Every story ends.

Highland Park baseball coach Jason Newburger reflected on that truth Saturday when one of the Giants best seasons in recent memory came to its conclusion.

“This is an unbelievable group of kids, and we’re going to miss those six seniors for sure,” he said. “The worst part about playoff baseball is at some point it ends, whether you’re winning a regional title, a sectional title or a state title. The saddest part about this time of the year is that we’re not coming back to practice on Monday.

“We’re going to miss these guys a lot, especially the seniors, but the future is bright for the Giants due to the leadership of the last couple senior groups we had.” 

With a 5-2 loss to the sectional’s No. 2 seed, Libertyville, on Saturday in Hoffman Estates, No. 7 Highland Park’s 24-win season came to a close.

The Giants (24-11) dominated the Central Suburban North Division, winning 13 straight games to start league play en route to the division title. Their 24 wins were the program’s most since 2009, and they placed six players on the All-CSL North team, including the division’s player of the year, senior Ben Lichtenfeld.

Against potent Libertyville (31-4), the Giants hung tough. The Wildcats scored a run in each of the first three innings to take the early lead, while their starter, Chase Lockwood, kept Highland Park’s bats at bay.

Libertyville’s two-run home run in the fifth was a big blow to the Giants, who finally found a spark in their final at-bats.

Lichtenfeld and JT Killeen reached base to start the rally, and then back-to-back RBI doubles from Trent Harradine and Patrick Feder got Highland Park on the scoreboard. Not only that, the successful stretch brought the game-tying run to home plate.

But a full comeback was not meant to be.

“We don’t quit,” Lichtenfeld said. “We knew it was our last inning and we gave it our all.”

The late effort was nothing new to Newburger.

“It’s not surprising for this group,” the coach said. “The character of our group I’d put up against any high school team in the country. Our six seniors have really led this program, helped lead it last year and then coming back this year. I can’t say enough about this group.”

The Giants also played Libertyville tough in a 1-0 loss in early May.

Seniors Lichtenfeld pitched a complete game two-hitter in the Giants’ regional-opening win and then played infield on Saturday. Lichtenfeld and senior infielder Charlie Cohen were named to the All-CSL North team. Lichtenfeld was the division’s player of the year.

The senior leader pointed to the team’s defense as a key to this year’s success, and that starts, he said, with chemistry.

“Our chemistry is so good,” the senior said. “We’re all great friends who all like to come to the field every day. It’s fun to play with each other every day.”

Highland Park’s other All-Conference selections highlight the program’s bright future. Sophomore shortstop and pitcher Simon Rose and junior third baseman Harradine, pitcher Cooper Casdin and catcher Josh Midanek all earned the honors.

“More baseball with this group will always be fun,” Newburger said. “I would take them any day of the week. It’s a great group. We have a lot of good kids in our baseball program, and we’re just fortunate to be cast with coaching these guys.” 

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It’s regional final time for High School baseball as Waubonsie Valley comes as the underdog holding the 10 seed after knocking off Naperville Central, hoping to bring home a second straight regional plaque. The Warriors take on three-seeded West Aurora, who is coming off a come-from-behind semifinal win over Neuqua Valley. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.

We’re scoreless in the second inning as Blackhawk pitcher Jake Niedzwiedz shows why they earned that top three seed with a punchout to retire the side.

West Aurora gets a spark in the third inning. Eliseo Liscano hits one through, and that results in ducks on the pond for the Hawks.

Nick Lambert for the Warriors puts a stop to that by getting a strikeout of his own, and this game remains scoreless after three innings.

Warriors bats come alive in the fourth

Josh Hung starts the fourth inning with a swing that puts the ball into shallow left field for a single. Hung scores later on a Ryan Lucas double to give Waubonsie a 1-0 lead.

The Waubonsie bats are just getting started as Nate Cerilli rips this ball way out to deep left field, which gets down for a hit. Danny McGuigan and Ryan Lucas sprint across home plate, and it’s 3-0 Warriors.

