Woodstock, Woodstock North, and Marian Central Catholic high schools entered runners in the annual McHenry County Cross-Country Meet Aug. 27 at Emricson Park. The meet, hosted by WHS, showcases runners from McHenry County schools, regardless of the conference they compete in or the size of the school, 1A, 2A, or 3A. The 3-mile race includes […]
Marian Central Catholic High School has a team heading up the school’s wrestling program. Jordan Blanton and Ryan Prater, two men familiar with one another, were introduced last week at a news conference as the new coaches. They not only were accomplished wrestlers and teammates at the University of Illinois, but they also are brothers-in-law […]
Two accomplished wrestlers and former teammates at the University of Illinois were announced Thursday as the new leadership team for the wrestling program at Marian Central Catholic High School. At a press conference at the school, Jordan Blanton and Ryan Prater were introduced by athletic director Cody O’Neill. The two have a strong personal relationship […]
Lucca Kenyon mimicked the popular video on the Internet, where the little girl yells to her father, “Worry about yourself,” when she was trying to buckle her seatbelt. The Marian Central Catholic graduate, a Woodstock resident, did just that during her four-year golf career at St. Norbert College. It worked, as the former Hurricane golfer […]
Woodstock Little League was represented on the national stage last week at the Central Region Little League Tournament. Local fans tuned in to ESPN to watch not only great game play, but also high-caliber officiating, including Woodstock’s own Bradley Nelson. Selected as one of only eight umpires for the prestigious tournament, Nelson officiated over teams […]
Eve Meintz was recruited by Benedictine University as a soccer player. The Marian Central Catholic grad and Huntley resident finished as not only an all-conference soccer player, but a conference champion in the sport of track and field. The former Hurricane athlete also set five school records in the sport at Benedictine. She set indoor […]
For Marian Central Catholic High School alumnus Cody O’Neill, his new position as Marian’s athletic director feels “a bit like coming home.” “Everything has come full circle,” O’Neill said. The 2009 graduate played football all four years of high school, three of them starting on the varsity team, one of them starting on the team […]
Patrick Brunken, who recently completed his lacrosse career and graduated from Benedictine University, might not remember the speech that Rocky Balboa gave to his son. But the Marian Central Catholic graduate definitely believes in it, and he has lived it In the movie, Balboa tells his son, “It is not how many times you get […]
Interpreter, Emma Rogers Several Woodstock sports fields were alive with high-caliber youth baseball action in mid-July as the city was a host location for the 2022 Summer International Championship of the McHenry County Youth Sports Association. While the players gained experience with tough competition on the ball diamond, the cultural exchange that took place was […]
Multi-sport athletes in high school, especially at a small high school, are common. In college, it is extremely rare, except with something like track and cross-country, where the activity only changes slightly, but the terrain changes greatly. Soccer and track would be a strange combo, but not for Marian Central Catholic graduate Eve Meintz, a […]
Larry Lough is editor of The Independent and reports local news.
Janet Dovidio has been a freelance correspondent for The Independent for eight years.
Susan W. Murray wrote for The Independent, covering various beats, from 2005 to 2008.
Tricia Carzoli is a freelance writer and photographer that on community news.
