Boys gymnastics: Northwest sectional previews
At Lake Park, Saturday, 7 p.m.
Team competition: Lake Park is the favorite to win the sectional and earn the automatic spot at state. Prospect and Conant both have a shot to upset the Lancers but it won't be easy. Lake Park has been regularly scoring 150 or more points throughout the season while neither Prospect nor Conant has topped the 150-point barrier all season. If the Knights or Cougars hope to advance to state, their best shot is with an at large bid. But with only three at large spots available, both teams will need to post at least a 154 to have a legitimate chance. Meanwhile, Hersey, Elk Grove, Hoffman Estates, Schaumburg and Rolling Meadows will all be looking to post season-high scores.
Individuals: Prospect senior Chris Mattes will likely advance as an all-arounder and could qualify in all six events. The Mid-Suburban League pommel champ, Mattes could contend for a state title in that event. Other Knights who might advance include Joe Napoleon (all-around and vault), Chris Thomas (parallel bar), Mike Behun (rings), Bobby Burger (pommel horse) and Ben Raeder (high bar).
Conant's top all-arounder, Jon Snyder, should advance in all six events, and has a chance to win a state title in high bar after posting a career-best 9.45 at the MSL conference meet. Cougar all-arounders Steven Rink and Anthony Crivilio could advance in several events, while Clinton Martin should advance on vault and floor.
Rafael Fernandez and Stephen Long could advance on floor for Schaumburg. Tim Whelan (pommel) and James Nguyen (rings) also have a shot for the Saxons.
Darryl Tan, Ed Hwang and Eric Ciesielski could all advance on pommel for Elk Grove. The Grens could also advance Kamil Nytko (vault) and Mike Jachura (p-bars and floor).
James Lee could qualify on pommel for Hoffman Estates while Hersey will try to advance John Duchek on vault.
Rolling Meadows freshman Marc Herff could advance on p-bars while Mike Medsker has a chance on p-bars on high bar.
What they're saying:
"When we go in there, we go in there to hit our routines with the idea that there's a chance that we could win the meet." -- Prospect coach Pat Kivland
"We have one last opportunity. We have one last chance to show them that we belong there. If we have one more down meet, that's it. It's down to this." -- Conant coach Paul Kim
"Everybody is getting a lot more solid on their routines and advancing their difficulty, especially on high bar this year. Everybody is getting bigger tricks and hitting them consistently." -- Rolling Meadows senior Riley Albers
At Palatine, Saturday, 2 p.m.
Team competition: Unless disaster strikes, Palatine should win the sectional and have a chance to defend its state crown. The Pirates depth has improved as the season has progressed, allowing Palatine to enter its sectional in the enviable position of having several gymnasts capable of stepping up to cover for a bad routine from a normal top scorer. The Pirates will try to use the sectional as an opportunity to break the 160-point plateau, breaking the school record of 159.8 and giving them some momentum heading into what should be a very difficult state meet.
Fremd, Barrington and Buffalo Grove will likely see their team seasons end but each have individuals who could advance. Individuals: Palatine won its third straight Mid-Suburban League title last week that included 17 top-10 finishes across the six events. Therefore, it should be no surprise if the Pirates qualify several individuals, led by senior all-around stud Matt Eckardt. Eckardt is likely to qualify in all six events and could be joined by Danny Weis (floor and high bar), Andre Gatorano (rings, floor, high bar and vault), Chris Gongora (rings and vault), David Irsay (pommel), MSL rings champion Luke Schuster (rings and p-bars) and Mike Abram (pommel).
Fremd could advance up to five individuals, led by the MSL's top vaulter, Keith English, who could also qualify on p-bars. Brandon Trostrud (floor and high bar), Dante Digangi (floor and vault), Mike Kowalenko (pommel) and Dave Allison (vault) could also qualify for the Vikings.
After taking third on floor last year, Kellen O'Connor should qualify on that event for Barrington. Jason Paz also has a chance on high bar for the Broncos. Steve Dugan (floor, vault and p-bars), Jason Siebert (floor, rings, vault and high bar) and Zack Zombrock (p-bars) could all qualify for Buffalo Grove.
What they're saying:
"I think we're pretty much where we need to be for next week." -- Palatine coach Scott Hagel
"With the vault I'm throwing, I hope that even if I fall I can still make it. The pressure is on but not too much. I feel pretty confident in it." -- Fremd senior Keith English
"No one's ever a lock. You have to hit or go home. I think being there last year was an awesome experience for (O'Connor). He can take that into this year." -- Barrington coach Rob DeFano