East softball falls behind early, can't catch up

Published: May 30, 2009
Kane County Chronicle

Photo by Wendy Kemp

ST. CHARLES – St. Charles East started its softball season with a 1-0 win against Glenbard North, but Glenbard North made sure it had the last word.

Glenbard North (25-8) scored three runs off of Saints starting pitcher Gaby Moe in the second inning, setting the tone in a 4-1 win on Saturday in the IHSA Class 4A St. Charles East Regional championship game.

The Panthers’ Jenny Nelson smacked a triple to deep left-center and was brought home by Laura Scott's RBI-single. Another single and a sacrifice bunt later, No. 8 batter Amanda Cygan belted in two more runs on an RBI single. Saints coach Kelly Barnett then took Moe off the mound and put in Katie Stengler to finish the game.

"Even our all-area pitcher can have on off day," East coach Kelly Barnett said. "It makes it a tougher climb, but our kids have been coming back all year."

Stengler kept the Panthers under control the rest of the game but Glenbard North’s ace pitcher Hannah Santora did the same against East the entire game, allowing only three hits and striking out five.

The Saints (24-10-1) waited until the fifth inning to break Glenbard North's shutout. Junior Jenny Niemiec led off with an uncharacteristic walk from Santora. She then advanced to second off Steph Roan's sacrifice bunt.

With two outs, Kayla Brooks provided what the Saints had been looking for all game – a double to the fence in left field that sent Niemiec home for the Saints’ only run.

"[Santora] was a really good pitcher," Niemiec said. "I thought I had her speed down ... but I ended up hitting a lot of foul balls."

The Panthers padded their lead to 4-1 in the seventh inning thanks to catcher Bri DiGioia's RBI double to center field.

The Saints made another effort to score in the bottom of the seventh after Rachael Edwards singled to right field. With one out, Brooks went to bat again and hit a grounder down the third-base line.

Glenbard North's third baseman, Alyssa Jasinski, ably stopped the ball and threw Brooks out at first, but then the Panthers went for the double play, looking to beat Edwards on her way to second.

The throw to second went astray, and Edwards made a dash for third, but was thrown out.

Despite the disappointment on Saturday, Niemiec looked back fondly on a season in which the Saints exceeded expectations in Barnett’s first year as head coach.

"This year was the best I've ever played," she said. "It's been memorable... We're all really close."

But for senior shortstop Rebecca Reinbold, her final game was a painful one.

"It [stinks] to go out like that," she said, "but [the team] will be back next year and they'll be great."

North duo lands just short of final day at state tennis tournament

Published: May 29, 2009
Kane County Chronicle

ROLLING MEADOWS – John Mittvick and David Johnson almost went the distance at the IHSA State Boys Tennis Tournament.

As it stands, they succeeded in going further in the state tournament than anyone in St. Charles North boys tennis history.

The doubles team followed followed up their strong performance in the tournament's first day with an arguably even stronger one on Friday, making it all the way to the seventh consolation round against a pair from defending state champion Hinsdale Central.

"There's no easy pickings on Friday," North coach Tim Matacio said. "If you're playing today, you are good. We're talking top 40 players."

It could have ended early as Mittvick and Johnson faced their first opponents, Charlie Clausner and Anand Puthanpurayil of Chatham Glenwood. Mittvick said he had to fight off fatigue throughout the match.

"It was kind of a slow start," he said. "I hate morning matches. But once we get started, it works out."

Mittvick and Johnson regained their footing to win the match 6-4. 7-5. They maintained that energy to get an early lead in both sets of their next match against David Martin and Cameron McClelland of Barrington, beating them 6-3, 6-4.

But it was their third win of the day against Alexander Gebert and Jacob Wilson of Oak Park-River Forest, a duo seeded in the 5-8 category, that provided North with the day's biggest accomplishment.

Mittvick and Johnson were brimming with confidence as they walked off the court from a 7-5, 6-3 victory.

"That was their highlight," Matacio said, "They were seeded 17-32, and they're in the top 16."

Unfortunately, the wait between the win and their fourth and final match of the day against Paul Cooper and Josh Sink of Hinsdale Central was a long one – almost two hours. That wait ended up hurting in their 6-4, 6-4 loss.

"They kind of built themselves up with that last win," Matacio said, "but it's hard to get the engine back running like that."

Johnson said that even though he and Mittvick had their school's best showing in state boys tennis, it would have been nice to come back for the final day on Saturday.

"We really wanted that last win," he said. "We were rolling, but they were just better."

In singles play, Batavia's Josh Cogan capped off his freshman season with two more back-draw wins before getting knocked out by Stevenson's Etham Frenkel. Cogan's senior opponent routed him in the first set, 6-3, but Cogan pulled ahead in the second set 5-4, using his deep-ball strategy that helped him conquer Kenta Shimizu of Fremd just prior, 7-6 (5), 3-6, 6-2.

"I tried to make the points longer and hit the ball deep," he said after his match with Shimizu. "It helps to spoil the momentum after a serve."

