Catching up with Batavia's Josh Cogan

Batavia sophomore Josh Cogan, No. 1 singles for Bulldogs boys tennis the past two years, is unafraid to put it out there - he'd like to play at a college like Stanford, Duke or Northwestern.

"I'm really setting my hopes high," he says, and his 21-0 record through Wednesday plus a program-record 32 straight victories and a sectional title as a freshman support his goal. Outside of high school competition, this honors-class student puts his Wilson Pro Staff 88 racket through its paces at facilities in Aurora, Hinsdale and Northbrook and also coast to coast on the amateur circuit. The Tennis Recruiting Network ranks him 85th nationally in the Class of 2012 - and lists his seven awards for sportsmanship gained at tourneys across the country. Thanks to his father Steve's business relocation, Josh, mother Hitomi and Josh's tennis-playing sister, 13-year-old Amelia, moved to Batavia from Green Bay four years ago.

Q: Are you a Packers fan?

A: No, I'm not.

Q: Then let's proceed. What's the best way to aggravate a Packers fan.

A: Recently, what I've been able to do is talk about Brett Favre in front of them.

Q: Why do you use the racket you do?

A: I like really heavy, just solid rackets that kind of limit my range of motion so I'm not out of control all the time. I like to have a nice, compact swing, and that racket allows me to do that. It also has a really small sweet spot, and when you hit it, it's just a great feeling.

Q: Have you had any embarrassing moments on the court?

A: I've had a couple of really bad swings and misses. I'm not too sure, probably just a lot of bad whiffs in the middle of a tight match.

Q: Tennis outfits always create a stir. What are tennis clothing no-no's?

A: Really heavy, black clothing, because it gets really hot out on the tennis court, so you're going to be really tired by the end of the match just by overheating. So you've got to wear white or really light clothing. And you've got to wear the right shoes. You can't wear sandals or you're going to twist your ankle, something like that.

Q: Who's your favorite player?

A: I like Roger Federer. I know he's not the most popular player, but he's got a real nice style, really smooth on the court, and he doesn't show a lot of emotion. He's just a really great player.

Q: You're obviously a great sport, having won all those awards. Have you ever watched clips of players like John McEnroe or Jimmy Connors?

A: My mom doesn't want me to play like that, but they're really great players and really fun to watch.

Q: Do you play other sports?

A: I used to play baseball. What I liked about that is that it's a team sport and you win and lose as a team, and that makes everything better. I played pitcher, and I relate to that on the tennis court, where you're in control of the game and the tempo of the game goes through you.

Q: You've said you enjoy movies. Anything you'd like to see?

A: I have yet to see "Avatar" and I would also like to see "Hot Tub Time Machine."

Q: I've heard that's funny. What are your favorite comedies?

A: "Step Brothers," "The Hangover" and "The Pink Panther" - the one with Steve Martin.

Q: Check out the original "Pink Panther" or "A Shot in the Dark," Peter Sellers is a scream. Enough about me - anything about you people may not know?

A: I don't have a spleen. That's all that I can come up with right now.

Q: You don't have a spleen?

A: It was surgically removed. I had a hereditary blood disease. It's kind of hard to explain, but my spleen was destroying my red blood cells so I was really anemic. My dad had the same thing. You just have to remove the spleen and you're fine.

Q: Did you see your spleen?

A: No. I was 4 years old and pretty drugged up.

Q: Right. On the other hand, Mother's Day is Sunday. Are you ready for the big brunch?

A: I don't think I've ever gone out for brunch before. It's just breakfast, lunch and dinner at my house.

Q: Any advice for aspiring tennis players?

A: Just stick with it. If you're going through rough times, they're going to get better, just keep working on your game. Be patient.

Q: As a freshman you were Batavia's most valuable player, all-state, a record-setter, the No. 1 player. Do you feel pressure?

A: There's a little bit of pressure, but I'm only out here to have fun, so it's only part of the game.

He gave it a shotMorning mist at last month's Kaneland's Peterson Prep Invitational made things slick in the discus and shot put rings. Geneva senior Frank Boenzi persisted for victories in each."It's always good to learn how to throw in the rain," the senior said. "... It's not everyone's favorite, but it's good to do."Track and field wasn't initially part of Boenzi's plan for high school, either. A group effort convinced him to come out."I wasn't going to do track," Boenzi said at Kaneland. "Coach (Gale) Gross had to come talk to me freshman year. He brought me down, sat me down and talked to me for about an hour. That's what made me join."During the conversation with Gross, Boenzi said a Geneva football coach walked in - "the head football coach," which would mean Rob Wicinski. How could Frank say no to Gross, who also happens to be a Vikings' football assistant. "I do not remember precisely the moment Frank was talking about," Gross wrote in an e-mail. "However, I probably told Frank in eighth-grade that he didn't have a choice, he is coming out for track in high school."The rest has been history. Two straight sixth-place state finishes and a personal-best shot put of 59 feet, 9 inches last weekend.Football remains Boenzi's top sport, though if Northern Illinois University had men's track he could certainly qualify for both. Since he decided to participate in track - or had it decided for him - his secondary sport has also served him well on and off the football field."It got me better, I think, with the footwork and stuff," Boenzi said. "It's good to do different sports. It keeps you out of trouble, keeps you in shape."Hail to the ChiefsWaubonsee Community College broke a long-held school baseball record on Wednesday with its 11th straight victory. The Chiefs beat Joliet Junior College 5-2 to snap the record of 10 straight victories Waubonsee established in both the 1975 and 1986 seasons.Waubonsee rolled three double plays in support of pitcher Bill Pullia. The right-hander from Wheaton allowed 2 unearned runs in the 9-inning complete game.