The San Diego Section spring sports playoffs have faced off in boys and girls lacrosse, boys volleyball, boys tennis and girls beach volleyball
South County teams, of course, are included.

Boys lacrosse
A total of 42 teams (out of 58) qualified to fill four divisional brackets: six in the Open Division and 12 each in Division I, Division II and Division III.

South County qualifiers include Mater Dei Catholic (No. 3 in Division III at 12-5), Olympian (No. 8 in Division III at 8-9) and San Ysidro (No. 12 in Division III at 7-9).

The Metro Conference included eight boys teams this season — four each in the Metro-Mesa League and Metro-South Bay League.

Mater Dei Catholic finished as this season’s Metro-Mesa League co-champion with Eastlake (9-8), which was not included in the playoff bracket. Both teams finished with 5-1 league records. Olympian and Bonita Vista tied with 1-5 league records.

San Ysidro finished as the Metro-South Bay League champion with a 6-0 record ahead of Hilltop, which finished 4-2 in league play. The Cougars defeated the Lancers by scores of 6-2 and 9-5 to win the teams’ league series.

Top-seeded teams include Carlsbad (Division I), Westview (Division II) and Classical Academy (Division III).

Olympian pulled off an 8-6 first-round victory over ninth-seeded Canyon Hills (9-10) while San Ysidro saw its inspired season end with an 11-3 loss to fifth-seeded Clairemont (11-5).
Mater Dei Catholic received a bye to Friday’s quarterfinals.

“We’re always trying to extend our season and keep playing as long as possible, especially for our seniors, so we we’re happy to see we got the No. 8 seed,” Olympian coach Keith Quigley said.

“It was a close game with Canyon Hills. The team is happy we were able to finish them off and win the game. More lacrosse is a good thing. Now we’re off to play Classical Academy on Friday and we’ll need to bring our top game.”

Sean Burke led the Eagles in he playoff win with three goals and three assists while Nolan Tompkins added three goals and two assists. Mikey Jorgensen collected three goals and one assist whlle the team was credited with 12 goalkeeper saves.

Quarterfinals in Division II and Division III are Friday, May 9, while the Division I quarterfinals are scheduled for Saturday, May 9.

Semifinal contests are slated Tuesday, May 13, in Division I and Division III and Wednesday, May 14, in Division II.

Westview High School will host the boys divisional finals. The Division I final is scheduled for Friday, May 16, at 7 p.m. Three more finals follow on Saturday, May 17: Division III at 11 a.m., Division II at 2 p.m. and Open Division at 5 p.m.

The six Open Division teams are No. 1 Torrey Pines (13-5), No. 2 La Costa Canyon (11-6), No. 3 Cathedral Catholic (16-4), No. 4 Santa Fe Christian (19-9), No. 5 Coronado (13-5) and No. 6 Bishop’s (8-8). The top two seeds receive byes in the quarterfinals (May 8) and move directly to the semifinals (May 14).

Photos by Jon Bigornia

Girls lacrosse
A total of 61 teams competed in the section’s girls circuit this season with 42 advancing to postseason play.

South County playoff qualifiers include Eastlake (No. 6 in Division II at 14-3), San Ysidro (No. 12 in Division II at 8-8), Olympian (No. 2 in Division III at 10-10) and Bonita Vista (No. 4 in Division III at 14-6).

The Metro Conference fielded 10 girls teams this season — five each in the Metro-Mesa League and Metro-South Bay League.

Eastlake finished as the Metro-Mesa League champion with an 8-0 league record ahead of San Ysidro and Castle Park, both with 4-4 league records. Bonita Vista finished 8-0 in league play as the Metro-South Bay League champion after finishing last season as the league co-champion.

Olympian will host seventh-seeded West Hills (5-12) in Friday’s quarterfinals at 6 p.m. after the seventh-seeded Lady Wolf Pack defeated 10th-seeded Del Lago Academy (8-8) by a score of 9-2 in Tuesday’s opening round.

“The Olympian girls had a really strong season,” said Quigley, who coaches both gender squads. “Honestly, I feel our record could even be much better if we could have won many of those close games we played. We really battled with some of the Division II teams. But all an all, we are thrilled to have the No. 2 seed (in Division III) and look forward to hosting West Hills on Friday night at Olympian.”

Bonita Vista, buoyed by seven seniors, will host fifth-seeded El Camino (12-6) in Friday’s quarterfinals at 6 p.m. after the Lady Wildcats eliminated 12th-seeded Grossmont (3-13) by a score of 15-3 in Tuesday’s opening round.

“Tenacity and work ethic,” BVHS coach Ahmad Rice said in regard to his team’s strengths. “We’re playing one game at a time. We’ll work on the skills we have and work on refining those skills — make crisper passes and crisper cuts.”

Eastlake hosted No. 11 El Capitan in Tuesday’s opening round while San Ysidro traveled to No. 5 Mission Hills on Wednesday.

Eastlake eliminated the Lady Vaqueros (11-6) by a score of 16-6 to advance to meet No. 3 Patrick Henry (12-6) in Friday’s quarterfinals at the Francis Parker School.

Top-seeded teams include Carlsbad (Division I), Rancho Bernardo (Division II) and Tri-City Christian (Division III).

Quarterfinal games are scheduled Friday, May 9, in Division II and Division III and Saturday, May 10, in Division I.

Semifinal elimination contests are slated Tuesday, May 13, in Division II and the Open Division and Wednesday, May 14, in Division I and Division III.