Up next is Seth Neilson, who pokes one, this time into right field, and here comes Cerilli himself for another run for the Warriors.

We go to Shane Torres, who puts some firepower on the swing. The ball goes far enough to give Hiroshy Wong the ok to score, and it’s a 7-0 lead for the Warriors, still in the fourth.

Yes, we’re still in the fourth, and yes, the Warriors are still hitting. Ryan Lucas batting for a second time tallies one of two RBIs in this inning. The green and gold explode for 11 runs in the fourth inning alone.

Strong hitting helps Waubonsie to IHSA baseball regional title

The rest of the bench comes in for the fifth inning, and players like Chris Leigh want to hop in on the hit parade.

Two on, and Ryan Quinn brings them in with one of fifteen team hits in the ballgame. This performance helps Waubonsie Valley take home another baseball regional title with a 15-0 win over West Aurora. Nick Lambert tosses a five-inning shutout on the mound. Up next is the two seed Lockport in the semifinals on Wednesday night under the lights.

For more prep sports highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page!

AI-assisted summary
• South Bend area teams won three state championships across Indiana and Michigan.
• Saint Joseph girls and South Bend Bears boys lacrosse teams won Indiana state titles.
• Edwardsburg’s Zach Overmyer won the Division 2 high jump title in Michigan.
• Niles baseball won its first district title since 1983.
• Edwardsburg and Buchanan softball teams also claimed district championships.

Three state championships were brought back to the South Bend area May 31 — two in Indiana and one in Michigan.

In the Hoosier State, the South Bend Saint Joseph girls lacrosse team won the Indiana Girls Lacrosse Association Class 1A state championship, knocking off Brownsburg in a dramatic 10-9 contest. Senior attacker Kate O’Shaughnessy scored five goals, while junior goalkeeper Maya Matthews had 19 saves on goal.

They were not the only lacrosse champions from the city, as the South Bend Bears boys team defeated Indianapolis East Side, 16-6, to claim the Indiana Lacrosse Club state championship. Ben Nevala powered the Bears with five goals and six assists.

North of the state line, MHSAA track and field state championship meets were held Saturday, and Edwardsburg’s Zach Overmyer had the highlight performance amongst area teams. The junior leapt 6 feet, 8 inches to win the Division 2 high jump championship. Overmyer’s classmate, Sarah Pippin, placed third in the same event on the girls’ side with a jump of 5-5.

In boys Division 2, Niles senior Ayden McCarey finished third and Edwardsburg junior Mobius Stubberfield seventh in the 400-meter run. McCarey also earned a runner-up showing in the 110-meter hurdles.

Athletes from Brandywine and Buchanan competed in Division 3, but none placed in the top eight of their respective events.

Long drought ends for Niles baseball

There was history for Niles baseball, winning its first district title since 1983. They beat Berrien Springs, 10-0, in the semifinal Saturday morning before defeating Lakeshore, 2-1, in the championship game later that day. It was a comeback victory in the final, with Brayden Wiemuth’s RBI single in the bottom of the sixth inning proving to be the game-winning run. Jaxen Racht struck out 14 batters in 5 2/3rd innings work against Lakeshore.

Niles (26-6-1) will now play in a regional semifinal Wednesday, June 4, against Three Rivers at Vicksburg High School. The winner advances to the title game Saturday, June 7, at Lakeshore.

Edwardsburg, Buchanan softball win MHSAA district titles

On the softball diamond, Edwardsburg pulled off the biggest shocker in the area to win a second-straight Division 2 district title. The Eagles stunned Dowagiac, 4-3, in the semifinal before beating Vicksburg, 7-6, in the final. Dowagiac entered with a 30-3 record and had beaten the Eddies twice in the regular season.

A four-run third inning was all Edwardsburg (23-16) needed against the Chieftains, with Lani Hardin’s three-RBI single being the highlight. The Eddies put up a six spot in the fourth inning against Vicksburg to win. Hardin added two more RBIs in that game.

