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your communit y. your news. Wednesday, January 1, 2020 | buglenewspapers.com practices. With citizens from the community greatly benefiting from the Accreditation process through improved programs and services; Krestan said that it is a great assessment to see not only what they have done well, but what they can work on to improve in the future. The Lisle-Woodridge Fire District joins a select group of fire districts, which are accredited, and ISO Class 1. The (ISO) is a national insurance engineering organization that assigns a public protection classification to jurisdictions based on fire agency services. A Class 1 rating indicates the highest level of services provided to the community, and Krestan was pleased to see the hard work come to fruition.
Grove Preschool earns State’s highest rating
2019 in Downers Grove, Lisle and Westmont saw a preschool earn top honors, students have cardiac screenings and more. Here is a breakdown of some of the events shaped our community this past year.
Local WWII veteran ‘just lucky to be alive’
David Baruch is not your everyday veteran. At the age of 17, he enlisted to join the Navy in World War II, and was stationed aboard the USS Franklin CV-13 aircraft carrier alongside 3,500 men. Before joining the Navy, Baruch worked as a runner for the New York Times newspaper. In March of 1944, Baruch and the entire crew of the Franklin were out in the Pacific for around a year in the midst of World War II. On March 19, 1945, the United States, USS Franklin, Baruch and the rest of the crew on the ships life’s changed. Before dawn, the Franklin, which had maneuvered to within 50 miles of the Japanese mainland, closer than any other U.S. carrier during the war, launched a fighter sweep against Honshu and later a strike against shipping in Kobe Harbor. The Franklin crew had been called to battle stations twelve times within six hours that night and commanding officer Leslie Gehres downgraded the alert status to Condition III, allowing his men freedom to eat or sleep, although gunnery crews remained at their stations. Baruch was at the bottom part of the ship where he then describes everything as going “very quiet”. About 50 miles away from the Japanese mainland, Baruch said he looked outside and suddenly there was an explosion. The bombing of the USS Franklin makes the ship; the most heavily damaged ship ever without sinking, however 920 men died and more than 250 were injured.
Art Van Furniture, Chicago Bears team up for next 3 years
Those in attendance to Art Van Furniture in Downers Grove had a special treat. Because of the new three-year-contract that the Chicago Bears and Art Van Furniture now have, NFL veteran Sherrick McManis stopped by to sign autographs and take pictures with fans. The Bears are celebrating their 100-year anniversary this upcoming season, while Art Van Furniture is celebrating its sixth year anniversary where they are now the go-to
furniture retailer for the Bears organization. Not only was there a meet and greet between McManis and fans, but there was also a collaboration by giving away VIP training camp passes and a private fantasy football draft party. With more than 100 fans and guests showing up for the event and the 20 percent off for the entire store on top of the financing for the additional 20 months, some guests were just surprised to see one of their favorite teams being represented at a store for a normal shopping day. Not only was the Downers Grove Art Van Furniture involved, but one pair of VIP training camp tickets were also given away at noon at each of Art Van Furniture’s other Chicagoland locations in Algonquin, Batavia, Bedford Park, Chicago, Glendale Heights, Gurnee, Kildeer, Naperville, Orland Park, Schaumburg, Woodridge, Merrillville and Portage, Indiana. During the season, Bears fans had opportunities to win regular season tickets, on field passes, a fantasy football draft party for 25 friends, furniture and other special perks.
