: The Aurora Noon Lions will host their basketball coaches night on Dec. 3 at Luigis. A $10 donation is appreciated with dinner at 7 pm and the program beginning at 8 pm.

so who did we miss?
Who did we hit on?
The Beacon News' all-area football team is out, including Player of the Year Michael Ratay (Geneva RB).

Comment here to discuss the team - let us know who should've been on it, who should have been left off etc etc.

CORRECTION: Marmion defensive end Juan Avila contacted us and let us know he is not headed to Western Illinois. He is currently mulling over offers from West Point, the Naval Academy and Eastern Illinois.

why is this news?

why do we care? why is this reported on by sports sites?

I understand Brian Urlacher is a prominent sports figure. I understand Sports Illustrated, or ProFootballTalk, or whatever other sports media cover sports figures. But this is not sports. Yes, personal problems can affect the play of sports figures, but I have issues with reporting this stuff.

It's not our business. I don't care. Chances are, you don't care either. It's not worth our time.

here I am sitting at my desk, just after 11 p.m., and I'm wondering - what can I blog about?

and then I see this headline: Pirates sign two athletes from India who haven't played baseball

Yes, that's true. But it gets better. These guys who never played baseball but signed pro baseball contracts got those contracts thanks to a reality show.

From the piece:

The two 20-year-old pitchers, neither of whom had picked up a baseball until earlier this year, signed free-agent contracts Monday with the Pirates.

The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Patel hit 90 mph on the radar gun during his tryout, and the 6-2, 195-pound Singh topped out at 84 mph. Each has thrown harder during workout sessions that weren't attended by scouts.

Not that you needed another answer to the question of "Why do the Pirates suck?"....but there you go.

Hello everyone from beautiful Richmond, Illinois for the Class 4A semi-final between Aurora Christian (12-0) and Richmond-Burton (8-4). On the line - a trip to the state finals next Friday at Memorial Stadium on the campus of the University of Illinois in Champaign.

Click below to join Beacon staff writer Jim Owczarski LIVE!

To some of us, it's always baseball season, and thankfully the folks at Baseball America agree. Last week they began listing the top prospects in each big league organization, and though they have only gone through a few teams so far, it has a local flavor.

Waubonsie Valley product Michael Bowden is listed as the Boston Red Sox' No. 2 prospect, and BA says that he "has little left to prove" in the minors and possesses the organization's best control. He beat the White Sox in his big league debut and might get a long look next spring.

Meanwhile, Kaneland grad Casey Crosby has been working his way back from Tommy John surgery on his left elbow that caused him to miss the entire 2008 season. But he showed enough during the instructional league season that BA lists the lefty as the No. 4 guy in the Detroit organization. Should Crosby start the season with West Michigan, the Tigers' Class A affiliate, he may have the chance to pitch close to home when the Whitecaps visit Kane County over Memorial Day weekend.

Speaking of the Cougars, pitcher Trevor Cahill, who played in Geneva in 2007, was named the Oakland organization's pitcher of the year for the second consecutive season. The 20-year-old right-hander made his way up to Double AA his past season and pitched for the United States team in the Beijing Olympics. He should also be one of the A's top prospects and will more than likely make his big league debut in 2009.

Welcome everyone to Geneva for the Class 7A semi-final between the host Vikings (11-0) and Crystal Lake South (10-2). The winner will advance to next Saturday's state championship game in Champaign.

Join Beacon staff writer Jim Owczarski LIVE by clicking below!

It's understandable.

Northern's 6 p.m. home game Tuesday against the U.S. Naval Academy has been bumped from ESPN2 to ESPN Classsic, which is still available in more than 60 million homes across the nation. It's also available on ESPN360.com.

The broadcast has been moved so the Ball State-Western Michigan game can be broadcast on ESPN2 as the 14th ranked (AP) Cardinals shoot for an undefeated regular season in a game that will decide the Mid-American Conference title. The Broncos have just one league loss and are tied with Central Michigan, one game behind Ball State.
Northern, at 6-5, needs to win Tuesday to enhance its bowl chances.

