UPDATE: Oak Lawn's Rachel Kestian is Patch MVP.

Oak Lawn's Rachel Kestian was distributing the wealth in the Spartans' straight-sets victory over Hillcrest. She outpolled 11 others in fan balloting for Patch MVP, Aug. 26-Sept. 1. Kestian is now eligible for Patch Athlete of the Month honors.

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).

•  56 Comments
• Photos (13)

Carrie Underwood

9:49 pm on Thursday, September 6, 2012

@david It's called opinion. It's what one does on these boards, you little control freak. Nowhere was there a gender-superiority connotation.   more ›

L-W West's Dangles Voted Patch Athlete of the Week

Lincoln-Way West junior running back Nick Dangles carried the load for the Warriors in a 28-20 football victory over Bradley-Bourbonnais. His fans carried the load for him in voting for Patch's Athlete of the Week.

If there was ever a doubt about the strength of the relationship between Lincoln-Way West junior running back Nick Dangles and the big boys throwing blocks for him in the trenches, then offensive lineman Jake Benson’s comments should put that notion to bed. “He’s been our workhorse all season, and once again he carried us,” Benson said after Dangles rushed for 148 yards and scored two touchdowns in Lincoln-Way West’s 28-20 football victory over Bradley-Bourbonnais. Dangles scored on runs of 3 and 75 yards before exiting in the fourth quarter with an injury. His performance helped the Warriors (7-2, 6-1) wrap up a share of the Southwest Suburban Red Conference championship in their regular-season finale. He is honored today as the Patch …

• Photos (2)

Your Turn: Vote for Patch Athlete of the Week

Please helps us choose our Southland Patch Athlete of the Week, Oct. 17-24. The contenders: Dan Caddigan, Brother Rice; Nick Dangles, L-W West; Alec Melone, Sandburg; Adesuwa Osabuohein, Homewood-Flossmoor; Dena Waldier, L-W North; Ian Woodworth, Marist.

The nominees for Southland Patch Athlete of the Week, Oct. 17-24: Dan Caddigan, senior, boys cross country, Brother Rice. Caddigan ripped off a time of 15:16 for 2.97 miles and placed first in the Class 3A Marist Regional at Midlothian Meadows Forest Preserve. He led the Crusaders to a second-place finish with a team total of 57 points, one back of regional champ Sandburg. Nick Dangles, junior, football running back, Lincoln-Way West. Dangles rushed for 148 yards on 19 carries and scored two touchdowns before leaving with an injury in the fourth quarter of the Warriors’ 28-20 victory over Bradley-Bourbonnais. His performance helped Lincoln-Way West gain a share of the Southwest Suburban Red Conference championship. Alec Melone, senior, …

•  45 Comments
• Photos (7)

Football: Lincoln-Way West Offense Picks Up Defense This Time

Kyle Millner, Nick Dangles and the rest of the offense lead the Warriors past Bradley-Bourbannais in the regular-season finale.

The Lincoln-Way West football team hasn't had to score a lot of points this season to have great success, and that's because the defense has shined throughout the season. Before Friday night's 28-20 victory over Bradley-Bourbannais, the Warriors had surrendered just 50 points in their previous six games combined. And, if you throw out what happened during a 35-0 loss to Crete-Monee in Week 2, the Warriors had yielded only 58 points on the season. On Friday night, the Warriors defense proved susceptible to some key plays—including those by Bradley-Bourbannais' Myles Clark, Myron Harris, Devail Bryant and Kian Minniffee—so the offense really needed to light up the scoreboard. Mission accomplished. "We all believe in each other and we preach …

• Photos (8)
• Videos (4)

Football: L-W West Survives Bradley-Bourbonnais' Last Gasp

Lincoln-Way West 28, Bradley-Bourbonnais 20: Warriors win the SouthWest Suburban Red while ending the Boilermakers' hopes for a playoff berth.

Breaking It Down: Lincoln-Way West (7-2, 6-1) survived a late comeback by Bradley-Bourbonnais (5-4, 4-3), earning a 28-20 victory and wrapping up the SouthWest Suburban Red title Friday night in New Lenox. The visiting Boilermakers had three chances late in the fourth quarter to get the ball into the end zone from the Lincoln-Way West 33-yard line and set up a potential game-tying two-point conversion but failed on all three attempts. The playoff-bound Warriors never trailed in the contest, taking a 14-7 lead at halftime and extending it to 28-13 early in the fourth quarter after a 75-yard touchdown run by Nick Dangles in the third quarter and a 12-yard touchdown pass from Kyle Millner to Adam Slattery with 10:02 remaining in the fourth …

• Photos (3)

Football: Lincoln-Way West Learns It's Not Always Better to Give

Lincoln-Way North 7, Lincoln-Way West 3: Warriors lose four fumbles among five turnovers in suffering their first Southwest Suburban Red Conference loss.

There are traditional gifts every year for an anniversary, such as diamond jewelry for the 10th year and silver for the 25th. No such gifts are expected when it comes to homecoming. Still, that didn't stop Lincoln-Way West from being in a giving mood on Friday night. The Warriors gave the ball to host Lincoln-Way North again and again during their Southwest Suburban Red Conference contest in Frankfort. Lincoln-Way West coughed up the ball on eight separate occasions. While the Warriors were fortunate to recover four of them, they also threw an interception. All five turnovers came in the first half. Meanwhile, the Phoenix didn't commit a single turnover. A steady rain from start to finish made the field and the ball slick, but it wasn't an…

• Photos (1)

Local Sports Notebook

L-W West Football Takes Care of Business in Conference Opener

Warriors get back on track with 35-6 football victory over Thornridge in Southwest Suburban Red opener.

After getting overpowered by Crete-Monee, the Lincoln-Way West football team needed a confidence boost. It didn't come in the first half of Saturday's game against Thornridge in Dolton, as the Warriors found themselves in a tight contest. It finally did arrive in the second half, as the Warriors (2-1) rode the back of Nick Dangles and went on to rout Thornridge, 35-6, in the Southwest Suburban Red opener. Last fall, the Providence football team didn't pick up its third victory until, well, never, as the Celtics finished 2-7 overall. But that was then. This is now. Providence picked up win No. 3 of 2011 during a 49-31 victory over St. Laurence on Friday night in New Lenox. Andy Hoffmeister led the way for the Celtics, rushing for four …

• Photos (1)