Providence’s Leo Slepski said he tries to his model his game after Justin Herbert.

The sophomore quarterback has followed Herbert’s career from when he was a star at Oregon to being a standout behind center in the NFL with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Slepski likes what he sees, on and off the field.

“I’ve been watching him ever since college,” Slepski said of Herbert. “In college, he always had the grades, and he was always a great quarterback. He just had it all, which is nice.

“He’s a good leader and is a great role model to me. He can throw the ball. He’s good with his feet. He’s smart. Everything a good quarterback needs.”

The Celtics also like what they’re seeing from Slepski, who took over the reins in Week 4 of the regular season and has been trying to turn into a complete package like Herbert.

So far, Slepski is progressing quite well. He completed 7 of 8 passes for 208 yards and three touchdowns in Saturday’s 42-12 win over Hillcrest in a Class 5A second-round game.

Providence (7-4) finally hosts its first playoff game at 3 p.m. Saturday against Highland (10-1) in the quarterfinals.

It’s true that two of Slepski’s three TDs Saturday were short passes, with receivers Xavier Coleman and Seth Cheney doing the heavy lifting on gains of 62 and 71 yards, respectively.

But it’s also true Slepski can thread the needle, connecting for a perfect 20-yard TD to Mitch Voltz on a fade right after the same play from the 15 was called back by a penalty.

“He’s getting there,” Providence coach Tyler Plantz said of Slepski. “He had a few weeks of growing pains up to this point, but he’s done a good job of taking on all the pressure of playing in the state playoffs.

“He’s done a good job in the pocket. He’s communicating the plays. I’m real proud of the way he is playing.”

Voltz appreciated Slepski’s ability to put the ball at an ideal spot — over his shoulder — two plays in a row.

“He makes great decisions and puts the ball where it needs to be,” Voltz said of Slepski. “And he makes great reads on the running side.”

Slepski confirmed there’s pressure and nerves being a young starting quarterback for a team with Providence’s winning tradition.

“It’s a lot of pressure, but it’s good pressure,” Slepski said “It’s nothing that I can’t handle. I could be nervous all day at school or when I get on the bus, but once I’m on the field, I’m just locked in and ready to go.”

He also credited his offensive line of Chris Piazza, Koda Miller, James Barry, Bryce Tencza and Matt Hough for giving him time to throw the ball.

For the second straight year, Providence took a 5-4 record into the playoffs. Last season, the Celtics were in Class 4A and made the state championship game before losing 44-20 to Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin.

This time, they are in 5A, but that storyline is set up to repeat itself. Scoring a season-high 42 points against Hillcrest — all in the first half — has given Providence plenty of confidence.

Slepski, who played on the freshman and sophomore teams last year, also was on the scout team for the varsity, so he did get a flavor for how the 2022 season played out.

“It’s pretty familiar,” Slepski said. “But this year, we want more. We want to finish it.

“We’re ready to go. We have everything clicking, and now we have to keep going.”

Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.

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There were a lot of choice words flying around the stage at the final GOP primary debate tonight, but the candidates’ body language said much more than any of their canned remarks.

I’ve been decoding nonverbal communication for over 50 years, 25 as an FBI agent. My work taught me that people lie all the time, but their bodies usually tell the truth. A flushed face, a twitch at the corner of the mouth, a hand shaking with nerves — nonverbal tells reveal our true thoughts and emotions.

And there were certainly a lot of unspoken thoughts and emotions tonight.

Ron DeSantis’ awkward smile, Nikki Haley’s killer eyeroll, Vivek Ramaswamy’s angled eyebrows — I saw a veritable stage play tonight, only the best dialogue was unspoken. Here’s what body language told me about how the candidates are closing out this primary season:

Ron DeSantis Can Smile, After All — It’s Just Awkward

During the first GOP debate, I wrote that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis failed to smile. He seems to have taken that advice to heart. Unfortunately, he fumbled the execution. He should be aiming for what’s called a Duchenne smile, when the zygomaticus major muscle lifts the corners of the mouth while the orbicularis oculi muscle around the eyes raises the cheeks, crinkling one’s laugh lines and crows feet in a way that communicates genuine authenticity. DeSantis, often criticized for his awkwardness, pulls the corners (or commissures) of his mouth to reveal his teeth, but the gesture appears odd and stiff. You can see this at the end of his closing statement. That’s a big problem for DeSantis, because an inauthentic smile looks untrustworthy.

