advertisement

Short-handed Glenbard West posts invitational triumph

Glenbard West was without its top gymnast during Friday's Anthony J. Canino Invitational at Hinsdale Central.

It didn't matter.

While Timmy Le was off competing elsewhere in a non-high school event, the Hilltoppers were showing off their fantastic roster of gymnasts, scoring a 158.675 and easily surpassing the 154.05 by runner-up Lyons Township and the 151.22 from the host Red Devils.

Leading the way was Matthew Ideler, who won the all-around with a 53.725 and also claimed titles on pommel horse and high bar.

"This was us proving a point that we're not a one-man team and that we have a lot of depth and a lot of talent," Ideler said. "I just went out there and did what I do in practice in hitting my sets. I showed what I can do."

He was not the only one doing it for the Hilltoppers.

Frankie Pham won still rings with a 9.6 while freshman Alexander Demeris won floor, edging Hinsdale Central's Nolan Holmes, 9.65 to 9.6. Demeris also placed second on parallel bars and high bar, but the biggest excitement for the newcomer was his win on floor exercise, his first big win.

"This was my best meet of the season and it was so exciting because I had never finished first in high school before," Demeris said. "It's been great to become a part of this team. Being new to high school I didn't know what to expect, but now I look forward to every practice and every meet."

Other top finishers for the Hilltoppers included Michael Formento's fourth-place effort on pommel horse and Aiden Rudolph, who was third on the floor and fourth on vault.

"We're really pushing ourselves to constantly get better," Ideler said. "We were happy with or performance, but we're not yet satisfied with where we're at."

A handful of other talented gymnasts like Le were unavailable so not every team was at full strength.

York was close to being at its best, taking fourth place with a 146.

Kelvin Stevens led the Dukes, placing fifth on parallel bars and second on still rings.

"I was never a strong rings man until this year after putting in a lot of work over the summer and a lot of hours," he said. "I was hoping for a higher score but at the end of the day, I got a 9 so I'm happy with that."

He's also pleased that his team's score is continuing to climb.

"We had a good meet overall tonight with everyone executing, but there's always room for improvement," he said. "We're still aiming for a 150 and we think it's possible if we stay focused on our routines."

Holmes led Hinsdale Central, taking second in the all-around with a 51.75.

Downers Grove North was fifth with a 141.5. Mike Kudelka placed fifth on pommel horse for the Trojans.

Hinsdale South took sixth with a 138.4 as Kwame Lipscomb took third on pommel horse and fourth on high bar.

Willowbrook was seventh a with a 131.3, Addison Trail was ninth with a 117.35 and the depleted Downers Grove South squad was 10th with a 108.7.

Alex Kominowksi paced the Blazers with a fifth-place finish on floor with a 9.45.

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.