Benet: April 2009 Archives

Benet was clinging to an 11-10 lead against Neuqua Valley on Wednesday in Lisle. Seemingly throughout, one team would look dominant one inning and helpless the next.

The Redwings wanted this game bad enough that they brought in Creighton signee John Boyle with a runner on second base and one out in the seventh inning. On the day he was scheduled to do bullpen work on the side, Boyle struck out Jordan Williamson looking and then forced Mike Gerber to ground out, notching the save.

"Basically, in a game like this, (we) would maybe throw him an inning and it worked out," Benet coach Jeff Bonebrake said afterward. "We tried to go as long as we could without him. He came in and got some good work in."

Game over.

UPDATE: http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervillesun/sports/highschools/1536455,6_2_NA21_BHOOPS_S1.article

Benet senior center Joe Meyerhoff has signed with Utah Valley University, an independent Division I basketball program that will begin play in the Great West Conference next season.

The 6-foot-8-inch Meyerhoff averaged 12.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game for the Redwings last season.

The Benet girls soccer team is finding its luck coming up on the bad side so far this season. The latest case in point came Saturday in a 1-0 loss to St. Viator.

With fewer than two minutes remaining, the Redwings hit a shot that caught the under side of Viator's crossbar. The ball bounced straight down and was cleared away before Benet could tie the game.

Adding to the frustration of coach Henry Wind is that several of the Redwings' opponents have been able to get those breaks and score.

"Somehow we make one mistake, they work the ball in and score against us," Wind said. "We just need to find a way to score against some of these good teams. Right now we have no rhythm."

Benet (4-2-1, 2-0 East Suburban Catholic Conference) will look to do that next week against tough competition. The Redwings start with a Monday game against Wheaton Academy and, after a midweek ESCC game against Providence, open play in the Naperville Invitational.

The Sunday column looked at Benet seniors Alex Staehely and John Boyle, who have committed to Creighton. For more on the future of this program, check out Tom Shatel in the Omaha World-Herald. The Bluejays have major plans in the works.

--Neuqua Valley continues to care of things on the field, but it still dropped out of the Chicago Sun-Times baseball rankings. The Wildcats (3-1) are on the fringe of the top 10, listed under others to watch.

--St. Rita, which is ranked No. 7 by Sean Duncan, had such a fast start that SouthtownStar columnist Pat Disabato was wondering about an unbeaten season. Only two other Illinois baseball teams have done so, but it won't be the Mustangs this season - the other day Whitney Young upset the top-ranked preseason team. In what should be a good dress rehearsal for the postseason, Benet is scheduled to travel to St. Rita on May 25.

--Duncan previously released his top-100 players list, and it included the following area players: John Boyle, Benet senior pitcher; Pat Kaminska, Naperville Central senior pitcher; Mike McKinley, Neuqua senior pitcher; Jake Naumann, Naperville North senior pitcher; and Alex Staehely, Benet senior shortstop.

Here's one way to stretch your entertainment dollar in the middle of a recession. Even if you're priced out of big-league games, U.S. Cellular Field will open its doors on April 15 for Notre Dame and Northwestern.

Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at whitesox.com or the stadium's box office. Proceeds from the game will benefit Chicago White Sox Charities. The club hosted a similar event last year when Notre Dame took on Northern Illinois to support a scholarship fund at the DeKalb university.

There will still be several local connections. Scott Lawler, a Naperville Central graduate, is the Fighting Irish associate head coach. Sophomore Mick Doyle, the infielder out of Benet, has started 17 games this season for Notre Dame and is hitting .271.

Geoff Rowan, less than a year removed from his senior season at Neuqua Valley, is trying to find his role at Northwestern. Rowan has made three appearances out of the bullpen and seen time at catcher, his listed position on the team's roster.

If you're expecting to learn The Naperville Sun's Athlete of the Month for March here, you'll be disappointed. But if you'd like to submit a name or two for consideration, you're in luck.

The voting's still open...

Stumped on who to suggest? How 'bout Waubonsie Valley's Shakeia Pinnick (track and field) or Neuqua Valley's John Mikuzis (water polo) or Naperville Central's Drew Crawford (basketball)? Somebody else?

Cast your votes here or at napersun.com/sports.