San Dieguito Academy will host the girls championship games. The Open Division final is slated Friday, May 16, at 7 p.m. Three finals follow on Saturday, May 17: Division III at 11 a.m., Division II at 2 p.m. and Division I at 5 p.m.

The six Open Division teams include No. 1 Coronado (17-0), No. 2 Cathedral Catholic (14-5), No. 3 La Costa Canyon (10-6), No. 4 San Marcos (16-2), No. 5 Bishop’s (16-2) and No. 6 Torrey Pines (8-11). Semifinals are Tuesday, May 13.

Boys volleyball
Playoffs will be conducted in seven divisions: Open Division (eight), Division I (12 teams), Division II (12 teams), Division III (12 teams), Division IV (12 teams), Division V (12 teams) and Division V-AA (12 teams).

South County playoff qualifiers include Eastlake (No. 4 in Division I at 20-13), Bonita Vista (No. 9 in Division I at 16-14), Otay Ranch (No. 11 in Division I at 16-19), Mater Dei Catholic (No. 1 in Division III at 26-10), Sweetwater (No. 4 in Division III at 28-11), Montgomery (No. 12 in Division III at 14-18), Southwest (No. 8 in Division IV at 18-11), Victory Christian Academy (No. 10 in Division IV at 18-14), San Ysidro (No. 2 in Division V at 21-10), High Tech High Chula Vista (No. 5 in Division V at 16-14), San Diego Academy (No. 1 in Division V-AA at 18-5) and Chula Vista Learning Community Charter (No. 5 in Division V-AA at 10-10).

Eastlake claimed the Metro-Mesa League title with a 6-0 league record ahead of Bonita Vista. Mater Dei Catholic and Sweetwater shared the Metro-South Bay League championship with 7-1 league records while San Ysidro and Southwest shared the Metro-Pacific League banner with 5-1 league records.

Top-seeded teams include St. Augustine (Division (I), El Cajon Valley (Division II), Mater Dei Catholic (Division III), San Pasqual (Division IV), Monte Vista (Division V) and San Diego Academy (Division V-AA).

The playoff schedule is staggered at multiple locations.

Quarterfinals are Friday, May 9, in Division I, Division IV and Division V-AA while Division II, Division III and Division V get a head start on Thursday, May 8.

Semifinals are scheduled Tuesday, May 13, in Division III, Division V and Division V-AA and Wednesday, May 14, in Division I, Division II and Division IV.

Finals for Division V and Division V-AA are Thursday, May 15 at MiraCosta College.
Finals are Friday, May 16, for Division I and Division III at Mira Mesa High School and Saturday, May 17, at Francis Parker for Division II and Division IV.

The Open Division playoffs include a double-elimination format with the opening two rounds on May 6 and May 8. The eight-seeded teams include No. 1 Carlsbad (32-2), No. 2 Canyon Crest Academy (39-0), No. 3 Torrey Pines (31-7), No. 4 Francis Parker (22-10), No. 5 Bishop’s (24-9), No. 6 Classical Academy (23-12), No. 7 Cathedral Catholic (15-8) and No. 8 Granite Hills (15-10).Third-round games are scheduled Saturday, May 10, followed by fourth-round games on Tuesday, May 13, a fifth round (if necessary) on Thursday, May 15, and championship game May 17 at the Francis Parker School.

Boys tennis
Team playoffs took place April 29 to May 10 in four divisions: Open, Division I, Division II and Division III.

South County qualifiers included Mater Dei Catholic (No. 2 in Division II), Eastlake (No. 3 in Division II), Bonita Vista (No. 4 in Division II), Olympian (No. 6 in Division II), Otay Ranch (No. 12 in Division II), Hilltop (No. 2 in Division III), Castle Park (No. 10 in Division III) and San Ysidro (No. 15 in Division III).

A grand total of eight Metro Conference teams qualified, including five in Division II and three in Division III.

Top-seeded teams included Canyon Crest Academy (Open Division), Bishop’s (Division I), Valhalla (Division II) and Valley Center (Division III).

Of the eight South County qualifiers, five won their opening matches in an impressive showing to advance to the quarterfinals.

Mater Dei Catholic, the defending division champion, blasted 15th-seeded Santana by a score of 17-1 to open the four-round Division II tournament. Eastlake also handed 14th-seeded Calexico a lopsided loss while Olympian defeated 11th-seeded Mission Hills by a score of 12-6. Hilltop eliminated San Ysidro, 11-7, in an all-Metro matchup.

Another all-Metro pairing occurred in the next round as Eastlake sent Olympian home by a score of 12-6. Mater Dei Catholic joined the Titans in the semifinals with a 9-9 tiebreaker win over 10th-seeded Sage Creek. The Crusaders recorded a narrow 75-72 edge in total games to advance.

Hilltop advanced with a 12-6 win over seventh-seeded Mira Mesa while Bonita Vista lost a 9-9 tiebreaker to fifth-seeded La Costa Canyon (74-71 in games).

“It was intense,” Bonita Vista coach Liza Tacher said. “We have a solid team. I think the senior players got stronger making the team come together.”

No. 1 singles player Anthony Bernardo and No. 1 doubles tandem of Noah McMahan and Ari Broudy keyed the Barons’ fortunes this season. Other standouts included No. 2 singles Luka Licina and captains Adan Hurtado and Elijah Lee.

