STC welcomes prized author

In a perfect blend of old and new, St. Charles North media specialist Don Spencer defines his title as "a librarian with a techie attitude."

He's got a fast-paced job as sprints coach on Kevin Harrington's boys track team but comes from a small town named Windsor, "a blip on the map" south of Decatur, population about 1,030, the kind of burgh one might hear about on "A Prairie Home Companion."

And there it was, on National Public Radio, where Spencer heard about the book, "Our Boys: A Perfect Season on the Plains with the Smith Center Redmen."

He had the idea to invite the author, New York Times sports writer Joe Drape, to attend St. Charles Community School District 303's Literature Festival, which this year happens April 21.

"It's kind of like a football version of 'Hoosiers.' It not only talks about football but it also talks about small-town Americana... about family, friends, dedication. I think it's an inspiring book," Spencer said.

As part of "LitFest," Drape will discuss "Our Boys" at both St. Charles East and St. Charles North in the late morning and early afternoon on April 21, then take his presentation to the St. Charles Public Library Carnegie Room at 7 p.m. that night.

Spencer said he's got about 35 track athletes going to the event, and football coach Mark Gould has spread the news. At St. Charles North about 250 students had signed up, Spencer said earlier this week.

The media specialist is currently reading a book Drape edited - "To the Swift: Classic Triple Crown Horses and Their Race for Glory." In "Our Boys," Kansas native Drape writes about a football team and a coach, Roger Barta, challenged in 2008 to continue a 54-game winning streak.

(Spoiler alert: The Redmen extended their success to five consecutive state championships and finally, last season, had their streak snapped at 79 straight victories.)

Drape, Spencer said, "stresses that each of us, through our life experiences, should strive to become better individuals every day in all walks of life."

At St. Charles North, Spencer has at least two paths - track and media.

"I love it," he said. "They're two big reasons why I come to school every day."

Come hungry

Geneva athletic director Jim Kafer said Saturday's home schedule features track and tennis invitationals as well as a home baseball game against St. Charles North.

No better time than to spring the first Geneva High School All-Sports Boosters Pancake Breakfast at the school. It'll be held from 7 a.m.-1 p.m. Five bucks at the door gets you breakfast.

"We're hoping we have a lot of hungry people there," Kafer said of the variety of sports fans, "and that they'll come on out."

Get looked at

"There are so many kids that are overlooked that it's absolutely a crying shame," Ed Ross said.

His basketball business tries to reduce that number.

Ross, typically spied midway up the grandstand watching local boys high school basketball whenever it's being played, is director of Hoop Mountain Midwest, an instructional basketball camp whose big summer confab runs annually at Illinois Wesleyan.

Meanwhile, there's the Hoop Mountain Midwest Spring Showcase Games, to be held May 2 at West Aurora. It's for unsigned seniors and "underclassmen who feel they have the potential to be college prospects," Ross said. Last year 120 players showed from diverse towns throughout Illinois and even into Iowa.

This will be Hoop Mountain's fourth Showcase Games. The idea is to get as many college coaches there as possible to watch the players. Division I coaches aren't allowed because of NCAA rules, though Ross said attending scouting services fill them in fine. He invites every college coach within 250 miles of Aurora, and said about 30 of them attend on average.

Players are guaranteed three games, and everybody gets the same amount of playing time, Ross said. Detailed info sheets on players are distributed to coaches and scouts in attendance. For cost and details, he can be reached at (630) 539-2100 or edrosssr@aol.com.

"Butler had some players nobody wanted, or nobody knew about them," Ross said. "You give them a chance, and look what happens."

Bittersweet raceday

There wasn't much pressure on Jay Graffagna.

"All you've got to do is just win a T-shirt," his mother, Janice, told the Geneva senior before he ran last Saturday at Batavia's track meet named for his late grandfather, the Les Hodge Track Invitational.

It couldn't have been easy for mother or son, with Jay in his last performance at the meet honoring the local sports writer who passed away in 1999 at age 73.

Graffagna couldn't get that T-shirt - presented to event winners, a nifty all-black number listing the teams on the back, the name of the invite in red and gold on the front - when Geneva ran out of the exchange zone in the 400-meter relay.

He earned one later, though, leading off a victorious 800 relay that included John Wilger, Tyler Hickey and Scott Pospisil.

"I was glad for it," Janice Graffagna said, "because I knew it was going to be his last time he'd run in that meet."

Jay Graffagna, honored to be there himself, then placed second to Batavia's Emund Kabba in the 200 dash.

In this case, close did count.

"As my grandfather would say, he wanted everybody to compete," Jay said. "It's not just about winning, it's about the enjoyment of sports."