Fire Protection District earns top Accreditation
The Lisle-Woodridge Fire Protection District has achieved an accolade not many can say. Through hard work and being a prominent organization, the District has achieved Agency Accreditation through the Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) granted by the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI). While putting themselves in harms way on a daily basis, the Lisle-Woodridge Fire Protection District has adopted an attitude and message that they want civilians to know. Employing firefighters and paramedics in the country, each is committed to protecting the community while continually identifying ways to improve delivery of emergency services. The Fire District said they are proud of their ability to maintain the Insurance Services Office (ISO) Class 1 rating, while addressing emerging trends throughout the community and they continue to make the Lisle-Woodridge Fire District a better and safer place to live, work and recreate during an ever changing social, economic and political environment. While receiving this award in Atlanta, Georgia at the Fire Rescue International (FRI) conference, Krestan said that really breaking down each department and seeing the progress and availability they have made is what that determines the award Accreditation. The CPSE, who is an independent, nonprofit organization with the mission to lead the fire and emergency services to excellence through the continuous quality improvement process of accrediting, credentialing, educating and promoting appropriate best practice standards, had a week-long visit from a Site Assessment Team representing CPSE which also played into the Accreditation. The Fire District committed to this journey in 2016 and has spent countless staff hours over the past three years examining past, current and future service levels and internal performance to compare them to industry best
The Illinois State Board of Education awarded District 58’s Grove Children’s Preschool with the Gold Circle Quality of Excellence on its 2018-19 Preschool for All state audit report. The gold rating is the highest score that an Illinois preschool can achieve, and this is the second consecutive time that Grove Children’s Preschool has earned this level of recognition. With the intention of the Illinois State Board of Education to audit schools to make sure that grants are used for the intended purpose, Cadard said that they are very thorough and meticulous. Every three years, the program goes through this audit process for whoever has access to the grant funds. Getting access to the funds were started two years ago when all schools in the state had the chance to achieve them, making it more competitive. For the audit, which Cadard described as very extensive, is something can be very stressful for all of the educators. Teachers come for an entire class session, while watching the instructors administered by the instructor, seeing all interactions and they also observe the entire classroom. To be eligible for the award, a rating above 4.5 must be scored from all of the judges in each classroom.
Three-year-old with Down Syndrome gets opportunity of a lifetime
Ever since Nico Brito was born, he’s been an inspiration to other people. A three-year-old from Downers Grove, who will be making a special appearance in Times Square to launch the NYC buddy walk, has been dealt a tricky card — Down Syndrome. After finding about her son’s condition, which came from a routine checkup at the doctor’s office, Jacqueline and her husband decided on the name Nico because it means “Victory of the People”. A condition where a person has an extra chromosome, which is small packages of genes in the body, remains the most chromosomal condition in the United States today affecting more than 6,000 born babies each year. The condition that is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual disability and characteristic facial features, is something that Jacqueline said Nico never lets it bring him down. Nico and his family had the opportunity of a lifetime, as they were featured on the big screen in the heart of New York City as part of the National Down Syndrome Society’s annual Times Square video presentation. The presentation, which will take place of the morning of the NDSS Buddy Walk, kicked off National Down Syndrome Awareness Month. In order to get the opportunity, Nico’s photo was selected from more than 3,000 entries in the NDSS worldwide call for photos. The featured photographs that were displayed highlighted children, teen and adults with Down syndrome working, playing and learning alongside friends and family. Although Jacqueline said that there is a challenge with having a son who has Down Syndrome, and will remain one to integrate Nico into society, she feels like her and her
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news continued from page 2 husband are very well equipped to continue the journey on providing the best life possible for Nico.
Nearly 2K South students receive cardiac screenings
About 610,000 people die of heart disease in the United States every year, which comes out to one in every four deaths. Aware of those numbers, in 2019, Downers Grove South did something to try and help and prevent those statistics from rising. Downers Grove South High School had 1,936 students screened through the Young Hearts for Life (YH4L) Cardiac Screening Program, in order to take more precautions and find out if they are at risk for cardiac problems. YH4L provides a heart screening called an electrocardiogram (ECG) to identify high school students at risk for sudden cardiac death, and to increase the public’s awareness of this issue. Recording the electrical activity of the heart, using electrodes attached to the skin, can detect approximately 60 percent of the abnormalities or “markers” from these heart conditions that are associated with sudden cardiac death, which a stethoscope cannot detect. While Downers Grove South students have the privilege, they’re not the only ones. YH4L has screened more than 220,000 students for conditions that cause sudden cardiac death. Joseph Marek, an internationally recognized cardiologist, has taught physicians across America how to run screenings for students and athletes. More than 16,000 community volunteers have been trained to provide students with free ECGs through YH4L. To date, more than 2,400 students screened through YH4L have been identified as “at risk” students. YH4L is able to provide these screenings free of charge to students with parental permission because of sponsors including the Kenneth Brooks Holland Memorial Fund, Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, District 99 Education Foundation and Young Hearts for Life Donors.