With three South County teams in the semifinals, something had to give.

Mater Dei Catholic got past Eastlake by a 13-5 score, but Hilltop saw its standout season end with an 11-7 setback to third-seeded Christian.

That left Mater Dei Catholic as the lone Metro team still standing in the championship round against top-seeded Valhalla. The Norsemen had placed runner-up to Sage Creek in the 2022 division finals, so both teams were battle-tested.

Valhalla won 10-8 in a marathon three-hour, 24-minute contest at the Lake Murray Tennis Club. It marked the first CIF title for the Norsemen in the program’s 50th season.

Aiden Toma, Isaiah Kasawa and Emilio Posadas each won two singles matches while the doubles team of Evan Bakayou and Gus Jacques won two of three sets.

Santiago Resendez swept all three of his singles matches for Mater Dei Catholic.
The Crusaders were without two players who left early to attend prom.

Valhalla, one of seven East County qualifiers, breezed through the opening two rounds with 13-5 wins over 16th-seeded West Hills (first round) and ninth-seeded High Tech High San Diego (quarterfinals). The Norsemen closed their history-making season with a pair of much closer 10-8 victories, defeating La Costa Canyon in the semifinals and MDC in the final.

Christian will meet top-seeded Valley Center in Saturday’s Division III championship round at the Balboa Tennis Club at noon.

Baseball

Aurora Central Catholic 11, De La Salle 10

Aurora Christian 6, Somonauk 5

Bartlett 4, Elmwood Park 1

Conant 3, Rolling Meadows 0

DeKalb 4, Neuqua Valley 1

Downers Grove South 10, Addison Trail 3

Fenwick 13, Montini 5

Glenbard East 10, Elgin 0 (5 Inn.)

Glenbard South 9, Larkin 0

Glenbard West 8, York 4

Hampshire 18, Crossroads Christian 3 (4 Inn.)

Harvest Christian 18, Hiawatha 6

Highland Park 9, Vernon Hills 0

IC Catholic Prep 14, Leo 4 (6 Inn.)

Jacobs 7, Marian Central 4

Leyden 7, Hinsdale South 1

Libertyville 8, Carmel 1

Naperville North 2, Waubonsie Valley 1

New Trier 3, Maine South 0

Niles North 4, Maine West 0

Niles West 5, Maine East 3

Palatine 8, Elk Grove 6

Parkview Christian 4, St. Edward 3

Riverside-Brookfield 6, Streamwood 1

South Elgin 14, West Chicago 6

St. Charles East 6, Batavia 2

St. Charles North 12, Glenbard North 5

St. Francis 8, Marmion Academy 6

Warren 10, Niles Notre Dame 9

West Aurora 10, Ridgewood 5

Westminster Christian 7, Schaumburg Christian 0

Wheaton Academy 14, Lisle 0 (5 Inn.)

Wheaton North 6, Geneva 5

Wheaton Warrenville South 4, Lake Park 3

Willowbrook 9, Morton 2

Softball

Antioch 7, Grant 1

Benet 11, Marian Catholic 3

Buffalo Grove 7, Schaumburg 6

Carmel 16, Lake Zurich 3 (6 Inn.)

DePaul College Prep 6, Aurora Central Catholic 4

Downers Grove North 9, Wheaton Warrenville South 6

Glenbard North 16, Waubonsie Valley 4 (5 Inn.)

Hampshire 11, Cary-Grove 6

Harvest Christian 35, Hiawatha 13

Hersey 11, Elk Grove 1 (6 Inn.)

Huntley 11, Crystal Lake South 1 (5 Inn.)

Jacobs 9, Burlington Central 4

Lakes 16, Round Lake 0 (4 Inn.)

Larkin 11, Fenton 10

Lincoln-Way Central 4, St. Charles North 0

Loyola Academy 6, Montini 2

Maine South 18, Evanston 3 (4 Inn.)

Maine West 27, Maine East 0 (4 Inn.)

Neuqua Valley 3, Naperville Central 1

Prairie Ridge 8, Dundee-Crown 5

Prospect 9, Rolling Meadows 3

South Elgin 3, Glenbard East 2

St. Edward 12, Aurora Christian 2 (6 Inn.)

Trinity 10, Westmont 0 (5 Inn.)

Vernon Hills 16, Lake Forest 1 (4 Inn.)

Warren 8, Grayslake Central 6

Wauconda 8, Grayslake North 7

West Aurora 8, Elmwood Park 5

West Chicago 17, Streamwood 0 (4 Inn.)

Wheaton Academy 31, Parkview Christian 4 (4 Inn.)

York 3, Willowbrook 1

Girls soccer

Benet 5, Montini 0

Cary-Grove 3, Crystal Lake South 0

Hinsdale Central 1, Glenbard West 0

Huntley 9, Dundee-Crown 2

Kaneland 3, IC Catholic Prep 0

Lakes 3, Grayslake Central 0

Libertyville 2, Lake Forest 0

Naperville Central 2, Naperville North 0

St. Charles East 2, Geneva 1

St. Laurence 2, Aurora Central Catholic 0

Warren 3, Lake Zurich 0

Wauconda 5, Woodstock North 1

Wheaton North 8, Glenbard North 0

Wheaton Warrenville South 3, Batavia 0

York 9, Proviso West 0

Boys track and field

Chicago Prep Conference Championships

Westmont 174, CICS/Northtown 161.5, Holy Trinity 87.5, Walther Christian 85, Rochelle Zell 53, Christ the King 31, Cristo Rey Jesuit 15