Vivek Ramaswamy Isn’t Having Fun Anymore

At the first debate, Vivek Ramaswamy looked like he was having a ball, with a supernova smile and big, emphatic hand gestures that grabbed him attention as a feisty newcomer. Tonight, as Ramaswamy took his last shot at drawing daylight between himself and his opponents on a debate stage, it was clear the fun is over. He was angry, and it was visible from the very beginning: His eyebrows angled with discontent, his jaws were tense and his vocal volume, an element of what we call prosody, was stuck on high, making him appear one-note and aggrieved. Even when he gestured with both hands or used his eyebrows to potentiate his message, that vocal flatline made everything he said sound the same, leaving his audience unable to pick out the highs from the lows. His repeated interruptions of former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley and other candidates also worked against him. Confidence does not require constant interjection. He looked like a nervous bench-sitter itching to play in the game.

Nikki Haley Has a Deadly Eyeroll

The tension on Haley’s face from the start spoke to her commitment and resolve. She was cogent and focused, and her delivery was precise. Her use of humor to defang Vivek’s sexist remark about her heels (he compared her and DeSantis, who has been accused of wearing height-boosting heel inserts in his cowboy boots, to “Dick Cheney in three-inch heels”) was flawless. When Ramaswamy — who has campaigned on TikTok — criticized Haley for allowing her daughter to use the app, she hit back hard. Her words were strong — “Leave my daughter out of your voice,” she said — but her body language was even stronger: She clenched her jaw and rolled her eyes in a devastating, dismissive way, showing that she’s in control even when she’s seething and that she considers Ramaswamy insignificant. She pointed her finger at him like a gun to show him that he’d crossed a line. Unfortunately, many of Haley’s other hand gestures were muted. As I wrote in my advice piece for the candidates before the second debate, Haley should spread her fingers wide when she makes hand gestures to draw extra attention to her talking points and she needs to do them high enough so that the television audience can see them. Her close-fingered gestures failed to achieve that kind of dazzle — especially for the viewers at home.

Chris Christie Can Tell a Story With His Eyes

Christie was as polished as always. As a former prosecutor practiced at charming a jury, he used his smooth vocal cadence to deliver talking points in a way that was easy to understand. His hand gestures were also smooth, communicating a sense of calm and control. Only Scott, himself a polished orator, used nonverbals to demarcate his most important points so effectively. Christie is particularly adept at communicating with his eyes, arching his eyebrows for drama and narrowing his eyes to underline important messages. You may not agree with him, but when he is speaking, you cannot turn away from him.

Tim Scott Looks Like a Friend

Scott looked presidential. He was eloquent and poised. Once again he quoted scripture on the stage, speaking with the measured and comforting cadence of a pastor. Of all the candidates, he appears the most approachable, thanks to his easy smile, his deep baritone voice and the way he turns to all sides of the audience as he speaks, making everyone feel addressed. His wide, open-palmed hand gestures and the upward tilt of his head, an almost prayerful posture, gave weight to his message. Early on, he hesitated multiple times when he spoke, but he course-corrected as the debate went on, cleaning up his delivery, gliding through a variety of topics and rattling off statistics without a hitch.

Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and nose tackle Michael Pierce were the only Ravens missing from Wednesday’s practice as the team began preparations for its AFC North showdown with the Cleveland Browns.

Beckham received a rest day but was also listed with a knee injury on the Ravens’ first injury report of the week. Pierce was out because of an illness.

Right tackle Morgan Moses was back as a full participant after missing the team’s win over the Seattle Seahawks because of a shoulder injury.

Beckham, who celebrated his 31st birthday with his first touchdown catch with the Ravens on Sunday, did not show any obvious discomfort during or after the game. He caught five passes for a season-high 56 yards. Beckham missed two games earlier this season with an ankle injury and also suffered a chest contusion on Oct. 29 against the Arizona Cardinals.

Meanwhile, a long list of Browns starters missed practice Wednesday, though several merely received rest days.

Tight end David Njoku sat out with a knee injury, while cornerback Greg Newsome remained out because of a groin injury that sidelined him Sunday for the team’s win over the Arizona Cardinals. Rookie Dawand Jones, who’s expected to slide from right to left tackle to fill in for injured starter Jedrick Wills Jr., was absent because of knee and shoulder injuries. Reserve running back Pierre Strong, who played well against the Ravens in Week 4, did not practice because of a hamstring injury. Wide receiver Marquise Goodwin also sat out with a concussion.