Navy has already accepted an invitation to participate in the inaugural Eaglebank Bowl that will open this year's bowl season when it is played Dec. 20th at RFK Stadium in Washington D.C.

this is one of my favorite entries to do, and it should be one of yours to read because frankly, it makes me laugh, smirk, smile on a regular basis....

only in sports....
do athletes get hurt celebrating mundane achievements...

is Henry Burris....yes, that Henry Burris...making quotes like this
"We're kind of like gangsters coming into town when you look at us as cowboys."

headlines that reads: "Broncos sign Mustard" and "Sri Lanka beat Zimbabwe by six wickets"

and to further prove why soccer isn't really a sport: Bayern borrow Landon Donovan from Galaxy

You think the Bulls could get LeBron on loan for this Circus trip?

oh! found another one: "Arenas sees bright side of last place"

Kudos to Aurora's Larry English. The Northern Illinois defensive end recorded two sacks in Tuesday night's 42-14 win at Kent State, which moves him to the top of the charts in quarterback sacks and tackles for loss at the school.

With eight sacks this season, English has 31.5 for his career (for 218 yards in losses) with one regular-season game remaining. Cary Caliendo, a DE who played from 1987-90, has 31 sacks (131 yards in losses).

The two sacks also push him to 54 tackles for loss (276 yards) in his career, just ahead of Caliendo who had 53 for 290 yards in losses.

Who were the 6-5 Huskies pulling for when Central Michigan hosted Ball State Wednesday night and fell 31-24? Smart money says the Fighting Cardinals. Coach Brady Hoke's undefeated bunch is still a verrry longshot to be a BCS buster since they haven't beaten a ranked team, but if they do, it increases Northern's bowl opportunities.

That's assuming, of course, NIU can beat bowl-bound Navy at home this Tuesday to go 7-5.

I wonder what Carlos Quentin is thinking today as flea Dustin Pedroia wins the American Leauge MVP by default because Quentin broke his own wrist hitting his bat against Cleveland with a month to play.

In no way could the voters give Quentin the award after missing the entire last month of the season, and they really couldn't give it to the Twins' Justin Morneau after he went in the crapper that same month.

So there was Pedroia, the last man standing, basically.
It's not very often that a player can win an MVP, especially in am offensive-driven league that has long been dominated by Alex Rodriguez. Quentin was the front runner and would have won by a wide margin had he not broken his wrist.

It's a shame, and a sad day.

(here is a rundown of the voting)

by now I'm sure you've heard that Eagles QB Donovan McNabb said he didn't know NFL games could end in ties.

It's good for a laugh, sure, but as a die hard Eagles fan, this is just another reason why I'm tired of this guy's act.
Look, I love Donovan. He's a top tier NFL quarterback and I know I'm risking decades of disaster by wanting him gone (look at the Bears and about a dozen other NFL teams with suckiness under center) but what his decade of play has proven to me is that he's not a winner.

They lost 2 of their three NFL championships directly because of him. They lost the Super Bowl because New England cheated, but because he gagged, hard - really hard - at the end.

I wanted the guy gone prior to last year, and my feelings haven't changed. Yes, I hate Andy Reid's offensive play calling just the same at times (i.e. trying to power in runs vs. the Bears and Giants in 2 horrific losses) but D-Mac's time in Philly is over.

My dream is for Brian Urlacher to play well enough in these last 6 games to convince the Bears to dangle Lance Briggs and a 4th or 5th rounder for the QB. He'll make the Bears better, without a doubt, and Briggs would be an absolute start in Jimmy Johnson's system in Philly.

I'm just done. Have been done for awhile. I just have to hope against hope The Beloved Iggles can squeak into an NFC wildcard spot...

Welcome everyone to the Beacon News' Game of the Week LIVE blog here at Geneva in the Class 7A quarterfinals. The host Vikings (11-0) host the Carmel Corsairs (10-1) of Mundelein and the East Suburban Catholic Conference.