Illinois Central Eight Championships

Streator 141.5, Coal City 117, Herscher 116, Manteno 94, Lisle 77, Wilmington 55.5, Reed-Custer 49, Peotone 39

Lake County Invitational

Grayslake Central 100, Lake Zurich 88.5, Barrington 64.5, Deerfield 51, Lakes 50, Antioch 44, North Chicago 40, Libertyville 35.5, Lake Forest 35, Warren 33, Stevenson 33, Highland Park 32, Grayslake North 21, Grant 17.5, Vernon Hills 17, Mundelein 15, Carmel 14, Waukegan 8, Wauconda 3

Girls track and field

Central Suburban League North Championships

Vernon Hills 155, Niles West 114, Maine West 94, Highland Park 87.5, Niles North 63.5, Maine East 38

Central Suburban League South Championships

New Trier 133, Glenbrook South 108.5, Evanston 102, Maine South 97, Deerfield 58.5, Glenbrook North 55

Chicago Prep Conference Championships

Westmont 177, CICS/Northtown 112, Walther Christian 90, Christ the King 67, Holy Trinity 54, Providence St. Mel 34, Cristo Rey Jesuit 18, Rochelle Zell 15

DuKane Conference Championships

St. Charles North 145, Batavia 133.5, Wheaton North 101.5, Lake Park 88, Geneva 83.5, St. Charles East 64, Wheaton Warrenville South 57.5, Glenbard North 26

DuPage Valley Conference Championships

Neuqua Valley 141, Naperville Central 126, Naperville North 120, DeKalb 65, Waubonsie Valley 60, Metea Valley 40

Fox Valley Conference Championships

Huntley 174.5, Hampshire 78.5, Cary-Grove 59, Burlington Central 52, Prairie Ridge 50, Jacobs 46, McHenry 41, Crystal Lake Central 25, Crystal Lake South 19, Dundee-Crown 13

Illinois Central Eight Championships

Lisle 147.5, Wilmington 114, Coal City 82.5, Herscher 77.5, Manteno 77, Reed-Custer 75, Streator 65.5, Peotone 52

Northern Lake County Conference Championships

Grayslake Central 137, Lakes 118, Antioch 107, Wauconda 89, Grayslake North 52, Grant 37, North Chicago 13, Round Lake 4

North Suburban Conference Championships

Lake Zurich 179, Stevenson 105, Zion-Benton 78, Warren 69, Libertyville 53, Lake Forest 39, Mundelein 35

Upstate Eight Conference Championships

West Aurora 132, Glenbard East 98, Bartlett 74, South Elgin 72.33, Aurora East 63, Fenton 61.33, West Chicago 41.33, Streamwood 36, Riverside-Brookfield 33, Glenbard South 32, Ridgewood 26, Elmwood Park 14, Larkin 12, Elgin 7

Boys lacrosse

Barrington 23, Hoffman Estates 2

Benet 25, St. Patrick 1

Lakes 5, Vernon Hills 4

Rolling Meadows 13, Elk Grove 1

Girls lacrosse

Carmel 17, Mundelein 9

Deerfield 17, Vernon Hills 5

Downers Grove North 7, Oak Park-River Forest 6

Boys tennis

Cary-Grove 6, Dundee-Crown 1

Boys volleyball

Barrington d. Conant 21-25, 25-15, 25-23

Benet d. Jones College Prep 25-20, 25-17

Chicago Christian d. St. Edward 25-13, 25-22

Fenton d. Zion-Benton 19-25, 25-20, 25-18

Glenbrook South d. Maine South 25-18, 32-34, 25-12

Grayslake Central d. Grant 25-20, 25-15

Grayslake North d. North Chicago 25-16, 25-20

Montini d. Fenwick 25-21, 25-22

Prospect d. Hersey 25-18, 25-21

Boys water polo

Palatine 16, Prospect 12

Girls water polo

Lincoln-Way West 10, Schaumburg 6

Lockport 5, Conant 4

St. Charles East 11, Riverside-Brookfield 4

Upcoming

Friday, May 9

Baseball

Aurora Christian at Lisle, 4:30 p.m.

Barrington at Prospect, 4:45 p.m.

Cary-Grove at Crystal Lake South, 4:30 p.m.

Dundee-Crown at Huntley, 4:30 p.m.

Fremd at Wheeling, 4:45 p.m.

Geneva at Wheaton North, 4:30 p.m.

Glenbard North at St. Charles North, 4:30 p.m.

Glenbard South at Timothy Christian, 4:30 p.m.

Grayslake Central at Grant, 4:45 p.m.

Hampshire at Burlington Central, 4:30 p.m.

Hoffman Estates at Buffalo Grove, 4:45 p.m.

Huntley at Dundee-Crown, 4:30 p.m.

Jacobs at McHenry, 4:30 p.m.

Lakes at Antioch, 4:45 p.m.

Larkin at Westminster Christian, 4:30 p.m.

Neuqua Valley at Jones, 7 p.m.

Proviso West at Downers Grove South, 4:30 p.m.

Schaumburg at Hersey, 4:45 p.m.

Solorio Academy at Stevenson, 4:45 p.m.

St. Charles East at Batavia, 4:30 p.m.

St. Edward at Harvest Christian, 5:30 p.m.

Vernon Hills at Mundelein, 4:45 p.m.

