Schaumburg stops Hoffman; both qualify for state
The biggest battle in the Mid-Suburban League the last four years has consistently been Schaumburg versus Hoffman Estates -- with some Prospect and Conant thrown in for good measure.
In their first two meetings this season, the Hawks beat the Saxons both times.
In their third meeting -- the most important one to date -- Schaumburg turned the tables on Hoffman.
The Saxons defeated the Hawks 5,547 to 5,335 Saturday to capture the team title in the 16-team Hoffman Estates sectional at Hoffman Lanes.
Both teams qualified for this week's state meet at Cherry Bowl Lanes in Rockford.
After five games, the Saxons were way out in front.
But the second- through fourth-place teams -- Hoffman, Prospect and Conant -- were just 45 pins apart with scores of 4,398, 4,383 and 4,853, respectively.
The Hawks came through to capture the remaining state team berth.
Prospect wound up third with 5,268; Conant took fourth (5,240); and Wheeling was fifth (5,087).
But what about that Saxons-Hawks rivalry at the top?
"I don't think that was the goal," said Schaumburg coach Mark Kelly. "The ultimate goal is to qualify for state. No less than second. They learned a lot about winning championships.
"They had real good shots today. We were making our shot and covering spares. It was just a good tournament."
"I feel real good about this," said Schaumburg freshman Jodi Gawlik, who finished sixth (1,152). "They (Hoffman) were cheering at the end. They thought they could break our spirits. That was definitely not going to happen. If we'd finished second, I'd still be happy."
Schaumburg's other scores included senior Samantha Kelly (1,191); senior Hailey Schneider (1,096); junior Kathryn Schild (1,067); junior Marilyn Gawlik (1,041)
"We're just happy to qualify because we were down in the first three games," said Hawks coach Dan Pfligler. "But the girls worked hard in the second half. They passed Prospect and Conant to finish in second place."
Hawks senior Natalie Cortese is a favorite to win any meet or tournament she enters.
But on Saturday, Prospect senior Ashley Ruszczak finished first with 1,275 pins. Cortese placed second with 1,254.
"There were people who thought I had absolutely no chance," said Ruszczak, who will be making her first state appearance. "I tried to stay calm and focused. Basically, I didn't care what anyone was doing. I didn't care at all. I was mellow until the last couple of games."
Another first-time qualifier is Elk Grove's Allysa Valenti, who placed third in the individual standings with a pinfall of 1,196.
"I was following through, getting a lot of strikes and spares," Valenti said. "I'm just going to keep following through."
Rounding out the top five individuals were Schaumburg's Kelly (1,191) in fourth and Hoffman's Amanda Cortese (1,162) in fifth place.
Bowlers who hoped to earn individual at-large state berths included: Conant senior Pam Wawrzyniak (1,139); Fremd junior Ashley Landowski (1,137); Rolling Meadows senior Jackie Carbery (1,130); Conant junior Brittney Mari (1,129); Wheeling senior Sonja Mata (1,095); and Prospect junior Hannah Wrenn (1,094).
Other scores for state qualifer Hoffman included junior Mandy Hoglund (1,054); sophomore Lisa Papeck (785, five games); senior Heather Knobloch (803, five games); senior Kelly Christopher (136) and freshman Kara Hartel (141).
At Leyden
Junior Sam Downs set the pace with a dominating performance, helping lead Leyden to team honors at the Fenton sectional and a trip to the state tournament at Cherry Bowl Lanes in Rockford.
Coach Chris Aylward's Eagles knocked down 5,439 pins to capture first place in the 10-school field.
Fenton also advanced as a team, finishing second with a pinfall of 5,081.
Downs rolled a six-game series of 1,192.
Other scores for the Eagles included junior Ashley Henk, who finished fourth in the final individual standings with 1,085; sophomore Jen Schuenburg (1,067); junior Danyel Travis (1,045); and junior Kaity White (1,040).