Pair of state titles highlight 2007

I can still vividly recall former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka offering one of his favorite sayings -- "those who live in the past are cowards and losers."

Well, for one day (let's not get carried away with ourselves), go ahead and call me a coward and a loser.

While the calendar now reads 2008 (doesn't it seem like 2000 was just a couple of years ago?), I'm going to reflect upon some local sports highlights from 2007:

November was the time to give it up for the state champions.

If anyone ever tells you that freshmen can't make a difference in high school athletics, tell them to call Geneva girls cross country coach Bob Thomson.

He'll beg to differ.

With a starting lineup consisting of 6 freshmen and a sophomore, the Vikings bucked the odds by capturing conference, regional and sectional titles on successive October weekends.

They saved their best for the first Saturday in November.

Led by second-place finisher Kelly Whitley, the Vikings claimed the school's first state championship with a 119-131 victory over runner-up Lyons Township in the state's first Class 3A meet held at Peoria's Detweiller Park.

Whitley, fellow frosh Liza Tauscher, Rachel Hammond, Tess Ehrhardt, Kat Yelle, Megan Brady, and sophomore Myra Yelle became a part of state and school history with their title-winning performance.

Two weeks later, several underclass athletes helped another area girls team celebrate a state championship.

Anchored by sophomore Olivia Scott, who won the 200-yard IM and 100-yard fly, and junior 500 freestyle champ Kally Fayhee, Rosary earned its second consecutive state swimming crown in Winnetka.

Coach Bill Schalz's Beads edged New Trier, 154-139, for title honors.

Other notable finishers were St. Charles East's Caitlin Dauw, second in the 100 fly and third in the 200 free; and St. Charles North's Angie Chokran, fourth in the 100 breast.

One week earlier, St. Charles East's girls volleyball team capped a memorable season (30-13) with its third-place state showing in Normal.

Senior outside hitter Mattie Boyd and junior setter Laura Homann helped spark coach Jennie Kull's Saints during their postseason surge.

After avenging a regular-season loss to cross-town rival St. Charles North in the sectional semifinals, the Saints returned to the court less than a half-hour later (due to the new IHSA format) and knocked off top-seeded Wheaton Warrenville South in a 3-game sectional championship match.

While their title dreams ended with a semifinal loss to Mother McAuley, the Saints swept Libertyville in the third-place match.

Nearly 9 months earlier, St. Charles North senior Chris Peterson enjoyed his own celebration in Winnetka.

'C-Pete' repeated as the state's 500-yard freestyle champion and also captured the 200 free while leading the North Stars to a fifth-place team showing.

It marked the fourth straight year that an area swimmer emerged with a state individual title (St. Charles East's Curtis Dauw won the 200 IM in 2004 and 2005).

Meanwhile, eighth-place St. Charles East received a pair of second-place finishes from senior Jake Grosser (50, 100 free) and another runner-up effort in the 200 free relay.

Also in February, West Aurora sophomore Mario Gonzalez advanced to the Class AA state individual wrestling semifinals on his way to a fourth-place finish at 171 pounds.

He was joined in Champaign by teammates Josh Zinzer, Tanner Andrews, Jonathon Drendel; Batavia's Kevin McFarland; Kaneland's Sean Szatkowski and Quinn Jahns; and Eric Justice -- St. Charles North's first individual wrestling state qualifier.

One of my favorite moments from 2007 occurred in early November when Geneva played host to St. Charles East in the second round of the Class 7A state football playoffs.

The neighboring schools -- St. Charles city limits actually lie directly north, across the street from Burgess Field -- had not played each other since 1978.

In front of a standing-room only crowd, the Vikings kept their perfect season intact (until the following week) with a 35-14 triumph over the Saints.

Last spring, Kaneland southpaw Casey Crosby created a season-long buzz whenever he took the mound.

Armed with a 90-plus mph fastball, Crosby began the season with a 28-inning scoreless streak while regularly pitching in front of a pack of professional scouts and interested onlookers.

Crosby, who was selected by Detroit in the fifth round of the MLB First-Year Player Draft, eventually signed with the Tigers and reported to the Florida Instructional League.

Other notable 2007 achievements included:

• Jeff Roberts' ninth-inning, walk-off home run to lead St. Charles North to its first Class AA regional title, a 4-3 victory over St. Charles East

• Geneva's baseball team smacking 4 home runs in 2-plus innings during its conference title-clinching 13-3 win over Sycamore

• St. Charles East's girls soccer team reaching the supersectional before losing 2-1 to eventual state champion Waubonsie Valley

• Regional basketball titles for Rosary's girls and St. Charles East's boys

• Aurora Christian's football team advancing to the 3A semifinals

• Sophomore Kayla Fujimoto's sixth-place singles showing for Geneva's 10th-place state girls tennis squad

• Wheaton Academy's fifth-place Class AA state boys golf finish

• Last week's Elgin tournament championship run (without star Nick Fruendt) by Batavia's basketball team.

Now, let's see what happens in 2008…