Wauconda at Round Lake, 4:45 p.m.

Westmont at Woodstock Marian, 4:30 p.m.

Wheaton Warrenville South at Lake Park, 4:30 p.m.

York at Leyden, 4:30 p.m.

Softball

Addison Trail at Downers Grove South, 4:45 p.m.

Barrington at Schaumburg, 4:45 p.m.

Batavia at Glenbard East, 4:30 p.m.

DeKalb at Larkin, 4:30 p.m.

Downers Grove North at Oak Park-River Forest, 6 p.m.

Fenton at Glenbard South, 4:30 p.m.

Fremd at Conant, 4:45 p.m.

Hinsdale Central at Lyons, 4:45 p.m.

Huntley at Crystal Lake South, 4:30 p.m.

IC Catholic Prep at St. Ignatius, 4:30 p.m.

Kaneland at Naperville North, 4:30 p.m.

Mundelein at Grant, 7 p.m.

Oswego East at Neuqua Valley, 4:30 p.m.

Proviso East at Hinsdale South, 4:45 p.m.

Proviso West at Glenbard West, 4:45 p.m.

Somonauk at Aurora Christian, 4:30 p.m.

St. Edward at Geneva, 4:30 p.m.

Vernon Hills at Stevenson, 4:45 p.m.

Warren at Wauconda, 4:45 p.m.

Waubonsie Valley at Plainfield Central, 4:30 p.m.

West Chicago at Naperville Central, 4:30 p.m.

Wheaton North at Antioch, 4:45 p.m.

Wheeling at Buffalo Grove, 4:45 p.m.

Yorkville at Metea Valley, 4:30 p.m.

Girls soccer

Conant at Hoffman Estates, TBD

Fremd at Palatine, 6:30 p.m.

Herscher at Westminster Christian, 4:30 p.m.

Hersey at Prospect, 6:30 p.m.

Maine East at Wheeling, 5:30 p.m.

Providence Catholic at Willowbrook, 6:30 p.m.

Ridgewood at West Chicago, 6:30 p.m.

Schaumburg at Barrington, 6 p.m.

South Elgin at Glenbard East, 5 p.m.

Wheaton Academy at Chicago Hope Academy, 7 p.m.

York at Waubonsie Valley, 6:30 p.m.

Boys track and field

Addison Trail, Glenbard East, Glenbard West, Hoffman Estates, Jacobs, Leyden, Maine East, Maine South, Prospect, Schaumburg at Conant Invitational, 4:30 p.m.

Aurora Central Catholic, Aurora Christian, Batavia, Dundee-Crown, Elgin, Geneva, Hampshire, Kaneland, Marmion, South Elgin, St. Charles East, at St. Charles North, West Aurora, Kane County Invitational, 4:30 p.m.

Bartlett at Wheaton Warrenville South Kane County Invitational, 4 p.m.

Benet, Larkin at Oswego East, 4:30 p.m.

Crystal Lake South at Beloit Northern Illinois Classic, 4 p.m.

Downers Grove North, Hinsdale South, Palatine at Hinsdale Central McCarthy Invitational, 5 p.m.

Downers Grove South, Fremd, Huntley at Lockport Invitational, 5 p.m.

Elk Grove, Hersey, Maine West, Wheeling at Glenbrook South Invitational, 4:30 p.m.

Glenbard North, Glenbard South, Lake Park, Metea Valley, Montini, Naperville Central, Naperville North, Neuqua Valley, Waubonsie Valley, West Chicago, Wheaton North, Willowbrook, York at Wheaton Warrenville South DuPage County Invitational, 4:30 p.m.

Rolling Meadows at Hononegah Invitational, 4 p.m.

Girls track and field

Glenbard West, Hinsdale Central at Downers Grove North West Suburban Conference Championship, 5 p.m.

Kaneland at Morris, 4 p.m.

Boys lacrosse

Carmel at Stevenson, 6:30 p.m.

Glenbrook South at Lake Zurich, 6:30 p.m.

Lakes at Grayslake Co-op, 5 p.m.

Northside at Timothy Christian, 5:30 p.m.

Girls lacrosse

Burlington Central at McHenry, 6:30 p.m.

Downers Grove North at Lincoln Way Central, 6:30 p.m.

Glenbrook North at Carmel, 6:30 p.m.

Glenbrook South at Warren, 6:30 p.m.

Jacobs, Huntly at Dundee-Crown, 5 p.m.

Montini at Lake Forest, 6:45 p.m.

Stevenson at Cary-Grove/Crystal Lake Co-op, 6:30 p.m.

York at Loyola Academy, 6:30 p.m.

Boys tennis

Benet, Downers Grove South, Geneva, Hinsdale South, Metea Valley, Naperville North, Oswego East, St. Charles North, Waubonsie Valley, Wheaton Academy, Wheaton Warrenville South at Naper Valley Invitational (various locations), 3 p.m.

Glenbrook South at Downers Grove North, 4:30 p.m.

Hinsdale Central, Libertyville, Stevenson at Deerfield Invitational, 4 p.m.

Naperville Central at Normal U-High Invitational, 2:30 p.m.

Boys volleyball

Addison Trail, Glenbard North, Glenbard South, Hinsdale Central at Willowbrook Invitational, 4:30 p.m.

Barrington, Glenbard East, Glenbard West, Hersey, Lake Zurich, Libertyville, Maine South, Stevenson, Vernon Hills, Warren, York at Glenbrook North Invitational, 5:30 p.m.

