CENTRAL PLAYERS ALL-CONFERENCE
Nine members of the Hinsdale Central High School football team have been named All-Conference in the West Suburban Conference Silver Division.
They are Kiran Amegadjie, Michale Brescia, Braden Contreras, Nick Franko, Owen Goss, Ryan Orput, Luke Pyle, Chris Robinson and Lucas Schwartz.
LISTON NAMED ALL-CONFERENCE
Jimmy Liston of Hinsdale earned All-Conference second team honors from Chicago Catholic League/East Suburban Catholic Conference.
Liston, a sophomore at Fenwick High School, was selected for his performance as the team’s center. He also plays defensive tackle. He joined the varsity squad as a freshman and has started in 18 consecutive games.
LILLARD HEADS TO Inter MIAMI CF
Hinsdale native Grant Lillard has joined Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami CF ahead of the team’s inaugural MLS season. The 23-year-old center back was traded by the Chicago Fire in exchange for $75,000 general allocation money. He signed a Homegrown Player contract with the Chicago Fire in January 2018 and made 14 appearances for team over two seasons.
“Grant is a promising young defender,” said Paul McDonough, Inter Miami CF’s sporting director. “We are in the midst of building our team and adding key pieces to complement our supplemental roster.”
Before joining the Fire, he starred for Indiana University where was named a MAC Hermann Trophy finalist, First Team All-America by United Soccer Coaches, Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and First-Team All-Big Ten as a senior.
SKOKNA LIFTS THE HAWKS to victory
Hinsdale’s Luke Skokna helped his University of North Dakota football team defeat Southern Utah 36-18 on Nov. 23 to ensure the Fighting Hawks completed a perfect 6-0 record.
Skokna, a freshman, found out he was getting his redshirt pulled just prior to the game and responded with the best game of his young career, rushing for 114 yards and two scores on 11 carries. He become the first freshman to rush for over 100 yards for the school since 2015.
KRAMER GETS GRIDIRON HONOR
Doug Kramer of Hinsdale earned All-Big Ten Honorable Mention honors from the conference’s football coaches and media for his performance this season as center for University of Illinois. Kramer has been graded as the sixth best center in the nation by Pro Football Focus, and University of Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck called Kramer one of the best he’s seen on film at C “in any year at any level.”