But the more experienced Frenkel came out strong against Cogan, to win the match 6-3, 7-5.

"You could tell he was really motivated to win," Batavia coach Bob Kummer said. "It was one of those, 'You had to be there to see it' moments."

Cogan said he had plenty of motivation for next year after his 34-3 high school debut, breaking his school's record for most wins in a season and longest winning streak (32).

"He just kept going and getting better and working hard," Kummer said. "And that's what you want to see ... He was getting better even at state."

"It was really fun," Cogan said. "I was able to win a lot of really good matches."

Cogan enjoys early success

Published: May 28, 2009
Kane County Chronicle

Photo by Jeff Krage

BUFFALO GROVE – Batavia freshman tennis player Josh Cogan treated the first day of the IHSA state tournament Thursday in much the way he has every match since dropping his season opener – a chance to keep racking up wins.

The freshman singles player, Batavia's only state qualifier, made the most out of the cool conditions, winning his first two matches against Tommy Nelson of Crystal Lake Central, 6-1, 6-2, and Max McLean of Belleville West, 6-2, 6-1.

In his second match, Cogan was able to maintain his early lead over McLean by hanging back and waiting for a moment to strike.

"I was up 3-0 in both sets," he said, "and he started to hit lobs instead of hitting it out. So I had to wait for short balls."

"He is a patient player," Batavia coach Bob Kummer said of Cogan. "He works the point really well."

But Cogan finally met his match in his third-round clash against New Trier's Andrew Scholnick, a sophomore seeded No. 8.

"I've known him for a long time [from United State Tennis Association], and he's really, really good," Cogan said.

Still, Cogan was able to keep a pace with Scholnick, ultimately losing the match, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4.

"It was intense," Kummer said. "The first set, [Scholnick] came out really strong and earned some key points. Josh responded well and controlled the second set. And in the third, [Scholnick] just got hot."

"Josh didn't lose it," Kummer added. "[Scholnick] won it by playing really well."

Cogan seemed to let the loss, only his second of the year and first since his season opener, slide off his back.

"I felt really good about how I played," he said. "I'm kind of floating on a cloud. ... There might be pressure to perform when I'm a senior, but not as a freshman. I'm having the time of my life."

Meanwhile, St. Charles North's six qualifying players earned their school 10 points on the team scoreboard.

"It's great for our program," North coach Tim Matacio said. "Everyone scored, which is what they had to do. ... Last year we had one point, and this year we've scored 10 in one day. It puts us in a position to be a state contender. And that's what we want to be – a program that consistently performs at state."

Seeded doubles team John Mittvick and David Johnson scored the most for North, winning two of their main-draw matches in straight sets. But then they faced opposition similar to Cogan's.

Their third-round match against the No. 2 seed pair from Stevenson made their previous two wins that day feel like a cakewalk by comparison.

As Johnson left the court after the 6-2, 6-2 loss, he joked about the powerful serves from Stevenson's Ross Putterman and David Packowitz.

"I thought I was going to die," he said. "[The ball] came toward my chest and I was barely able to block it."

"They're really good," Mittvick added. "And they're kind of like us, but better. I mean, one of them is really consistent, like David, and the other hits it hard."

Out of the the six North players, Mittvick and Johnson were the only ones to survive for Day 2 of the three-day tournament. Teammates Dan Oakes and Nikhil Mehta won their first-round match, 6-0, 6-0, against a pair from Ottawa Township, but then found themselves against Stevenson's other seeded doubles pair, Nick Stephan and Alex Tunner.

"We weren't really out of it," Mehta said of their 6-3, 6-2 loss. "They just overpowered us."

The two then dropprf their consolation match against Jim Deroche and Doug Nordli of Barrington, 6-3, 6-4.

Both of North's singles players were knocked out of competition as well, but not without some success first. Senior Felix Nitzsche took out his first opponent, Rafael Ramalho of DeKalb, 6-3, 6-1.

He then struggled against Fremd's Kenta Shimizu, losing, 6-0, 6-1. Nitzsche was able to advance in the consolation round, knocking out Pekin's Jeremy Milam, 6-2, 6-3.

His second back-draw meet found him in front a familiar foe – Yuto Tsukida of Streamwood, who beat Nitzsche in the Upstate Eight Conference tournament in straight sets. Nitzsche was able to win his first set, 6-4, but came up on the losing end of several close games in the following sets, losing 6-1, 6-3.

"[State competition] is different," Nitzsche said, "because you can see everyone can play and every match is intense."

His fellow singles player Christian Hoskey lost his first-round match, 6-1, 6-0, won his consolation match against Blake Hollenbeck of Belleville West, 6-0, 7-5, and then dropped his third match of the day against Sam Winkler of Lake Forest, 6-1, 6-2.

"I'm happy that I got the win," Hoskey said. "We needed that."

Marmion's sole doubles team was knocked out. Josh Mason and Austin McWethy dropped their first match against Raghav Sani and Ben Main of Freeport, 6-2, 6-3.

They won the first set of their first-round consolation match with a 7-1 tiebreaker, but opponents Tom Rapp and Josh Lange of Triad came back to win the next two sets, 6-4, 6-4.

