Bulldogs roll with 'snowball effect'

Published: December 31, 2008

Kane County Chronicle

AURORA – From the start, it looked like the Marmion and Batavia wrestling teams were in for a close dual meet.

But five straight losses for the Cadets, including one forfeit, gave Batavia the edge Tuesday as the Bulldogs fought their way to a 46-19 victory.

Batavia coach Tom Arlis looked at the meet as one of the big challenges of the regular season.

“They’re a good team,” he said. “They won against Geneva and Geneva only won two matches. We had a close match with Geneva so we knew we had to be on our game.”

The Bulldogs were able to get some distance on the scoreboard thanks to a pin by Charlie Ryan (130 pounds) at 2:58, as well as one from first-year heavyweight, junior Pat Martin, who pinned Alex Saulsberry in 2:19.

Surprisingly for Batavia, powerhouses Logan Arlis (119) and Danny Watson (171) came away with only three-point victories, edging their opponents on points as opposed to dominating. Watson only barely defeated Nico Jimenez, 3-2.

Coach Arlis said he knew beforehand that he wanted his two strongest wrestlers to take out two of Marmion’s.

“Normally I depend on Logan and ... Danny to get either five or six points,” he said. “[But] those were two of their big point-getters and if we could take them out of the picture, even though we only got a small margin of victory, it was huge in the swing.”

From the start, Marmion seemed to struggle against Batavia’s momentum, though brothers Eddie and Pat Greco (103 and 140 respectively) earned the Cadets their only two pins of the meet.

Pat easily took Batavia’s Charlie Kost down in 1:03, while Eddie looked as if he could make at least a major defeat before pinning Evan Christensen in 2:52.

But the Cadets suffered overall, thanks in part to a forfeit at 152 pounds.

“Let’s face it, there’s a snowball effect in wrestling,” Arlis said.

“When you take some of their big guns out of the picture, the rest of the team tends to lose a bit of confidence.”

Marmion coach Dean Branstetter kept quiet through most of the meet, but appeared visibly frustrated as the match wore on.

“He’s just really disappointed,” said Pat Greco of his coach. “The wheels came off.”

The defeat reverberated even amongst the Cadets who performed well. The Greco brothers almost seemed to have forgotten about their pins.

“I don’t know, it’s hard to enjoy wins when we get losses like that,” Pat Greco said. “It’s really about the team for us right now.”

East loses see-saw game in opener

Published: December 23, 2008

Kane County Chronicle

The Northwest Herald version of the article can be found here.

WHEATON – It is easy to understand why the St. Charles East girls basketball team looked a little depressed after losing its first-round game in the Bill Neibch Holiday Tournament.

Several times throughout Monday's matchup, it looked like the game could have been the Saints'.

But at the final buzzer, it was Jacobs with the constantly swinging momentum on its side, and a 57-47 win.

The Saints started out in the lead, chipping away at the Golden Eagles' defense and making a couple of three-pointers from juniors Lexi Baltes and Jaime Rust.

Moreover, the Saints had limited Jacobs to only two points in the first quarter. East coach Lori Drumtra interpreted that as a positive sign.

"First quarter, they only scored two points and I felt like we shut them down," she said, "but then we lost them a little bit."

Jacobs came into the second period with much more intensity and powered its way from a 10-2 deficit to tie the score at the half, 21-21.

"That was huge," Jacobs coach Ed Haugens said, "We have not been a good second quarter team ... so that was by far the best second quarter we've played all year."

By attacking more on the inside, Jacobs drove in for layups and players such as junior Katy Cook came up with the rebound. Cook led the game with seven rebounds.

The Saints fought back, regaining a nine-point lead in the third quarter, but missing rebounds cost them and Jacobs drove back to lead at the end of the third quarter, 38-34.

Rust said the constantly shifting momentum seemed to both wear down the Saints and keep them on their toes.

"We didn't give up," she said, "but we just started slowing down and we didn't have the momentum." 

Rust led the team in scoring with 14 points. Baltes scored 11 points and grabbed six steals. But with the missed rebounds and changing intensity of the Golden Eagles, the Saints found themselves short.

"It's hard to play back-and-forth like that," Drumtra said. "I think our girls just need to work better on being consistent throughout the game. Communication-wise we could have been better."

The Saints weren't the only team lacking intensity Monday. Just before East took the floor, West Aurora lost to Glenbrook South, 64-40.

Unlike the Saints, the Blackhawks never seemed to be able to get momentum away from the Raiders.

"We were outmatched," West Aurora coach Connie Siljendahl said. "[Glenbrook South] is a very nice team."

