Barrington's boys, Fremd girls balance Bob Frisk Paddock honors
Balance.
It's all about balance in the annual battles for overall varsity sports supremacy in the Mid-Suburban League's boys and girls competition.
There are 13 sports that determine MSL champions, and each sport plays an equal role in determining what high schools stand alone at the top when the boys and girls finally wrap up the action in May.
The 12 schools can't just ride a few very strong sports in the jockeying for No. 1 in the Bob Frisk Paddock Cup for boys and Bob Frisk Paddock Trophy for girls. They need consistency with only a few stumbles along the way.
Conference champs earn 14 points, the runner-up 12, third place 11 and then the others down the line. There is a formula that determines varsity sports that do not have overall standings but only division finishes.
Only first-division schools are published through a 1997 agreement with the MSL Board of Control.
The 2014-15 versions of Barrington's varsity boys and Fremd's varsity girls are shining examples of what it takes to put some distance between your school and other legitimate contenders.
Barrington's boys averaged a record-setting 11.65 points out of a maximum 14 for each of 13 sports in winning the Bob Frisk Paddock Cup for the ninth time and fourth in the past five school years. Fremd (10.0) finished second and Prospect (9.31) was third.
Rounding out the first division for the boys were Hersey (9.19), Palatine (8.46) and Conant (7.08).
The 11.65 points per sport by Barrington represent the best performance in history by an MSL boys program. The District 220 school averaged 11.29 in 2005-06.
Fremd's girls averaged a solid 11.04 points per sport in winning the Bob Frisk Paddock Trophy for the sixth time in the past seven years. The all-time girls record of 12.35 was set by Palatine in 1982-83.
Barrington was second with a 9.62 average and Prospect finished third at 9.31, which was the exact average per sport for the Knights' boys, who also took third.
Rounding out the first division for the girls were Hersey (9.08), Buffalo Grove (8.23) and Palatine (8.04).
Fremd or Barrington have been in the top spot in the girls' competition for a remarkable 21 straight school years.
In June of 2009 the two Mid-Suburban varsity sports awards given by Paddock Publications officially added the name of Bob Frisk, who originated both awards and retired from the Daily Herald in 2008 after 50 years at the newspaper as an enthusiastic supporter of high school sports.