Local resident participate in the American Heart Association’s annual Heart Walks
More than 500 ComEd employees took place in the American Heart
Wednesday, January 1, 2020 | buglenewspapers.com Association’s annual Heart Walks in Chicago, Oak Brook and Northfield. For local Lisle resident Scott Vogt, this walk means more to him than he can describe. During an annual check-up in 2015, Vogt mentioned a concerning chest pain to his doctor that became a nagging issue. While not expecting the worse news possible, the doctor ordered a stress test, which led to an angiogram. Ultimately, a significant blockage was found in Scott’s left coronary artery. A second stent was also inserted into his right coronary artery a few months later in the spring of 2016. The experience, while frightening, led Vogt to make significant changes to his diet and lifestyle— he lost more than 50 pounds and now sees his cardiologist regularly to undergo yearly stress tests. Since his procedure’s, Vogt has led ComEd’s “Pumpin Blood” team at the Oak Brook walk for the past three years and was excited to continue the tradition with his colleagues during that weekend of September 21. In total, ComEd’s 500-plus walkers across the three Chicagoland Heart Walks have raised more than $93,000 so far in support of the American Heart Association.
Local church host African Children’s Choir concert
In sub-Saharan Africa, education opportunities are the highest rates of educational exclusion in the world. More than one-fifth of children between the ages of seven and 11 and one-third between the ages of 12 and 14 are not educated. Almost 60 percent of children in sub-Saharan Africa between the ages of 15 and 17 are also not educated. While traveling from Uganda to Downers Grove, members of the impoverished country are trying to do something about those numbers. A group of children from ages seven to 10, known as the African Children’s Choir, brought their talents to the First United Methodist Church. With a primary focus on education and a means for change within the country, the Choir is currently caring for underprivileged and poverty-stricken children throughout Africa. Though Kibutha said a lot of the children have not had a great card dealt to them so far in life, the Choir brings happiness to the children, as well as their families and country. Since being founded in 1984, the popular Choir is celebrating its 50th choir tour. While performing all over the world for audiences, the funds that are raised go back to the Choir, the children’s education and administrative costs.
Not only does the choir travel to the United States, but also to the United Kingdom and Canada. The talented choir group usually is on tour for nine months, while rotating different choirs each time the group gets back to Uganda. The African Children’s Choir, through Music for Life, has educated more than 52,000 children in several countries in Africa, with hundreds of lives being affected because of the group. In order to keep traveling and performing around the world while receiving funds benefitting the children and their education, Kibutha said that the performances always have to be at a high peak, which comes through a lot of practice. Specifically, for this trip to Downers Grove, Kibutha said that with layovers it was around a 27hour trip, but it’s all worth it when they’re performing.
Honoring Beth
Downers Grove North setter Grace Malone’s senior season was bittersweet, to say the least. She was only one of three returning seniors — one fewer than should be on the roster. Malone inherited the starting setter role from classmate Beth Dunlap, who died on February 22, three days after being struck by an alleged inebriated driver while crossing the street outside of school. Dunlap was a Division I recruit who guided the Trojans to their best season ever last fall, culminating in a loss to Marist in the Class 4A state championship game. The Trojans honored Dunlap’s memory with a special ceremony before their Oct. 15 game with York. The biggest crowd of the year turned out to donate money for the Beth Dunlap 18 Fund, a charity established by Dunlap’s parents to support volleyball players in need. Everyone who donated was given a blue LED bracelet, which lit up the darkened gym during the ceremony, which included 18 seconds of silence. Dunlap wore No. 18.