Click below to interact with Jim Owczarski LIVE!

i'm really getting tired of Pax now.
Lindsey Hunter?
another guard? why not. we've got like 8 already.
unbelievable.

It's foggy here at Northern Illinois University as the Central Michigan University Chippewas are beating the Huskies 30-21 at the start of the fourth quarter, but what's clear is the talent on the field.

For NIU, it's Aurora native and Marmion Academy alumnus Larry English.
For the Chippewas, it's Downers Grove native and Benet Academy alumnus Dan LeFevour, not to mention hulking o-lineman Andrew Hartline and Greg Wojt (in fact, Wojt has already been drafted by the CFL!)

These players, along with CMU's Ontario Sneed, proved tonight why the New York Jets, Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears and Arizona Cardinals were on hand to watch. They play at a different level - the one you see on Sundays.

I was told tonight that LeFevour knows he needs another year of seasoning before entering the draft, but we won't know for sure until after the season. He's 6-2, 229 and can make all the throws - and has the brains to match - so I can see why he'd be an attractive prospect. But, if there are a handful of senior and junior QBs projected to go in the 1st or 2nd rounds ahead of him, he may wait.

English will be done at NIU at he end of the year, and he will definitely play on Sundays. He is big enough (and quick enough) to contribute right away on special teams, and he has enough of a motor to get on the field as an outside linebacker.

first, let's tell everyone what the "secret" code names of the Obama & Biden families....

then, let's remake Karate Kid.....huh? Some things from the 80's are better off left in the 80's....

and, the White Sox now throwing Bobby Jenks' name out there for trade consideration....
From SI.com: GM Ken Williams, perhaps baseball's biggest risk taker, is listening to offers on closer Jenks (the Mets are trying to swing a deal for him before doling out free-agent riches to Fuentes or Rodriguez), and even Dye, as well as innings-eater Javier Vazquez.....

from my favorite movie and character Walter Sobchak - Has the whole world gone crazy?

Tampa Bay's Evan Longoria won the American League Rookie of the Year today, which isn't surprising.
But it is disappointing. (note: voting ended at end of regular season, so Tampa's World Series appearance had no effect)
Look, I know the kid had a great year and perhaps this is a bit of homerism...but the Sox's Alexei Ramirez should've earned co-ROY honors, if not outright.

Ramirez, who signed with the White Sox as a free agent on January 22, received a total of 59 points to rank behind Tampa Bay's Evan Longoria (140). His second-place finish is the highest by a White Sox player since right-handed pitcher Shingo Takatsu was second in 2004 and the highest by a Sox infielder since Ozzie Guillen garnered the award in 1985.

To me, I look at the teams - without Longoria Tampa kept winning. The White Sox didn't take off until Ramirez got himself going after the first month or so. I don't feel this was as clear cut as the voters thought - it should have been a shared award

This is how ESPN baseball guys say they voted....or how they would vote if they had one...and only 2 picked the Cuban Missile

I know you guys missed me!

But, I was off yesterday because of playoff foo-ball tonight in and around the Aurora area.

And, as some of you may or may not know, I'm a total stat geek. I suck at math in general, but I can add up numbers and slot 'em in the all-time rankings.

note: this is all unofficial of course, but I trust my Beacon colleagues to be close enough in their game stats to make it worth talking about

Let's start with Aurora Christian...and of course, QB Jordan Roberts
he's already got the all-time IHSA passing yardage and pass TDs records, so what else can he get right?
well, the last big one out there is the career total offense mark held by Tuscola's Dusty Burk set in 1997.
* Roberts needs 74 total yards of offense next week against Driscoll to set that mark.
* Needs 52 completions to break all-time pass completions record
* Needs 49 attempts to break all-time pass attempts record
* Needs 42 yards to get to 9,000 for his career

Now, let's go to Geneva RB Michael Ratay. Dude is sick right now, just sick.
Let's break it down, starting with the 2008 season first:
His 220-yards-per-game average is 8th all-time
His 38 rushing TDs is tied for 10th
His 2,420 yards is 16th

now, career wise. It's too bad Ratay broke his leg his sophomore year or he would have really contended for a lot of state records
His 65 rushing TDs is now tied for 14th all-time
His 4,163 yards is now 32nd
His 524 carries is now 37th

Hello everyone and welcome into the Beacon News' Game of the Week LIVE blog from Aurora where the top seeded Aurora Christian Eagles (10-0) play host to No. 8 Coal City (7-3) in IHSA Class 4A playoff action!