Edwardsburg advances to the regional round Saturday, June 7. They will play a semifinal game against another Wolverine Conference foe, Paw Paw, with the winner advancing to the title contest later that day. All games will be at Lakeshore High School.

Elsewhere, the graduation of a big senior class did not slow down Buchanan as they won another Division 3 district title. The Bucks (25-12), who reached the D3 state semifinals last year, beat Brandywine, 7-2, and River Valley, 16-0 (3 innings), Saturday to win a fifth-straight district crown. Caitlyn Horvath earned the pitching win in the semifinal, then was one of three players with three RBIs in the final.

Buchanan will play Bangor in a regional semifinal June 7 at Schoolcraft High School. The winner moves onto the final later that day.

Elkhart unified track repeats as regional champions

The defending IHSAA state champions, Elkhart unified track and field won a regional title Saturday at NorthWood with 143 points. Penn, Homestead and Hobart were the other three teams from the regional to advance to the state finals Saturday, June 7, at North Central High School in Indianapolis. Twelve co-ed teams will vie for the state title, competing in long jump, shot put, the 100, 400, 400 boys relay and 400 girls relay.

Follow Austin Hough on X (formerly Twitter) @AustinRHough and on Facebook at “Austin Hough – South Bend Tribune.” Hough can be emailed at ahough@gannett.com.

De La Salle’s Jaden Jefferson celebrates winning the 100 Meter Dash during the CIF State Track and Field Championships on Friday at Buchanan High in Clovis on Saturday, May 31, 2025. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

De La Salle sprinter Jaden Jefferson knew what he had to do, that smashing the California record in the 100 meters during a qualifying heat on Friday would have been spoiled had he not won the state championship Saturday night.

“Without me winning tonight, the record that I broke really means nothing because I didn’t finish,” Jefferson told the Bay Area News Group.

Jefferson made sure he finished.

One day after he ran the 100 in a state-record 10.01 seconds, the junior kept his focus and posted another blistering time at Buchanan High’s Veterans Memorial Stadium in Clovis.

Jefferson won the state title in 10.27 to edge Servite-Anaheim’s Benjamin Harris (10.31).

The triumph was one of several highlights for Bay Area athletes at the 105th running of the California Interscholastic Federation championships.

Another record

Pittsburg’s Khaliq Muhammad broke the state-meet record in the boys pole vault, winning in 17-10 1/2. Davis’ Sondre Guttormsen had held the record of 17-10 since 2019.

St. Mary’s-Berkeley’s Kira Gant Hatcher shared first place in the girls triple jump with Jurupa Valley’s AB Hernandez, an openly transgender athlete whose presence at the state meet led to last-minute rule changes that prevented Hernandez from displacing a biological female student-athlete on the medal stand.

Hatcher jumped 40-5 to Hernandez’s 42-2 ¾, but they both received first-place medals.

The girls high jump had a similar outcome as Hernandez would have finished alone in first without the rule change. She cleared 5-7 in her first attempt. Lelani Laruelle of Monta Vista in Cupertino and Long Beach Wilson’s Jillene Wetteland hit the mark in their second try. But the three shared first place.

Hernandez split second place in the girls long jump with River City’s Brooke White despite jumping 20-8 ¾ to White’s 19-4 ¼.

St. Ignatius’ Prince Buchango-Babalola won the boys 200 in 20.79. Jefferson finished fourth in a personal-best 20.86, capping a meet that also included him running the second leg on De La Salle’s 4×100 relay, which finished fourth in 40.80.

Jefferson’s maturation

Jefferson arrived at De La Salle as an ultra-talented athlete, so gifted that he made the storied varsity football team as a freshman, but he was far from refined.

As he put it Saturday night, he has grown up.

