MikeClarkPreps
@mikeclarkpreps
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Football, hoops, wrestling, track, baseball. All things Chicago. Words: @suntimes_preps @Lansing_Journal SW Regional Publishing. Email: [email protected]
Joined September 2011
This is what track practice looks like in CPS. Remarkable what city kids accomplish without adequate facilities.
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Regions 8, 9 move to Phase 4. That means all Chicago area schools can now play all sports. It’s a good day.
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I got the call today that no one wants. Was laid off from my full-time employer, the Times of NWI. Will continue to do freelance work for the Sun-Times and looking to pick up whatever else is available. DMs are open, so please hit me up with any opportunities.
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You watch Loyola and wonder how it’s possible that DePaul has been so bad for so long. Amazing what the right coach can do.
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RIP Efrem Winters, a CPS legend at King and one of the greatest players in Illini history.
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AP Illinois football polls for Week 9:.8A.1. Lincoln-Way East.2. Naperville Central.3. Lyons.4. Oswego.5. Marist.6. Loyola.7. Palatine.8. Barrington.9. Fremd.10. West Aurora.
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I’ve covered more than 30 high school games this season, and none of them have had the kind of coaching malpractice we see from the Bears on a regular basis.
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AP Illinois football rankings for Week 8.8A.1. Lincoln-Way East.2. Naperville Central.3. Oswego.4. Lyons.5. Marist.6. Loyola.7. Palatine.8. Barrington.9. York.10. Fremd.
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Hello from Granderson Stadium st UIC. It’s Public League baseball semis. Lane and Simeon just underway. Winner plays Kenwood, which best Young 4-2 in the opener. Also, this happened:
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It feels strange not to be in Charleston today. State track is a long (and sometimes ridiculously hot) weekend. But it’s always filled with “WOW, did that just happen?!” moments. Feel so bad for the athletes missing out. Here’s to resuming the tradition in ‘21.
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AP football polls:.8A.1. Lincoln-Way East.2. Marist.3. Barrington.4. York.5. (tie) Oswego.Naperville Central.7. Loyola.8. Lyons.9. Fremd.10. Minooka.
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The first AP Illinois basketball rankings came out today. Here's a thread of all eight Top 10s:.4A boys.1. Kenwood.2. Homewood-Flossmoor.3. Quincy.4. Bolingbrook.5. Moline.6. Simeon.7. Lincoln Park.8. Waubonsie Valley.9. Marist.10. St. Ignatius.
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Thanks to all who have followed my football coverage this year. Will have a little more, including signing day this week. Your support of local journalism is always appreciated and never taken for granted.
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Week 7 AP Illinois football rankings:.8A.1. Lincoln-Way East.2. Naperville Central.3. Oswego.4. Fremd.5. Marist.6. (tie) Lyons.Loyola.8. Barrington.9. York.10. Sandburg.
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The extreme trolling of college athletes who lose a basketball game — the racism, homophobia, xenophobia — by people who have never accomplished anything in their lives is pretty despicable.
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Just a reminder Chicago Christian lost its last four playoff games before this year to public schools, including 42-6 to Maroa-Forsyth in the first round last year. Since its last title, Montini was eliminated by Prairie Ridge, DeKalb, JCA (‘18 5A final), Sycamore and Byron.
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One of the great traditions of @IHSA_IL sports, the Grand March at the boys wrestling state finals:
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Big #ihsa news for traditional spring sports today: state series are a go for badminton, baseball, softball, boys/girls track, boys volleyball, girls soccer, boys/girls lacrosse, boys/girls water polo, boys gymnastics, boys tennis.
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There’s more going on in Peoria than state hoops. Bradley, instead of preparing for the NCAAs, is picking a fight with the media. Here’s the story:
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One of the great moments of the Illinois prep sports year: the IHSA boys wrestling Grand March:
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Classy move by St. Rita to move Friday’s game vs. Loyola to Saturday so the Ramblers have an extra day of rest after tonight’s game @StRitaAthletics @LAFootballAC #tribfb.
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In today’s @suntimes_sports print edition, my update on @IlliniFootball recruiting, including recent commits @tysean_griffin and @eddietuerk78:
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@HeidiStevens13 Sydney J. Harris was one of the premier political commentators of the day. One of the many who made the Daily News famed for the quality of its writing.
