January 2008 Archives

By Sean Fuchs

Benet swimmer Dave Vandendorpe learned on Monday that he has a partially torn ligament in his right ankle, according to Redwings coach Mike Rigali.

It must sting a little.

By Sean Fuchs

Naperville Central diver Mike Greco told The Sun on Tuesday night that he hopes to be able to compete at the DuPage Valley Conference meet on Friday.

Naperville Central’s double-overtime win against West Aurora on Friday in Naperville started and ended with Central junior Drew Crawford.

In one hour, Naperville North will try to win an unprecedented third game in a row this season.

The Sun caught North's second straight win courtside on Tuesday at Plainfield Central and learned a little bit about why the 7-12 Huskies are seeing results.

“I think what I’ve seen from our guys the last couple weeks is we’re having just as good a time getting an assist as we are getting a bucket with each other," coach Mark Lindo said. "When you start to edge toward that mentality, you start to feel like you’ve maybe turned a corner.”

By Sean Fuchs

He's far from the only swimmer who has done this recently, but Naperville North sophomore Will Heidler still performed well on Tuesday night when he had to swim back-to-back events in the Huskies' easy win over West Chicago.

Division I programs didn’t show much interest in Harrison Daniels, but the Naperville Central quarterback is cool with that, knowing he’s on track to receive arguably the best education in the country.

After committing to play in the non-scholarship Ivy League earlier this month, Daniels said that Princeton is run like a D-1 program, one that has a locker room bigger than Michigan’s. The relative square footage couldn’t be confirmed, and it was unclear if any such calculation includes storage space for West Virginia documents shredded by new Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez.

Michigan’s famed helmet design is believed to be borrowed from Princeton, an Ann Arbor look to go alongside the black socks and baggy shorts and the commemorative NIT mock turtleneck. But otherwise Michigan and Princeton mostly exist in separate football universes, except when a unique case such as Jonathan Meyers emerges.

For several reasons, the fullback/linebacker from Greenwich, Conn., turned down offers from BCS powers like Michigan, Florida and Oklahoma and instead committed to Princeton. If you were a high school senior without any academic, financial or athletic limitations, where would you choose to go to college?

By Sean Fuchs

The Bears didn't have a lot of highlights this past season that didn't involve the sentence "I can't believe they kicked to Devin Hester." But the Bears were able to sweep their cheese-farming rivals to the north.

But all is not lost for the Packers, because Sammy Walker is ready to defend Green Bay's honor in a tough-man fight against former Bears great Steve "Mongo" McMichael.

By Sean Fuchs

The Sun has learned that the boys swimming and diving sectional originally scheduled to be held at Neuqua Valley High School has been moved to Naperville Central because of a scheduling conflict at Neuqua.

Naperville North senior Jordan Tassio spoke positively with The Sun today about his first official college visit.

Western Illinois had already offered Tassio a scholarship before the trip, but the multi-sport athlete said afterward that he still plans on scheduling visits to other schools.

Tassio, both The Sun and Sun-Times Football Player of the Year, led North to the Class 8A state championship in the fall. He's currently preparing to play baseball for the Huskies this spring.

By Sean Fuchs

During a break at the Trojan Invite on Saturday afternoon, the Heat Index was reminded that Downers Grove North High School is a juggernaut in badminton. There are two sections of a trophy case filed with nothing but state championship trophies, runner up trophies and third place trophies.

Downers North has won three state titles, has been runner up two times and has placed third three times since 2000.

Can there be another school in any other IHSA sport that has done it like that in the last eight years?

The ending was predictable, which didn’t make it any less satisfying or exciting for Naperville Central.

The Redhawks are wired this way, still composed facing a one-point deficit with two seconds remaining in a game that would either extend or erase their hopes of contending for a DuPage Valley Conference title.

After consecutive close games in the Upstate Eight Conference, Waubonsie Valley finally created some breathing room in a nonconference clash with Dundee Crown on Friday at home.

Waubonsie Valley survived an important game against Upstate Eight Conference rival Lake Park, squeaking out a 52-50 win to knock off one of two UEC rivals who were unbeaten in conference play. The Warriors along with St. Charles North, who visited Larkin tonight (a score has yet to post anywhere), are currently the only unbeaten teams in the UEC.

The victory came in typical Waubonsie fashion with contributions from nearly everyone on the team. Center Rachel Bostick led the Warriors with 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Danielle Brown scored 12. Junior forward Brittany Upshaw, listed at 5-foot-7-inches on the roster, took on the unenviable task of guarding 6-4, Michigan-bound junior Samantha Arnold, who led all scorers with 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Despite the size difference, Upshaw did a good job limiting the versatile Arnold, who has been averaging 22.3 points per game.

The win was not only significant for the Warriors' conference and sectional seeding hopes, but also for morale. Currently suffering through the loss of one of their best players (Jessica Morice is out with an achilles injury), the 19th ranked Warriors needed a morale booster after suffering a 43-23 loss to Hinsdale Central on Jan. 8.

By Sean Fuchs

One is known for his boss spinkick, low-grade action films and the unintentional humor that defines Walker, Texas Ranger. The other is known for his four state titles and dominance of the local swimming circuit.

Given the recent decision of Waubonsie Valley linebacker Spencer Merritt to attend New Mexico, the Division-I alma matter of Chicago Bears star Brian Urlacher, it got us thinking about the future of football in Naperville.Who are the future D-I talents who will make as much noise on the gridiron as Merritt did this season?

In the moment, it appeared as if Waubonsie Valley had lost control. Its fans stormed the court, briefly turning it into a mosh pit. Warriors boys basketball coach Steve Weemer located Neuqua Valley center Dan Pawelski and helped escort him from the fray. The scoreboard signaled 62-59, though Waubonsie’s box score would later read 61-59, the confusion centering on whether Jelani Johnson’s buzzer-beater was launched beyond the 3-point line.

But stepping outside of Waubonsie’s gym, you eventually realized the Warriors control their destiny – at least for now – in the Upstate Eight Conference race. Before the season began, Weemer doubted that a team would sweep through the conference undefeated. With Friday night’s comeback win, Waubonsie stood atop the UEC at 5-0, followed by Neuqua (4-1), Bartlett (4-1) and Elgin (3-1).

This could get more complicated tonight, as Neuqua hosts Bartlett, while Waubonsie visits rebuilding Lake Park. The questions moving forward: If Johnson’s long jumper from the right wing had fallen short, or bounced off the rim, which team wins the game in overtime? More tellingly, which team ultimately wins the conference? Can a team absorb one or two conference losses and still win the title, as Weemer predicted in the preseason?

What do you think about the IHSA's new policy to test high school athletes in Illinois for performance-enhancing drugs?