Carmel at Lake Forest Academy, 5:30 p.m.

Downers Grove North, Hinsdale South, Naperville Central, Wheaton Warrenville South at Richards Invitational, 5 p.m.

IC Catholic Prep at Christian Life, 5 p.m.

Mundelein at Antioch Triangular, 5 p.m.

Prospect, Rolling Meadows, Wheaton North at Fremd Invitational, 5 p.m.

St. Edward at IMSA, 6:15 p.m.

Timothy Christian at Bishop McNamara, 4:30 p.m.

Boys water polo

Bradley Bourbonnais at Prospect, 5:30 p.m.

Hinsdale Central, York at WSC Invitational, 5 p.m.

Sandburg at Fremd, 6 p.m.

TBA at Vernon Hills North Division Championships, 5 p.m.

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The Timpanogos boys volleyball team reacts during a 4A state semifinal match against Desert Hills at the UCCU Center in Orem on Thursday, May 8, 2025.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Cooper Pope of Timpanogos takes a swing against Desert Hills in a 4A boys volleyball state semifinal match at the UCCU Center in Orem on Thursday, May 8, 2025.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Members of the Orem boys volleyball team react during a state semifinal match against Payson at the UCCU Center on Thursday, May 8, 2025.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Orem’s Jackson Sanders takes a swing against Payson in a 4A boys volleyball state semifinals match at the UCCU Center on Thursday, May 8, 2025.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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The Payson boys volleyball team celebrates a point in a 4A state semifinals match against Orem at the UCCU Center on Thursday, May 8, 2025.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Orem’s Ben Hone takes a swing against Payson in a 4A boys volleyball state semifinal match at the UCCU Center on Thursday, May 8, 2025.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Orem’s Lucky Jennings serves against Payson in a 4A boys volleyball state semifinal match at the UCCU Center on Thursday, May 8, 2025.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Timpanogos boys volleyball coach Jared Stark reacts during the 4A state semifinals against Desert Hills at the UCCU Center in Orem on Thursday, May 8, 2025.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Cooper Pope of Timpanogos serves in the 4A boys volleyball state semifinals against Desert Hills at the UCCU Center on Thursday, May 8, 2025.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Timpanogos freshman Brigham Woahn prepares for a serve from Desert Hills in a 4A boys volleyball state semifinal match at the UCCU Center in Orem on Thursday, May 8, 2025.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Cooper Pope of Timpanogos passes the ball against Desert Hills in a 4A boys volleyball state semifinal match at the UCCU Center in Orem on Thursday, May 8, 2025.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Orem’s Will Brown passes the ball while coach Bill Sefita looks on in a 4A boys volleyball state semifinal match against Payson at the UCCU Center on Thursday, May 8, 2025.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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The Payson boys volleyball team reacts during a 4A state semifinal match against Orem at the UCCU Center on Thursday, May 8, 2025.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Payson’s Jace Mangum (left) takes a swing against Orem in a 4A boys volleyball state semifinal match at the UCCU Center on Thursday, May 8, 2025.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Payson’s Waylon Francom (33) takes a swing against the block of Orem’s Jackson Sanders (12) and Luke Wolsey in the 4A boys volleyball state semifinals at the UCCU Center on Thursday, May 8, 2025.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Orem’s Treyvon Cly serves against Payson in a 4A boys volleyball state semifinal match at the UCCU Center on Thursday, May 8, 2025.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Orem’s Aaron Nielsen takes a swing against the Payson block in a 4A boys volleyball state semifinal at the UCCU Center on Thursday, May 8, 2025.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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On Wednesday the Timpanogos boys volleyball walked into the UCCU Center for the 4A state tournament. Someone said to T-Wolves senior Cooper Pope, “Who are you guys? I’ve never seen those jerseys.”

Pope replied, “You’ll see them in the finals, don’t worry.”

Pope was prophet: No. 7 seed Timpanogos upset No. 2 Murray in the quarterfinals and on Thursday upended No. 3 seed Desert Hills 3-1 (25-21, 23-25, 25-23, 25-21) to earn a spot in the 4A championship match.

Last season, the T-Wolves were a No. 13 seed and advanced to the semifinals before falling to No. 1 Orem.

This year, they busted through.

“From the start of the season, I was thinking about how we could make it further than we did last year,” said Pope, who led Timpanogos with 22 kills in the semifinal win. “It was a super competitive run last year. Then this year, I knew we had a good team so I just wanted to make it all the way to the finals. That was our goal from the beginning. We knew we could make it and we pushed hard. It feels so good to get past the stage we got to last year.”

After splitting the first two sets in the semifinals, the T-Wolves surged to a 19-14 advantage in the third set. Desert Hills rallied and closed to within 24-23 on a kill from their star, Brodie Hoag. At set point, Pope finessed a shot to an open spot over the Thunder block for a 25-23 win and a 2-1 lead in the match.

Set 4 was tight but Timpanogos pulled ahead 17-14 after a couple of Desert Hills errors and a kill from Crew Kozlowski. The Thunder closed to 23-21 but Pope went off the block to get to match point. Setter Zaxen Downey, who had 43 assists, knew who to get the ball to, setting Pope out the back row for the winner.