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It’s kinda strange this still needs to be said but . coaches, when you tweet out a score, the winning score goes first. It’s not “we lost 50-60.” It’s “we lost 60-50.” Thanks, that’s it for my old-man rant.
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Heading to Gately today to witness history. DuSable’s Konesha Rhea and Fenger’s Jouscelyn “Nikki” Mayfield are the second and third female head football coaches in CPS history. It’s believed to be the first meeting of two female prep football head coaches ever in the US.
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Some of the best sports stories you’ll ever read come from the high school beat. Thankful always for the opportunity to tell those stories, and for all of you reading them. Happy Thanksgiving, folks!.
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Humbled to receive @IHSBCA1 Media Relations Person of the Year Award for the second time later today at the annual dinner in Lombard. Thanks to all the Illinois prep baseball coaches and players for helping me tell their stories!.
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Mount Carmel grad Justin Lynch isn’t wasting any time making his mark in FBC: 19-of-23 for 245 yards and two TDs, plus a rushing TD in Temple’s win over Akron today.
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Just wanted to take a moment to express my sincere thanks to all the readers who support local high school sports journalism by subscribing or picking up the print edition. I promise we will never take that for granted. We literally couldn’t do what we do without folks like you.
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This was a fun one to write. St. Rita’s Kyle James, who is heading to U. of Chicago for football and academics, has published his first book.
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Week 6 AP football polls:.8A.1. Lincoln-Way East.2. Barrington.3. York.4. Oswego.5. Naperville Central.6. Marist.7. Loyola.8. Lyons.9. Fremd.10. Sandburg.
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Just a reminder @suntimes_sports remains committed to covering high school sports, including in CPS. Thanks for supporting us by reading and subscribing. We never take it for granted.
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In personal news, I’m scheduled for shot #1 today. Took a while to get an appointment. If you’re eligible, please consider scheduling one for yourself. Let’s work on getting through this.
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.@AJHenning3: Track and football work hand-in-hand, improving my speed in the off season and working on endurance and stuff. It really does translate into the game of football. It’s really surprising [more don’t do it] because it helps a lot. I’ve seen great improvements with it.
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1/ Excited to announce that I'm adding a new freelance role as Southwest Regional Publishing sports editor. Will be coordinating coverage for several weeklies from the west and southwest suburbs. In addition, we'll be relaunching sports coverage in the Southwest News Herald . .
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Thanks to the IHSBCA for the recognition! Makes up for those spring days when it’s 42 degrees and drizzling lol.
The Media Relations Person of the Year @mikeclarkpreps for all he does for high school sports especially baseball.
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Mount Carmel’s Alek Thomas is going to the World Series. He’s also a Gold Glove finalist. Quite a year.
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Also, completely unrelated to everything else but kinda cool nonetheless, I just hit 10K followers. Thanks to all for the support!.
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College news: Benedictine is moving up from NCAA D-III to D-II, joining Great Lakes Valley Conference for 2019-20. Will maintain current league affiliations for 2018-19 but ineligible for D-III playoffs.
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Best high-school athlete I ever covered.
Thornton legend Antwaan Randle El is coming home to join the Bears staff.
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I am not perfect, not close. But I’m out here for the world to see. My tweets aren’t protected, DMs are open and that’s my name and photo. So it’s a little wild to see someone create a burner account just to call me names and say what an awful person I am. Considering the source.
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1/8 AP state football polls are out:.8A.1. LW East (8 1st-place votes).2. Loyola (1).3. Maine South.4. Marist.5. Barrington.6. Warren.7. (tie) York.Naperville Central.9. Oswego.10. H-F.
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Not a knock on anyone who was selected. But no representation from 11-1 Simeon is hard to figure.
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Big CPS football news: John Tsarouchas has resigned at Taft. He’s moving to Alabama for a teaching and coaching gig. In five years, John made Taft into one of the Public League’s elite programs. Always a class act.
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As I’ve often said, there are few if any towns that support high school sports better than Lockport.
Overwhelmed by the support from our awesome community. Thank you so much from the community!. No place better than Lockport!
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For someone who covers prep football for a living, this feels like Christmas Eve. Any kind of a season will be the best present we could ask for after the last 10 months.
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Just wanted to acknowledge passing 12K followers yesterday. Humbled and grateful for all the support, which I never take for granted. Without readers, I wouldn’t have a job. Thanks as always!.