Shutout ends Batavia's season

Published: May 27, 2009
Kane County Chronicle

ST. CHARLES – The Bulldogs hoped to end their season with a regional title but came up empty handed in the IHSA Class 4A St. Charles East Regional softball semifinals.

Led by the quick pitching of Hannah Santora, Glenbard North shut out Batavia, 5-0. The Bulldogs could have taken an early lead but had trouble cashing in on their opportunities.

"We had chances," Batavia coach Lee Pedraza said, "but we didn't answer the bell when it was rung."

Their first chance came with Santora's very first pitch. Senior Kelly Coleman bunted to first base thanks to an overthrown ball. Senior Alexa Schofield advanced her to second off a sacrifice bunt on the following pitch.

But sophomores Christine Lynam and Brooke Nelson would leave Coleman stranded on base with a strikeout and ground out to first, respectively.

The Panthers (24-8) turned the tables in the second inning, cashing in on a Batavia error to take a 1-0 lead. With two outs and Glenbard North's Shannon Hood on second, right-fielder Jenny Blasias hit an infield pop fly. But Lynam at third and Nelson on the mound didn't call for it an ended up colliding. Hood scored on the error.

The same problem played out in the fifth inning, as Santora hit another infield pop-up, and Batavia's split-second pause let the ball drop and gave Santora a single.

It was difficult for Nelson's pitching to compete with Santora's. The Panther had seven strikeouts and gave up three hits. Nelson at least finished her season with her third strikeout of the day, after giving up 10 hits.

She also gave up two-run homer in the fifth inning, which gave Glenbard North its 5-0 lead. Still, Pedraza said the shakeups were not Nelson's fault.

"Their pitcher was very relaxed," Pedraza said, "but I think Brooke did an outstanding job. ... We just had some miscues in the infield."

Batavia (15-17) came close to scoring in the fourth, after leadoff batter Schofield tripled on a deep ball to right field. But Santora turned up the heat in retaliation, striking out the next three batters she faced.

"Once again," Pedraza said, "good hitters didn't answer the call."

Still, the Bulldogs took the sting out of the season-ender with some reflection on what they were able to do in the 31 previous games.

"I think every year is a learning year, especially this one," junior Katie Luetkens said. "We did advance on our goals. Not all of them of course – we really wanted to win this game. ... But last year we won nine games."

"We're still a young team," Schofield said.

Still, she added, after four years of playing softball, it's good to know that things are improving and still can.

"We've really helped build the program this year," she said.

"I told them, 'Let's not end this season. Let's try to build on it over the summer for next year," Pedraza said.

Glenbard North will play St. Charles East for the regional title at 11 a.m. Saturday.

Saints, Foulkes go out early

Published: May 25, 2009
Kane County Chronicle

ST. CHARLES – From the way the Addison Trail and St. Charles East baseball teams traded the lead back and forth, some in the stands were saying that whichever team batted last would be the winner.

"That's what I thought [too]," East coach Mark Foulkes said, "I mean, we never felt out of it even when they got the lead."

But as Tom Konrad popped out to close the bottom of the seventh inning, the Saints saw their season end Monday with an 8-6 loss at the hands of Addison Trail in the first round of the IHSA Class 4A St. Charles East Regional.

The Saints scored first as Robert Wendt (2-for-4) made it to third base off an error in center field. Ryan Sotern followed that up with a sacrifice fly to get his first of three RBIs.

But the Trailblazers climbed ahead in the second inning as starting pitcher Kyle Wiebe (3-7) gave up two hits and two runs. Wiebe and Wendt would answer back with an RBI each to give East a 3-2 lead.

Addison Trail, though, would not lie down, adding three runs thanks in big part to Matt Turk's two-run homer in the third.

Addison Trail's final push against the Saints came in the sixth inning when it extended its lead with a pair of runs, the result of East errors. Turk broke the 6-6 tie with two RBIs off of a dropped fly ball in right field.

"We talked about execution and just getting the little things right before the game," Foulkes said, "but our errors came on balls that were routine plays."

"Disappointing" was a word said by many of the Saints (15-18) after the season-ending defeat.

East junior Sotern said the disappointment hit in several ways.

"We wanted to [win] for the seniors, take them as far as we could," said Sotern, who scored East's last runs of the game in the fourth inning with a two-run RBI single.

"It's frustrating that we couldn't come up with one more big hit. They did, and that's why they won."

However, Foulkes said that the Saints were their own worst enemy.

"We didn't play clean baseball, but at least we still hung in there," he said.

The loss did not just signify the end of the Saints' season. It also signified the last game for Foulkes as head coach. Last week, he announced he would be leaving after six years as East's coach to accept an administrative position at nearby Wredling Middle School.

Foulkes did not want to wax nostalgic too much. He simply summed up his experience at East by saying, "It's a fun place."

Royals capture 1st title

Published: May 23, 2009

DeKalb Daily Chronicle

BIG ROCK – Of the two teams in the Class 1A Hinckley-Big Rock Baseball Regional championship game, one was seeded first and the other had a losing record.

