Scouting St. Edward Green Wave
St. Edward Green Wave
Coach: Michelle Dawson (8th year, 110-84)
Conference: Suburban Christian Blue
2010-11 record: 21-8 (7-3 SCC Blue)
Top returning players: Callie Johnson (Sr. G), Kelly Tripicchio (Sr. G), Paige Gannon (St. F), Katherine Von Ahnen (Sr. F), Maddie Kerr (Sr. G), Alex Lee (Sr. C), Rena Ranallo (Jr. G).
Top newcomers: Clarissa Ramos (So. F), Katie Swanson (So. G), Kristi Kroll (Jr. G).
Outlook: With four starters back in Johnson (10.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg), Kerr (9.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg), Lee (7.7 ppg, 7.2 rpg) and Ranallo (8.5 ppg, 2.5 spg, 2.2 apg) the Green Wave would appear to be ready to take the next step again after a tough double overtime loss to Walther Lutheran in the sectional finals ended their season a year ago. This is a team that will also have a lot of depth as Gannon (6.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg), Tripicchio (1.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg) and Von Ahnen (3.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg) also saw extensive varsity experience a year ago, and sophomores Ramos and Swanson are ready to step into varsity roles. “The girls are playing with a different level of intensity and it’s a carry over from summer and the fall league we were in,” said Dawson, whose team is ranked No. 8 in Class 2A in The Associated Press’ preseason poll. “There’s a certain level of maturity when they’re seniors and Clarissa and Swanson have stepped in and done a great job so far.” In addition to depth, Dawson thinks her team will have a variety of ways to score points. “This is a very versatile team,” she said. “I believe we have six girls who can score in double figures on any given night. We just need to play unselfish. We’re deep with guards and posts and many girls on this team who can contribute. If we play a team game we’ll be very successful.” Dawson would like to believe her team can contend in the SCC Blue, despite the fact Montini, the defending Class 3A state champion, is the heavy favorite again. “We’ve got some big conference goals we’re looking forward to,” she said. The Wave will find out how they stack up with Montini on Nov. 29 when the Broncos come to Elgin for the conference opener. Prior to that, St. Edward will play in the Dakota tournament again. Freeport Aquin, the No. 2 ranked team in Class 1A is there as well as the host school, which is ranked No. 11 in Class 1A after winning the 1A state title in girls volleyball.