7A Football: Late-Game Heroics Push Benet Past Downers Grove North

Benet Academy 26, Downers Grove North 24: Up 20-7 at halftime, Benet withstood Downers Grove North's comeback effort and knocked off the Trojans with a final-play touchdown pass Saturday that propelled the Redwings into the Class 6A semifinals.

Breaking It Down: Jack Beneventi-to-Jack Toner, a connection that will haunt the Downers Grove North football team all offseason—and probably beyond. The duo hooked up with no time left on a 4-yard touchdown pass that gave Benet Academy a 26-24 win over Downers Grove North on Saturday, Nov. 10. After storming back from a 20-7 deficit to take a 24-20 lead with 4:55 left, the Trojans had swung momentum in their favor with two forced fumbles, an interception and 17 unanswered points in the second half. The only problem was nobody told the Benet Academy it was time to quit. Down but not out, the Redwings couldn't get anything going in the second half until they took the ball over with just over a minute on the clock and 65 yards and the …

•  10 Comments
• Photos (7)

Ray Morrissey

1:52 pm on Sunday, November 11, 2012

One foot looks in to me...Refs did blow a touchdown called for Trojans in second quarter which seemed to me to be a fumble with Redwing recovering on the one yard line. Tough loss for the Trojans...They played a great game.   more ›

Athlete Of The Week: Hannah Kaminsky

The latest installment in a series of questions and answers with area high school athletes.

Benet junior Hannah Kaminsky squeezed in this interview on Tuesday — between after-school volleyball practice and running at Edward Health & Fitness Center in Woodridge. Wait a minute, running after practice? "I just feel like as the setter, I have to touch practically one ball every play so I'm always running around the court," Kaminsky said. "I just feel like I have to keep myself in shape. And I feel like running one or two miles a day helps that. I want to be in the best shape I can when it comes down to hard matches, and whoever's in the best shape is gonna win." Benet wins a lot. The Redwings (arguably the best high school team in Illinois) improved to 9-1 Monday with a win over Downers Grove North, the public school Kaminsky would …

• Photos (1)

Girls Volleyball: Benet's Big Guns Too Much For Downers North

Redwings use height advantage to sweep host Trojans.

While Downers Grove North’s defense is not exactly a steel curtain, it is something in which the Trojans take pride. So the ease with which Benet ripped it to shreds Monday night is an indication of how deserving the visiting Redwings are of their No. 1 ranking. Sophomore Brittany Pavich pounded two early kills, and that set the tone as Benet (9-1) cruised to a 25-19, 25-14 victory in Downers Grove. “We definitely just came out and all the hitters were like, ‘Let’s put the ball up, let’s get some swings,’” Benet setter Hannah Kaminsky said. “We just wanted to come out and have fun and that’s what we were doing. “Having Brittany hit those two balls from the middle straight down was awesome. That got us all going.” Once that happened, the …

• Photos (2)

Places to Go, Things to Do

What To Do This Weekend

A look at events going on in Lisle, Downers Grove, Glen Ellyn, Naperville and Woodridge this weekend.

 Still looking for something to do this weekend? There are plenty of student theater performances and a smathering of author appearances around Lisle this weekend.   Thursday Food fun: Attend the Restaurant Night Fundraiser for Giant Steps at Chuck E. Cheese in Naperville, or the Smuttynose party at the Bavarian Lodge.  Hear You Me plays an all-ages show at the Lodge at Four Lakes. Friday Entertainment: Rod Tuffcurls and the Benchpress will be playing at the Lodge at Four Lakes, and DJ LD makes an appearance at Mullens Bar & Grill. Literary: Writer Jonathan Stroud will be at Anderson's Book Shop in Naperville at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday Entertainment: It's double the Downers Grove this weekend. Downers Grove North High School performs …

• Photos (1)

Benet Girls Take Second Place And Advance to Sectionals

Lyons Township takes first, but Benet will advance to Willow Crest on Monday.

OAK BROOK -- The Benet girls golf team took second with a score of 359 at the Class AA York girls golf regional at Willow Crest on Wednesday. The score was two strokes shy of the regional title, taken by the Lyons Township Lions (357). Lyons Township junior Katie Ellis won a one-hole playoff against Downers Grove North senior Colleen Mahoney with a bogey-5. In addition to Ellis's 80, LT posted an 86 from Lindsey Purpura, a 94 from Ciara Rattana and a 97 from Emma Pasquinelli. Benet was the only other team to post four scores under 100. Emily Callahan led the way for the Redwings with an 86, followed by an 87 from Elaine Krebs, a 90 from Christy Callahan and a pair of 96s from Emily Brown and Janet Craig. Nazareth (371), Glenbard West (373…

• Photos (1)

Jeffries' Hat Trick Lifts Trojans Past Mustangs

Sophomore's three goals prove to be the difference in crosstown soccer battle.

Two weeks ago, football teams from Downers Grove North and South high schools met at Carstens Field, with the Mustangs prevailing in a close game. Thursday night, the Trojans and Mustangs' soccer teams continued the crosstown rivalry. But this time around, North sophomore midfielder A.J. Jeffries made sure his school regained some bragging rights. Jeffries scored a hat trick as the Trojans won for the fifth time in six games, 5-1, over the Mustangs. "It was an amazing game," said Jeffries, whose hat trick was the first of his varsity career. "We put everything out on the field, and we had probably the best game we've had all season. It's probably the best experience of my high school career so far." Azmi Sharif got things rolling for the …

• Photos (3)