But no one could tell which team was which as Indian Creek and Hinckley-Big Rock battled each other for the title, which the Royals won, 3-2, over their rival on Saturday at Kenny Field in Big Rock.

Not only was it the first regional victory for H-BR coach Matt Olson – it’s the first regional title in baseball in school history.

“We started off kind of rocky,” Olson said. “but then we started playing good at the end of the season and it carried over to the playoffs.”

Olson added that junior Colton Craig’s pitching was a key factor in their game plan. But Timberwolves starter Josh Lazzarotto didn’t make things easy. For the majority of the game, the two pitched similar, almost symmetrical innings.

When Lazzarotto forced out the Royals (12-16) into a three-up-three-down first inning, Craig returned the favor with two strikeouts. When Lazzarotto gave up hits but still kept things scoreless in the second inning, Craig also gave up a hit and kept things scoreless.

And when H-BR’s Jake Paver scored the game’s first run in the third, Indian Creek countered one of their own in the third.

Paver got on base after beating a throw to first, advanced to second with a bunt by Craig and stole third. When the throw to tag him out went past third baseman Josh Johnson, Paver bolted towards home.

“I was like ‘Let’s hope I make it,’ “ Paver said. “I thought they might get me.”

But Johnson was able to get the last laugh of the inning right after his RBI single brought home pinch-runner Steven Voris to tie the game 1-1.

Neither team would score again until the fifth inning. With Paver once again on base, Dylan Johnson hit a far, fly ball to left-center, giving Paver his second run of the game and earning Johnson an RBI double.

“I was kind of disappointed,” Paver said. “I thought it was [a home run]. But he got hit in too, so it worked out.”

The Timberwolves then began to differ from the pattern. While Indian Creek’s Josh Johnson hit an RBI double to bring the game to 3-2 with two outs on the board, the Royals maintained their one-run lead for the inning and the rest of the game.

“It’s definitely sweet,” said Craig said of the title after striking out seven to improve to 4-6 on the year. “It was a close game, and I just tried to hit my spots.”

Even when he didn’t hit his spots, Craig said he the stakes were too high to lose focus.

“My coaches have told me that baseball is a game of short memory,” said Craig, who allowed five hits. “You just forget the bad throws.”

Indian Creek coach Mike Kniffin also praised his pitcher - Lazzarotto earned five strikeouts and gave up six hits in the six innings he pitched – but said that in the end, the Timberwolves beat themselves with errors.

“We were in it the whole game. We just made too many mistakes,” he said.

Kniffin, who completed his first season with Indian Creek, said that he was proud of his team’s season.

“We had a hell of a year ... 21-11 is a good record,” Kniffin said.

Barbs' season ends

Published: May 22, 2009
DeKalb Daily Chronicle

ROCKFORD – After an early season 7-0 shutout, the DeKalb girls soccer team knew that the key to beating Rockford Boylan was to keep things close, with a one-goal difference ideally.

Unfortunately, the Titans defense kept them from getting almost any shots on their goalie, and the Barbs fell 3-0 to Boylan in the 3A Boylan Regional final.

Not that DeKalb’s defense laid down on the job. Despite Boylan’s several shots on sophomore Nicole Smith, the Barbs managed to get the ball out with a steal or header.

“I knew we were going to have to play a little more defense,” DeKalb coach Phil Rouse said. “But I knew that whoever got to two goals first would win.”

The first half had DeKalb (9-11) feeling better about its chances. Boylan had only managed one goal, which came from senior Ashley Botts heading in a corner kick at 10:35 left in the first half.

But the second came two minutes into the second half, again, thanks to a header off a corner kick from senior Kristina Kelly.

With 1:26 left in the game, Kelly would do the same thing to bring about the game’s final score.

The problems came from DeKalb not being able to get the ball up into Boylan’s territory, instead kicking it out of bounds or back to Titan forwards. After the second goal, every corner kick became a tense moment.

“[DeKalb] did a nice job on defense,” Boylan coach Mark Couper said. “Nothing was easy. It was a matter of capitalizing on dead balls.”

The Barbs tried to look positively on their improvements since the last time they played the Titans (18-5).

“Because [the first game] was so early in the season we didn’t feel like it was the same team playing them,” Rouse said. “We came and played toe-to-toe.”

Junior Karen Lehan helped lead the charge on defense, despite having to leave to game temporarily after hitting her head against a Titan foward’s head.

“It’s tough when you have to play 70 minutes on defense,” she said. “But we definitely improved on that end.”

Still, it was hard for DeKalb to mask the sting of getting so far and not getting a chance to play in the Algonquin Jacobs Sectional.

“There’s nothing I could say to take away the pain,” Rouse said. “But they came and they played their best, and I’m real proud of them.”

For Lehan, one thing needs to happen before she can look forward to another chance next year: “First we have to celebrate with our seniors.”

