Scouting the boys gymnastics state meet / Northwest
Scouting boys gymnastics state meet / Northwest
What: 61st Boys state gymnastics finals
Where: Lincoln-Way East High School, Frankfort
When: Friday: Team and all-around finals, 5:30 p.m. Saturday: Individual event qualifying 11:30 a.m.; Individual event finals 6:30 p.m.
Area teams: Buffalo Grove and Conant
Area qualifiers: Buffalo Grove: Steve Pauley, David Kavalerchik, Zav Halap, Kirtan Patel, Tyler Cho, Matt Scislowski, Chris Jacob and Jake Siebert. Conant: Joey Mauk, Brian Reedy, Josh Hoppe, Zack Davis, Blake Rossdeutcher and Brandon Metcalf. Elgin: Steve Merena. Elk Grove: Tom Valadez. Fremd: C.J. Patton. Hersey: Jonathan Phelps, Paul Yang, Matt Swanson, Matt Korff, David Jackowski and Alex Baratta. Hoffman Estates: Alex Peralta and Michael Rodriguez. Leyden: Tavaris Fletcher. Palatine: Ben Dibuz, Pratik Patel, Lucas Price and Austin Hoening . Prospect: Tim Pappas, Ringo Larock and Chris Klein. Rolling Meadows: Alex Smith and Matt Crigler. Schaumburg: Palak Patel, Elliot Lam and Mat Sigler.
Outlook: Conant, which posted the second-best score at sectionals last week with a 154.60, is hoping to bring home a seventh trophy. Buffalo Grove, which was an at-large qualifier with a 150.70, is making its first appearance at the state finals since 1980. The Bison will be joined on Friday by sectional winners Wheaton Co-Op, Downers Grove South, Stevenson and Mundelein along with at-large teams from Hinsdale Central and Lyons.
The all-around will be contested at the same time Friday with Conant’s Joey Mauk, Brian Reedy, and Blake Rossdeutcher along with Fremd’s C.J. Patton, Buffalo Grove’s David Kavalerchik and Elgin’s Steve Merena competing.
The individual finals on Saturday have two of the area’s gymnasts favored in two of the six events. Patton, who was second in the state last year in pommel horse, had the highest sectional score while Mauk could be going for perfection after scoring a state-record 9.90 in the sectional parallel bars.
— Dick Quagliano