Richards Granted a Rare Opportunity to Shine Under Pro Softball Lights

Richards will face Marengo at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 13, at The Ballpark in Rosemont as part of the Chicago Bandits' "Friday Night Lights" series.

On Friday the 13th, the lights will go down and the stars will come out. If you're lucky, you'll be there for a high school softball showcase event at The Ballpark in Rosemont, home of the Chicago Bandits. Richards will face Marengo, the defending IHSA Class 3A state champ, at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 13, at The Ballpark in Rosemont in the first of the Bandits' "Friday Night Lights" series events sponsored by Worth Fastpitch. Six of the state's finest players will be pitted against each other in the matchup: Richards' Brianna LeBeau and Hannah Jenkins vs. Marengo's Lindsay Melson, Stephanie Cartwright, Reed Karsten and Megan Semro. LeBeau, the Bulldogs' ace pitcher, is the reigning Gatorade Player of the Year in Illinois. She will attend …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (2)

UPDATE: L-W North's McFarland Gets the Biggest Roar from the Crowd

Lincoln-Way North volleyball standout Ryan McFarland outpolled 11 others in Patch's weeklly MVP balloting. He is now eligible for March Patch Athlete of the Month recognition.

Your Patch is a place to celebrate local high school athletes. Show your support for these prep sports MVPs—each of whom is Athlete of the Week in his or her local Patch—by cheering them on in the comments thread, sharing your own photos with the Patch community and voting in the poll. Do you think we're missing someone? Tell us in the comments and share his or her photo to the gallery above. (It's easy. Just click the Upload Photos and Videos link — learn more here.) Read more about this week's MVPs in the photo gallery, and show your support for them by: There is one more way for you to become a more interactive fan: Sign up to become a Patch sports blogger. (Learn more about blogging on Patch here).

•  10 Comments
• Photos (14)

Girls Basketball: Jenkins Powers Richards Past Shepard

Hannah Jenkins scored 17 points as Richards topped Shepard 63-43 on Thursday night and moved closer to its third straight South Suburban Red girls basketball title.

Girls Basketball: LeBeau, Jenkins Carry Load as Richards Tops Oak Lawn

Brianna LeBeau and Hannah Jenkins came up big in Richards' 59-52 girls basketball victory over Oak Lawn on Tuesday night.

Girls Basketball: L-W North Defense Shuts Down Richards Attack

L-W North 51, Richards 16: Ashley Weringa scored 14 points and the Phoenix dominated in all phases to cruise in play at Oak Lawn's Holiday Tournament.

The Skinny: It took more than four and a half minutes for Lincoln-Way North to make its first basket in a 51-16 victory over Richards Tuesday in play at the Oak Lawn Holiday Tournament. Then, Taylor Boardman drained a 3-pointer and the Phoenix never looked back as their defense bottled up Richards. The Bulldogs remained without a basket until the final two minutes of the first quarter. Lincoln-Way North put together a 22-2 scoring run before the Richards went on a 6-0 spurt to close out the first half. Lincoln-Way North sealed the deal with a 22-3 flurry to close the second half. Patch MVP: Ashley Weringa had 14 points, five rebounds and two steals for Lincoln-Way North. Key Stats: The Phoenix made 17-of-50 shots, including 7-of-23 from …

• Photos (7)
• Videos (1)

Richards' LeBeau, Jenkins Sign to Play Softball in Collegiate Ranks

Brianna LeBeau is headed to Northwestern, and Hannah Jenkins will play at Loyola. The two are honor roll students and ace softball players at Richards. Can the two Division I recruits lead the Bulldogs to a state title during their senior seasons?