“It’s because this team is fighting for their lives to get as far as they can,” T-Wolves coach Jared Stark said. “We didn’t play a good strategy with our RPI and didn’t get as many matches as we’d hoped this season, so our record doesn’t look as good as other teams. But now, late in the season, we’re catching up and we’re hoping to just keep taking off. This team loves the clutch moments. When it’s close, that’s when they get excited. They don’t get scared because they’ve put in the grind.”

Libero Chance Wallace was excellent for Timpanogos, leading the team with 23 digs.

“We love the clutch moments,” Pope said. “Whenever we’re in those tight spots, we’re always smiling, we’re always looking at each other because this is the sport we love to play.”

Meanwhile, top-seed Orem was cruising in its semifinal match against another Region 8 foe, Payson. The Tigers won the first two sets 25-12, 25-18 but the Lions found some momentum and roared to a 25-16 victory in Set 3. Payson continued its hot play and went up 8-4 in the fourth set.

“For us, we tend to focus on the deficits instead of just taking it one contact at a time,” Orem coach Bill Sefita said. “If we’re serving, just focus on our serve. So it was just chipping away in that manner.”

The Tigers tied things up at 20-20 on an overpass kill from setter Lucky Jennings and went up 21-20 after a swing from Ben Hone. At 24-21, a combo block from Aaron Nielsen and Jackson Sanders sealed the 3-1 victory for Orem.

“We just had to focus and know they (Payson) were going to fight hard too,” Sanders said. “So we had to fight back with just as much power. We had to come together more as a team and talk to each other, play our game and come back and beat them.”

Orem (25-6) and Timpanogos (15-9) met twice this season in Region 8 play, with the Tigers winning 3-1 at home and 3-0 on the road.

Orem was the No. 1 seed in last year’s tournament but lost a five-set thriller to Pine View, falling 17-15 in the fifth set.

“One thing we learned from our sports psychologist is to turn our nervousness into excitement,” Sefita said. “When you’re excited about something, you run toward it. That’s what we’re trying to preach to the players. We’re excited to be here and in the state championship.”

As for Timpanogos, Stark said his team also is looking forward to the challenge, despite facing the No. 1 seed.

“It’s the same sport we’ve been playing all day and all season,” he said. “What it comes down, what I tell the boys, is just play volleyball. What under our control is the stuff on our side of the net. So who’s on the other side doesn’t matter. We beat No. 2 and No. 3. Now it’s No. 1. It’s no different than two or three. We’ll just focus on the things we can control and not dwell on the things we can’t.”

Exterior of the Tiny House built by Glenbrook South High School students. (Photo submitted)
Bids to purchase a tiny house built by Glenbrook South High School Geometry in Construction class members were due to school officials Tuesday morning. 
Glenbrook South 2010 alum Andrew Montesantros paid $22,225 for the tiny home, which district officials said he would take to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for his nieces and nephews to use.
Interior of theTiny House built by Glenbrook South High School …

LBSU freshman setter Moni Nikolov smiles after a service ace, finishing the game with four aces in a sweep of Fort Valley State in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Volleyball Tournament in Columbus, Ohio. Photo credit: Mark Siquig.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – No.1 seed Long Beach State men’s volleyball proved to be too physical in its sweep of the No. 8 seed Fort Valley State Wildcats on Thursday, May 8, at the Covelli Center in Columbus, Ohio.

Despite synchronized jumping jacks and dances from the FVSU bench, LBSU jumped out to a 3-0 lead, and freshman setter Moni Nikolov‘s fingerprints were all over the first three points.

He started the match with a one-handed dump, combined with junior middle blocker Ben Braun for a block and topped it off with a kill to give The Beach an early advantage.

Outside of Nikolov’s run, The Beach got off to a start that LBSU head coach Alan Knipe described as “a slow start, kind of a weird start at times.”

The Beach had eight attack errors and three service errors in the first half as they were struggling to deal with the Wildcats’ athleticism.

Their athleticism was on display when returning serves and kept them in the match as the score was 16-15 in favor of The Beach halfway through the first set.

The Beach eventually settled in and extended their lead to 22-16, and Nikolov’s comfort showed on his mid-air patented fake hit to set motion.

The Wildcats fought back during The Beach’s match point from 24-17 to 24-21, but redshirt senior opposite hitter Nato Dickinson ended the run and clinched the set with a kill.

Dickinson finished with 12 kills on the night.

LBSU’s kill leader, redshirt junior opposite hitter Skyler Varga, started the set off with one of his popular tip kills that was part of a four-point service run from senior middle blocker DiAeris McRaven, who the FVSU bench players coined “McDonalds,” to put LBSU up 4-1 early.

Nikolov was spreading the ball around efficiently, and to multiple players, as midway through the second set, five Beach players had at least three kills, including himself with eight.

LBSU freshman setter Moni Nikolov sets up senior middle blocker DiAeris McRaven for a kill versus the Wildcats. McRaven finished the game with four kills. Photo credit: Mark Siquig

He stuffed the stat sheet and finished the match with 31 assists, eight kills and three aces.

FVSU junior outside hitter Isaiah Fedd showed why he is 14th in the country with 3.84 kills per set, as his incredible leap from the back row guided him to 10 kills through two sets.

“Isiah has an arm that’s equal to the best arm on all the teams that are here [NCAA Tournament],” Knipe said. “He gets up and he takes a swing and he doesn’t get cheated ever.”

Despite Fedd’s efforts, Varga’s third kill of the match put an exclamation mark on the second set as The Beach cruised to a 25-16 second-set victory.