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I don’t want to be *that* guy … but why can’t schools update rosters on their websites if they’ve gone away from printed programs because of the pandemic? End of rant.
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IHSA announced all 9 amendments passed. Highlights:.-Summer contact days cut from 25 to 20.-All-Star limitations in effect only during school year .-Penalties added for exceeding season limitations, inc. suspending coach for state series, probation.
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And Western Illinois strikes a blow for mid-majors on opening night, beating Nebraska 75-74 in Lincoln.
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In case you’re wondering how many high school track fans there are in Illinois, here’s a look:.#BTFState22
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Impressive day for CCL Blue, which has 4 in quarters: Loyola in 8A, St. Rita & Mount Carmel in 7A, Providence in 6A #CubeFB.
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Another example of teams sticking together, inside and outside CPS.
If any CPS Football teams are looking for a lighted field to use tonight, @StRitaFootball @StRitaHS is willing to host you. Message @StRitaAthletics if interested. We want to help get your practices in so you can compete in the Playoffs! @michaelsobrien @Tim_OBrien10 @disabato.
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Some sad news: Worsom Robinson, longtime local photographer and Sun-Times freelancer, has passed away. Worsom was one of the best people you could ever meet. He knew everyone in the Public League and loved telling people’s stories. He will be missed by many.
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This could be a game changer for CPS track.
Was able to tour Chicago’s brand new Gately Park Indoor Track & Field Facility today 👏🏽 This hydraulic banked track is going to bring so much inspiration and pride to the southside of Chicago 🏆 #AllFinished #OurFutureTrainingGrounds
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Huge news just announced: IHSA principals reject districts for football by a 61-39 percent margin: 374-241 with 87 schools not voting. Conferences are sticking around after all @suntimespreps.
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Props to coaches who tweet out every one of their scores, even when they lose. The other ones, who pretend losses just didn’t happen, are hard to respect.
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It’s a final, St. Laurence 35, Simeon 34 in the Prep Bowl. Vikings are 5-0 all time in this game; previous 4 wins were all in the ‘70s @suntimes_preps.
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Last time Lockport played in Huskie Stadium was the last Preseason Prep Bowl in 2018. Current seniors were freshmen and the Porters lost, the start of an 0-9 season. George Czart took over the next year and here we are. One of the state’s best fan bases is about to be rewarded.
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Gone but not forgotten, at least here. St. Joseph Chargers banner is still hanging in the DePaul Prep gym.
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Unlike the Bulls and Hawks, the IHSA has figured out how to get its games on for all to see:.
Saturday, tune in to our LIVE coverage of the.@IHSA_IL 5A-8A Championships on #TheU. Check it out.🔥⬇️. 5A: @FootballNaz vs. @HilltoppersFB at 10A.6A: @GenevaViking vs. East St. Louis at 1P.7A: @BataviaFootball vs. @CaravanFootball at 4P.8A: @Loyola_FB vs. @YorkDukesFB at 7P
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Congrats to Mount Carmel legend Joe Williams, who is going into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. The most dominant high school athlete I’ve seen in 40+ years of coverage.
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Where else am I going to eat after coverage at De La Salle?
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It’s 2 p.m. and IHSA website has crashed. Wonder why?.
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A little professional news in the form of a column. Fifty-some years after starting my journalism career at the Manteno News as a high-school student, I'm back covering the area again as sports editor of the Vedette and Manteno Vedette:.
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Brother Rice: 8A semifinalist returns 15 starters. Offense will be explosive with RB Willie Shaw (20 TDs), QB Jack Lausch, RB Josh Bell, QB/DB/WR Ben Somers, WR Dwayne Moorehead, veteran OLs Luke Murphy, Max Mallon, Carter McAlilly. 3-year starting LB Myles Jones leads defense.
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Big changes coming to some classic CPS stadiums. My story in today’s print edition of the Sun-Times:.@CPLAthletics @suntimes_sports
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St. Laurence (8-5): Prep Bowl champs have stars on offense: QB Darius Wilson (2,067 total yds/22 TDs), WR Jalen Hamilton (30 rec/600 yds/5 TDs), WR/CB Aaron Wofford (15/300/4. W. Mich. CB commit). Also watch OL Jimmy Moore (6-5/325), LB Ryan Carroll. Good junior class.