“With De La Salle, they really teach you to become a man and be mature,” said Jefferson, who orally committed in January to play football for Bill Belichick at North Carolina. “I am focused on being more mature, focused on what I have to do in life for me to succeed.”

On Friday night, as he watched video of Jefferson breaking the state record in the 100, De La Salle football coach Justin Alumbaugh said he was brought to tears.

He knows how far Jefferson has come since his early years at De La Salle and to see it rewarded is something to behold.

“He has grown so much as an athlete and as a young man, I am so proud of him,” Alumbaugh said Saturday morning. “I really am. It’s one of the best success stories in De La Salle. To be that talented when you show up as a freshman and to accept humble pie, if I might speak freely, and commit to work, commit to being better, commit to being a better human, commit to the weight room, commit to everything, I can’t give the kid enough credit.”

Jefferson has also experienced loss at De La Salle, the sudden death of assistant football coach Steve Jacoby during the 2023 season and the passing of head track coach John Harvey in late April.

Harvey’s words that he once preached to Jefferson remained loud and clear this weekend.

“It’s been very emotional, very motivational to see him looking over us, him pushing us,” Jefferson said. “It was very great for me to win this. I honestly did it all for him.”

Other highlights

In the boys 110 high hurdles, San Diego’s Jasir Fontenot broke his own meet record from Friday, winning in 13.21 after running 13.31 in the prelims. Buchango-Babalola finished second in 13.59.

Montgomery-Santa Rosa’s Hanne Thomsen finished first in the girls 3,200 in a meet-record 9:48.98.

In the girls 400, St. Mary’s Academy’s Madison Mosby wins the gold in 53.52. Mountain View’s Hannah Rutherford takes the silver in 54.27.

Menlo School’s Landon Pretre took second in the boys 3,200 in 8:54.25. Woodcrest Christian’s Eyan Turk won in 8:51.62.

In the boys 1,600, Clovis North’s Conor Lott wins in 4:03.32. Crystal Springs Upland’s Benjamin Bouie finishes second in 4:04.84 and Los Gatos’ Aydon Stefanopoulos takes fourth in 4:06.68.

Archbishop Mitty’s Maya Ifo Desai won the silver medal in the girls discus with a throw of 154-3. Jaslene Massey of the Southern Section’s Aliso Niguel took first in 163-9.

In the girls 1,600, Santiago-Corona’s Braelyn Combe wins in 4:35.64. Kinga Czajkowska of Palo Alto finishes fourth in 4:42.91.

Temecula Valley’s Jack Stadlman won the boys 1,600 in 46.02. Woodside’s Mattheo LaCasia was fourth in 47.14.

In the girls 800, Carlsbad’s Makenna Herbst finished first in 2:02.28. St. Francis’ Sabrina Zanetto was third in 2:09.22.

Santiago-Corona won the girls 4×800 in a meet-record 8:49.01. St. Francis took third in 8:57.49.

San Ramon Valley’s Kaleb Pleis finished fourth in the boys long jump in 23-9 ½. Santa Margarita’s Leo Francis won in 25-0 ¾.

Bellarmine’s Joshua Haven placed sixth in the boys 300 hurdles in 37.87, a race that Carson-Los Angeles’ Jayden Rendon won in 36.50.

Clovis North’s McKay Madsen easily won the boys discus in 210-8. Nobody else cleared 190-0. Woodside’s Evan Usher took fifth in 179-11 and San Mateo’s Emmanuel Fitzgerald was sixth in 177-10.

Madsen also won the boys shot put in 69-11. Serra’s Luke Lewis took third in 58-6 ¾ and Woodside’s Evan Usher was fifth in 58-4 ¾.

The CIF Southern Section high school baseball championships were played over the weekend where nine teams were crowned CIF champs.

The highlight of the weekend came Friday night at Cal State Fullerton when St. John Bosco beat Santa Margarita 3-2 in nine innings thanks to a walk-off single from Miles Clark to grant the Braves their first CIF title in program history.