T'wolves breeze to win over Paw Paw

Published: May 20, 2009

DeKalb Daily Chronicle

ANDREW MITCHELL

sports@daily-chronicle.com

BIG ROCK - Indian Creek's dominating start their post-season could be credited to their strong defense and Paw Paw's several mistakes, but pitcher Reese Bend says that one shouldn't count out something a little more supernatural.

"[Trevor Foster] has a lucky glove," Bend says. "He hit a grand slam our last game, and I hit a home run today."

But by the time Bend hit his sixth-inning solo homer in the IHSA Class 1A Hinckley-Big Rock Regional game, they didn't really need the luck. The Timberwolves (21-10) were already up 8-1 before his bomb to left-center.

Later in the inning, Steven Voris would bring Indian Creek's score to the double digits with an RBI single, and Cal Herrmann (three-for-four, one run) ended the game in the sixth with a walk-off RBI-triple to win the game 11-1.

"We feel pretty confident," coach Tim Harrington said. "Everybody got on base and pulled together on defense."

That defense was led by Bend, who gave up six hits and one walk as he pitched all six innings. He also struck out five.

One of those strikeouts came in a crucial top of the fifth inning. After giving up two singles and walk, Bend found himself with one out and the bases loaded.

Bulldogs pitcher Heath Nicholson (16 hits, four strikeouts) came to the mound, ready to bring a runner home, but Bend kept his focus and threw him a 1-2 strikeout.

Tyler Foster came up to the plate next and forced a ground out to first to end the inning.

Harrington said the inning was just an example of how Bend (3-0) has performed all season.

"He's been doing a nice job for us," Harrington said. "He's been really avoiding walks, making them hit it, making them earn their bases."

"I don't know," Bend said when asked how he kept his cool, "you just have to keep it together because the team's depending on you." He added that he the support of his team's defense behind greatly helped as well.

Indian Creek will go on to play with Hinckley-Big Rock or Ashton-Franklin Center Saturday at 2 p.m. for the Regional title. Once again, Harrington echoed his confidence in the Timberwolves.

"We've got our No. 1 and No. 2 pitcher ready for the game," he said.

When asked which team he would rather face, he said it didn't really matter, but Hinckley-Big Rock did beat them once in the regular season. "It would be nice to get two wins out of Hinckley," he said.

Quick goal sets tone for Cogs

Published: May 19, 2009

DeKalb Daily Chronicle

ELGIN – It only took 33 seconds for the Genoa-Kingston girls soccer team to be at a disadvantage in the Class 1A Westminster Christian Regional title game against St. Edward.

As the Lady Waves passed the kick-off closer toward the Cogs goal, Mallory Malone kicked a high flying shot into the wind, which curved the ball perfectly into the top right corner of the net.

From there, it was a match of G-K trying to keep St. Edward out of its half; a hard feat considering the Lady Waves were playing their offense as tightly as their defense.

“I think we came out a little nervous,” Cogs coach Randy Tate said. “We’re not used to playing these big games and they jumped on us kind of early.”

St. Edward did not come out nearly as early in the second half. Malone went for her game-starting shot again, but missed. However, Brittany Brozek didn’t miss her shot five minutes into the second half, taking the lead to 2-0 thanks to a corner assist from Jordyn Madden.

G-K (11-11-1) scored the second goal as a signal to push ahead harder. The Cogs put pressure on St. Edward’s defense, but the Waves’ defense would not crack, even as senior Kathryn Graff and junior Rachel Harris tried for the corner assist St. Edward got past them.

“It came down to finishing,” G-K’s Graff said. “In soccer you have to get the ball in the net, and they made sure we didn’t.”

Rachel Harris felt the frustration as well. “The was a big difference in the goalie sizes,” she said. “They took advantage of our smaller size.”

In the end, the Cogs felt they were simply outplayed.

“We just couldn’t crack their defense” Tate said, “and that wears you down after awhile.”

“They played really really well,” Harris added. “There’s just no breaking their goalie.”

St. Edward would cement their shutout lead with another goal from Colleen Kerger off a corner kick, with 9:45 left in the game, giving them a 3-0 regional title victory.

It was an emotional way for G-K to end the season. As the girls held each other walking off the field, Harris said it was hard to reconcile the season’s end after the surprises they were able to pull off earlier in the tournament.

“It’s still emotional,” she said. “We went so much farther than anyone thought we would.”

Graff agreed, saying that it will be hard saying goodbye to the team and the five other seniors she’s play with for years, but not without adding, “But at least we left strong.”

Neuqua Valley tops North at UEC meet

Published: May 18, 2009

Kane County Chronicle

ST. CHARLES – With an almost-insurmountable lead going into the Upstate Eight Conference meet, Neuqua Valley solidly met its high expectations, taking first place in six of the seven brackets, including all four doubles.

But at No. 1 singles, St. Charles North's Felix Nitsche was able to keep Neuqua's Abhi Singh at bay in the semifinals, and pull off a first-set comeback to boot.

As the weather turned momentarily windy and overcast, Nitsche fought to keep Singh's lead at one game. But tied at 4-4, Nitsche pulled into his first lead of the day, picking up 5-4 lead.

