Le Journal

In the nearly 70 years since John Damore stepped on the field as a Chicago Bear, he’s been a loyal spectator: “I don’t miss a minute,” he says.Sitting in a recliner in his bedroom Sunday watching the Bears take on the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs, Damore, 92, reminisced about his time as an offensive lineman in the late 1950s while cheering on his beloved Bears, chanting “atta boy” and “very good” when they played well and reprimanding them when they don't.He remembers the feeling of a high-stakes game and had this advice to current Bears: “Play 60 minutes and play well."As the Bears and Rams faced off in frigid temperatures at Soldier Field, Damore remembered the days before heaters and heavy blankets on the sidelines. John Damore holds an unlit cigar and cheers the Bears from his Westmont bedroom. He recalls his coach, George Halas, would give profanity-laced pep talks to the team if he didn’t like the opposing coach. “Screaming, he would be screaming,” Damore said.Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times “The field is heated now, but back then the ground was frozen,” he said. “It was like playing on concrete.”Savoring the win over the PackersDamore is believed to be the oldest living Bears alum, and he’s still riding the high of beating the team’s most bitter rival, the Green Bay Packers, in the first playoff round last week.“It was the same for me as it is for them,” he said about beating Green Bay. “I can’t imagine the thrill.”As the Rams worked down the field on a touchdown drive late in the first quarter after intercepting a pass from Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, Damore was steadfast in his belief that the Bears would respond with a touchdown of their own.“They gotta come right back now,” he said. “The best attitude is ‘get one back!’” An picture of John Damore when he played for the Bears in the 1950s under George Halas. | Arthur Maiorella/For the Sun-Times At halftime, with the game tied 10-10, Damore recalls what his coach, Bears legend George Halas, would have said at this point in the game. He envisioned a harsh pep talk with “bad language,” especially if Halas wasn’t a fan of the opposing coach.“Screaming, he would be screaming,” Damore said.The Bears are in the playoffs for the first time since 2020, and fans have been disappointed with many losing seasons since their last Super Bowl appearance in 2007. For Damore, he’s felt the losses and wins as if he were still a member of the team. Related Oldest living Chicago Bear, 92, hopes team has Super Bowl in its future: ‘It would be my greatest goodbye’ How to stay warm during Bears vs. Rams Sunday night: Sun-Times and WBEZ staff tips How Bears QB Caleb Williams learned to be more like the Rams’ Matthew Stafford “You know, I get mad at ‘em when they lose, and I get happy when they win,” he said. “I’m gonna be the saddest guy in town [if they lose]. It’s been so much fun.” John Damore speaks to his family before Sunday’s game. Since the Sun-Times profiled him this month, he’s done media interviews and gotten requests for autographs. Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times Since the Sun-Times published a profile of Damore ahead of the Packers-Bears showdown last week, Damore has been interviewed by several news outlets and received numerous calls appreciating his memories and “gift of gab,” as his son Larry puts it. He even received a few letters from people asking for autographs.“I love it,” he said. “I would love if there was more of them, but I’m not a superstar.”Throughout the first half, Damore voiced his admiration for Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, repeatedly calling him “son of a gun.”“He was the one that I didn't want them to play,” he said.Second halfDamore tuned in after halftime with a simple wish: “Score first!” he commanded.But after a scoreless third quarter, his analysis was that it was a game dominated by defense.“The defenses are both playing very well,” he said. “I’m watching very good football. Both teams are playing very…

