Neuqua Valley's Ragusa vaults into ranks of award-winning teachers

Matt Ragusa recalled it being "an unsuspecting Tuesday morning" when he received the award.

The Neuqua Valley honors physics teacher, assistant boys track coach and head of the school's robotics program was intentionally led on a wild-goose chase by assistant principal Lance Fuhrer, who ostensibly was showing Ragusa a larger room for the robotics field. It turned out to be "a closet," Ragusa said.

Fuhrer then told Ragusa to go through a door toward the auditorium lobby. The lobby contained a crowd of people, cameras and bigwigs like Neuqua principal Bob McBride and District 204 superintendent Karen Sullivan.

"I don't think we're supposed to walk through this," Ragusa said.

But he was since it was all for him - the February A+ Award winner from the Indian Prairie Educational Foundation and District 204.

"It was pretty cool," said Ragusa, a 2004 Neuqua graduate and former state qualifier in pole vault and a sprint relay. "They somehow pulled it off that everybody knew that I was getting an award but I didn't know I was getting an award."

As we learned from the January A+ Award presentation to similarly surprised Metea Valley special education teacher and Special Olympics coach Mike Ackerman, it's fairly easy to pull the wool over the eyes of people motivated by the betterment of others.

Not that Ragusa is immune to positive feedback: "I like to get affirmed once in awhile that what I do matters."

A former pole vaulter at the University of Illinois who competed against his younger brother, Nick, a former Neuqua all-stater and Illinois State vaulter, Matt Ragusa has taught seven years at Neuqua.

A sprints and pole vault coach, with big help from parent Bill Perry four years ago Ragusa formed a robotics program that has since spawned clubs at the two other District 204 high schools and several elementary and middle schools.

Three years ago Neuqua Valley hosted its first VEX Robotics Tournament. This year's competition on Jan. 16 drew 53 teams, the largest in the state according to the district.

"It's kind of nice to get affirmed that what I'm doing here with my career has an impact on kids' lives," Ragusa said. "I constantly try to tell myself as an educator that if every year I have one kid in class I can change the outcome with what they're going to do in life, it's worthwhile."

Cold steel and Weiss

Glenbard South senior forward Sam Weiss, representing Glenbard Hockey, earned most valuable player honors after scoring 2 goals with an assist in the Amateur Hockey Association Illinois All-Star Game in February. His team, the Red, won the game 9-5 at the Edge Ice Arena in Bensenville.

The Red All-Stars included Hinsdale Central senior defenseman Joe Dipofi, Waubonsie Valley sophomore defenseman Zach Lyons and Waubonsie forwards Dan Pike and Jacob Stobart.

The White team was more fully stocked with DuPage County standouts. Benet produced goalkeeper Jacob Barnhart, defenseman Mitchell Plonka and forwards Luke Sammons and Josh Tumpane. From Wheaton West came netminder Cameron McNamara and blue-liner McKenzie Evans.

Neuqua Valley contributed defenseman Matt Blanchard and forward Reid Martin; Naperville Central added forward John Hatton. Defenseman Will Borrows and forward Frank Wheatland came from York and veteran Benet coach Jon Grzbek led the White team.

Girls hockey remains more of a North Shore pursuit, but their All-Star Game offered "Naper Valley" defender Marissa Dunbar and forward Emma Paravola.

The prep hockey season is just about over with playoff quarterfinals starting late Wednesday night.

Benet (46-4-1) faced Barrington in the Red Varsity quarterfinals while Glenbard (25-21), Waubonsie (27-5) and Wheaton West (20-14) reached the Varsity Combined quarterfinals. Glenbard's quarterfinal against Maine is 8:25 p.m. Friday at The Edge.

In 2015 Weiss' overtime goal beat the Maine co-op 4-3 as Glenbard won the state Varsity Combined.

Sweet 16

Benedictine University will host a Division III men's basketball sectional Friday and Saturday to determine which team advances to the Final Four on March 18 in Salem, Virginia.

At 5 p.m. Friday No. 13 Alma College plays No. 7 St. Norbert at Dan and Ada Rice Center in Lisle. At 7:30 p.m. No. 2 Benedictine faces No. 10 Ohio Wesleyan. The winners of each game square off for the sectional title at 7 p.m. Saturday.

Benedictine's 85-64 victory over Hardin-Simmons on March 5 extended the program's best record to 28-0. Coach Keith Bunkenburg's squad still has five players scoring in double figures, topped by Michael Blaszczyk (Naperville Central), Luke Johnson (Wheaton Academy) and Tahron Harvey (Glenbard East). Blaszczyk scored 29 points against Hardin-Simmons; Johnson averages a double-double at 14.2 points, 11.1 rebounds plus 3.1 blocks a game.

The old one-two

Following up a Feb. 18 entry ("Short man, big hook") about St. Francis graduate Alex Alcantara's pursuit of a repeat title at Notre Dame's Bengal Bouts, the junior known in the ring as "El Cadejo" did just that.

On Feb. 28 Alcantara won the 144-pound division with a unanimous decision over senior Daniel Espinoza of California. The aggressor throughout the three-round fight, Alcantara scored a standing eight-count on a left hook to Espinoza's right ear with 30 seconds left in the second round. In the third round "El Cadejo" landed punches square to the mug of the taller, tiring foe.

"It wasn't a very fast-paced fight, so I felt fine by the third round," said Alcantara, who in 2015 crushed his four opponents to win the 137-pound title.

"I think the third round was when I really found some good openings and I knew I had to put more pressure on him. The first two rounds were a little bit slower. I turned it up in the third round. It worked out well, though," he said Tuesday while on spring break in San Diego.

Dispersal throughout Bengal Bouts weight classes depends on how many athletes join the Notre Dame boxing program. This year the next division up was 152 pounds. Competing - winning, mainly - at three levels is a challenge the future Bengal Bouts senior captain may consider.

"I wouldn't be opposed to it," Alcantara said. "It's nothing for sure, but it would be fun."

doberhelman@dailyherald.com

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