Sheriff’s Office announces new Smartphone App
In 2019, it’s hard to find someone not glued to his or her phone. In some cases it’s good, and some are not so good. What the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office is now doing, is good. The DuPage County Sheriff’s Office has released a new smartphone application that can be downloaded for safety. Well, now, DuPage County will have a better idea. Not only will this new smartphone application allows the office to reach out to citizens during an emergency, but it will also allow anyone with a
smartphone to report anonymous crime tips directly to the office. To add onto that, the smartphone application also allows those to feel more safe and understand his or her surroundings by identifying sex offenders. This smartphone application allows those to search for registered sex offenders in the area, view current DuPage County Jail inmates, see new job opportunities throughout the office and connect to various social media platforms. This application that was released on Oct. 21 in 2019, is far from being finalized, as Mendrick said it is a work in progress with new abilities coming to the application. It was purchased by the office from TheSheriffApp.com, where the office explained the services they wanted to be utilized on the application. What’s coming eventually is an inmate search notification, and a victim notification where the office will notify victims when someone
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who did the crime is released from jail. To add to more technology besides the application, Mendrick said the more ways to showcase what’s going on to the community the better. Mendrick added that a drone will be in the works eventually, with the purpose of it is if a crash happens, that can be automatically uploaded to the application for instant notice. To download the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office application, it is available for free in the App Store and Google Play by searching “DuPage IL Sheriff”.
White Fence Farm celebrates 65 years
For 65 years, the White Fence Farm restaurant has been in the family of Laura Hastert. The original White Fence Farm location is in Romeoville, where
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JANUARY 3 PARK RIDGE Free sKating lesson at soutH parK. 10 a.m - 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. – 4 p.m. Get out on the ice with guidance from Oakton Ice Arena’s skating instructors. Two sessions are offered (weather permitting) JANUARY 4 DOWNERS GROVE nerF nigHt - grades 7-12. 4:45 – 8 pm. Downers Grove Public Library. Play games with Nerf blasters throughout the library. Nerf blasters and darts provided. Meet in the Kids Program Room at 4:45 p.m. More information below. JANUARY 13 PLAINFIELD star gaZing. 7 - 8:30 pm. Mather Woods, 25032 W. Renwick Rd. Plainfield. Would you like to visit Mars? A black hole? Then join us for an evening of star gazing fun. We will be using professional-grade telescopes to search the heavens for constellations, galaxies, stars and star clusters, as well as planets with their moons, our Moon, the International Space Station, comets and asteroids. This outside viewing event will occur only if the sky is clear; otherwise, we will have an astronomy-themed presentation indoors. Please dress appropriately for the weather. Instructor: Jim Hopkins, Retired Associate Professor of Astronomy. Ages 3 and up with Responsible Adult. Price: $5 per family. On-site registration fee $7 per family. Recurring Event also taking place Feb. 3, March 23, April 6 and May 4. FEBRUARY 1 PLAINFIELD parc one year anniVersary. All Day. 24550 W. Renwick Rd. Plainfield,IL60544. Celebrate the one year anniversary of the Prairie Activity & Recreation Center. Come workout, play a game of basketball, or join some friends for a round of pickleball. $1 entrance all day. FEBRUARY 8 ROMEOVILLE daddy daugHter matinee & ball. 2:30-9 p.m. at the Recreation Center, 900 West Romeo Road, Romeoville, IL 60446. Make lasting memories together as you dance the night away while enjoying an evening filled with food and drinks, dessert, and dancing. If the evening isn’t enough time we also will have a matinee prior to the event to add to the fun. Apart from making a Valentine’s Day craft to bring home, your daughter(s) will meet princesses, and enjoy a photo booth.
column >> daVe says
Dave Says: Starting off on the right path together couples have a high probability of a successful marriage if they agree on kids, money, religion, and in-laws dear dave,
dear allison,
I’m getting married next summer. My fiancé and I are in agreement about how to handle money, and we both follow your plan. Do you recommend pre-marital counseling? If so, what do you feel are some of the important areas of agreement for couples before they get married?