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No knock on St. Laurence, which is always a good host. But this game has lost something by not being at a bigger venue. Like the one right down the street that isn’t hosting soccer anymore.
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Jim Sexton confirms he is leaving Evergreen Park after five seasons to become boys basketball coach at St. Rita. Sexton, who was 75-63 and won EP's first regional since '73 in '24, also was head coach at St. Laurence. @StRitaAthletics.
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ICYMI: Mount Carmel QB and Vanderbilt recuit Jack Elliott is the #SouthwestRegional Football Player of the Year:.@JackElliott09 @CaravanFootball .
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Public service announcement: If, like me, you are ordering delivery because you’re snowed in, please tip the driver. They always deserve it, and today more than ever.
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Pretty good day for CCL Blue. Brother Rice and Loyola advance to 8A final, Montini winning big in its 5A semi #tribfb.
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Rough day in the prep sports community. Am told four of the seven full-time staffers at the excellent @STLhssports site have been let go. Coverage in St. Louis and Metro East won’t be the same. If you’re a prep sports fan, please support local journalism.
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Today is two weeks since second Pfizer shot. Looking forward to going to a MLB game, meeting friends for dinner and other pre-pandemic things. If you haven’t been vaccinated yet, please consider doing so, both for your health and that of those around you.
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Congrats to all high school athletes signing today. A lot of folks don’t know how much work goes into earning a college roster spot. It’s definitely worth celebrating this milestone.
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Had a bit of a health scare the past few days (the symptoms were scary, I was conjuring up some bad scenarios). It’s been diagnosed as an infection that usually goes away in 10-14 days w/meds. Moral of the story: if you notice something unusual with your body, get it checked out!.
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Minnesota freshman/Hillcrest grad Mar’Keise Irving had his first 100-yard rushing game in college today (15 carries, 105, 1 TD) in a win over Maryland.
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@JasonIsbell @RandyNewman There’s a hole in Daddy’s arm where all the money goes. Jesus Christ died for nothin’ I suppose. - John Prine.
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Props to Hillcrest for scheduling this game. Too many teams have ducked the Ramblers over the years, but the Hawks embraced the challenge.
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Checking another gym off my list. Been here many times for football, never before for hoops @HoopsGBWest @suntimes_preps
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If anyone has earned the right to decide when he’s done, it’s Frank Lenti. Don’t be surprised to see him back on the sidelines.
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Gratitude post after passing 13K followers this week. I don’t ever take that support for granted. Thanks to all for reading, sharing and commenting. Local high school sports coverage wouldn’t exist without you. And if you’re here for the Skyway Dog House love, that’s cool too!.
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St. Rita (10-4): 5A runner-up loaded. RB Kaleb Brown (1965 yds, 35 TDs) is #1 in IL's 2021 class. WR/DB Henry Wilson healthy again. LB Michael Gaughan (150+ tackles) paces defense. Ill. St. commit Bodie Turner leads OL. Watch RB/S Kyle James, WR Isaiah Bragg, OT Valen Erickson.
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1/ A few of us got together last night to celebrate the life of Steve Tucker, the longtime Sun-Times prep editor who passed away yesterday. There were many stories and much laughter, which would have pleased Tuck to no end. He barreled through life like a freight train and ….
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Checking out the new Gately indoor track. It is gorgeous and will be a game changer for CPS kids.
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.@AlabamaFTBL hasn’t had a player from Illinois in more than 20 years. Phillips TE Jahleel Billingsley (@JahleelKnowsss) is set to end that drought. My story:
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Batavia’s media relations efforts are second to none. Quite a contrast to schools who can’t even provide an accurate roster.
This is what Batavia sends out to the media every Sunday…in case you wondered how an average sized town became such a football powerhouse. Imagine the love, time and expertise put into the actual football.
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My story: .First step: Adam Nissen plans to 'hit the ground running' as St. Laurence's head football coach @STL_Athletics @SouthtownSports.
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You know there’s only one place I could be when there are 28 boys cross country state titles on the banners @YorkD205
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Marcos Gonzales was playing on a bad ankle for months, but still led Brother Rice to 31 wins and second in 3A. He's the #SouthwestRegional Player of the Year. Thanks to @JackLydon63 for the photo!.@BR_Hoops @Marcos3Gonzales @CitadelHoops .
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