Lake Park's Nihells can rest on his laurels

Bob Nihells could certainly rest on his laurels, if past glories were his thing.

Lake Park boys track coach from 1982-2000 then 15 more seasons as one of Jay Ivory's assistants, in Nihells' concentration of discus and shot put he produced 17 all-state throwers who combined to win 33 medals and nine state championships.

"It's great, I talk to all those guys here and there, but at the end of the day I have to focus on what's in the moment," said Nihells, who in 2016 switched to the Lancers' girls team to coach sprints, hurdles and high jump.

The moments are getting fewer for Nihells at Lake Park. On June 8 the former math teacher and his wife, Patti, herself a track coach and retired Hampshire teacher, relocate outside of Chattanooga, Tennessee.

"It's been a great ride," said Nihells, 62. "I've had great experiences, met a lot of good people, but it's time."

Times? Distances? Among if not the best in Illinois high school history.

From Nihells' 1997 Class AA title team, Anthony Moorman's 200-meter dash of 20.89 seconds still stands as a state record. So does Jermaine Kline's 66-foot, 5¾-inch shot put from the 2011 finals, square in Lake Park's Class 3A title four-peat from 2010-13.

Starting with that epic race to be Illinois' first 200-foot discus man between Dan Block and Waubonsie Valley's Brett Einbecker - whose father, the outstanding throws coach Roger Einbecker, is in the process of ceding responsibility to Wheaton North graduate Pat Trofimuk - four-time throws champ Block eventually went 208-11 in 2009, still Illinois' finest. This year Lockport's John Meyer eclipsed Jeremy Kline's marquee shot put of 67-6½ from 2011.

Lake Park girls coach and horizontal jumps expert Tom Kaberna also noted Nihells' impact on Zach Ziemek's seventh-place decathlon at the 2016 Olympics.

Nihells earned 2013 induction into the Illinois Track and Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame and 2014 boys Gill Athletics National High School Coach of the Year by an insatiable drive for knowledge to maximize his throwers' potential.

A foster child after his parents both died before he turned 10, Nihells grew up in East St. Louis. A self-proclaimed "redneck," he didn't participate in sports until playing football his junior and senior years at Highland High School. He played at Illinois College then coached the sport at Rock Falls High School.

A line coach, Nihells was directed to track to make better football players. A light came on when one of his throwers was losing to others of lesser ability "because of me," he said.

"I'm either going to do this or I'm going to get out," Nihells told himself.

At Lake Park, on his own dime Nihells flew to Arizona to visit John Godina and to Oregon to see Mac Wilkins, Olympians whose brains Nihells picked to help the developing Dan Block. (Block's older brother, Scott, also won a shot put title under Nihells.)

"I have to make sure I don't mess this kid up," Nihells recalled thinking.

Nihells' key was generating forward momentum from the back of the circle, a spin that started slow and ended fast.

"Patience, I think, is the word," he said. "You've got to set up your throw, don't rush your throw. That's what my tempo was, and for the most part I got it."

No place like home

Before Naperville North's home baseball game against Waubonsie Valley at 4:30 p.m. Friday there will be a presentation honoring Huskies coach Carl Hunckler, whose retirement we addressed here on April 11. He'll go out with his longtime pal and pitching coach, Mark Lindo.

This also provides Naperville North the chance to announce Hunckler's successor, one of his former players, Jimmy Chiappetta.

"It's something I've always wanted," said the 1999 Naperville North graduate, all-DuPage Valley Conference in both baseball and basketball before heading to Illinois State on a baseball scholarship.

As surely as he handled sharp one-hoppers on this same diamond, during 13 years as a Naperville North social studies teacher and assistant baseball and boys basketball coach he could have fielded an offer elsewhere.

No. Not for one who "has always bled orange and blue," as Chiappetta said.

"It's always tough to see yourself somewhere else when you've grown up here and this is what you've known," he said. "Being with Carl and Mark this year up on the varsity level I think added a different element to me on a personal level, being able to go out with those guys."

The Three Amigas

It's been a dream season for Downers Grove North softball player MacKenzie Bernhard, not only because the Trojans entered Wednesday with a record of 18-6.

For the first time in their ball-playing history MacKenzie, a LaSalle University-bound senior, and her sisters, sophomore twins Karly and Kelsey, are playing on the same team.

"We grew up practicing together. We've always played, we just haven't been teammates," said MacKenzie, a shortstop. "Being able to do that together with them is awesome, especially since before I leave for school it's a way to get closer."

If the name sounds familiar it's because their grandfather is Dave Bernhard, a recipient of the Illinois High School Association's Distinguished Media Service Award. Among many other things, Bernhard has done play-by-play on more than 450 state final contests for the IHSA TV Network.

All Bernhards love this never-before-seen spectacle of left fielder Karly throwing to MacKenzie for the tag at second, or the 2-6 attempted steal putouts courtesy of Kelsey, who shares catcher's duties with senior Madi Greenaberg.

Though on the diamond they hold each other accountable, "we'll mess around with handshakes and whatnot between innings," MacKenzie said. Playing on the same team also has widened their social circle, as the older girl's friends have embraced the twins' pals, and vice versa.

They'll enjoy this season in the sun before MacKenzie moves on to college softball and biology or exercise science - though after the LaSalle coach told MacKenzie's club coach he was looking for players out of the Class of 2020, this act could see a revival.

"They're looking to go a little warmer than Philadelphia," MacKenzie Bernhard said, "but I wouldn't be surprised if something did happen there, too."

Testing waters

Westmont athletic director Rainy Kaplan reports that on May 2 she, Westmont principal Jack Baldermann and superintendent Kevin Carey presented a pitch to representatives of the Metro Suburban Conference following the MSC's invitation. A decision on Westmont's inclusion won't be made until September, Kaplan said.

Westmont will remain a member of the Interstate Eight Conference in the 2018-19 school year for all sports but football but not thereafter as the IEC retools. Westmont will be an independent in football in 2018.

Among Westmont's football foes will be Seneca (also vacating the IEC), Lake View, Christ the King, Quincy Notre Dame, Salem, Burlington Central and Wallaceburg, Ontario.

Westmont's football program will host Wallaceburg over a few days in somewhat of a cultural exchange, Kaplan said.

"We're going to play 'O Canada,'" she said.

doberhelman@dailyherald.com

Follow Dave on Twitter @doberhelman1