The energy on the LBSU side of the court was positive all night, with Nikolov and McRaven constantly smiling and giving their teammates constructive comments.

“I really like the conversations that were happening during the match,” Knipe said. “If you can hear guys talking and it sounds a little more like video sessions… that’s a good thing.”

The third set started just as the previous two did. The Wildcats hung around early but were eventually overpowered by The Beach’s physicality.

That physicality was evident on the block as The Beach’s two middles, Braun and McRaven, weren’t putting up block statistics that jump off the page. However, the duo rejected and altered numerous kill attempts from Fedd and others.

LBSU freshman outside hitter Alex Kandev and senior middle blocker DiAeris McRaven block a kill attempt versus Fort Valley State. The Beach’s defense shut down the Wildcats, only allowing a total of 32 points in the last two sets. Photo credit: Mark Siquig.

A Wildcat timeout down 18-12 was their last chance to muster up a run to keep themselves alive. They were not able to do so as The Beach went on to take the third set 25-16.

FVSU’s men’s volleyball was established in 2022, and they have already made two NCAA Tournament appearances. Though overpowered by LBSU, the program has a bright future.

“These guys are fighters, these guys are unified. You should be worried,” FVSU head coach Larry Wrather said.

With the quarterfinal sweep of FVSU, LBSU advances to the semifinals and will take on the winner of No. 4 Loyola Chicago and No. 5 Pepperdine on Saturday, May 10 at 5 p.m. on ESPN+.

LEHI — Utah’s Dan Gardner runs a lot of numbers every day during his day job.

But for the chief sales officer for a local supplements company, age is one of those numbers he hopes to crunch this weekend.

That’s when Gardner, who had a brief professional fighting career in mixed martial arts nearly 13 years ago, will attempt something of a comeback at 41 years old when the former state champion wrestler and father of three makes his Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship debut May 10 during BKFC 74 at the Maverik Center.

He’ll fight fellow BKFC debutante Shane Fichter in a light heavyweight bout (185 pounds) on a pay-per-view card headlined by Mike Richman and Josh Dyer. Fellow Utah resident Ben Moa, who lives and trains in Ogden, will face Bobby Brents on the same card.

But Gardner, who excelled at power lifting and jiujitsu during his MMA career, will be stepping into the “square circle” as a novice while fighting in front of his wife and three children for the first time at BKFC 74.

Where did such a comeback begin? It wasn’t from an overwhelming desire to prove his mettle or smash his face in a new fight discipline. It came in part from his brother and boss at Orem-based Bucked Up, a title sponsor of the BKFC.

Gardner still works at Bucked Up during the day, training at the company’s gym every morning, working his full shift, and then working out with local MMA legend Clay “Cassius” Collard at his gym in Lehi in the evenings. Getting Bucked Up CEO Ryan Gardner to use the company gym was easy.

Less so was convincing his wife to let him take a swing at a comeback.

“At first she said, ‘heck no; he’s already ugly enough,'” the younger Gardner joked. “But after she saw how I am when I get passionate for something, it’s hard to tell me no. And she told me to jump in, full feet.

“Then there was an opportunity to do it here in Utah, in front of my hometown,” he added. “I knew I had to get in there.”

Gardner fought professionally six times in his early years, when he earned his nickname “DJ Dan” by working a side gig as a DJ at local college parties.

But his last fight was more than a dozen years ago — and in a discipline that he admits is “a totally different game” than BKFC.

The bare-knuckle boxing promotion was founded by David Feldman in 2018 and turned the first legal “dirty boxing” event in the United States since 1889 at a hockey rink in Cheyenne, Wyoming, into the estimated $400 million business it is today.

“In MMA, I felt comfortable and confident because I knew I could always take them down,” Gardner said. “In this one, it’s anybody’s game; it just takes one hit. … My game plan here is, how well can I defend myself? I’ve got short arms, so I’ve really got to work my strategy before they can work theirs.”

Enter Collard, the 32-year-old veteran of the Professional Fighters League and local legend from Castle Dale. Collard has fought in a variety of styles since his first bout two weeks removed from his 18th birthday.

And the 155-pound featherweight thinks Gardner has what it takes to compete in BKFC.

“As soon as Dan decided to take this fight, he was all in,” said Collard, who will be in Gardner’s corner Saturday night. “He’s dieting, and he’s doing everything he’s supposed to in order to be a good bare-knuckled fighter. It’s all about his dedication and his preparation.”

Without revealing too much of the team’s game plan, Collard said the fighter plans to “go in there and get it done early” as a first-timer.

“Bare-knuckle boxing is just dirty boxing,” Collard noted. “As long as you’re in a clinch and have one hand free to punch, you can keep fighting. It isn’t until a clinch is locked up that they are going to break you up and reset you.”

Beyond the fight, Gardner hopes his return to the ring can inspire others — at least his wife and children, who never saw him fight during his initial pro run.

If nothing else comes from Saturday, it’s his hope that his kids can accomplish anything with hard work and the right mindset — even fighting at 41.

“We get complacent, and we tell ourselves that we’re old. But that’s just a mindset,” said Gardner.

“I’ve had injuries now, and it’s a lot harder to recover,” he added. “But what I want to show everybody is that, if you want to do something and can put your mind to it, you can achieve it. It doesn’t matter what the goal is.”

Tickets are available at bkfc.com and Ticketmaster, and fans can use the promo code “DJ DAN” to get 25% off.