Singh didn't make winning the set easy, but after losing the 7-4 tiebreaker, Nitsche found himself on easier ground and took the second set, 6-1. 

"It's always hard when you're behind," Nitsche said. "You're always under pressure. ... I just had to think positive. I knew I could make it. I'm good under pressure."

But Nitsche finished second in his bracket after losing the final match to Streamwood's Yuto Tsukida.

Nitsche wasn't the only North Star to make it to a final. Alex Enskat took second in the No. 3 singles, losing to Mike Baiocchi of Neuqua, 6-4, 6-1. No. 2 doubles Nikhil Mehta and Dan Oates and No. 4 doubles Ludvig Runestam and Kyle Pashan also took second place, falling only to Neuqua in the two sets.

The week before, North coach Tim Matacio said Neuqua was the only school standing in the North Stars' way.

"You never know what to expect," he said, "but I guess it's gone the way things were seeded at least."

For the Saints, Ryan McNally and David O'Dell guaranteed a top-four placement in the No. 2 doubles. At press time, they were battling for third place with Lake Park.

Not that East coach Sena Drawer was able to get too involved in any of her team's matches. As the meet's host, she spent most of the day making sure players were where they were supposed to be and tallying up the scores.

"I think I've seen about 10 minutes of tennis today," she said.

Royals earn playoff revenge over rival

Published: May 17, 2009

DeKalb Daily Chronicle

WATERMAN – A year ago, Indian Creek put an early end to Hinckley-Big Rock’s post-season – and on Hinckley’s own home turf.

This year, however, the tables have turned.

Hinckley Big-Rock knocked out the Timberwolves, 3-2, in a windy third match of the Class 1A Indian Creek Regional.

“With this intense rivalry,” Royals coach Paul Taeuber said, “it’s nice to return the favor.”

With the wind at their back, the Royals jumped out early thanks to sophomore Sarah Paver taking advantage of a goal opportunity in the game’s eighth minute.

“I got a breakaway and I was about to pass it,” Paver said, “but I saw I the open shot and went for it.”

Her goal was the only score of the first half, as Indian Creek had to push hard to get the ball on Royal turf. The Timberwolves had to keep pushing even with the wind in their favor for the start of the second half, but eventually broke through in the game’s 50th minute.

Timberwolves senior Taylor Case took advantage of a breakaway to pass to sophomore Gretchen Tyler, who shot from the corner, eliciting a big save from Hinckley-Big Rock goalkeeper Jessica Leifheit.
Indian Creek’s Katie Hunt would have one of her shots knocked down by Leifheit minutes late, but claimed vengeance in the form of a penalty kick with 25 minutes left in the game.

At first, Leifheit easily pounced Hunt’s kick, but when the ref’s called for a redo, because Leifheit had moved before the whistle, Hunt’s shot sailed into the net to tie the game 1-1.

From there, Indian Creek’s swagger seemed to multiply tenfold. But that confidence led to some rough play and yellow cards for the Timberwolves.

The Royals kept steady and took the lead back with 11:34 left in the game, thanks to a shot from senior Bianca Edmeier. Almost two minutes later, after Case was given a yellow card for tripping Hinckley-Big Rock’s Hannah Hildebrand, freshman Katie Hollis extended the Royals’ lead to 3-1.

Tyler scored another goal for the Timberwolves with seven minutes left, but Indian Creek couldn’t overcome Hinckley’s lead.

Taeuber said his team’s drive to beat its rival after tying their regular-season game was the deciding factor.

“Our goal was not to lose focus and let down our determination,” Taeuber said. “I taught them this word, ‘ganas,’ which means ‘desire’ ... and they’ve taken it to heart.”

The Royals now have to face Princeton, who shut out Mendota, 4-0, in Saturday’s opening game, Tuesday for the regional title. Princeton also shut out the Royals earlier this season, 2-0. But that isn’t scaring off the Royals.

“It will be intense,” Paver said, “but we can beat them.”

For five IC senors, the loss to their rival spells the end of a high school career. Timberwolves’ (6-8-4) coach Don Hunt said it is going to be difficult to replace the seniors – Case, Hunt, Benay Larson, Lindsay Richarson and Laura Tuma.

“It’s going to be hard to lose these seniors,” Hunt said. “They gave me a lot in the four years they’ve been in the program. It’s going to be hard to replace any one of them.”

*Double-Header*

In which I cover a double-header baseball match for two different papers.

Published: May 14, 2009

Kane County Chronicle

"Knights cruise in Game 1, but split doubleheader"

SYCAMORE – Lady Luck didn't play favorites in the Kaneland baseball team's doubleheader split Thursday against Sycamore. 

First, the Knights let Sycamore tally the game's first run in the first inning of Game 1, enabled by a two-base error. It seemed as if the Knights' defense might have difficulty weathering the Spartans.

And then Kaneland came to bat, and saw some real gift-giving. Kaneland almost went through its entire batting order twice in the first inning as pitchers Corey Ullmark and Trent Owens walked seven batters and gave up 12 runs collectively.

