There are well over 700 high schools in Illinois, and only a few dozen in the Southwest Regional coverage area.
But those local schools punched well above their weight in 2024, winning team state titles across all three seasons and creating lasting memories. And the graduates of those schools also made their mark in the wider world of sports.
Picking the top 10 stories of the year isn’t an easy task, but here’s a look at some that won’t be forgotten any time soon.
1. Elliott leads Mount Carmel three-peat
Mount Carmel football and its quarterback, Vanderbilt recruit Jack Elliott, faced adversity from the get-go The Caravan lost their opener to The Hun School from New Jersey, with Elliott needing a hospital stay to recover from dehydration.
There were two more regular-season losses, to Brother Rice (with Elliott sidelined by injury) and eventual Class 8A champion Loyola. But the Caravan, and Elliott, were at their best at the end of the season.
Elliott accounted for 416 total yards and seven touchdowns as Mount Carmel beat Batavia 55-34 to win the Class 7A title. The Caravan’s 16th state football title broke a tie with Joliet Catholic for the most in IHSA history.
2. Malachuk sets record, Nazareth wins again
Senior quarterback Logan Malachuk put the finishing touches on one of the greatest careers in Illinois football history when he led Nazareth to its third consecutive title with a 29-27 win against Joliet Catholic in the Class 5A final.
Malachuk, a four-year starter, passed for 336 yards and four touchdowns in the title game. He finished 17-1 in the playoffs with a quarterfinal berth as a freshman followed by three championships.
Malachuk also set the IHSA record for career passing yards with 11,184. He accounted for 48 touchdowns and passed for 3,421 yards as a senior.
3. C.J. Cesario, Knights make history
C.J. Cesario was happy as Mount Carmel’s sophomore football coach, happy enough to turn down the Chicago Christian head-coaching job three times.
But Chicago Christian Schools superintendent Mark Hamstra wouldn’t take no for an answer, and on his fourth try he got Cesario to say yes. The rest is history.
The Knights had never won a boys state title in any sport. But they rolled to the Class 2A football championship, shutting out Maroa-Forsyth 47-0 and allowing a title-game record-low 23 yards. Chicago Christian did it with nine two-way starters, led by seniors Christian Flutman, Kenny Jager and Brock Sperling.
4. Schumacher-Cawley’s inspiring journey
In September, Mother McAuley graduate and Penn State women’s volleyball coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer. Three months later, she made history.
Schumacher-Cawley became the first female coach to win an NCAA women’s volleyball title when the Nittany Lions fought off two match points and staged an epic comeback, rallying from two sets down to beat Nebraska. It was the second national title for Schumacher-Cawley with Penn State, her first coming in 1999 as a player.
Schumacher-Cawley wasn’t the only local connection for the Nittany Lions. Marist graduate Camryn Hannah had 19 kills in the title match and made the All-Championship team.
5. Vidovic’s volleyball double
When MaxPreps named Marist’s Jordan Vidovic its National Volleyball Coach of the Year, who could argue? It’s not easy to win two state titles in the same sport in one calendar year.
But that’s what Vidovic did. In the spring, he led the RedHawks boys to a second state title since taking over for the 2016 season.
Then in the fall, he guided Marist’s girls to the Class 4A championship, avenging a regular-season loss to Benet with a come-from-behind win in the final. It was Vidovic’s third title with the RedHawks girls since becoming coach for the 2016 season.
6. More team champs — and runners-up
Three more local teams also won IHSA state titles: Mount Carmel in Class 3A boys wrestling, Lyons in boys water polo and Marist in large-team competitive cheerleading.
The Caravan won their second 3A championship in three years and the program’s fifth overall title when they beat Yorkville 59-6 in the final. Lyons captured its third state title, and first since 2015, by knocking off Stevenson 10-7 in the championship. Marist edged runner-up Edwardsville 96.32-95.90 for its first state title.
Four area teams brought home runner-up trophies: Mount Carmel in Class 3A boys basketball, Nazareth in Class 4A girls basketball, Marist in Class 4A softball and De La Salle in Class 2A boys soccer.
7. Individuals mine state gold
Mount Carmel wrestler Seth Mendoza stayed on course to become the 15th four-time IHSA champion when he finished first in Class 3A at 126 pounds, his third title. Also winning boys wrestling titles were Marist’s Will Denny (Class 3A 150), Mount Carmel’s Colin Kelly (Class 3A 175) and St. Rita’s Sean Larkin (Class 2A 144).
St. Laurence sprinter Harley Rizzs won a pair of state titles on the track. He took first in the Class 2A 100 meters in 10.66 seconds and teamed with Quinton Williams, Vincent Enoch and Monroe Thompson Jr. to win the Class 2A 4×100 relay in 41.94.
Stagg’s Arianna Araujo won the girls bowling state title with a six-game pinfall of 2,634, a 219.5 average.
8. Coyne Schofield’s big year
Sandburg graduate and Olympic women’s hockey gold medalist Kendall Coyne Schofield had a memorable 2024 on and off the ice.
She helped Minnesota win the inaugural Professional Women’s Hockey League title and also had a voice role as a hockey announcer in the hit movie “Inside Out 2.”
9. Corona’s second chance
Trinity Christian senior midfielder Litzy Corona thought her playing career might be over after a serious left ankle injury in 2023.
But the Reavis graduate worked her way back onto the field and went out in style, leading the Trolls to the National Christian College Athletic Association national title. She was named the national tournament’s Most Outstanding Player and helped retiring coach Josh Lenarz win his third NCCAA championship.
10. Running for good
Sandburg junior Jackson Canellis ran the 12 miles from Wrigley Field to Rate Field in August as a fundraiser for BEDS Plus, a nonprofit that assists those experiencing housing insecurity in the southwest suburbs.
Canellis was joined by seven Eagles teammates and raised $9,110 during the Crosstown Classic Run, which he originated.
Honorable mention
For good measure, here are a few more memorable achievements from 2024:
Second baseman Michael Massey, a Brother Rice graduate, helped the Kansas City Royals to a 30-game year-over-year improvement and a Wild-Card Series win over the Baltimore Orioles.
Curie boys basketball won its third Public League title; Shepard girls basketball won the first conference title in program history; Evergreen Park boys basketball won its first regional championship in 50 years; and Argo football qualified for the IHSA playoffs for the third straight year for the first time ever.
Jeff Vorva contributed to this story.
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