Top Fox Valley story: Cary-Grove's magical year

Each school year brings enough freshness to life that when it comes to a close we can't help but reflect.

As has become an annual ritual, today we present the top stories of the year in Fox Valley high school sports. Please remember the annual disclaimer as well - this is not a scientific process. It's one guy's opinion.

Here we go:

10: Individual competition in the IHSA's 3-point showdown at the end of the basketball season has become almost exciting as the games themselves. It's a test of a teenager's patience to be shooting against other players for advancement in a contest that has now ended up on statewide TV at the state final level. Hampshire junior Jessie VanDorin earned herself some airtime this past season when she ripped through the regional and sectional levels and then won the Class 3A championship, giving her an opportunity to shoot for Queen of the Hill. She didn't win, but the excitement she brought to Whip-Pur fans will long be remembered.

9: There were some mighty lean years when Mike Rolando took over the St. Edward football program in 2006. But the Green Wave quickly turned the corner and last fall reached the playoffs for the first time since 2003 and only the third time in program history. Never mind the Wave lost in the first round of the playoffs, this team set the bar for the future. And expect to hear more about St. Edward in the future. This year's sophomore team was 9-0. The best part of this story? The Green Wave won the Suburban Christian Conference sportsmanship award. That means more than any win or playoff berth. And not to be outdone by a local school, South Elgin made a great run to its first-ever playoff berth. Storm coach Dale Schabert is to be commended for leaving a comfortable situation at Larkin and building a new program from scratch, then turning it into what will now be a perennial playoff contender.

8: We've got some mighty fine wrestling around these parts but when it comes to state medals, the area has had somewhat limited success over the years. But last winter, Eric Moreno of Bartlett took the fifth-place medal at state, Dundee-Crown's Miko Villanueva came home with third place and Burlington Central's Taylor Schuck wrestled for a Class 2A state championship at 171 pounds and came home the state runner-up.

7: The Bartlett girls basketball program was reeling after the 2008-09 season ended with the IHSA ruling the Hawks had to forfeit all their wins over a residency/guardianship issue. Instead of licking their wounds, the Hawks came back strong as ever and made a magical run to the sectional finals before losing a tough battle with perennial power Fenwick. A 21-10 season ended with great hope for the future, and with all 5 starters returning the Hawks could be a force in 2010-11. The rebound this season is a testament to coach Denise Sarna and what she stands for.

6: One can say it's only Class 1A but the run the Elgin Academy girl basketball team made to a supersectional was memorable. The Hilltoppers only finished 14-10 but they carried the school's basketball flag further than any other boys or girls sports team in the school's history.

5: There are some state banners hanging around the new Purple Palace at Hampshire, and now they need another one. The Whip-Purs' girls track quartet of Paige Membrano, Tiffany Phu, Holly Plichta and Cassie Kruse nipped Yorkville at the wire this spring to win the state's Class 2A 3,200-meter relay championship at Eastern Illinois University. And three of those four will be back next year as only Plichta graduates.

4: Not every story in this list can be positive. It was a tough year for Elgin Area School District U-46 in some regards, most notably the suspensions of uncertified basketball coaches at Larkin, subsequent forfeits, and the school being placed on probation by the IHSA. The hope here is new athletic director Chris Neibch is the answer. Couple the Larkin situation with the massive teacher layoffs in U-46 that has cost several coaches their jobs and, well, let's just say we hope better days are ahead for the state's second largest school district.

3: They had knocked on the door in 2007 when they made a trip to the Class A Elite Eight, but this year's run to the Class 1A state baseball championship was simply something magical for the Westminster Christian Warriors. Not many high school baseball teams have two pitchers like Kevin Elder and Ryan Perez, and they're back for two more years. Might need a new trophy case on Highland Avenue. Do we now get one of those nice green signs that people can see when they come into town? I've always wanted one of those in Elgin.

2: He had a goal, he set his mind to it, and he achieved it. With a heave of 189 feet, 3 inches, Huntley senior Marcus Popenfoose won the Class 3A state discus championship recently at Eastern Illinois University. He also finished second in the shot put, giving him a plethora of hardware to hang from his dorm room wall at Auburn University.

1: No-brainer. All 10 of these stories could have been about Cary-Grove, so we decided to lump them into one and anoint the Trojans' 2009-10 athletic year as the No. 1 story of the year. Try this on for size - and trust me, there's never been a list like this put together by one school in one year in this area. Football - conference champs, state champs. Girls volleyball - conference champs, state champs. Girls golf - conference champs. Boys cross country - conference champs, state qualifiers. Girls basketball - Conference and regional champs. Boys basketball - conference champs. Cheerleading - conference champs. Boys swimming - conference champs and individual state qualifier. Wrestling - Individual state qualifier. Boys golf - Conference champs and individual state qualifier. Softball - Conference champs and berth in Wednesday's supersectional. Baseball - Conference and regional champs. Girls track - Conference, sectional champs, state qualifiers.

And even the school's chess team took second place in IHSA state competition.

"I am very happy for our kids," said Bruce Kay, the school's longtime athletic director and head football coach. "They've worked hard."

So have we, so have all the coaches and athletes in the area, and so have you, the readers, in keeping us on our toes and being a good and supportive audience. And a special thanks to a special group of people that make my job so much easier, and that's the area's athletic secretaries.

I hear a softball field calling my name. Have a good summer everyone. It's only about 80 days until the opening of football season!