advertisement

Androus wrapping up fine career at Luther

Former Lakes three-sport standout John Androus, who chose to play basketball in college, is playing his final season as Luther College in Decorah, Iowa.

Last month, the 6-foot-5 forward was named the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference’s Athlete of the Week.

During that week, he averaged 21.5 points and 11.0 rebounds as Luther posted wins over Martin Luther (83-69) and Northwestern-St. Paul (78-63).

Androus scored 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting and pulled down 9 rebounds against Martin Luther, then erupted for 26 points on 10-of-13 shooting and 13 rebounds against Northwestern.

The double-double against Northwestern was his first of the season.

The two victories increased Luther’s overall record to 6-3.

Androus was the 2013 Iowa Conference Defensive Player of the Year and he has twice been named Luther’s Most Valuable Defender.

The three-year letter winner entered the season with 711 career points and 461 career rebounds.

He also played football and track at Lakes where he was a two-time North Suburban Conference all-conference and all-area in basketball and football.

Football

Ÿ A total of $24,000 in college scholarships will be provided to local high school football players that have excelled in the classroom, in the community and on the football field by the National Football Foundation.

Among the Chicago Bears Community Champion Award recipients is Stevenson’s Sam Oriatti.

The ceremony will take place at Halas Hall on President’s Day (Monday, Feb. 17).

Among the attendees are Chicago Bears ownership, Jim Delany, Pat Fitzgerald, Jerry Kill, Tim Beckman, Brock Spack, Ted Hendricks, Jeff Joniak, Dan Persa and Chandler Harnish.

Space is limited to 180 people and 40 spots are remaining. Details and online registration ($120/person) are available.

Ÿ Columbia senior punter Paul Delaney of Palatine (Loyola High School) was named to the All-Ivy League first team.

Delaney finished his Columbia career ranked among the best punters in the history of Lions’ football.

His 42.4 yards-per-kick average and 81 punts this year are new single-season bests. He did a stellar job of pinning opponents deep in their own territory, placing 23 punts inside the 20. He launched 18 kicks over 50 yards on the year, including a 67-yard blast against Lehigh. For his career, Delaney averaged 39.5 yards per punt, the longest average in Columbia history.

Ÿ North Central senior defensive John Focosi (Barrington) started all 14 games for the 13-1 Cardinals, totaling 36 tackles (21 solo).

He also led the team in tackles for loss (16) and quarterback sacks (10.5).

Focosi was named College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin Defensive Player of the Week following a season-opening win over Wisconsin-La Crosse. He recorded 7 quarterback sacks in the Cardinals’ four playoff games. He was first-team All-CCIW.

Ÿ North Central sophomore safety Richard Zirngibl (Buffalo Grove) also played in all 14 games, earning a start against North Park. He recorded 37 tackles (26 solo), including 2.5 tackles for loss. He intercepted a pass and broke up five others while recording a season-high 6 tackles twice.

Barrington Booster Club

The 2014 annual Banquet Fundraiser for the Barrington Booster Club will honor 1974 graduate Tim Rife, who is the Broncos assistant baseball coach.

It will be held Friday, March 14 at 6:30 p.m. at Concorde Banquets in Kildeer.

Rife received the 2013 Illinois Baseball Coaches Association ‘Assistant Coach of the Year’ recognition award.

The night includes dinner, a live band and silent and live auctions. Tickets are $50 per person.

Keep an eye out for ticket information at www.bhsbaseballboosterclub.org.

Women’s basketball

Augustana freshman Olivia Mayer (Libertyville) leads the Vikings (4-8) with 46 assists.

Rugby

The Illinois Youth Rugby Association has announced a reorganization of its highest level of high school boys’ competition for the Spring 2014 season.

By adding four new teams to the Tier One level of play, teams are now organized into the Catholic, East and West conferences.

The Catholic conference will be populated by Brother Rice, St. Rita, Mt. Carmel, St. Ignatius and Fenwick; the South conference by Plainfield, Lincoln-Way, St. Charles, Neuqua Valley and Waubonsie Valley and the North conference by Lake Forest, Morton HS, New Trier, the Palatine Barbarians and the Arlington Stallions.

“Our competition committee feels that this new structure will advance the level of play in our most competitive bracket and foster growth in the coming seasons,” said IYRA President David Hall.

Illinois high school rugby clubs start indoor training sessions in January and the league season kicks off in mid-March. Locally, the Palatine Barbarians start indoor training on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. at the Palatine Community Center and will hold a Signup/Information meeting at the Palatine Library on Jan. 26 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

“We are proud of the strides that we have seen in our players as they have progressed from their start in middle school through the last four years,” said Barbarians High School boys head coach Warren Taylor. “Their perseverance has been rewarded with this elevation and our whole club is eager to take on this challenge.”

The Arlington Stallions, entering their third year in Tier One and tenth as a club, begin their indoor sessions on Tuesday, Jan. 7 in the Hersey High School Fieldhouse from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

“We’re very excited about a schedule that includes local flavor (Palatine, Lake Forest, New Trier), traditional rivals (Morton and St. Charles) and a truly elite program in Graeme Jackson’s Neuqua Valley squad,” said Stallions coach Paul Bergman. “It will be the biggest challenge we have ever had as a club.”

For more information about these two clubs’ schedules, visit their websites at www.palatinerugby.com and www.arlingtonstallionsrugby.com. New players are always welcome.

The IYRA received more good news recently with the announcement of the USA Rugby High School and Junior Collegiate all-American camp invitation lists.

Four Illinois players/alumni were included in the invitation list for the annual trial camp December 26-31 in Tempe, Ariz.; Luke Mueller and Mike Houston of Brother Rice, Andrew Franczek of Neuqua and Kevin Lydon (2012 Conant graduate) of the Stallions will now get a chance to play their way into USA Rugby’s elite level international programs.

Ÿ Please email Sports Notes items to jleusch@dailyherald.com or FAX to (847) 427-1173.

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.