There’s plenty to remember, and not just the weather
With the school year nearly over, it seems like only yesterday we were watching games in bitterly cold wintry weather.
Oh ... wait. That was yesterday.
Bad spring weather jokes aside, and without further delay, the Daily Herald tradition continues of chronologically presenting the top 10 moments of the school year in DuPage County boys athletics. Next week Josh Welge will do the same for girls athletics.
Oct. 13, 2012: BLOOMINGTON — Anticlimactic? There’s nothing anticlimactic about winning a state championship.
Sure, the final day of golf was washed away by rain at The Den at Fox Creek. But Hinsdale Central’s boys golf team still claims the Class 3A state title with a one-day team score of 306.
Paced by Brian Dolehide’s fifth-place round of 74, the Red Devils edge Naperville North and third-place Raymond Knoll by 2 strokes. It’s the Huskies’ highest team finish since winning the title in 1994.
Nov. 3, 2012: PEORIA — Glenbard South junior John Wold, from whom we’ll hear again later, edges the closest competition by five seconds to win the Class 2A cross country individual state championship with a time of 14:16. Bolstered by teammate Joe Singleton’s sixth-place finish, the Raiders finish fifth as a team.
York, meanwhile, surprises absolutely no one by winning the 3A team title: the program’s 28th overall and first since 2010. Scott Milling’s sixth-place individual finish helps the Dukes to an 82-point finish, dominating second-place O’Fallon by 35 points.
Nov. 24, 2012: CHAMPAIGN — Nearly 30 years after winning its first and only state title, Glenbard West’s football team does it again. It’s not easy.
In the Class 7A final the Hilltoppers see a 10-0 lead shrink to 10-6, and to make matters worse Lincoln-Way East is in Glenbard West’s red zone in the game’s final two minutes. But just as Eagles quarterback Tom Fuessel appears destined for the end zone, Hilltoppers safety Hayden Carlson comes up with the play of the game with a wicked fourth-down hit that gives the ball back to Glenbard West.
After a few more harrowing moments, Glenbard West caps an unbeaten season with a 10-8 victory in the 7A title game.
Hours earlier, Montini asserts its dominance in Class 5A by beating Morris 19-6. Their fourth straight state title and fifth overall, it’s the fourth different opponent they’ve beaten in the final. With a bunch of high-level talent returning next season — headed by Ohio State-bound lineman Dylan Thompson and linebacker Nile Sykes — Montini will be favored to appear in this space again next season.
Feb. 16, 2013: CHAMPAIGN — The individual state wrestling tournament is littered with outstanding matchups, none better than the 3A heavyweight title showdown of unbeatens between Neuqua Valley’s Andrew Geers and Hinsdale Central’s Brian Allen. Allen comes out on top 4-2 as all the points are scored in the third period.
Glenbard North junior Jered Cortez continues his state mastery by claiming the 126-pound title and running his varsity record to 99-0.
In Class 2A, Montini earns four individual titles as Chris Garcia wins at 138, Xavier Montalvo wins at 160, Jake Turk is victorious at 182 and Anthony Ferraro brings home the 195 title.
A week later in Bloomington, Montini dominates the 2A dual team tournament. The Broncos face little opposition, winning their 11th team title overall and sixth straight with a 49-10 victory over Geneseo in the final.
Feb. 23, 2013: WINNETKA — New Trier rolls to the boys swimming and diving state title with 173 points, but Hinsdale Central’s relay performances help cement a 96-point second-place finish.
The Red Devils race to three top-five relay finishes, highlighted by a state-title swim by the 200-yard freestyle. Two seniors — Connor Schroyer and anchor man Will Leach — complete the feat with sophomores Brian Powell and Brian Portland.
May 10, 2013: FRANKFORT — Behind David MacDonald’s all-around title score of 56.3, the Wheaton co-op boys gymnastics team earns its second straight state title. Its team score of 161.65 is its best of the season and eclipses second-place Conant by nearly 6 points.
MacDonald’s all-around score includes only one meet-best — his 9.7 in floor exercise — but consistency of at least 9.0 in every event allows the junior to win the top prize.
May 11, 2013: FRANKFORT — A day after leading Wheaton co-op’s charge to the team title, David MacDonald dominates the night devoted to individual achievement as his state title medal count jumps from two to six.
MacDonald wins the floor exercise with a 9.75, ties Hinsdale Central’s Brian Thompson and Fremd’s C.J. Patton with a 9.55 on the pommel horse, scores a first-place 9.45 on the still rings and a 9.75 on the parallel bars.
Other DuPage gymnasts earn first-place medals. Glenbard North sophomore T.J. Kennedy scores 9.45 on the vault and Thompson, a senior, earns a title-clinching 9.55 on the horizontal bar.
Add it up, and DuPage athletes sweep all six individual titles.
May 25, 2013: CHARLESTON — An entire class of Lake Park track and field athletes goes through the school as state champions after the Lancers claim their fourth straight crown. With 63 points Lake Park easily seals the top spot in Class 3A by 30 points over second-place Providence.
As usual it’s the field events putting Lake Park over the top, headed by senior Shawn Koch’s title-winning triple jump of 48-4.25.
Also in 3A, Willowbrook’s Matt Burns wins the title in the 400 meters with a time of 48.89. Glenbard South’s John Wold, months after winning a cross country state title, wins a track title with a Class 2A record time of 1:54.66 in the 800.
May 25, 2013: ARLINGTON HEIGHTS — With the highest team score in IHSA history, Hinsdale Central’s boys tennis team completes a flat-out dominant weekend on the court by cruising to its second straight state title and 21st as a program.
A stunning total of 59 points are accumulated as the Red Devils finish first and third in singles play and first and second in doubles play.
Sophomore Martin Joyce leads the team’s romp by beating Waubonsie Valley senior Eric Marbach 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 in a hard-fought singles final. Red Devils teammate Michael Lorenzini, who lost to Marbach in the semifinals, wins the third-place match.
Doubles play features an all-Hinsdale Central title match as Eddie Grabill and Harold Martin edge Alex Hagermoser and Peter Henegan 6-3, 1-6, 6-4.
In keeping with tradition, we’re keeping the 10th spot open for the teams still alive in volleyball and baseball. Downers Grove South competes in the volleyball quarterfinals Friday at Hoffman Estates, while Lisle’s baseball team plays in the Class 2A semifinals Friday afternoon in Peoria.
St. Francis’ baseball team already has advanced to the Class 3A Sycamore sectional final, while Downers Grove North advanced to the Class 4A Neuqua Valley final. The Wildcats, Wheaton North and Glenbard South all competed Thursday with a spot in the sectional final on the line.
Best of luck to all the teams still playing ... and get ready to start rebuilding that top 10 list all over again in a couple months!
Follow Kevin on Twitter @kevin_schmit
kschmit@dailyherald.com