Click below to interact live!

a buddy of mine pointed out to me the other day that when he was flipping through the local news channels and comcast sports net, every station had Derrick Rose on the screen.

and deservedly so - dude's a stud. And, unfortunately, the only real NBA player on the Bulls. I was watching the Bulls play the Cavs last night, and Rose was the only guy on the floor worth starting. He's only a handful of games into his rookie season and he's already being wasted (True, Ben Gordon scored a bunch last night, but he's not a starter in this league.)

It's amazing just how bad this team is, and how fooled we all were when Pax started rebuilding and Scott Skiles started winning. I'm beginning to think the GM is an A-B shot-caller...

I mean - re-signing Nocioni to that contract was a mistake. I won't say re-upping with Hinrich was one (yet) but it's sliding in that direction. Then, the one-year deal with Gordon. I mean - make up your mind!

And to think - Kobe Bryant. Yes, Kobe Bryant, was rumored to be coming here just over a year ago but Luol Deng was the too good to give up. Ugh.

Now, we see what Detroit is doing. We see what other teams are doing in terms of lining up the cash for LeBron James in 2010. Why aren't the Bulls doing the same? Why aren't some of these guys getting shipped out? Rose and 'Bron 'Bron in the same backcourt!? Then you can run around with Joakim Noah and Deng and win 60 games.

At this point, Bulls fans can pretty much take anything, and I think we'd all be OK with it if Pax came out and said - we want James to play with Rose, and we're going to make it happen by doing A, B, C and D. With Deng already locked up, that's a helluva PG-SG-SF combination. In this league, that's all you need to win.

oh - and I heard Kenny Williams is looking for speed...
how about this dude? I bet he could swipe you 65 and hit better than Jerry Owens.

How great is this interview?

That's Denver WR Brandon Marshall ripping Miami LB Joey Porter a new one. Good, good stuff.

that's right!

what's more improbable? the first African-American being president-elect? Or a Sox fan as the Commander in Chief?Obama Sox hat.bmp

That's right - on his biggest day Barack Obama rocked his silver and black

Now, "W" was/is a big sports president as well, but there's just something really cool about the Southside team being represented in this way. (Hell, dude even ripped Cubs fans during the campaign!)

And you better believe that having Mr. Obama in the nation's driver seat will only help the Chi land the '16 Summer Olympics -something I'm in huge favor of, but warrants another discussion another day.

Right now, it's about The Fire and The Passion and Oval Office. Regardless of how you voted, Sox fans should rejoice!

Detroit, one of the premier teams in the Eastern Conference for the last decade and the Atlanta Braves of the NBA in that time frame shook up their roster by acquiring The Answer from Denver.

The Bulls' window for contending for a Finals spot ended at the beginning of last year when the Celtics acquired KG and Ray Allen. Now, Detroit answers the bell. So teams like Cleveland (who at least has a superstar) and the Bulls put on notice. Gone are the days of grinding away in the East, getting into the playoffs with about 50 wins and maybe getting to the championship series.

if you look at recent Eastern Division champions (and there aren't many), you have to have multiple stars to win. Pax tried to build the Bulls like those aforementioned Pistons teams, but now even Joe D. is giving up on that. After all, they "only" won one title, despite contending quite a bit.

The point isn't contending - it's winning.. That's why LeBron is going to skip out on Cleveland when he can. It's why Pax needs to sacrifice this season by moving some of these bodies for either cap space, or for another star player to go with Rose.

Pax needs to look at Jerry Krause's model - because it still works today - get your 2 stars. it's much easier to find the complimentary pieces after that.