It's a Top 10 to remember
The end of another high school sports season is upon us, and what an interesting year it has been.
As we've settled into three and four-class sports in Illinois, we in the Fox Valley area have enjoyed more state tournament success than ever before. As we should. With at least one school in each IHSA class, our area should and has been sending more teams to state final tournaments.
It doesn't take a math major to figure out that's going to happen when there's double the chance to do so. I won't rant today about the pros and cons of three and four classes. Let's just say the trophy makers are loving it more than anyone.
What we're here for today is our annual look back at some of the top stories of this high school sports season. Remember this is just one guy's opinion. Inevitably, every year I leave something out that someone thinks should be on this Top 10 list, and I usually have something on the list that someone disagrees with.
As with three and four class sports, it is what it is and we're each entitled to our opinions. So here's mine, the Top 10 Fox Valley sports stories of 2008-09:
10) While this story isnt about a school within the Fox Valley proper, the closing of Driscoll High School in Addison certainly does affect our area. It's sad anytime a private school can't sustain itself and has to close, but Driscoll's closing will undoubtedly increase enrollment at St. Edward and put some top-notch student athletes in Green Wave uniforms as well. And, the new Suburban Christian Conference, while being unbalanced for a year, will have more parity to it, especially in football.
9) Speaking of conferences, the Upstate Eight took a leap this spring by extending invitations to Geneva and Batavia, which were left without a conference after the Western Sun broke up. This is a positive move for the UEC - Geneva and Batavia both have excellent athletic programs, and it allowes the UEC to not have a division with all five U-46 schools in, which is something I know a lot of people were not looking forward to.
8) The area loses a coaching icon with the retirement of longtime Dundee-Crown wrestling coach Al Zinke, who coached about every sport there is and then some during his tenure at Crown then Dundee-Crown. Zinke is an old school guy who always shot straight from the hip, never mixed his words and most times didn't care if anyone liked what he had to say. I'll miss conversations with him. There will never be another Al Zinke.
7) There will also never be another Katie Yohn. After helping St. Edward's girls volleyball team take third in the state tournament in November, she led the Green Wave to the sectional finals in basketball and broke the school's all-time scoring record in the process. Not only did Yohn excel athletically, the Daily Herald's Female Athlete of the Year is one of the finest young ladies I've ever had the pleasure of writing about and getting to know. She will clearly be a success in life and we wish her nothing but the best as she heads off to Bradley University to play basketball on scholarship and get her college education.
6) A sad story, but one that made major headlines nonetheless, the IHSA forced Bartlett to foreit its girls basketball season due to a guardianship issue. We don't need to rehash the situation, we just hope everything gets worked out within the rules and that the people involved move on in a positive manner.
5) Four classes or not, St. Edward's girls volleyball team was darn good this year. After a stunning victory over Harvard in the regional finals, coach Jaime Walton's Green Wave rode the wave all the way to Redbird Arena, where they finished third in Class 2A.
4) On the brink for so many years, Bartlett's football team finally broke through and made it to the state semifinals in Class 8A. Coach Tom Meaney's Hawks fnished the season 12-1, the best team in program history. It was the first of three seasons (swimming and track being the others) for QB and Daily Herald male athlete of the year Josh Hasenberg.
3) An elusive downstate trip finally came together for one of the nicest old-school guys left out there. Coach Don Sutherland, guided the Cary-Grove baseball team to the Class 4A Final Four in Joliet, where despite a couple of good performances, the Trojans came away without a win. That shouldn't obscure a great season for this coach and a special group of athletes. Congrats, Don - you deserve it.
2) Lance Huber has longbeen thought of on the sports desk as one of the best boys basketball coaches in the area, and the Dundee-Crown mentor got his just due this season when he led the Chargers to their first state final tournament since 1946, finishing fourth in Class 4A. That D-C didn't win downstate doesn't diminish the job Huber did getting the Chargers there, including an upset win over heavy favorite Neuqua Valley in the supersectional.
1) One spot for two teams - the Burlington Central girls volleyball and girls softball squads, the only school in the area to send two teams to state final tournaments this season. First, coach Marv Leavitt's Rockets and all-area co-captain Molly Turk, junior phenom Stephanie Holthus and company made a magical run to the Class 3A state volleyball championship match at Redbird Arena, and then, this weekend, coach Scot Sutherland's softball girls advanced to the Final Four in East Peoria before falling to Oak Forest in the semifinals and beating Glenbard South for third place the following day.
That's it. Another year of wins, losses, jubilation and heartbreak. It's high school sports and it's still pure, and it's still so much fun to be a part of.
See you in August, everyone!
jradtke@dailyherald.com