Kevin Schmit

Cole Kmet fans have their pick of favorite memories of the local hero. Some involve his days at St. Viator High School, others from the University of Notre Dame.

This is the kind of week where you want to be in three places at once. The High Five marches on, looking at the top prep sports events of the coming week.

With an avalanche of IHSA playoff action on the horizon, what better time than now to kick a hornet’s nest. Interesting news emerged early this year when the central board of control of the Alabama...

Mount Carmel's Emmett Dowling is pushed out of bounds by Oswego's Conor Tully during their IHSA Class 8A state chamionship game in Huskie Stadium at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. (Mark Busch)

We'll be a bit slanted with this edition of the High Five. Spanning the suburbs as always, we're again looking at the top prep sports events of the coming week.

Last week's column — the possibility of Illinois following Alabama's lead in separating public and private schools into different postseason tournaments — generated a good amount of reader response.

As the IHSA state playoffs start ramping up, the High Five sharpens its focus while looking at the upcoming prep sports calendar.

The old man in me wonders what we're doing to our teen athletes while helicopter parenting and obsessing over college scholarships and (now) NIL money opportunities.

Last week was one to remember as a bunch of title winners returned home from the IHSA girls track and field state meet, and Stevenson swept the boys and girls championships in water polo.

Nothing is more frustrating than technology, except maybe a lack of technology.