Congratulations! I’m glad you’re both on the same page with your finances, too. I’ve worked with thousands of couples and numerous marriage counselors over the years. In that time, I’ve learned fights over money—and the resulting problems from those disagreements—are probably the biggest
allison
cause of divorce in America. In my opinion, in-depth pre-marital counseling is an absolute must. The idea of entering into something that’s supposed to be a lifelong commitment, without thoroughly addressing all the issues—and potential issues—is a really bad idea. With that said, it’s been my experience that couples have a high probability of a successful marriage if they agree on four things, in detail, before the big day—kids, money, religion, and inlaws. With kids, the big question is do
you want them? If so, how many and when? Are you going to let them run wild, or are you going to provide structure and make them behave? When it comes to money, something it sounds like you two are already in agreement on, get all your cards out on the table, and construct an intelligent game plan for your finances that you both agree on. Staying away from debt, living on a written, monthly budget, and saving for the future are important parts of this. Also, be in agreement on religion.
Statistically speaking, two people from the same faith have a better chance of making a marriage work. And finally, when it comes to your future in-laws, you need to learn who they are and what you’re getting into. What are they really like? What are the boundaries when it comes to their influence on your lives? All these topics should be discussed at length, dealt with, and agreed upon before the rings are exchanged. God bless you two, Allison!
dave
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BASKETBALL SOCCER CROSS COUNTRY FOOTBALL SOCCER TENNIS BASEBALL SOFTBALL VOLLEYBALL TRACK & FIELD SWIMMING CHEERLEADING DANCE bowling year in reView - part 1i oF ii
a looK bacK
at 2019
part 1i: a look back at the local sports stories that shaped the area in 2019 from July to december Charlie Donovan Baseball Player of the Year For a Plainfield Central team that finished one game away from advancing to the state finals, it was senior first baseman Jac Lindish that led the way all season. Lindish led the team in hits (38), RBI (32) and home runs (5) and tied for team-high with seven doubles, while posting a .392 batting average and an OPS of 1.097. What he earned this season was the honor of being named the 2019 Voyager Media Charlie Donovan Baseball Player of the Year. The award is named for the former Westmont standout who was a threetime Voyager Media Player of the Year and died in November of 2015. Lindish led the Wildcats on a run that saw them beat Oswego 8-7 and Naperville Central 10-7 in the regional round. In the sectional, Central defeated rival Plainfield South 6-3 and Neuqua Valley 11-4 in the sectional. Lindish was one of seniors leaving the Central roster that has worked the program to a super sectional contender.
Home Run Derby The Major League Baseball home run derby saw record-setting performances this season from the Dodgers’ Joc Pederson and Blue Jay Vladimir Guerrero Jr., but locally, it was another slugger that got to hit in prime time. Plainfield’s Logan Huegel, an 11-year-old student from Heritage Grove, took place in the finals of the
MLB MLB Jr. Home Run Derby Saturday, July 6 at Progressive Field in Cleveland. He competed in the 12u age group. The competitors knew they would meet some of MLB’s top stars, but Huegel said he was able to meet the game’s top player, Angles outfielder Mike Trout. Huegel placed sixth out of the 10 hitters in the derby at the 225-foot fences. After he hit, Huegel was able to attend the MLB Home Run Derby, the MLB Futures Game and the celebrity softball game. Forty-four hitters ages 7-14 from around the United States and Canada competed during MLB All-Star Week. The fourth annual MLB Jr. Home Run Derby National Finals featured 20 young sluggers advanced from more than 1,800 local competitions across the U.S. and Canada.
Family Affair Following her dad’s footsteps, Kristen Shimko began her coaching career at Morton College After completing her internship at Argo High School at the end of last school year, Kristen Shimko was looking for a job. She went into Morton College in Cicero looking for a position as an academic advisor and ended up landing that position as well as head women’s basketball coach. In her first head coaching position, Shimko took over a Panthers’ program that went 16-15 last season.