Saturday was host to eight finals at two different sites: Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State. Below is a roundup of each CIF final with the score and notable information from each game,

St. John Bosco 3, Santa Margarita 2 (9 innings): Moises Razo had two hits and two RBIs in a standout performance for the Braves. Miles Clark delivered the magical moment in the bottom of the 9th.

Santa Margarita’s Brennan Bauer was stellar in relief, throwing five scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and striking out four. Eagles’ leadoff hitter Brody Schumaker was 2 for 4 with an RBI.

West Ranch 2, Mater Dei 1: For West Ranch, it’s all about Hunter Manning, who threw magnificently in the postseason and had a stretch of 13 scoreless innings from the mound. He finished Saturday night with 99 pitches, allowing for hits, one run and striking out six. Manning finishes the year 10-0 with an ERA of 0.80.

Ryan Oh had two hits and an RBI for the Wildcats. The bright spot for Mater Dei was

Glendora 2, San Dimas 0: Glendora’s pitching duo of Tanner Grable and Brayden Johnson allowed just three hits in the Tartans’ shutout victory. Santiago Garza had three hits in the game for Glendora, which won its first CIF title since 2010.

Ganesha 8, Dos Pueblos 2: Ganesha scored four runs in the first inning and never looked back. Gavin Moran pitched a complete game, allowed just four hits, two runs and struck out eight.

Ganesha won its first CIF title since 2010.

Elsinore 2, Long Beach St. Anthony 0: Elsinore scored runs in the third and fifth innings.

Jacob Farias and Andrew Jimenez combined for a one-hitter and 10 strikeouts in the championship performance,

Estancia 4, Marshall 3: Jake Humphries hits a walk-off triple to deep right field that clears the bases and wins the game in the bottom of the 7th inning.

Marshall starting pitcher Caleb Thatcher struck out 10 in 5 2/3 innings of work. He had to come out because he reached the pitch count limit of 110 pitches.

Mary Star of the Sea 8, Notre Dame/Riverside 7 (8 innings): Riley Vuoso delivers a walk-off single to give Mary Star the victory in the bottom of the 8th inning. Vuoso had four hits on the day. Mary Star scored four runs in the bottom of the 7th to force extra innings.

Vuoso was also awarded the win from the mound, pitching two inning with two strikeouts.

Fillmore 7, Pioneer 6 (8 innings): Pioneer held a 6-0 lead in the fifth inning before Fillmore stormed back to force extra innings and win the game in the 8th. Adrian Magana put down a bunt to the Pioneer pitcher, who overthrew the first baseman and allowed Thomas Alamillo to scamper home.

Fillmore claimed its sixth CIF title in program history.

Nuview Bridge 3, Mountain View 2: Nuview scores all three runs in the sixth inning for a comeback victory and CIF crown. Nelson Lara earned the win with three scoreless innings of relief, allowing just one hit and striking out four. Isaac Murrillo had two RBIs in the win.

Mountain View’s Alex Moreno threw a complete game with six strikeouts — also had one hit and scored a run,

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HUDSONVILLE, MI – It was business as usual on one side and a historic moment on the other during the Division 4 boys and girls track and field state finals Saturday.

Fowler’s girls track team repeated as champions and added its 12th state title, while Southfield Christian’s boys team staved off powerhouse Kalamazoo Hackett to win its first-ever team crown.

The following is a breakdown of Saturday’s state finals.

—

BOYS

Southfield Christian came close to its first state championship in 2019 but finished as runner-up to Hackett.

There would be no heartbreak this time as the Eagles found a way to finally get over the hump, edging Hackett 60-59 to claim the title.

Brock Morris was the star of the day for Southfield Christian as he was a part of all four of the team’s first-place events.

The senior won the 200 (22.31), the 400 (49.30), and anchored the team’s 800 relay team (1:28.51) and the 1600 relay team that won in 3:24.36.