For the Blackhawks, senior Briannica Tye made up for her lack of height with speed and drive, scoring 12 points. Junior Kiara Towles also scored 12 points and helped with several rebounds.

But both girls found themselves in foul trouble and ended up being sent out in the middle of the fourth.

Siljendahl said that her team needs to get together and energized for the remainder of the tournament.

"We just need to kick it in and ... start hustling more," she said. "We've got a lot of young kids. Sometimes they don't understand the fast pace of the game."

The Blackhawks and Saints will face each other in the consolation bracket at 10:30 a.m. today.

Review: My Dear Disco - Dancethink LP

Published: December 21, 2008

Pensatos.com

**1/2

Shakespeare has that line from Romeo and Juliet about a rose and the meaningless of names, but even as I’m reminded of that cliche, I can’t help but feel some added resentment toward My Dear Disco’s debut album, Dancethink LP. For all intensive purposes, dance music is one of the most utilitarian genres out there. Sure there are exceptions, but primarily speaking, it is not out to provoke deep thought. Why else would most people need to get drunk before they even think of hitting the floor?

My Dear Disco, a septet from Ann Arbor, will not make you think. In fact, the less you think about them, the better. Don’t think of this an insult so much as an admittedly backhanded compliment; they’re nothing transcendent, but if you need a big four-to-the-four disco beat to dance to, you could do much worse.

My Dear Disco at least has the songwriting chops for classic sounding hooks. “For Your Love’s” repeated mantra and keyboard lick sound straight off a 1980s dance compilation. Elsewhere, “Amsterdam” maintains a headfirst frantic pace and some catchy boy/girl harmonies.

But when there are amazing, forward-thinking and layered dance artists out there, like the Bug, Gui Boratto and much of DFA’s roster, it’s hard to really take Dancethink’s skin-level pleasures for more than what they really are. While greater bands will find time to be sonically inventive, My Dear Disco stick to the tried and true buzzing synthesizers, complex guitar riffs and auto-tuned siren vocasl via lead singer Michelle Chamuel.

Which is a shame, because My Dear Disco have enough energy to make even their clichéd ideas sound a bit welcoming. But energy or not, they’re still clichés. Perhaps in a live setting, they rise above their boxed-in sound. They sound like they could be a lot of fun for a late-night dance party. Just be sure to have a few drinks beforehand; wouldn’t want to be embarrassed trying to do the robot.

Royals win title in upset

Published: December 21, 2008

Kane County Chronicle

OSWEGO – With an undefeated record and starting lineup mostly made up of experienced upperclassmen, Batavia was expected to win the Oswego Holiday Classic tournament. Rosary, however, had other plans.

"We wanted to send a message," Rosary coach Dave Beebe said. "We knew they were a good team, so I said, 'Let's make a statement.' "

That statement was delivered Saturday, as the Royals gave the Bulldogs their first loss of the season, 58-38, and won the Oswego tournament for a second year in a row.

The domination largely was a result of a very successful second quarter for Rosary (12-3), outscoring Batavia by 16 points and turning its two-point lead into a 15-point lead.

Knowing of Batavia's speed, especially when it came to Natalie Tarter, the Royals stuck to zone defense and used their size to keep the Bulldogs (9-1) at a distance from the basket, forcing them to take shots.

"When I scouted [Batavia], a lot of their points came off layups and on fast breaks," Beebe said. "We wanted to make sure we didn't get beat off of the dribble."

The Bulldogs were forced to shoot and when those shots missed, Jordan Rettig and Katie Petrando were there for the easy rebound.

"We knew we had to limit their second shot," Petrando said, "so we boxed out, got in there and we rebounded."

Then Petrando and Rettig drove the points home, in a run that almost left Batavia coach Tim DeBruycker speechless.

"After one quarter I was happy. We were down two, but I thought, 'OK, they came out real intense but we're fine,' " he said, "And then second quarter – when they started making a run and we quit – that's probably the most baffling part of tonight."

Batavia came out hungrier in the second half, but despite doubling up Rettig, the Royals continued to overpower them, nudging their lead wider and wider.

Despite this, it did allow for the Bulldogs' Kara Lydon to have a great game from outside. She led Batavia with 17 points, including five three-pointers.

"I don't think our shooting was the problem," DeBruycker said. "It was just our defensive execution. We did not execute the game plan. ... That's not like us."

Petrando, who scored 16 points in the game, said Rosary's communication and togetherness won the game and the championship.

She was even a bit overwhelmed by their second-half lead.

