DVC salutes the 438 who paid the ultimate price
It was eight years Friday that the tragedy known as "9/11" occurred. At football fields throughout the DuPage Valley Conference there will be tributes to the public servants who lost their lives that day, and also to locals who continue to serve.
"September 11, 2001, was a day we should never forget," Glenbard North athletic director Matt Bowser wrote in an e-mail to the Daily Herald. Glenbard North coach Ryan Wilkens' Panthers will host Naperville North in football Friday.
"We are using this as an opportunity to keep the events of that day in our memories and in our hearts," Bowser said. "We feel fortunate to be in a position where we are able to pay tribute to the men and women who lost their lives that day."
Of the 2,975 persons who died when terrorists hijacked four planes that crashed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in western Pennsylvania, 438 were police, firemen, Port Authority personnel and emergency medical technicians who went into the crash sites attempting to save lives.
DuPage Valley teams will wear "438" helmet decals in their memory.
At Glenbard North, police, firemen and EMTs from both communities will be recognized before the game and will stand with their respective teams in the end zones during the national anthem.
"The DuPage Valley Conference, Naperville North High School and Glenbard North High School want to take the opportunity to pay tribute and to recognize the outstanding work that is done every day by our local police and fire departments," Bowser said.
What a shocker
The Dukes of York, 26-time state boys cross country champions, entered the Illinois Cross Country Coaches Poll as the No. 1 team in the state. Neuqua Valley followed No. 2 Prospect, and defending 3A titlist Naperville North followed Palatine as No. 5. Top 20 teams included Wheaton North, Lake Park and Wheaton Warrenville South.
On the girls side the coaches went with defending state champ Geneva at No. 1 and, again, Prospect at No. 2. Naperville North was ranked third and York eighth. Also in the top 15 were Hinsdale Central, WW South and Benet. The top of the order may change after Meghan Frigo led York to victory over Geneva last Saturday at St. Charles East's Leavey Invitational.
Challenge answered
Before Timothy Christian's debut boys soccer match in the Metro Suburban Conference, Corey Phillip was challenged to come up with "two or three" goals, coach Rudi Gesch wrote in a postgame summary.
As Gesch added, Phillip didn't disappoint.
Phillip connected on a goal to tie Elmwood Park 1-1, then added a second goal to help Timothy Christian go into halftime tied 2-2.
The junior captain scored on a penalty kick to send the game into overtime tied 3-3. The game went through two overtime periods without a goal, sending it into penalty kicks. Phillip converted the Trojans' first, and they were on their way to victory, going 4 of 4 on kicks to Elmwood's 2 of 4.
Blasted
One of the benefits of getting Neuqua Valley boys track coach Mike Kennedy's e-mail list-serve is advance notice on positive events.
Such as the third annual Kathryn Bender Memorial Foundation 5K Walk/Run, Sept. 19 at Neuqua Valley. Last year 152 people participated.
Her story can be found on the Web site, kbmf.net, but in a nutshell Kathryn Bender was a Naperville North senior on the way to her goal of eight successive semesters earning at least a 4.0 grade-point average. In November 2005 she died of Long QT syndrome, a heart rhythm disorder that if untreated can cause sudden death.
The Foundation was set up to raise money and support research and education regarding Long QT syndrome. The goal of the Sept. 19 event is to purchase a portable EKG machine, to be used in the Young Hearts 4 Life cardiac screening program that travels to various area high schools.
For details on the Kathryn Bender 5K, visit the Web site and click the "Fundraisers" tab.
Bean counters
Old news, but interesting still. One day over the summer, York football players and wrestlers donated their time to the Northern Illinois Food Bank. In an hour and a half they processed 12,397 pounds of food.
Terry Clarke, Dukes varsity wrestling coach and a varsity football assistant, oversaw the distribution of, among other items, 1,440 pounds of venison, 600 pounds of cereal and a whopping 4,420 pounds of green beans.
"It was a pleasure to watch so many young people working so hard to give back to their communities," Clarke said.
doberhelman@dailyherald.com