A top 10 well worth recalling
Before we see who will rate in 2008, a look back at the best sports stories among our Lake County high schools in 2007.
1. Bearing down
Lake Zurich's football season started a day late due to those rain storms that postponed so many games Opening Night. The Bears then went out the next day and lost to Fremd -- at home, no less. That frustrating weekend couldn't derail the Bears, however. They never lost another game after that, winning 13 straight to capture the first state championship in school history.
Given little chance by most prep football people to knock off Wheaton Warrenville South in the Class 7A title game, coach Bryan Stortz's Bears pulled off a 7-3 stunner. As they did all season, they dominated with an aggressive, speedy, push-you-back defense featuring John Brewer, Will Koukal, Tyler Lafontaine, Brent Marks, Mike McGlauchlin, Wade Self, Adam Simpson, Tony Pecho, Mike Dietrich, Tanner Witt and Kevin Johnson. Jon Janus, playing with a wounded shoulder he banged up in Round 2 of the playoffs, scored the only touchdown.
Bear down Lake Zurich Bears. Suffice it to say, they did.
2. Pat's Pats
No, coach Pat Ambrose's Stevenson boys basketball team didn't win a state championship, but what the Patriots did by earning a berth downstate and finishing fourth in Class AA was provide maybe the greatest example of what can happen when a team believes in itself and refuses to lose.
If you looked at the Patriots on paper, and then watched them play, you might think they had a good team but not a great one. They weren't tall, necessarily fast, quick nor exceptionally athletic.
They were Jong Lee, John Taylor, Kevin Stineman, Michael Goldstein, Jacob Weiner, Dylan Richter, Dan Rebnord and a bunch of other blue-collared support guys.
No way were the Patriots better than Warren, and yet they simply whipped the Blue Devils in the supersectional. So, yes, the better team did win.
The Patriots were super, with no stars.
"We're a really diverse team," Lee said after the Patriots' magical season finally ended on a Saturday in mid-March in Peoria.
"We've got a black guy, a Jewish guy, an Asian guy, guys from all different cultures. Just the fact that a team that's so diverse can get along so well is what I'll remember."
Me, too.
3. Wanland's redemption
She rocked on the block.
How dare Ashley Wanland.
So, the state's best breaststroker and one of its most sensational swimmers was disqualified at the sectional last year and couldn't swim at state. I know it's part of the rules, but geez … why not a warning for something like that? Some rules make me roll my eyes, like golfers being DQ'ed because they signed the wrong scorecard.
Wanland didn't break a rule this season. She just ruled.
The Stevenson senior earned her third state title in the 100-yard breaststroke, smashing her own state record in the process, as she clocked a 1:01.83 in Friday's preliminaries at state last month. Wanland also finished eighth in the 200 individual medley, and swam on the Patriots' fourth-place 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays.
It was quite a weekend for coach Karl Milkereit's Stevenson's team. The Patriots won the third-place trophy thanks to the efforts of Wanland, Martha VanLieshout, April McKee, Tori Alland, Erin Cunningham, Melanie Koto, Christina O'Connell, Kerrin Seymour and Sam Stenn.
That's making a splash.
4. Bailey double
The Grant girls track team's tank top features a "G" in a diamond-like shape. The "V" kind of resembles Bailey Wagner's torso.
And those strong shoulders and upper body help explain why Wagner captured her second straight state championship in the shot put last May. Her athleticism -- she starts for the volleyball and basketball teams -- helps, too.
Wagner heaved the shot 46-feet-6 in downstate Charleston to win the Class AA crown. She also finished second in the discus (146-11), losing only to Troy Triad's Erin Wykoff (147-9).
Wagner isn't done, either. The senior will be back in the spring to defend her shot put title.
5. Stickin' it
"When she landed the first one, you could feel the floor shake," Carmel gymnastics coach Sarah Mikrut said. "It was a magical moment."
And by sticking her Yurchenko vault, Nikole Viltz got to stick her soft feet on the top platform step at the state meet.
Carmel's star capped a brilliant senior season at Palatine last February by winning the state championship on vault (9.875) and finishing second on floor (9.725). Viltz, who also won the state's third-place medal in the all-around (38.2), helped Carmel score a 147.9 and edge Warren for fourth place.
6. Scary Munster
He's good. Really good. "It feels really good," Lee Munster said after winning the Class AA state championship at 119 pounds last February. "Really, really good."
Know what's really scary about this Munster? He's only a sophomore. When he earned a 5-3 decision over two-time state qualifier Lillashawn Coleman of Oak Park River Forest, the Bulldogs freshman had his state title.
The finals win left Munster with a 43-3 record. He also helped Grant earn a berth in the team state quarterfinals.
Call it a monster season for Munster.
7. Racking up wins -- and history
Blake Bazarnik kept winning tennis matches, even after he lost. Same for doubles partners Richard Brej and Eugene Shylakhta.
The points kept adding up for Stevenson, and when three days of state tournament action had finally concluded last May, coach Mark Linnenburger's Patriots were hoisting the second-place state trophy.
The freshman Bazarnik finished fifth in singles, defeating Mac McNaulty of Latin 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) in the consolation-bracket final. The duo of Brej and Shylakhta, meanwhile, made it all the way to the consolation semifinals before losing.
The Patriots, whose finish was their best ever at state, also got points from the senior doubles team of Drew Hackman and Eric Soni.
"The big thing for me," Bazarnik said, "is to be a part of this team and a great group of seniors, like Drew, Eric and Eugene, who all made a big difference for us at doubles and can go out in their final year with a second-place trophy."
Spoken like a veteran.
8. 'Triz' the season
Good for Coach Triz. Coach Chris Trzyna's girls volleyball teams are always good and sometimes great, but this season proved particularly special for Libertyville and its longtime and respected coach.
Led by captains Ali Haws and Erin DeMarco, as well as Jenny Caren, Emma Melendez, Amber Bryant, Leigha Bystol, Lexie Gibbons, Dani Kopera, Katy Pfund and Emma Mach, the Wildcats advanced downstate for the first time under Trzyna. The Wildcats finished fourth in Class 4A, posting a 34-8 record.
Said Trzyna: "When we go back and look at everything we've done this season, we can't help but to say, 'Oh my goodness.' "
Good for Coach Triz. Good for Libertyville volleyball.
9. By George
Lacrosse typically gets credit for being the fastest-growing sport among kids in the Midwest, but attend a varsity boys volleyball match and you'll probably won't be able to sit in your seat for too long.
If you watched Mundelein last spring, you know what I mean. Coach George Dressen Jr.'s Mustangs went 36-2 in earning their first-ever state berth.
Mustangs Ryan Sullivan, Mike McElligott, Spenser Clark, Nick Faghihi, Jason Greenwood, Dan Doerr, Brian Rausch and Chris Johnson provided thrill after thrill.
The Mustangs won every tournament they entered during the regular season.
"I thought we would have a great season," Dressen said, "but we went past that."
10. Bitto-sweet
A reporter recently saw Carmel athletic director/football coach Andy Bitto at a girls basketball game and congratulated him on the success of the football team, which advanced to the Class 7A state semifinals.
"You guys peaked at the right time," said the man, trying to be nice.
Bitto's eyebrows raised. He was amused, because the Corsairs had actually started peaking shortly after their season-opening loss to Morgan Park. As Bitto pointed out to the man, his team went 10-3, with two of its losses coming at the hands of state champs (Joliet Catholic and Lake Zurich).
Led by quarterback David Venegoni and hard-hitting safeties Ryan Williams and Chris Salvi, Carmel enjoyed its best season since going 14-0 in 2003.