"I was actually surprised," she said. "But we all put our heads together, we got the lead and we kept going."

Petrando and teammate Stephanie Haugen (10 points) made the all-tournement team, alongside opponents Lydon and Natalie Tarter (14 points).

Rettig took the tournament's MVP award and led the game with 22 points. She echoed Petrando's praise of the Royals' cohesiveness.

"It's a great feeling to come back and be able to take [the title], especially since we lost a bunch of seniors.

"We really came together as a team."

ACC clamps down in win

Published: December 13, 2008
Kane County Chronicle

AURORA – Although St. Francis' fans tried to taunt Aurora Central Catholic with memories of football, the Chargers towered over the Spartans defensively and won, 58-43, for their seventh straight victory of the season.

The Chargers (7-0, 3-0 Suburban Catholic Conference) were led not so much by scoring, but by effectively shutting down the Spartans and drawing fouls throughout the first half. St. Francis had only 12 points at the end of the second quarter.

Chargers coach Nate Drye said the old "best offense is a good defense" cliche has been the key to this undefeated season.

"We really think we've got the ability to shut teams down defensively and then it really doesn't matter what we do on offense," he said.

St. Francis (3-3, 1-2 SCC) barely could get close to the basket without being overpowered or blocked by one of ACC's big defenders, such as seniors Mike Adams and Nick Czaja. Only in the second half did they come alive with with some good shooting from senior Clint Pierce, whose 12 points all came from three-pointers.

David Palash also scored 12 points with some added second-half aggression, as the Spartans crept up to within eight points of the Chargers at the end of the third quarter. 36-28. But by that point the Chargers already had a substantial lead, they weren't about to let it go.

St. Francis' underdog spirit was not lost on the Chargers, who for the past six games have seen margins of victory in the 20- or 30-point category.

"They were smart. They took a lot of time off the clock and limited our offensive possession," Drye said. "But as long as they're not scoring we're going to be OK. "

Anthony Kelley, ACC's top-scorer of the night with 22 points, said he could feel the added Spartans pressure as soon as Mike Adams won the tip-off.

"The first possesion they were bodying me a lot," he said. "From then on, I knew it was going to be in-your-face type defense."

Kelley fought just as hard back, especially on a third quarter, momentum-assuring dunk assisted by Adams. "We're pretty much always on the same page and it's nice to always have someone looking for you like that," Kelley said.

Both teams were raking in fouls throughout the game. Czaja drew his four in the first half because of St. Francis's man-to-man pressure. "They really attacked me and Mike [Adams] down low," he said. "It looked like they were trying to get us off the court."

"Our kids have got some of the athleticism and the heart to against them man-to-man," St. Francis coach Shawn Healy said. He added that despite the loss, his team achieved a moral victory on the court.

"I thought we did an excellent job," he said. "They're averaging like 70 points a game we've got them to 25 at halftime."

Bulldogs' close victory fails to follow script

Published: December 12, 2008

Kane County Chronicle

BATAVIA – Many expected Batavia’s wrestling team to prevail over Geneva, and the Bulldogs did, 34-27.

But few could have seen the unexpected comeback drive Geneva pulled off Thursday for three straight matches.

It started in the second round of the 140 pound match. Batavia was up 31-9 and the Bulldogs’ Augie Watson led, 7-4. But in a surprise turn of events, Geneva’s Keith Reilly fought back hard enough to pin Watson.

Reilly would be the first of three straight Geneva wins by pin, with Nick Bradberry (145) and Justin Heinz (152) following, bringing Geneva within four points of Batavia (5-3, 2-0 Western Sun Conference.)

Bradberry said that Reilly’s victory helped light the spark in the rest of the team.

“We just knew that we needed a pin,” he said, “and we fought for it.”

Geneva (2-5, 1-1 WSC) would have needed four consecutive pins to take the meet, but Batavia’s Andrew Rudd halted Geneva’s momentum, toppling the Vikings’ Jeff Martins in the 160-pound match.

Batavia coach Tom Arlis said that the win was gladly earned but still a bit too close.

“It looked like we were going to run away with that for awhile,” he said. “[But] we lost five matches, three of them by pins. That’s big points. We talk about that every week ...  but we’ve got some young guys in there, and they’re still struggling with that.”

Both sides cited the absence of some key wrestlers. Batavia’s Nick Allen (152) was resting a minor shoulder injury, leaving junior varsity wrestler Jack Grimse to be pinned by Heinz. Arlis said Allen will return Monday.