"I don't want to get in trouble by saying too much," Kaneland coach Brian Aversa said. "Jeff [Smith] pitched a great game and we took advantage of some extraordinary circumstances."

Smith said that after the huge first inning, getting confidence on the mound was easy.

"When we get such a big lead, I can go after the batters more," he said. "I don't have to worry about letting [in] too many runs."

He only let another run slip by in the final inning of the Knights' 15-2 five-inning victory. Smith also had 10 strikeouts.

In Game 2, it appeared like fortune might again fall with the Knights (20-8, 11-6 Western Sun Conference). After a tense and scoreless three innings, Kaneland broke through and scored three runs in the fourth, two coming from Aaron Lamp's RBI double and one as Joe Camiliere crossed home on a wild pitch.

But as pitcher Troy Pritchard started to lose some of his edge – walking three batters in the bottom of the sixth – Sycamore found its opening.

With the bases loaded and one out, Sycamore's Kyle Szychlinski hit a grounder up the middle and the Knights went for a double play. But while they got a man out at second, the throw to first scooted by and Landes and Danny Schroeder scored the decisive runs.

Sycamore coach Jason Cavanaugh said the change of fate in his 4-3 win came from his team finally waking up after 10 innings.

"We didn't do anything all day," he said, "not in the first and not for five innings of the second. ... In the end it just came down to catching a break."

He added that the split was good for Sycamore (17-10, 9-9 WSC) as the Spartans work to earn respect for themselves and from the rest of the conference.

-----

DeKalb Daily Chronicle

"Spartans catch break, split doubleheader"

SYCAMORE – Lady Luck didn’t play favorites in Sycamore’s doubleheader against Kaneland.

First, the Spartans collapsed on themselves in the first two innings of a 15-2, five-inning loss in Game 1, as pitchers Corey Ullmark and Trent Owens gave up seven runs and 12 runs between the two of them.

Sycamore’s only early offense came when Danny Schroeder scored a run off of Kyle Landes’ RBI double.

“I don’t want to get in trouble by saying too much,” Kaneland coach Brian Aversa said. “We took advantage of some extraordinary circumstances.”

Sycamore came back to win Game 2, 4-3.

Things still looked bad late in the second game, as the Spartans (17-10, 9-9 Western Sun Conference) trailed 3-0 heading to the bottom of the sixth inning.

But Kaneland’s Troy Pritchard started to lose some of his edge, walking three batters.

With the bases loaded and one out, and the score at 3-2, Kyle Szychlinski hit a grounder up the middle and the Knights went for a double play. But while they got a man out at second, the throw to first slipped by and Landes and Schroeder scored to take the lead and give the game back to Sycamore.

“We didn’t do anything all day,” Sycamore coach Jason Cavanaugh said, “not in the first and not for five innings of the second. In the end it just came down to catching a break.”

“With the bases loaded, it’s really important to get a solid hit,” Szychlinski said. “I was really hoping to hit it in the outfield.”

Still, Szychlinski and the rest of the team weren’t about to argue with the errors that earned them a 4-3 comeback victory.

“That almost made up for [the first game],” Szychlinski said. “It feels good to finally beat someone, especially after losing twice.”

For Kaneland (20-8, 11-6 WSC), the loss was a matter of some bad breaks.

“We should have made some plays,” Aversa said. “That double play should have been ours.”

Still, he was impressed enough with the Jeff Smith’s first game performance. Smith only allowed three hits and had 10 strikeouts.

Wind fills North Stars' sails in UEC sweep

Published: May 12, 2009

Kane County Chronicle

ST. CHARLES – Few could ignore the stiff breezes blowing on St. Charles North's tennis courts Tuesday. 

But the wind blew heavily in North's favor as the North stars swept crosstown rival St. Charles East, 7-0, in the teams' last dual meet before the Upstate Eight Conference tournament this weekend.

North's No. 1 doubles team, David Johnson and John Mittvick, dominated the match against East's Sam Leopardo and Nick Romano, 6-0, 6-0, by keeping their shots under control.

"We knew we had to stay as consistent as possible," Johnson said, "especially in this wind."

No. 1 singles player Felix Nitzsche said the same thing about his 6-2, 6-2 win against Paul Reiff.

"You have to switch your game a little bit and play safer," he said. "I really tried to play safe and make no errors."

North coach Tim Matacio said his team is used to playing with conditions that sometimes sent balls flying over the fence around the court.

"The wind is usually an equalizer," he said. "I mean, we've played so much in windy conditions. ... [They] just have to stay in it."

The Saints were not without some inspired efforts, despite not being on the winning side of  their matches. Nick Niemiec dropped his first No. 3 singles set against Alex Enskat, 6-0, but fought back in second set, forcing Enskat to seven games.

At No. 3 doubles, Sam Decker and freshman Connor Davis made North's Patrick Corrigan and Parker Featherston work for their 6-4, 6-4 win. 

"They were the team that handled the pressure really well," East coach Sena Drawer said. "Connor is growing by leaps and bounds, and it's helping Sam pick up his game, as well."