Quarterback Deshaun Watson, who returned from a shoulder injury to start against the Cardinals, was a full participant. Defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo (groin) was limited.

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For the first time in franchise history, the Chicago Cubs have three players named Gold Glove defensive award winners in a season.

Second baseman Nico Hoerner won his first National League Gold Glove award Sunday night while shortstop Dansby Swanson and left fielder Ian Happ both won the second of their career coming in back-to-back years.

“Really cool anytime you can be a part of Cubs history like that, first to do something, is pretty special for an organization that has been around a long time,” Happ said. “There’s a lot of credit to a lot of the other guys that were on the field every day playing with us.”

Swanson is the fourth Cubs shortstop to win the award after Javier Báez (2020), Don Kessinger (1969 and 1970) and Ernie Banks (1960).

Hoerner, a finalist in 2020, is the fourth Cubs second baseman to win the award, joining Darwin Barney (2012), Ryne Sandberg (nine times, last in 1991), Glenn Beckert (1968) and Ken Hubbs (1962). He teamed up with Swanson as one of the best middle infield duos in the majors, fittingly earning them both hardware.

Hoerner called the first-time honor “really, really special.”

”The thrill of seeing Ian win his first last year and I didn’t know Dansby then but it’s so much time that goes into that and people that help along the way. I especially think of my dad and the time that he spent with me, just the endless scrambles and whatnot,” Hoerner said. “Cool to get recognition for it.”

Swanson’s defensive wizardry was as advertised during Year 1 in Chicago, a big part of why the Cubs signed him to a seven-year, $177 million contract last offseason. His 20 Outs Above Average (OAA) led all players this year and his 18 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) were the most among MLB shortstops and also tied him for fifth among all positions.

Hoerner and Swanson are the first middle infield teammates to win the Gold Glove award in the same season since San Francisco Giants Joe Panik and Brandon Crawford in 2016.

”The work that gets put in, and the more that you put in that work and then obviously the communication factor, growing in just our relationship in general, our friendship and growing as teammates really, really helped,” Swanson said. “Because it started to understand questions to ask, answers to give, like, how to ask things, how to pick someone’s brain. It’s not just as easy as saying, ‘Oh, where do you want your double-play feed?’

”And it’s this ever-evolving thing. It’s not just as simple as we just became good. Like, the individual stuff happened, yeah we worked our butts off to be able to be good in that regard. But the camaraderie and the chemistry takes time and will only continue to get better as time goes along.”

Happ had a great view of the defensive magic from left field, particularly on balls to Swanson’s right that appeared headed for hits to the outfield.

”There were a lot of times that me and (Mike) Tauchman or me and (Cody Bellinger) would look at each other after plays these two made, a little, ‘Oh my God’ acknowledgment between the two of us,” Happ said.

More traditional stats favored Happ’s Gold Glove award candidacy. His 12 outfield assists topped all big-league outfielders and the 253 putouts he tallied were second-most for NL left fielders.

“The first one was really awesome, but to be able to back it up with another one and you’ll have that on the resume, I think that’s a really special thing,” Happ said. “And to be able to do it in Wrigley again and twice in a Cubs uniform is a pretty cool thing that I’ll cherish.”

The Cubs took a deliberate approach to improve their team defense last offseason by signing Swanson and Bellinger.

”From the beginning of the year, it was something that was pretty well covered that as a team we were going to really value run prevention and so whether we got the awards or not, I felt that our team really did that beyond the three of us,” Hoerner said. “And so to get the recognition now feels great, especially with that goal in mind, but so many other guys were contributing to that as well.”

For the White Sox, center fielder Luis Robert Jr. was the team’s only Gold Glove finalist but it was the Toronto Blue Jays’ Kevin Kiermaier who won for the American League at that position.

Chicago native Alek Thomas was a National League finalist at center field for the Arizona Diamondbacks but lost to Brenton Doyle of the Colorado Rockies.

Gold Glove finalists are determined by a combination of 75% voting among managers and coaches and 25% use of a proprietary metric known as the SABR Defensive Index (SDI).

Now that the winners have been announced, a combination of fan voting and SDI will determine the Platinum Glove winner from each league. Those winners will be revealed at the Gold Glove award ceremony on Nov. 10.

Also on Sunday, the Cubs announced they exercised the 2024 team options for starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks ($16 million) and catcher Yan Gomes ($6 million). Hendricks remains the longest-tenured Cub on the roster as he enters his 11th big-league season with the club.

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