It is another week with no movement at the top as the top 12 teams in the Super 25 remain stable. The upcoming weekend may finally provide some drama. Joe Henricksen's When Sides Collide Shootout on Saturday at Benet matches up the top-ranked Redwings against Warren, No. 2 DePaul Prep against No. 7 Marist and No. 9 Neuqua Valley vs. No. 8 Bolingbrook. However, if the favorites all win it could be another week with very little movement. Cary-Grove and Glenbrook North join the Super 25 this week. It is the debut for both teams this season. Cary-Grove has been on the cusp of the rankings since it knocked off Waukegan back in November. The Trojans have won nine consecutive games. Glenbrook North is a surprise. There wasn't much buzz around the Spartans this season, but they are undefeated in 2026 with wins against Deerfield, Maine South and New Trier. They hung with Fremd in a 47-41 loss at the Wheeling Hardwood Classic. New Trier and St. Laurence each lost two games this week and fall out of the rankings. The Trevians played well without Chris Kirkpatrick initially but have hit a rough patch. Super 25 high school basketball rankings for Jan. 18, 2026With record and last week’s ranking1. Benet (20-1) 1Handled St. Patrick2. DePaul Prep (17-3) 2At Mount Carmel Thursday3. Curie (18-1) 3Rolling thru Red West4. Kankakee (15-1) 4Beat Centennial5. St. Ignatius (19-2) 5Hosts Loyola Friday6. Warren (16-1) 6At Benet Saturday7. Marist (18-2) 7Lost to Webster Groves, Mo.8. Bolingbrook (12-5) 8Very tough week ahead9. Neuqua Valley (18-1) 9Takes on Bolingbrook Saturday10. Evanston (16-3) 10Hosts Loyola Tuesday11. Waukegan (15-5) 11At Lake Zurich Friday12. Homewood-Flossmoor (16-2) 12Healthy again13. Fremd (17-1) 14At Lincoln Park Friday14. Mount Carmel (15-5) 15Beat St. Laurence15. Glenbard East (19-2) 16Michael Nee is on fire16. Loyola (17-4) 17Major rivalry week ahead17. St. Patrick (14-3) 19Played well in Benet loss18. Palatine (17-3) 21Nice three-win week19. Young (15-6) 22Dominating Red North20. Hersey (15-3) 20At Palatine Thursday21. Kaneland (19-0) 23Hosts Naperville Central Tuesday22. Glenbard North (15-3) 24Lived up to ranking 23. York (17-3) 25Faces Hillcrest Saturday24. Glenbrook North (16-5) NRTook down New Trier25. Cary-Grove (18-2) NRConsistently winning

Mother McAuley knew it had to be prepared for a physical game Saturday against St. Charles East.The Saints are strong on the glass and feature one of the best sophomores in the state in forward Brooklyn Schilb. But the Mighty Macs did more than match the physicality; they became the aggressors. They played with a hunger that enabled them to knock off St. Charles East 58-49 in the Coach Kipp Hoopsfest at Maine East.‘‘We had a lot of momentum coming into this game after [beating Providence and DePaul Prep last week], which were two teams that were ranked and we were supposed to lose to,’’ said Mother McAuley sophomore Ava Little, who scored 12 points and grabbed six rebounds.Little was a big reason the Mighty Macs won. She was active in the paint, solid on the glass and a tremendous finisher.It took a team effort to defend Schilb, who had 28 points and 11 rebounds. She has a high motor and is relentless on the glass, as evidenced by her eight offensive rebounds. But Little, Emily Kovar and Lily Costello limited her as best they could.‘‘[Little] can defend one through five,’’ Mother McAuley coach Curtis Lewis said. ‘‘So [when we] put her on the floor, we gain a lot defensively because [even though] we might be smaller, we’re more athletic.’’Senior guard Quinn Arundel had a big day for the Mighty Macs with 19 points, seven rebounds and three steals. She’s Mother McAuley’s engine and wanted to cap an impressive week with another victory.Lewis emphasizes peaking toward the end of the season, and the Mighty Macs certainly seem to be on the right path. They are committed to making the extra pass, willing to draw charges and growing together as a unit. He said they went into the game against St. Charles East with a ‘‘chip on their shoulder.’’