St. Charles Kick-A-Thon sets another record
Another year, another record-setting Kick-A-Thon.
The dollar amount raised by the 21st annual Kick-A-Thon, a joint effort of the St. Charles East and St. Charles North drill teams that culminated Oct. 17, was unveiled Dec. 6 during a break in the action of the girls and boys "Crosstown Classic" basketball games between the two schools at St. Charles East.
It was a large number, establishing a new Kick-A-Thon record for a second straight year and three of the last four - $100, 014.21. The money will be split three ways this year between the American Cancer Society's Fox Valley Region, the LivingWell Cancer Resource Center in Geneva and, new this year, Fox Valley Food for Health.
As an indication of how the drill teams, chairwomen and the entire St. Charles community, residents and businesses alike, have kicked Kick-A-Thon up a notch, the total raised in 2010 was $67,474.89. This year's haul beat last year's by $14.21.
The 21-year total donated to charity through Kick-A-Thon now stands at an awe-inspiring $878,040. Over the past four years Kick-A-Thon has reaped a total of $360,256.76.
According to St. Charles North Drill Team parent volunteer Anna Kotvan, next year's 22nd annual Kick-A-Thon will be held on Week 8 of the 2015 football season, Oct. 16 at St. Charles East. Be on the lookout, however, for carwashes and community collections starting next summer.
A true all-state
We appreciate the Champaign News-Gazette's all-state teams. Part of the fun and ritual of covering state football in Champaign is arriving early to walk into the News-Gazette lobby the day after Thanksgiving and purchase a copy of the paper that contains the all-state football selections.
Like the Daily Herald and our local competitors the News-Gazette values high school sports and, in its all-state presentations, takes in the width and breadth of Illinois and schools from small to big ones.
So it must have been satisfying for Batavia senior libero Maddie Jaudon when she was told she'd made the News-Gazette's All-State Volleyball Team, First Team. As Bulldogs coach Lori Trippi-Payne noted, the Elon-bound Jaudon was the only libero on the News-Gazette's First-Team.
First-Team honors to also went to a couple St. Francis players readers may find familiar, Dani Messa and Maddie Haggerty, who on Thursday was named the Gatorade player of the year.
On the News-Gazette Second Team were St. Charles East senior setter Megan Schildmeyer and a pair from Geneva, senior libero Kelsey Wicinski and sophomore outside hitter Grace Loberg, which makes this column a dual-Loberg edition. St. Francis' Mary Boken also made Second Team.
Aurora Christian's MaKayla Beebe, Don Beebe's daughter, earned Special Mention honors. Honorable Mention selections included: St. Charles North's Claire Anderson and Daley Krage, Kaneland's Ellie Dunn, St. Charles East's Anne Hughes and Mikaela Mosquera, Wheaton Academy's Sydney Vischer and St. Francis' Kamryn Malloy.
Community outreach
In a nice case of community relations, Geneva resident and State Farm Insurance agent Bill Nelson annually acknowledges Geneva Vikings football players with "player of the week" awards.
This year's honorees were: Sean Chambers, Nate Donati, Stephen Kemp, Collin Lee, Matt Loberg, Justin Nebel, Brock Perry, Daniel Santacaterina, Justin Taormina and Wyatt Shodeen.
More awards
There's not typically an all-state team for cross country. That's handled by the runners themselves, the first 25 through the chute in each of the 1A-3A finals, boys and girls.
Another Champaign-based organization, Better Prep Success, does put out an Illinois Christian School Cross Country Team, and other awards. There were 55 schools eligible to nominate athletes this year.
On the boys side one local made it - Aurora Christian's Tanner Chada. Just a sophomore, Chada finished third by the slightest of margins in the boys Class 1A state meet in Peoria. He narrowly missed IHSA 1A All-State honors last year as a freshman, finishing 28th. Last spring Chada placed sixth in the 3,200-meter run in Class 1A state track.
His schoolmate, senior Becca Wert, was named to the girls Christian School All-State Team. It seems like she's been around forever, but the Wert name will live on at Aurora Christian past her 2015 graduation. Kid sister Sara, a freshman, was on the Christian School All-Newcomers Team.
Nice start
West Aurora graduate Jontrell Walker, a freshman guard at first-year Division I basketball program Incarnate Word in San Antonio, started and scored 19 points in 30 minutes Wednesday as the Cardinals dealt Nebraska a 73-72 loss on a late fadeaway by Kyle Hittle.
Through Wednesday Walker, honorary captain of the Daily Herald's 2013-14 Tri-Cities All-Area Boys Basketball Team, had started every game for 6-1 Incarnate Word. His 19 points a game ranked second on the team, with a high of 30 against Texas-El Paso. He'd canned a team-high 18 three-pointers and was shooting 87 percent from the foul line.
For the Viking who has everything
The Geneva High School All-Sports Boosters have released their 2014 Vikings Christmas tree ornaments. Get them now while supplies last!
doberhelman@dailyherald.com
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