Boys volleyball: Scouting Cook and Lake County teams
ANTIOCH
The Seqouits were 31-5 a year ago and won the Northern Lake County Conference and a regional.
Junior Brady Kobb is the top player back.
"We have tough competition in the NLCC," said 18th year coach Jamie Atkinson. "Lakes and Central (Grayslake) has some big returning players back.We want to win another regional championship.’
CARMEL
The Corsairs finished 19-15 overall and were 5-3 in East Suburban Catholic in 2023. Carmel's top player is 6-foot-7 senior George Mason recruit Michael Schofield. The Corsairs also return seniors Xander Ikusz (Trine University) and Luke Burkhalter.
Attempting to work into the rotation are seniors LJ Stackhouse, Isaac Alvarez and Harley Hoselton along with juniors Hayden Chilcutt, Ken Duran and Liam Luby.
"Marian Catholic had a great season and Marist is always tough to beat," said coach Kevin Nylen. “We have an experienced team with high expectations. This group has all the qualities a coach wants to see. We have experience, good leadership and we get along well on and off the court. We had an early playoff loss last year and this group will challenge the top teams in the area and in the conference."
CONANT
The Cougars were 29-8 overall and second in the Mid-Suburban League.
Returners are all-conference selections Liam Cunningham and Mike Recko along with Macej Kopacz and John Yang.
"We focus on practices," said coach Drewann Reibel. "We have a great group of seniors and they are the driving force."
GRAYSLAKE CENTRAL
The Rams, under the guidance of Dan Erlenbaugh, were 27-9 overall and 7-3 in the NLCC and lost to Stevenson in the regional finals.
All-conference performers Jacob Strahan, a senior, and juniors Ben Boron and Bryce Jupaz bolster the Rams attack. Also back are juniors George Hollenstein, Jackson Rowe and Evan Page.
"We want to win the NLCC for a first time," said Erlenbaugh. "We want to make a deep run in the playoffs. The NLCC is getting better and better each year."
GRAYSLAKE NORTH
The Knights were 13-22 and fourth in the NLCC in 2023.
Returners for Nikki Kirchway's squad are seniors Jack Calhoun, Nathaniel Kiscellius, Kevin Meyer and Adam Petraitis along with juniors Alex Christoffel and Logan Smith.
Newcomers include senior Sergio Jimenez, juniors Manny Hernandez, Juan Huarta Rodriguez and Matt Myszka, sophomores Allan Jalloh and Uros Mitrovic and freshman Rees Obaid.
"Grayslake North is making a name for itself as a team to watch with six players returning," said Kirchway. "We have added several players that will help us be competitive in every match. We are mixed with athletes with high energy, hard work ethic and competitive nature. We are working hard to show the team we are made of."
HERSEY
The Huskies are led by Mid-Suburban League Player of the Year senior Greg Kubon. Also back are is all-conference senior Justin Arrowood, and seniors Naveen Samuel, William Markworth, Nick Delicia, Dylan Kim and Anthony Williamson.
"We are working toward winning the MSL East, the regional and sectional and make a state run," said coah Laura Gerber.
LAKES
The Eagles (19-18, 8-2 in the NLCC, second) have all-conference performers seniors Erik Stover (Carthage) and David Synovic back to go with senior Ferenando Tovar and juniors Jack Marino, Jason Klimas and Darian Zamora.
LAKE ZURICH
The Bears return five starters from last season's team which lost to Barrington in the regional.
All-North Suburban performers returning are seniors Anthony Kim, Keyon Haynes and Gabe Schwartz. Senior Wyatt Jones and Ashton Stage also are returning starters while newcomers include juniors Konrad Bochonko and Kuba Rytel and sophomore Adrian Riep.
“Conference is strong as always," said coach Brett Stuart. ”We had our most successful season last year.“
LEYDEN
The Eagles return seniors Ryan Pikor, Max Rudak and Steve Koczowka.
"We want to play quality defense and be consistent," said coach Amanda Jarosz. “We want to keep the ball playable. We were 3-3 a year ago and want to win more matches than we did last year."
LIBERTYVILLE
The Wildcats (21-12, 6-1) lost in the regional finals to Vernon Hills. They return senior starters Gavin Shelagowski and Hashim Khan along with sophomores Nate Knight and Jackson Kern (all-conference).
"We have a ton of experience and athleticism despite having a bit of youth," said coach Jenny Smith, who has carved out a 192-123 record in nine years. “The NSC is a tough conference and we want to be competitive."
MAINE EAST
Maine East, 0-10 in the Central Suburban, lost in the second round of the regionals to Evanston.
Josh Loont, Most Valuable for the Blue Demons a year ago, has transferred to Grant.
Juniors Jaiman Patel and Landon Bujdei are returning while senior Godwin Dimaano and junior Albert Ontogtokh are newcomers.
"We are going to rely on juniors from a 28-1 junior varsity team," said coach George Wong. “We need to be mentally stronger to win and avoid losing so many close matches."
MAINE WEST
The Warriors (17-20, 5-5 in the Central Suburban) lost to Maine South in the regional semifinals last year. They return seniors Choys Aranas, Alex Zudor, Nathan Burkemper, Miles Pfaller, Ronak Patel and Stevie Leon, junior Pete Dempsey, and sophomores Luis Alvarez-Perez and Nicholas Moraru.