Hackett won three events to finish as runners-up, all headlined by junior Marek Butkiewicz, who won the 1600 (4:16.85), 3200 (9:23.40) and helped Hackett’s 3200 relay team place first with a time of 8:06.36.

Below is a look at all the state champions from Saturday:

100 Dash

Logan Smith, Morrice – 10.76

200 Dash

Brock Morris, Southfield Christian – 22.31

400 Dash

Brock Morris, Southfield Christian – 49.30

800 Run

Abenezer Cerone, Royal Oak Shrine – 1:57.59

1600 Run

Marek Butkiewicz, Kalamazoo Hackett – 4:16.85

3200 Run

Marek Butkiewicz, Kalamazoo Hackett – 9:23.40

110 Hurdles

Brady Feldpausch, Fowler – 14.19

300 Hurdles

Dawson Scharer, Hillsdale Academy – 39.40

400 Relay

Riverview Gabriel Richard – Antonio Sobush, Derek Lesko, Nick Sobush, Joey Calhoun (44.19)

800 Relay

Southfield Christian – Jadon Staten, Robert Brown, Dylan Taylor-Wilkerson, Brock Morris (1:28.51)

1600 Relay

Southfield Christian – Dylan Taylor-Wilkerson, Robert Brown, Jadon Staten, Brock Morris (3:24.36)

3200 Relay

Kalamazoo Hackett – Marek Butkiewicz, Alexander Dumont, Kellen Siems, Sean Siems (8:06.36)

Shot Put

Oliver Long, Morrice – 56′9.5

Discus

Zander Mapes, Breckenridge – 157′3

High Jump

Bradley Richards, Muskegon Catholic Central – 6′10.25

Pole Vault

Teagan Williams, Pittsford – 13′3

Long Jump

Landon Galea, Fairview – 22’0.25

—

GIRLS

Fowler used a complete team effort that highlighted the team’s depth to claim the team championship.

Ella Hufnagel’s long jump victory at 18’2.25 was the Eagles lone individual champion, though they earned several runner-up finishes en route to winning the state title with a team score of 70.

Fowler had runner-up finishes in the 400 and 800 relays, and Nadia Schafer finished second in the pole vault (10’0).

Frankfort finished second as a team with 43 points, headlined by wins in the 400 and 800 relays.

Here is a look at all the state champions from Saturday:

100 Dash

Molly Brown, Addison – 12.19

100 Dash Adaptive

Aleyah Deller, Athens – 22.10

200 Dash

Layla Bolzman, Unionville-Sebewaing – 25.74

400 Dash

Claire Long, Saginaw Nouvel – 59.13

800 Run

Allie Nowak, Johannesburg-Lewiston – 2:18.45

1600 Run

Eliza Keith, Auburn Hills Oakland Christian – 4:58.79

3200 Run

Kaylie Livingston, Whitmore Lake – 11:03.47

100 Hurdles

Molly Brown, Addison – 14.33

300 Hurdles

Molly Brown, Addison – 45.94

400 Relay

Frankfort – Alice Luther, Sofia Alaimo Schindler, Addison Jarosz, Gwyneth Dunaway – 49.71

800 Relay

Frankfort – Alice Luther, Gwyneth Dunaway, Addison Jarosz, Sofia Alaimo Schindler (1:44.80)

1600 Relay

Hillsdale Academy – Madison Sallows, Lucy Cote, Georgia Whalen, Caroline Roberts (4:10.95)

3200 Relay

Hillsdale Academy – Ella Walton, Allie Miller, Elizabeth Caspar, Caroline Roberts (9:54.94)

Shot Put

Brianna Heitkamp, Mendon – 37′0.25

Shot Put Adaptive

Aleyah Deller, Athens – 9′7.5

Discus

Ryleigh Ewald, Unionville-Sebewaing – 118′9

High Jump

Annie Saenz, Concord – 5′3

Pole Vault

Payton Haynes, Mason County Eastern – 10′3

Long Jump

Ella Hufnagel, Fowler – 18′2.25