Also appearing then will be Geneva’s standout heavyweight, Frank Boenzi, who will return to the team on Monday after a late run with the football team. Coach Tom Chernich said Boenzi could have earned the Vikings that fourth pin, or at least prevented one of Batavia’s. In the heavyweight match, Pat Martin nailed his debut varsity performance by pinning Jake Mills in 22 seconds.

“He’s a great addition,” Arlis said. “Holy cow, he came out like he’s been wrestling for life.”

The Bulldogs also had some expected help from undefeated Danny Watson (170) and Logan Arlis (119).

Watson practically pushed his opponent all over the mat, while Arlis earned the Bulldogs’ second victory by pin against Mason Kidd. Arlis enjoyed a substantial lead before getting Kidd on his back.

“That’s the way I want to wrestle,” Arlis said, “staying in control the whole match.”

The evening’s closest match came at the 135, as Geneva’s Collin Callahan held onto Batavia’s Tyler Patton in overtime. Several times, Callahan bled, and Chernich said that broke some his wrestler’s momentum.

“Collin looked like he had some opportunities to score, but we’ll never know [because of the blood],” he said.

Still, Chernich called it a “fun match,” and hopes that this lessons of the season so far – and Boenzi’s return – will do the Vikings good come postseason.

“We’ve wrestled a lot tougher schedule than we had in the past,” he said. “I have a lot of good wrestlers getting beat because of top-notch competition.”

Local musicians release benefit holiday album

Published: December 9, 2008

Northern Public Radio

[Intro:] A group of musicians known as the DeKalb Home Grown Music Association have put out a CD of original holiday music. The compilation is called "A Real Rough Christmas" and all of its proceeds will go the veterans support group VietNow.

Click blog title for audio 

Patience pays for Storm in win

Published: December 7, 2008

Kane County Chronicle

SOUTH ELGIN – For its sixth straight win, the South Elgin boys basketball team found its strength in patience.

While the Storm never were out of reach of taking the lead, there were some worried faces in the stands Saturday at the end of the first quarter of their home opener against Hampshire, an eventual 54-43 Storm win. South Elgin was trailing 13-9, and Shyler Ralphs was dominant for the Whip-Purs with 11 points.

But the second quarter brought to Hampshire a string of fouls and turnovers. The Whips (2-3) would end up turning the ball over 20 times before the final buzzer.

South Elgin's Tommy Childs, Erik Stade and Samuel Jordt used the first few Hampshire   mistakes to their advantage with back-to-back-to-back layups, tying the score at 15.

And as Ralphs left the court with a bloody nose three minutes into the quarter, senior Jeffrey Lewis hit a three-pointer, providing a lead that South Elgin (6-0) would not let go for the rest of the game.

The Storm's tight defense deserved most of the credit for maintaining its cool and turning a Hampshire rally into a scramble.

South Elgin senior Alex Sanchez personified how the Storm built upon their lead through patience.

"I came out first half ... with anxiety," he said. "I felt like I was doing too much. So I told myself I need to slow down and let the offense come to me instead of trying to force stuff to happen."

Sanchez's defensive cover of Ralphs kept him almost scoreless after the first quarter, save for two free throws.

"I kind of figured we'd come out slow, just because we were so high in warm-up," South Elgin coach Chaz Taft said. "So I told them, 'Guys, you shouldn't [worry if you miss] your first shot. ... You've got to calm down. You've got four quarters to play.'"

Lewis echoed that sentiment.

"We came out a little slow, but we just paid attention and were patient like a veteran team," Lewis said.

Sanchez scored all nine of his points in the second half. Lewis scored a team-high 16 points, and six other Storm players got on the scoreboard. 

"It's a different guy for us each night," Taft said of his team leaders.

Lewis said that is an example of his team's cohesiveness.

"Every night... we go to war for each other," Lewis said. "We don't really care who scores ... we just go out and play like we know how."

South Elgin hopes to extend its winning streak on Thursday at home against Upstate Eight Conference rival Larkin.

Economic crisis the focus of NIU Board of Trustees meeting

Published: December 5, 2008

Northern Public Radio

Click blog title for audio

Dan Arnold, Road Ranger president, appointed to state Historical Agency

Published: December 4, 2008
Northern Public Radio

Click blog title for audio

Intro: Gov. Rod Blagojevich has appointed a prominent business man from Rockford to serve on the state Historical Preservation Agency. The comes after the governor closed 19 historical sites and parks because of budget contsraints.

Unveiling Notes: The Lemonade Interview

Published: December 3, 2008

Pensatos.com

Sorry, it's a bit long to put here. Click the blog title or the link above to read.