“I’m very excited just to make it. I felt on top of the world.” —

AURORA— It may have been windy and cold, but the Storm boys’ cross country team, as well as individual qualifiers Scott Janusick and T.J. Mosbach from Hall, and female runner C.J. Rhodes of Princeton got something to warm them up Saturday at the Aurora Christian class 1A sectional — a trip to state.

ALEDO – Aledo Mercer County’s Brett Anderson scored on a quarterback sneak with :17.6 seconds left to play and completed the two-point conversion pass to give the home team a 22-19 lead over the Bureau Valley Storm.

WENONA — Running into real life Ghosts is never a good thing on Halloween Day. For the Hall Lady Devils, it was these Ghosts’ serving that was really scary.

MANLIUS — Mendota used a pair of mid-set rallies to claim the momentum over the host Storm Saturday night at the Bureau Valley Class 2A regional championship, and held on in both sets to register a 25-19, 25-17 win.

AMBOY – Steven Apple had his best game as a Clipper in Saturday’s 41-0 win against AlWood-ROWVA in the first round of the Class 2A playoffs. The senior quarterback completed 7 of 10 passes for 143 yards and three touchdowns, and he rushed 12 times for 124 yards and another score.

It was a tough day for NCIC Lincoln champ IVC.

: Mendota finished its run through the Three Rivers Conference, defeating the host Bureau Valley  Storm 25-19, 25-17 in Saturday's finals of the Bureau Valley 2A volleyball regional at the Storm Cellar.

AURORA - The Bureau Valley Storm boys' cross country team punched its return ticket to the IHSA 1A state meet with a third-place finish in Saturday's Aurora Sectional meet.

Quarterback Brett Anderson scored a 1-yard touchdown with 17.9 seconds remaining to lift Aledo Mercer County past Bureau Valley in opening round play of the 2A playoffs Saturday in Aledo.

J.A. Happ/World Series update: The World Series resumes Saturday at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia all tied up at 1-1 after the Yankees’ 3-1 win Thursday. Phils’ manager Charlie Manuel has tabbed Joe Blanton as the Game 3 starter, leaving former St. Bede Bruin J.A. Happ in the bullpen to match up against the Yankees’ left-handed hitters. “I think Blanton fits for us because I think we want to keep Happ right now in the bullpen, especially kind of in the middle where he could do some innings,” Manuel said. Neither Happ or LaSalle native Chad Durbin have pitched in the first two Series games for the Phillies, the defending champs.

MANLIUS — Bureau Valley coach Vicki Litherland said her Storm’s strong team play pulled them through Thursday’s regional volleyball semifinals against Princeton. PHS coach Andy Puck said it was his team’s lack of team play that knocked it out.

WENONA – The Hall Lady Red Devil volleyball team advanced to the Class 2A Fieldcrest championship match Thursday evening, while young, yet scrappy, St. Bede Lady Bruin netters got a preview of what life will be like in the North Central Illinois Conference in 2010.

Storm fans are getting their game faces on for the 2009 postseason.

SOMONAUK — The LaMoille/Ohio Lady Lion co-op’s 2009 campaign came to a close Thursday night in Somonauk as they fell 25-23, 25-21 to Indian Creek in 1A volleyball regional action.

It was NCIC 1, Three Rivers Conference 1 Thursday night at the Storm Cellar.

You never know when familiar faces will show up in the college arena.

Princeton High School varsity soccer team lost 2-1 in a regional final match of the state tournament at Stillman Valley. Recapping the game can hardly do justice to the effort both Monmouth-Roseville and Princeton put into this game.

Princeton’s Molly Stephens and Hall’s Mickey Victor were named to the NCIC Lincoln first-team all-conference team in Sunday’s meeting held in Chillicothe.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Cleveland State senior guard Kailey Klein, the leading returning scorer in the Horizon League, has been named the 2009-10 Horizon League Preseason Player of the Year in voting of the 10 league head coaches, sports information directors and select media.

It was a year ago, when Princeton came into the postseason scuffling with a 23-9-2 record and showing little signs of life.

Both the Bureau Valley and Hall boys’ cross country squads will have their work cut out for them Saturday at the Aurora Christian sectional at Oakhurst Forest Preserve in Aurora.

Bureau Valley’s opening round playoff opponent, Mercer County, shares one thing in common with the Storm, a winning tradition.

2A Volleyball regionals

Bureau Valley North’s Bryan Arteberry shoots over a Prophetstown/Tampico defender during Tuesday’s game in Walnut.

Princeton landed three players on the NCIC First-Team All-Conference soccer team.

It’s playoff time, so this is when the prognosticators really lace up their cleats and come to play. The rook Yucus already is in playoff mode with his first 10-0 of the year last week. This week’s guest is the BCR’s Tom Long, an old Manlius Red Devil.

Bureau Valley (7-2) atAledo Mercer County (7-2)