Taking a look back and forward at a new school year

Welcome back.

It is always amazing to me how quickly the summer months fly by and the school year begins.

When the school doors reopen, it also marks the start of another high school sports campaign.

Not that I'm getting old (please, no wisecracks) but this is my 33rd consecutive year covering high school sports in the state of Illinois.

It amazes me, too.

I've seen my share of state championship celebrations and heartbreaking defeats, found compelling human-interest stories and have had the opportunity to meet some fantastic coaches, athletic trainers, student-athletes and their families along the journey.

Time to add to that list.

Before recapping the opening weekend of the prep football season, let's take one last look at some of the area's summer happenings.

I promise I'll only mention the name Ryan Lochte once.

Diamond gems: On the baseball diamond, Huntley and St. Charles North established themselves as early favorites to contend for conference titles and more this summer.

Andy Jakubowski's Red Raiders and Todd Genke's North Stars qualified for the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association summer state tournament last month.

The final eight teams that participated in the Phil Lawler Summer Classic included Huntley, St. Charles North, Warren, Fremd, Naperville Central, Lyons Township, Plainfield South and Brother Rice.

Led by Nick Laxner, Jeff Heinrich, Alec Coss, Joe Rizzo, Adam Smylie, Brad Model, Brad Maurer and Eric Maurer, Huntley reached the semifinals before falling to Brother Rice, 3-0.

Meanwhile, Weston Muir, Ryan Litavecz, Tim Hasto, Zach Mettetal, Sam Faith, Ralph Rhoades, Brenden Norberg, Conor Bizik and Sean Nemitz helped guide St. Charles North to its first summer state quarterfinal berth right on the heels of the North Stars' third-place Class 4A state finish last spring.

In the summer regional championship, St. Charles North earned a 4-3, 8-inning victory over St. Charles East. Saints starting pitcher Keegan Kochis tossed 5 innings of no-hit ball before the North Stars rallied in the sixth.

It should be an interesting spring.

Off and running: If Week 1 was any indication, the Upstate Eight Conference River Division football title could turn into a wild 4-team race between neighboring rivals Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles East and St. Charles North.

Reggie Phillips (143 yards) and Dana Anderson (96) combined for 239 of Batavia's 350 rushing yards during the Bulldogs' 34-24 road win over Belleville West.

At Geneva, senior tailback Lance Arni rushed for 203 yards on 19 carries - all coming in the first half - during the Vikings' 45-7 victory over St. Francis.

Arni, who started in the Vikings' defensive backfield last season, enjoyed the move to the offensive side of the ball.

"We've been waiting all summer for this," said Arni. "It finally came and we took advantage of it. We still have a lot of work to do but overall for the first game it was a good start."

St. Charles East sophomore Justin Jett rushed for 130 yards on 20 carries and scored 3 touchdowns during the Saints' 39-9 home win over South Elgin. It marked the Saints' first season-opening victory since 2013.

In Schaumburg, St. Charles North gained the majority of its yards via the passing game as senior quarterback Zach Mettetal completed 21 of 24 attempts for 421 yards and 5 TDs during the North Stars' 42-10 win over the Saxons.

Larkin matched its entire win total from a year ago, as quarterback David Hibbler rushed for 156 yards and a pair of TDs during the Royals' 32-26 victory over Mundelein.

Pick six club: Defenses also shined last weekend.

Geneva scored 2 defensive TDs during a 22-second span midway through the third quarter. Troy Tams and teammate Mason Branson each had 18-yard interception returns for scores as the Vikings pulled away from St. Francis.

St. Charles East senior Matt Bertke's 35-yard interception return extended the Saints' second-half lead over South Elgin to 33-9.

At West Aurora, senior cornerback DaVion Cross returned an interception 52 yards for a TD right before halftime of the Blackhawks' 33-3 victory over Yorkville.

Developing pattern: For the third time in 4 years, thunderstorms interfered with the season-opening action at several sites. Batavia's game was delayed for nearly an hour in downstate Belleville, while West Aurora's nonconference clash with Yorkville was suspended at halftime due to lightning. The game resumed Saturday morning.

Nobody in particular: Geneva, which has made the playoffs in 11 of the past 12 years, fielded 22 different offensive and defensive starters from 2015.

"Nobody knows nobody," joked Vikings coach Rob Wicinski. "It's a bunch of nobody's. We're just trying to figure out who we are."

Celebrity siting: Donnie Wahlberg paid a visit to Norris Stadium for last Friday's South Elgin-St. Charles East season opener.

How would I know?

My daughter sent me a photo that Wahlberg tweeted from the game.

Craig Brueske can be reached at csb4k@hotmail.com.