Mark Strotman and Scott Changnon

The Latest

  • Aug 27, 2017

    Faith in Football: DePaul Academy rules the 1910s

    When eight members of Catholic high schools around the Chicagoland area got together in 1912, they had no idea that the football conference they put together would be going strong more than 100 years later. The Chicago Catholic League has been the state’s top football conference for more than a century. That dominance was first started by DePaul Academy, a…

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  • Nov 21, 2016

    Lincoln-Way East dealt with adversity, kept things ‘six inches in front of your face'

    Rob Zvonar makes it a point whenever possible to share with his team his favorite phrase: “Keep things six inches in front of your face.” It’s simple and indistinct, allowing his group of more than 115 players to analyze and relate it however they choose. The phrase meant something different to each of the Lincoln-Way East Griffins, but all embraced…

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  • Nov 11, 2016

    Griffins take nothing lightly as they continue pursuit of state title

    A little more than two months ago Lincoln-Way East head coach Rob Zvonar stood in front of his group and made a declaration. The Griffins had just watched a two-touchdown lead against rival Homewood-Flossmoor wilt away on their home turf, and the group of 100+ student athletes was understandably upset. But a minor setback in early September wasn’t going to…

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  • Nov 4, 2016

    Griffins' players-only meeting sparks momentum as playoffs heat up

    Days after the Lincoln-Way East Griffins were run off the field in Bradley by the undefeated Boilermakers in Week 8, senior captain Nick Zelenika and the rest of the team’s captains held a players-only meeting. Not uncommon for a group to do, though certainly rare for a high school team, the meeting challenged not only seniors, but underclassmen as well…

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  • Nov 3, 2016

    Brett Eldredge celebrates Cubs World Series with family at Progressive Field

    So just how big of a Cubs fan is country singer Brett Eldredge? In late June he was a special guest at Wrigley Field, not only to throw out the ceremonial first pitch but also to debut the music video for “Wanna Be That Song,” which was filmed at the Friendly Confines. Eldredge, a Chicago native, attended Cubs games as…

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  • Oct 27, 2016

    Griffins hitting stride in time to make run at second state title

    The truth will reveal itself beginning Saturday at 11 a.m. in Chicago, but the Lincoln-Way East Griffins may finally be hitting their stride just in time for the postseason. A team of 115 players from two high schools assembled on the fly in January said all the right things over the summer, that team chemistry was flourishing and that the…

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  • Oct 21, 2016

    Griffins hope to avoid ‘sick feeling' going forward after blowout loss to Bradley

    Not all losses are created equal. When Lincoln-Way East suffered a 35-30 defeat in Week 3 to Homewood-Flossmoor, the Griffins took positives away from the loss. They had held a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, battled back from adversity in the second half and had a chance to win the game in the final minute. Even that loss in…

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  • Oct 14, 2016

    Lincoln-Way East finds identity in balanced offense

    With less than four minutes to play in the first half of last Friday’s tilt against Sandburg, Lincoln-Way East led by a score. The Griffins’ lead was never truly threatened, and there was no sense of panic from Rob Zvonar’s group. But against a 2-4 Sandburg team, which a week earlier had been pummeled 48-0 by Homewood-Flossmoor, the Griffins’...

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  • Oct 7, 2016

    Lincoln-Way East's Sam Diehl is the Griffins' ‘total package'

    On a football team with 115 players, Lincoln-Way East is anything but short on talent. Rob Zvonar’s group also has a handful of rock-solid senior leaders, numerous academic standouts, and enough mature upperclassmen who have molded their own personal skill sets together to make the Griffins a legitimate contender for an 8A state championship. That much is clear from their…

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  • Sep 30, 2016

    Football takes a back seat as Griffins honor PFC Aaron Toppen on Salute to Troops night

    “Football is life. Until it’s not.” That message Lincoln-Way East head coach Rob Zvonar relayed to his team in the week leading up to the Griffins’ Week 5 tilt against Thornton was an important one. For the 115 student-athletes who make up a team with legitimate state-title aspirations, high school football can feel like a life-and-death situation. Until it’s not….

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