"We return nine varsity players," said coach Michael O Brill. "We want to build off our experience and utilize our explosiveness and speed to run a fast tempo offense. We are pretty scrappy defense and keep rallies alive. We want to win a regional something that hasn't been in program history. We are chasing Vernon Hills who has won the conference the last three years."
MAINE SOUTH
Senior Amadeo Bimbi (three-year starter) and junior Leo Trespeces Winck are back to go with senior newcomers Connor Farrell and Ben Mitchell.
South was 5-5 in the Central Suburban League South last season before losing to Glenbrook North in the regional finals.
"The conference is competitive and last season we were huge in stature," said coach Garrett Fechner. “We had five guys 6-5 or taller. We don’t have size like we had last season. The conference is uber competitive. We simply want to play with an edge."
MUNDELEIN
Captains senior Shane Clausen and junior Kevin Mann lead Mundelein (16-18) and coach George Dressen, in his 23rd year. Also returning are juniors Jarrett Chico, Angel Estrada and Vlad Tkachuk and sophomore Rance Cruz.
Newcomers include seniors Dominic Kampa, Kaidyn Wright and Zander Magraw, and juniors Zack Nocera, Jordan Jimenez and Krish Prajapatti.
"We have a split of young talent and veterans," said Dressen. "We want to a 20-plus win season and to play well in the state series."
PALATINE
The Pirates were 19-17 overall and lost to Lake Park in the regional semifinals.
Coach Peter Gavin returns seniors Jeremy Bennett and Daniel Bueno, and juniors Jackson Brown, Luke Tipton and Alex Huyser.
"We have a very competitive group of young men which includes basketball and football players," said Gavin. "We have solid athletes and experience in every position. The conference is tough with Barrington and Fremd leading the way"
ROLLING MEADOWS
The Mustangs return starters seniors Gavin Jensen and Jackson Gallagher.
Looking for playing time are seniors Nevin George, Olivier Kocol, Tim Clarke, Nickolai Raczka and Quentin Berge. Juniors are Dylan Moran, Logan Quadros, Michael Soen, Tej Prattipatu and Yashwant CheruKarri and sophomores Caleb Pate and Bill Tsog.
"We want to finish in the top half of the MSL East," said coach Kevin Bourn. "Every win in the conference is earned. Any team can beat any team on any given night. Hersey, Prospect and BG should find themselves at the top of the conference.“
SCHAUMBURG
The Saxons were 13-21 overall and fifth in the Mid-Suburban League West in 2023.
Seniors Carter Luecht, Alex Fitzgerald, Jordan Wu, Bogdan Juswiak and Premil Patel are back for coach Cory Griffin.
"We want to improve in the MSL and overall," said Griffin. "The conference will be strong. We want to compete for a regional title. We are looking forward to a competitive healthy season.“
ROUND LAKE
The Panthers were 0-25 in their first season as a program last year.
Round Lake's roster include seniors Marshaun Washington and Henry Tucibat, junior Alfonso Tinajero, and sophomores Eric Banh and Jeremiah Johnson.
"The team culture will help us with future goals." said coach Storm Melnick. “We want to be competitive and make a name for Round Lake. We want to make sure the mental side of volleyball is up to par."
STEVENSON
Seniors Onon Bayasakh and Jason DeSutter (Milwaukee School of Engineering) and junior Tony Hawang are back for the Patriots (28-10) who won the North Suburban Conference and a regional, beating Grayslake Central before losing to Hononegah in the sectionals.
"We have depth and we want to play volleyball at a high level through speed and diversity," said 10th year coach Eric Goolish. "We expect to be in the mix for the championship in the conference, regionals and invitationals. We get a challenge in the conference from Lake Zurich and Libertyville. Libertyville is a bit younger and Lake Zurich returns essentially the entire starting lineup."
ST VIATOR
The Lions, under the guidance of Brennan Harrington, were 17-19 overall and 2-6 in the ESCC, and they have to replace 12 graduated seniors.
They do return senior Jakub Mikrut along with juniors Kevin Doherty and Tommy Westerkamp.
"We are a young team that lacks experience," said Harrington. “We hope to surprise some teams this spring and exceed expectations. The ESCC returns eight all-conference players. We hope to compete for a conference championship."
VERNON HILLS
The Cougars beat Libertyville to win a regional before losing to Barrington in the sectional finals, going 30-8 overall and winning a third straight CSL North title with a perfect 10-0 slate.
Back are senior all-conference performers Max Adkisson and Brian Kim along with returning starters seniors Ben Miller, Josh Cahill and Sarthak Agrawal.
“Making it to the sectional finals last year was our best effort since making it to the quarterfinals in 2021," said coach Chris Curry, 558-259 in 23 years. ”We aren't the tallest team but we are a strong passing team. We need to stick together regardless of the score. This is a hard-working, coachable team who are fun to be around."
WARREN
Coach Brianne Honda returns six seniors and a junior from last season’s team which was 12-22 overall and 4-3 in the North Suburban League.
The Blue Devils, winners of the NSL and a regional, are led by seniors Adam Juarez, Jaren Reyes (Trine University), Tyrise Armstrong, Sam Radaj, Piotr Wolan and Joel Paasch along with junior Caleb Bicket.
"We have a strong team with senior leadership," said Honda. “We have a shot at taking first again (regional, conference).”