St. Charles East would love to repeat in this conference, which was a balanced, deep group of teams (seven finished .500 or better in the UEC).

The DuPage Valley Conference is fully reloaded after sending three teams to state championship games in 2007.

The Sabres had struggled mightily the previous three seasons, earning a pair of victories during the span.

One of the signatures of Lake Park’s 2007 season was the use of a large number of people on both sides of the ball. Offensively, expect the Lancers to bring back a multi-headed attack.

Glenbard North return a dynamite backfield headed by Northwestern-bound quarterback Watkins and standout halfback Doll.

In many ways, Bartlett had a successful season — finishing in the top half of the Upstate Eight, making the playoffs for the eighth year in a row, an offense that averaged five touchdowns a game during the regular season. But the Hawks also ended 2007 with some frustration, having lost four games by a total of 22 points.

Take a look at South Elgin Football's outlook for the 2008 season

The need for speed is something that is spoken about quite regularly, but unless you’re a racing fan or just someone who likes to go really fast on the Eisenhower, you might not fully understand that need.

The Hinsdale Cobras 12-and-under baseball team will hold tryouts for the 2009 traveling season from 4 to 6 p.m. the next two Sundays, Aug. 3 and 10.

He’s gone from the Big Apple to the big leagues (roomed with former Chicago Cub Bobby Hill, also had Pat Burrell and Aubrey Huff as teammates) to working in a small (Athens, pop. 13,334) Tennessee town.

The DuPage Lady Travelers 12U traveling softball team will be holding tryouts for its 2009 season from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Aug. 16, at East End #1 field (next to East End pool) in Elmhurst. A rain date is set up from 10 a.m. to noon on Aug. 17.

The Northfield Football League, the premiere adult men’s flag football league is searching for teams and players for the upcoming fall season.

In the movie Field Of Dreams, there’s a scene where Shoeless Joe Jackson asks farmer Ray Kinsella, “is this heaven?” In one of the best cinematic lines of all time, Kinsella’s answer was, “no, it’s Iowa.”

Chicago Bulls' stars Derrick Rose, Ben Gordon, Joakim Noah, Aaron Gray and Bob Love are scheduled to appear at Bulls Players Camp at the Bulls-White Sox Academy in Lisle this week.

Route 66 Raceway in Joliet is the premiere drag racing venue for the Chicagoland area. Racers from across the nation compete in the world class fascility.