Sam Brief – Page 8 –

Northwestern wide receiver Riley Lees (19) is knocked into the air by Auburn defensive back Jaylin Simpson during the second half of the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida, on Friday, Jan. 1, 2021.

From running back to quarterback to receiver: How Libertyville’s Riley Lees ended his career at Northwestern and looks ahead to the NFL

January 17, 2021 at 4:50 p.m.

Amid the final half of Riley Lees' last college football game, the senior wide receiver became a spectator. "I was not feeling hot," Lees said. "I was definitely in survival...

Iowa State quarterback Hunter Dekkers (12) celebrates with teammate Sean Foster (75), an offensive lineman who graduated from Carmel, after scoring on a 12-yard touchdown run during a game against Kansas State in Ames, Iowa, on Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020. Iowa State won 45-0.

Carmel’s Sean Foster finds footing as left tackle and captain for Fiesta Bowl winner Iowa State. But after five seasons he has ‘unfinished business.’

January 7, 2021 at 10:25 a.m.

Not even 48 hours had passed since Iowa State's Fiesta Bowl win against Oregon, and Sean Foster already was chewing over his next step. The fifth-year senior and Carmel graduate...

Northwestern guard Scottie Lindsey (20) drives past Vanderbilt guard Joe Toye (2) during a first-round game in the NCAA Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City on Thursday, March 16, 2017. Northwestern won 68-66.

From Fenwick to Northwestern to the G League, Scottie Lindsey reached the cusp. A torn ACL slowed him down but was ‘a blessing in disguise.’

January 4, 2021 at 12:53 p.m.

Scottie Lindsey was pounding on the NBA's door. "I was definitely in line for a call-up," Lindsey said. "He was killing it in the G League," his mother, Kim, added....

Deerfield’s Brandon Lieb making the most of playing for Illinois during COVID-19 pandemic: ‘It’s where I wanted to be.’

December 28, 2020 at 10:14 a.m.

Brandon Lieb vaulted from his seat near the end of the Illinois bench and jogged to the scorer's table. The 7-foot freshman center made a beeline toward teammate Kofi Cockburn....

Highland Park grad Jeremy Killeen goes from a ‘horrible’ marathoner to a record setter during Oahu Circumnavigation

December 28, 2020 at 9:50 a.m.

You wouldn't have met Jeremy Killeen as a Highland Park freshman and thought he was a runner. "I was extremely overweight," Killeen said. "I could barely run a mile." Ten...

Stevenson's Eric Zalewski, right, tries to drive past Hinsdale Central's Tomas Misiunas during the Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic on Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016.

Stevenson graduate Eric Zalewski committed to ‘exhausting’ work as a manager for the Northwestern men’s basketball team. But he craved a roster spot.

November 20, 2020 at 3:11 p.m.

On a nippy November night in 2015, Stevenson junior Eric Zalewski and a few close friends shuffled into Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston to watch the Northwestern men's basketball team play...

Highland Park graduate Patrick Flavin learning the ropes after making PGA Tour debut: ‘It’s been an awesome journey so far.’

October 24, 2020 at 9:11 p.m.

Here he was, strolling up to TPC Scottsdale's illustrious 16th hole. It was late January at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and Patrick Flavin was competing in his first PGA...

Evanston's Kayla Henning looks to pass against Glenbrook North during a 62-25 win in the Class 4A Glenbrook North Regional final on Friday, Feb. 21, 2020.

Jacob Blake shooting spurs Evanston graduate Kayla Henning to take up larger activism role with Evanston Fight for Black Lives

October 11, 2020 at 10:11 a.m.

In the days after a police officer shot Jacob Blake in Kenosha, reverberations rumbled throughout America — notably in Evanston, where Blake grew up. The 29-year-old is an Evanston Township...

St. Viator graduate Dan Sullivan, seen here sliding into home plate during a game against Nazareth in 2015, helped the Oakton baseball team win the NJCAA Division III World Series.

College notes: Local players help Oakton win NJCAA D-III World Series

December 13, 2018 at 5:42 a.m.

The Oakton Community College baseball team is the NJCAA Division III national champion. The Owls needed 13 innings to dispatch Tyler Junior College 14-11 on Friday in the winner-take-all game...

Before she went on to run at North Central College, Kelsey McLaurin was a standout sprinter and hurdler at Barrington.

College notes: Barrington grads among locals pacing Harper College track team

December 14, 2018 at 8:21 a.m.

A bevy of local graduates raced to top finishes for Harper College at the NJCAA Division III Track and Field Championships earlier this month. On the women’s side, Harper finished...

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