Wednesday. Some like to think of it as get-over-the-hump day. Richards softball coach Julie Folliard called it a day of celebration for the families of her two most gifted players. Brianna LeBeau and Hannah Jenkins signed national letters of intent last Wednesday to play in the collegiate ranks next school year. LeBeau, Richards’ ace pitcher and the reigning Gatorade Softball Player of the Year in Illinois, is headed to Northwestern. Jenkins, a shortstop who earned a spot on the Illinois Coaches Association all-state team, cast her lot with Loyola. The two seniors are honor roll students and diamond gems, too. They teamed to lead Richards to a 32-3 record last spring. The Bulldogs won conference, regional and sectional championships. …

• Photos (6)

Local Sports Notebook

Richards Softball Team Keeps Raking In Awards

Bulldogs standouts Brianna LeBeau, Hannah Jenkins and Kailie Tobin, along with coach Julie Folliard, receive recognition for their outstanding season.

The accolades keep coming in for Richards High School’s 2011 softball team. Brianna LeBeau and Hannah Jenkins were named to the All-State honorable mention team by the Chicago Tribune. Earlier this week, LeBeau was named Patch’s Top Spring Athlete. LeBeau, Jenkins and senior Kailie Tobin were named to the SouthtownStar’s All-Area Team. Richards coach Julie Folliard received a high honor as well, as she was named the SouthtownStar’s Coach of the Year. Marist softball standout Brooke Wyderski was named to the SouthtownStar’s All-Area Team. Wyderski was also named to the All-State honorable mention team by the Chicago Tribune, along with Teagan Walsh. Marist’s Garrett Dempsey was named the SouthtownStar’s Player of the Year for boys …

• Photos (1)

Coach Kortz Has the Winning Touch at Richards

Jeff Kortz has been a part of six straight conference championships among three different teams, leading one colleague to call him Richards' Most Valuable Coach.

Last August, the South Suburban Conference honored Richards’ Jeff Kortz at a banquet for being named the conference’s girls basketball Coach of the Year. There was just one problem: Kortz didn’t show. The longtime Richards coach is not one for attention or self-congratulation. Therefore, Richards Athletic Director Ken Styler stood in Kortz's place at the banquet. Kortz may be unusually humble, but considering his accomplishments, he has no reason to be. Winning has come in bunches for Kortz over the last two years. He is Richards’ head varsity girls basketball coach and is an assistant coach for the varsity football and baseball teams. With Kortz patrolling the sidelines, these three teams have combined to win six straight conference …

• Photos (1)
• Videos (1)

Softball: Richards Falls One Win Shy of State Berth

Benet 4, Richards 1. Bulldogs savor super season despite supersectional setback.

Touching All the Bases: Despite a strong effort, Richards lost to Benet 4-1 in the Class 4A Hinsdale South Supersectional Monday to fall one win shy of its first state appearance since placing second in 1985. Benet, which placed third in the East Suburban Catholic Conference, is headed to state for the first time. The Redwings scored a run in the bottom of the first inning to grab a 1-0 lead. Richards tied the game at 1-1 on an RBI single by Danielle Kappel in the top of the sixth, but left runners on second and third. Benet then erupted for three runs in the bottom of the sixth to take control of the game. Richards stranded two runners on base in the first, third and fourth innings against Benet ace Allyson Staats. Brianna LeBeau (25-3) …

• Photos (5)

LeBeau, Jenkins Lead Richards to Sectional Title

Richards 1, Mother McAuley 0. Brianna LeBeau handled the pitching duties and Hannah Jenkins accounted for the only scoring for the Bulldogs.

From Day 1, Brianna LeBeau and Hannah Jenkins have supplied the Richards softball team with power pitching and powerful hitting. And in the championship game of the Class 4A Morton Secitonal on Saturday, the two girls two struck again as the Bulldogs topped Mother McAuley 1-0 in an instant classic. LeBeau, the junior pitcher who is bound for Northwestern, fired a two-hit shutout for Richards. Jenkins slugged a solo homer in the fourth inning to account for the only scoring in a heated battle. Richards (32-2) moves on to play Benet Academy at 4:30 p.m. Monday in the Hinsdale South Supersectional. Benet advanced with a 5-0 victory over Downers Grove South.

• Photos (3)