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‘ YIR :2’ from page 5 The 25-year-old Plainfield North graduate was an assistant on the 22-4 Argo girl’s team while completing her internship. Just because she has never held a formal head coaching position does not mean Shimko is new to the ranks. She competed for four years at Concordia University Chicago, was an all-Southwest Prairie Conference selection at Plainfield North High School in 2012 and has been around the game since birth. Shimko’s father, George, runs the George Shimko Basketball School, which he opened in 1994.
“Baseball’s Forgotten Black Heroes” Retirement plans vary from person to person. For Bill Leibforth, there is no taking a break during retirement. A resident of Chicago his entire life, he fell in love with baseball at the age of eight and the game has always been a big priority in his life. He authored the book “Baseball’s Forgotten Black Heroes” and discussed it recently at the Lisle Library, Leibforth’s book is centered about how Jackie Robinson changed baseball forever, and the 17 players that followed in his footsteps. Leibforth said that the difference from today’s game to back when he was a kid has changed immensely, but the love he developed from an early age has kept his motivation to watch the game still alive. Fifty-cent bleacher seats, players playing for the love of the game and getting autographs in the parking lot from players were all things Leibforth said he enjoyed as a kid. Robinson, who became the first African American to play in the MLB in the modern era, broke the color line when he started at first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. “Jackie was an American hero,” Leibforth said. “Some of the things he was called, how much scrutiny he had and to still be as great as he was is truly incredible.” What followed Robinson was a group of players Leibforth said that most avid baseball fans don’t even know. Educating the public and becoming more knowledgeable about the history of the game is something he said he wants his reader’s to get from the book, while understanding the importance Robinson and the ones who followed had on American history. “Willard Brown, John Kennedy and Bob Trice are just a few guys I really tried to highlight because of the large impact they all made,” Leibforth said. “I mentioned some of the other guys in the book as well, but these few in-
dividuals had amazing stories.” Brown, played briefly in the major leagues in 1947, where he and Hank Thompson played against the Boston Red Sox which was the first time that two back players appeared in an MLB game together. Kennedy, made his big league debut on April 22, 1957, becoming the first black player in the history of the Philadelphia Phillies organization. Trice, made his big league debut on September 13, 1953, became the first black player in the history of the Philadelphia Athletics organization, now the Oakland Athletics. “All of those guys just have a profound impact on baseball and American history,” Leibforth said. “I just hope that this book can shed some light on a little more truth with all of these players, what they endured and how they changed baseball and America forever.”
Gary Bell returned to Will County When January rolls around, Vince Carter will become the first player in National Basketball Association history to play in the league in four different decades. In 2016, Chicago native Kevin Garnett retired from the NBA as a 15time All Star, 2004 NBA Most Valuable Player and 2008 NBA Champion. In 1995, those two, along with Terrance Roberson, Ron Mercer and Stephon Marbury made up the Street & Smith’s High School All-American First Team. The five of them went on to combine for more than 50 years in the NBA. On that same list of the top 20 prep players in the nation was Joliet’s Gary
Bell. The 6-foot, 4-inch high school standout was on the Street & Smith Third Team that season. He finished behind Garnett as Illinois Mr. Basketball, and went on to play at the University of Notre Dame. After a myriad of injuries and misinformed decisions, Bell retired from playing professionally in 2003 without ever reaching his goal of playing in the NBA. Bell has spent time as a high school basketball and football coach, administrator and special education coordinator in North Carolina and Virginia. Now, he is ready to devote his time back to his game and his community — his Joliet community. Bell hosted his Skill over Politics Elite 80 Skill Evaluation Showcase Nov. 2 at Romeoville High School – where his grade school teammate and lifelong friend Marc Howard is the head boys basketball coach. The event included players from the high school graduating classes of 2022-2028.
