Hinsdale Central, Benet lead Herald Cup standings after winter sports season
Two-thirds of the way through the high school sports year, it’s time again to check on the Herald Cup standings.
Debuted last school year, the Herald Cup honors athletic excellence among the dozens of high schools in our coverage area.
For those who remember the Paddock Cup, which years ago celebrated the top overall sports programs in the Mid-Suburban League, the Herald Cup is similar except it looks at state tournament performances for all our schools.
We developed a points system awarding schools for top-10 team finishes in individual sports. There’s a separate points system for “team” sports like basketball, soccer, volleyball, etc.
When the final points are tabulated in June, we’ll rank the schools and separate them into divisions of large schools and small schools based on enrollment. The dividing line roughly groups the large schools in football’s Class 7A and 8A, and the small schools from 6A down. We do not place an enrollment multiplier on the private schools.
With the fall and winter sports seasons in the books, here’s where the rankings stand.
Large schools
Hinsdale Central (110 points)
Downers Grove North (95)
Barrington (74)
Stevenson (73)
York (72)
Small schools
Benet (120)
Montini (101)
Marmion (66)
IC Catholic (40)
Geneva (38)
Pool power
The state boys swimming and diving competition shifted things this winter.
Hinsdale Central solidified its spot atop the large school standings with another title, scoring 338 points to 190 for second-place Marmion. The Red Devils’ quartet of Henry Guo, Matt Vatev, Josh Bey and Luke Vatev set a national high school record in the 200 medley relay.
Marmion, meanwhile, vaulted into third place in the small school standings partially because of its second-place finish.
On the mat
Speaking of the Cadets, their Class 3A dual team state wrestling title made a big impact on the standings. Individual state champion Nicholas Garcia led the effort with a bunch of other state medalists.
IC Catholic Prep — behind individual state champions Max Cumbee, Deven Casey and Brody Kelly — also moved into the top five of the small school standings with its Class 2A dual team state wrestling title.
Hoops
By winning at least a sectional title, points were scored by several area boys and girls basketball teams.
Benet’s boys team and Montini’s girls team were the biggest point winners with their state titles. Fremd still sits outside the top five of the large school standings, but the Vikings’ second-place trophy in girls basketball pushed them closer.
What’s next?
In a word … chaos.
Herald Cup points in 12 sports are on the line this spring, in everything from badminton to baseball. It might be tough for anyone to catch Hinsdale Central or Benet atop the large and small school standings, but expect movement in the rest of the top five.
Congratulations to all the schools that excelled in the winter. Next time we talk about the Herald Cup — when the state baseball and softball tournaments close the school year — we’ll unveil the final standings for the 2024-25 school year.