‘‘We needed this win, especially [because] we were not the team picked to win,’’ Arundel said. ‘‘It gives us more confidence and [we gained] more grit because we wanted it more than them.’’Mersinger’s standout defenseAs the No. 1 team in the area, much has been said about Benet. From senior center Emma Briggs’ all-around brilliance to senior forward Bridget Rifenburg’s steadiness, the Redwings have one of the best rosters in the area.But in their 61-39 victory against Glenbrook South at Maine East, junior guard Ava Mersinger was impressive. She scored only three points but had five assists, three blocks and a steal in 27 minutes. All her blocks came because she has incredible timing.Briggs scored 19 points and grabbed 17 rebounds, Rifenburg scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds and Lucy Tierney added seven points. Senior guard Sailer Jones was out with an injury.Black’s big nightProspect junior forward Zoe Black scored a program-record 42 points, including 11 three-pointers, in a 79-60 victory against Phillips at Maine East.The Super 25, with record and last week’s ranking:1. Benet (18-1) 1Plays Whitney Young Monday2. Loyola Academy (20-2) 3Beat Galesburg3. Naperville Central (18-3) 4Beat Waubonsie Valley4. Nazareth (17-3) 5Beat Maine South5. Waubonsie Valley (19-1) 2Loss to Naperville Central6. Kenwood (18-4) 6Plays Blair Academy Monday7. Mother McAuley (15-4) 16Beat St. Charles East8. Fremd (18-3) 8Plays Marist Monday9. DePaul Prep (17-3) 7Loss to Mother McAuley10. Downers Grove North (20-2) 11Beat Glenbard West11. Marist (18-5) 9Plays Fremd Monday12. Providence (19-3) 14Beat Montini13. Carmel (17-6) 12Beat Lincoln-Way East14. Glenbard West (18-3) 15Plays Wheaton North Tuesday15. Libertyville (16-3) 20Beat Prospect16. Maine South (17-5) 12Loss to Nazareth17. Lyons (14-6) 9Loss to Lake Zurich18. Glenbrook South (15-5) 18Plays Maine South Friday19. Hersey (13-5) 19Plays Lake Central Monday20. Prospect (13-8) 17Plays Maine South Wednesday21. St. Charles East (13-6) 21Loss to Mother McAuley22. Trinity (14-7) 23Plays Oak Park-River Forest Monday23. Bolingbrook (14-3) 22Beat Homewood-Flossmoor24. Bloom (17-2) 24Beat Kankakee25. Lake Zurich (13-7) NRBeat Lyons

Soldier Field got off to a rocking start as Jim Cornelison sang the national anthem before Sunday night’s Bears-Rams divisional playoff game.Cornelison, who sings the anthem and “O, Canada” before Blackhawks games at the United Center, had a national audience when NBC broadcast his rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The Rams and Bears are meeting in the divisional round for a spot in the NFC championship game against the Seattle Seahawks, who won the night of Jan. 17. Los Angeles last played for an NFC title in 2022, the year the Rams won Super Bowl 56. Chicago hasn't been to a conference championship game since 2011, when it lost to the Green Bay Packers. United, loud, and all in. 👏 pic.twitter.com/kXbpknnAfi— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) January 19, 2026 Both teams are coming off tough wild-card round battles to earn a spot in the divisional round. The Rams took down a frisky Carolina Panthers team on the road in a back-and-forth affair, while the Bears won a big comeback victory at home over their divisional rival Packers.Contributing: USA Today Sports Latest on the Bears Bears Bears will have 25th pick in this year's draft Their season-ending loss to the Rams on Sunday night locked in their draft position. [month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone] By Patrick Finley read Bears Bears coach Ben Johnson: 'Shame' to waste great defensive performance in 20-17 playoff loss to Rams The Bears held the Rams below their season averages for points and yards and shut down stars Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. [month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone] By Jason Lieser read Bears Bears safety Jaquan Brisker, an unrestricted free agent, 'for sure' wants to re-sign Brisker said that’s not entirely up to him, though, and when asked if he’ll be back, he said, “We will see.” [month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone] By Jason Lieser read