Boys gymnastics: Full strength Hersey rolls to sectional crown

Hersey pulled out its three of a kind Monday to deal its way to a boys gymnastics sectional title Monday in Arlington Heights.

The Huskies leaned heavily on Nate Mabry on Friday in the MSL conference meet. But Hersey was without CJ Sayavongsa, who was at a national meet in Florida, and Drew Netlolicky, who tweaked his ankle just before the start of the meet.

Without that duo on Friday, Hersey scored a 131.675 and finished second.

On Monday, both were back in the lineup. Led again by Mabry, who won all six individual events and the all-around title, the Huskies were at full strength and powered their way to a sectional title with a 151.55.

"Friday we had some guys missing," Hersey coach Joon Yun said. "But today we were at full strength and this is our true test to see what we're going to be like for state."

Hersey qualified for state for the first time since 2019 and for the 15th time in school history. The Huskies last hit the state podium in 1984 when they finished first in the state.

Hersey is the first of five sectional winners that automatically qualify for the state finals May 12-13 at Hoffman Estates High School. The four other sectionals will take place over the next four days beginning Tuesday at Stevenson, followed by Lyons, Lake Park and Downers Grove North.

In addition, the teams with the top three at-large scores from the five sectionals will also qualify for state.

"This is a new group of kids," Yun said. "They are excited to be going to state and they are determined."

Mabry was second in the state last year behind Palatine's John Pirone. Mabry will be seeking to become Hersey's first state all-around champion since Chris Waller won the title in the 1983-84 season.

Mabry took a huge step toward that goal Monday.

The sophomore was rock solid in all six events, despite having some stiffness in his back. But he fought through it to win the floor with a 9.40, the pommel horse with a 9.10, the rings with a 9.45, the vault with a 9.50, the parallel bars with a 9.25 and the high bar with a 9.60.

"This is my highest score with two judges," Mabry said. "Having all the guys back helped with morale. The nice part with a Monday sectional is that we almost get a full two weeks to heal up and get ready for state."

Sayavongsa was second on the all-around with a 49.40. The freshman said the pressure of Friday's national meet in Florida, where he finished eighth, prepared him for Monday's sectional.

"I was definitely more nervous for nationals," Sayavongsa said. "I felt more confident today because of that."

Netolicky, who had his ankle heavily taped, fought though the discomfort to score a 45.85 to finish seventh in the all-around. Sergii Demianchuk and Victor Pavlov also came up strong for the Huskies.

Fremd overcame a poor start on the pommel horse to finish second in the meet with a 144.90. The Vikings will now play a waiting game to see what their fate will be.

"Hopefully this is enough to hang on," Fremd coach Jason Brandenburg said. "Pommels was really rough. But the guys bounced back and finished exactly how any coach would want their team to finish."

Victor Balica, who was third in the all-around with 48.30, led the Vikings,

"That's not too bad," Balica said. "I felt a little tired, I could use a coffee maybe. But it was great to have fun again."

Fremd's Joseph Ferlita was ninth in the all-around with a 43.25 while Luca Sciuckas finished 11th.

Hinsdale Central, which was seventh in the state last year, scored a 133.60 to finish third. The Red Devils' Elias Argyris was fourth in the all-around with a 47.95 while teammate Marc Cihlar was fifth with a 46.65.

Willowbrook was fourth with a 126.75. The Warriors were led by Daniel Javier, who was eighth in the all-around.

Prospect, which had qualified for state the last two seasons and was fourth last year, scored a 125.65. The Knights were led by Andrew Littmann, who was sixth in the all-around with a 45.95.