Benet Champions As if winning the IHSA Class 2A soccer championship wasn’t enough, the way Benet Academy won was unprecedented. The Redwings defeated Crystal Lake South 2-0 – the eighth consecutive shutout of the playoffs, leaving Benet unscored upon the entire postseason run. In the 11 years of the three-class system, no Class 2A champion has ever blanked every opponent from the regional opener through a cham-
pionship. In the state championship match this past season, Benet had nine saves from Vyto Staniskis, who tallied 38 total saves in the playoffs. Last season, as Benet Academy volleyball placed third in the state in Class 4A, then-junior Colleen McGuire was not on the floor at Redbird Arena. After playing on the lower levels her first two seasons at Benet, McGuire decided not to play last season in order to focus on training for her future in beach volleyball, which she will play next season at the University of California-Davis. On Friday night, she finished off rival Marist to send the Redwings to the state championship match against Wheaton Warrenville South and on Saturday, she got the final point in the 25-12, 25-16 victory over Wheaton Warrenville South to earn Benet the state title.
Lehr, Ranallo lead All-Area After the success it had in 2018 football season, and with several key players returning, Minooka knew this season could be special. The Indians rolled off 11 straight wins, claiming the Southwest Prairie Conference West Division title with a win at Oswego and winning a pair of playoff games before falling at Brother Rice in the quarterfinals. In the win over Oswego to complete a perfect regular season, it was a late game touchdown drive led by senior quarterback Seth Lehr. It was that leadership, accompanied by his stats, that makes Lehr the 2019 Enterprise Publications Football
Offensive Player of the Year. On the season, Lehr completed 137 of 197 pass attempts, good for a 70 percent completion percentage. He recorded 1,893 yards and threw for 16 touchdowns and only four interceptions – a passer rating of 117. On the ground, Lehr carried the football 101 times for 356 yards and eight scores. He was named to the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Class 8A All-State First Team. When the season ended for Notre Dame College Prep, it did so at the hands of eventual Class 8A state champion Lincoln-Way East, it did not end without a fight – especially by the vaunted Dons defense. East won 23-13 but the Dons defense battled through short fields and facing the top-rated player in the state and blanked the Griffins in the second half. That defense allowed an average of 11.7 points per game of the season, holding its opponents to seven points or less five times and one shutout. At the center of that defense was 6-foot, 190-pound senior linebacker Anthony Ranallo who posted a total of 107 tackles for the season, 24 tackles for loss, eight sacks, two forced fumbles, one interception and a pair of pass breakups. For his stats and leadership on a talented defense, Ranallo was tabbed as Enterprise Publications 2019 Football Defensive Player of the Year.
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continued from page 3 it was established in the early 1920s on US Route 66. Founded by Stuyvesant ‘Jack’ Peabody, son of Peabody Coal Company founder Francis S. Peabody and himself CEO of Peabody Coal at the time, opened on a 12-acre plot that Jack Peabody owned across U.S. Route 66/Joliet
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Road from his 450-acre Lemont horse farm where thoroughbred racehorses were bred, boarded and trained. More than 60 years later, 10 dining rooms have been added on top of 500 parking spaces, a lobby area full of games, grandfather clocks and an antique car museum. The pasture, which is located right next to the restaurant in Romeoville, is also an open area to pet and feed Alpacas, mini goats, pet chickens or cows. With more than 40,000 customers that came in the first few months of White Fence Farm opening, numbers since then have
skyrocketed. Now, more than 40,000 pounds of chicken in a month gets used, and the restaurant can seat 1,100 people in 12 different dining rooms. On an average week, White Fence Farm sells 7,000-8,000 chicken dinners, goes through 80,000 pounds of potatoes each year, has the chickens shipped from Georgia on a daily basis and provides not only food, but entertainment in a show room as well. Though the 65 years have had ups and downs, being one of a kind restaurant is something that Hastert said keeps her going everyday.
Phone: 815.436.2431 >> Mon. - Fri. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. FAX: 815.439.2548 email: classifieds@enterprisepublications.com IN PERSON: Enterprise Publications >> 23856 Andrew Rd. >> Plainfield, IL
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