She also praised Reiff's match against Nitzsche. 

"Emotionally, he's handling things really well," she said. "He's not looking for excuses."

Nor was Drawer looking for excuses, saying that the windy conditions were just something everyone had to battle.

"The more you play, the more you know to play the elements," she said. "We're just seeing the effects of being a young and inexperienced team."

The crosstown meet went without hard feelings; the two teams even shared pizza after the meet.

"There's not really an East-North rivalry. It's more like friends in tennis," Mittvick said. "The only people standing in our way is Neuqua [Valley]."

Hynes breaks school record again

Published: May 7, 2009

Kane County Chronicle

NAPERVILLE – Even if St. Charles East didn't place first in the Upstate Conference Girls Track Meet, there was plenty of reasons for the Saints' camp to celebrate.

The greatest of which arguably came from Lizzy Hynes' second school record-breaking time in the 3,200-meter run in two weeks.

Hynes kept close behind Lake Park's Lindsay Flanagan, for the first 1,200 meters, before breaking ahead.

"I didn't want to be leading early and then die out in the end," she said. 

Hynes ably avoided a flameout, speeding to first in 10:32.2, outpacing Flanagan by nine seconds. East's Mallory Abel followed them both to place third in 11:36.75.

"It's pretty cool taking first," Hynes said. "I really wanted to run against the top runner in the state. I'm pretty excited for sectionals now." 

And she's not the only one according to East coach Denise Hefferin. With Hynes ruling the long-distances on Thursday night, East also flexed its muscles in the 4x200-meter relay, placing second in 1:49.44.

"This is the year we've had a sprints team, instead of just a few really good sprinters," Hefferin said. "It started during [the indoor season] and has solidified outdoors."

East finised second to Waubonsie Valley with 94 points. St. Charles North finished in sixth place.

Hefferin said the Saints just needed to keep their heads going into their post-season.

"We just to need keep doing what we're doing," she said. "As long as they're calm and focused on sectionals, we'll be all right."

St. Charles North hung around fifth place in the team scores for most of the day, with highlights sprinkled throughout. Jenna Loynachan showed off her season-long improvements by taking first in the 400-meter dash with a time of 1:00.94. 

North also earned big points in the pole vault, with Meredith Beird and Danielle Goebbert clearing 10-feet to place second and third respectively.

"They're coming out strong," North coach Sarah Manwaring said of her team. "I think we've continually dropped our times all season."

Nonetheless, Manwaring said that missing out on the Kane County Meet because of Batavia's swine flu closure was a hurdle for the North Stars to get over before the conference meet.

"I still think our big break will be at sectionals," she said. "We're testing things out here that we wanted to do at the Kane County Meet." 

The meet was delayed for 30 minutes after a short thunderstorm rolled by Neuqua Valley. But both coaches said the weather is the least of their concerns going into sectionals. 

"We just need to keep off injury, sickness, soreness," Manwaring said. "The delay was no big deal. I'm just glad they got to run."

Geneva tennis fends off fatigue, West

Published: May 4, 2009

Kane County Chronicle

Photo by Rob Winner

GENEVA – After the weekend, some of Geneva’s tennis players were joking about “prom fatigue.”

At least that’s one possible reason why No. 1 doubles player Braden Dalton said he and teammate Greg Adelman were a little rusty in their first set against West Aurora’s Jeff King and Mike Hohm.

“It was a long weekend,” Dalton said, “[so] it was a long match today with a lot of long games. One game had 10 deuces.”

But that rustiness was only in the first set, and it only cost them two games, as Dalton and Adelman locked into a groove and easily won their match, 6-2, 6-0.

The No. 2 and 3 doubles matches showed only fleeting signs of fatigue for the Vikings, as Mike Fellicelli and Mike Tourte took their No. 2 match 6-0, 6-1, helping Geneva win the dual meet, 4-3.

Wins in doubles – Geneva’s usual strongsuit – weren’t the only thing that helped the Vikings (13-5) take the match. Because West Aurora only brought 10 players, they decided to play four singles matches and only three doubles.

It was sophomore Kevin Potts (No. 4 singles), called up from junior varsity, who put the Vikings over the edge, beating Kevin Thanadabout, 6-1, 6-0.

The rest of Geneva’s singles struggled, with Collin Rapp at No. 1 showing the most fight in his second set against Matt Kuntzi. Kuntzi won the first set, then almost went into a tiebreaker for the second. Kuntzi ended up prevailing over Rapp for a 6-2, 7-5 win.

Rapp was glad to have made the second set more competitive.

“I had to settle down,” Rapp said, “I had to not back down.”

Still, the story of the match mirrored the story of Geneva’s tennis all season - strong doubles, struggling singles.

“The problem with singles is unless you have someone who’s been intensely working out over the summer with the USTA, it’s tough to be a really strong leader,” Geneva coach Peter Burkhardt said.

Burkhardt said he’s already looking forward to the postseason potential of his team, with this weekend’s Naperville Invitational tournament being the team’s last weekend invite before the Western Sun Conference meet.