Glance at the Illinois state record books, and you won’t easily find references to Hillcrest High School, a school located in the well-to-do southwest Chicago suburb of Country Club Hills.
Hillcrest has never won a state championship in a team sport since the school opened more than 40 years ago.
This weekend, that could change in a very big way.
The Hawks are poised to strike gold in the Illinois Class 2A boys track and field championships. Nine Hillcrest athletes are among state finalists in 12 individual events, including junior Pierre Williams who is ranked No. 1 in the 100- and 400-meter dashes, and No. 8 in the 200. Hillcrest also qualified in three of four relay events.
The Hawks blew away the competition in their sectional meet last week, nearly doubling Oak Forest’s point total in winning the team title by 85 points. Hillcrest won eight events, and placed first or second in 11 of 18 events.
All that adds up to an incredible potential for Hillcrest at the 2A state championships, which begin with Friday’s preliminaries at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston.
“We’ve never been in this position before and these kids haven’t been in this position before,“ Hillcrest coach Ron Towner told the Southtown Star.
Hillcrest did not finish in the top 10 at last year’s championships and none of its athletes won an event.
In addition to Williams, Hillcrest athletes ranked at the top of their events include: Danny Harris, 300 intermediate hurdles; Aaron Carr, discus, and Maurice Lyke, 110 high hurdles.
In Class 3A, Belleville West is a contender with strong placements in all four relay races, including No. 1 in the 800- and 1,600-meter relays. Dan Block of Lake Park is the state’s top finalist in both the discus (208 feet, 11 inches) and shot (65-7.5).
Sprinter Jordan Thomas leads a strong contingent from Oregon in Class 1A. He is ranked among the three runners in all three sprint races, and had the best two times in the 100 and 200 in Thursday’s preliminaries: 11.04 seconds in the 100 and 22.37 seconds in the 200.
Best of Class 3A qualifiers:
Long jump: Dan Karys, Bartlett, 23-4; Nigel Jolly, Chicago Morgan Park, 23-3 ½; Denzel Ray, Waukegan, 23-2.
Pole vault: Mick Viken, Rolling Meadows, 16-3; Tom Stacey, Glenbard North, 15-6; Peter Geraghty, Oak Park-River Forest, 15-0.
High jump: Matt Newman, Buffalo Grove, 6-8; Michael Crabtree, East Moline United, 6-6; Jacob DeJaegher, East Moline United, 6-6; Tommy Grenham, O‘Fallon, 6-6; Aviance King, Aurora West, 6-6; Ryan Michel, McHenry, 6-6; Aaron Petty, Naperville Central, 6-6; Jamario Taylor, Aurora East, 6-6; Troy Walls, Normal Community West, 6-6.
Shot put: Dan Block, Roselle Lake Park, 65-7 ½; Jermaine Kline, Roselle Lake Park, 57-11; Marcus Popenfoose, Huntley, 57-0 ¾.
Triple jump: Nigel Jolly, Chicago Morgan Park, 47-5; Mark Hardman, Plainfield Central, 47-0 ½; Jonathan Gardner, Chicago Whitney Young, 46-8.
Discus: Dan Block, Roselle Lake Park, 208-11; Marcus Popenfoose, Huntley, 184-1; Frank Boenzi, Geneva, 167-9.
3,200-meter run: Danny Pawola, Neuqua Valley, 9:12.37; Pat Lesiewicz, Schaumburg, 9:17.00; Phil Fairleigh, Cary Grove, 9:17.56.
110 high hurdles: William Lindsey, Thornton, :13.86; Erick Gavin, Marian, :14.30; Jeffery Kilgore, Homewood-Flossmoor, :14.36.
300 intermediate hurdles: Abraham Omar, Lockport, :38.38; Forrest Knight, Belleville East, :38.58; Sal Salvato, St. Ignatius, :38.69.
100: Colin Hepburn, Glenbrook South, :10.53; Tremaine Gordon, Evanston, :10.64; Chris Kyles, Chicago Lane, :10.65.
200: Josh Zinzer, Aurora West, :21.56; Tremaine Gordon, Evanston, :21.60; Timothy Faust, Thornton, :21.65; Jovante Slater, Bolingbrook, :21.65.
400: Bai Kabba, Batavia, :48.59; Eric Oliver, Homewood-Flossmoor, :48.63; Dylan Remick, Loyola, 49.00.
800: Ryan Mangone, Barrington, 1:53.84; Emmett Lorenz, Waubonsie Valley, 1:53.96; Dominique Manley, Collinsville, 1:54.56.
1600: Jeff Thode, Conant, 4:12.14; Anthony Manfrin, Carpentersville Dundee-Crown, 4:15.77; Marshall Happ, Woodstock, 4:16.20.
400 relay: Elmhurst York; Belleville West; Belleville East.
800 relay: Belleville West; Belleville East; Elmhurst York.
1600 relay: Belleville West; Loyola; Wheaton North.
3200 relay: East Moline United; Mt. Prospect; Waubonsie Valley.
For a complete 3A state finalists list, go to: http://www.ihsa.org/activity/trb/2008-09/3qual.htm
Class 2A top qualifiers:
Long jump: Justin Smith, Springfield Lanphier, 23-11.
Pole vault: Logan Pflibsen, Streator, 16-0.
High jump: Ikechi Nnamani, Normal University, 6-7.
Shot put: Terron Armstead, Cahokia Co-op, 59-3 ½.
Triple jump: Vernon Carter, Cahokia Co-op, 47-11 ½.
Discus: Aaron Carr, Hillcrest, 157-2.
3,200 run: Jonathan Richards, Streator, 9:36.83.
1,600: Greg Whittle, Galesburg, 4:21.55.
110 high hurdles: Maurice Lyke, Hillcrest, :14.04.
300 intermediate hurdles: Danny Harris, Hillcrest, :38.44.
100 dash: Pierre Williams, Hillcrest, :10.54.
200: Justin Smith, Springfield Lanphier, :21.62.
400: Pierre Williams, Hillcrest, :48.94.
800: Luke Junk, Galesburg, 1:56.18.
3,200 relay: Galesburg.
1,600 relay: Galesburg.
800 relay: Midlothian Bremen.
400 relay: Hillcrest.
For a complete 2A state finalists list, go to: http://www.ihsa.org/activity/trb/2008-09/2qual.htm
Class 1A top qualifiers:
Long jump: London Oliver, Sparta, 23-3 ¼.
Pole vault: Alex Freshour, Stanford Olympia, 15-7.
High jump: Zach Riley, Herrin, 6-10.
Shot put: Jason Baker, Braidwood Reed-Custer, 56-1 ½.
Triple jump: Adam Sanden, Manilus Bureau Valley, 45-0 ½.
Discus: Alex Thompson, Winnebago, 181-5.
3,200-meter run: Sean Smith, Winnebago, 9:44.54.
1,600: Parker Thompson, Tremont, 4:25.24.
110 high hurdles: Joe Streepy, Columbia, :14.93.
300 intermediate hurdles: Derick Higgins, Cuba Co-op, :39.04.
100 dash: Jordan Thomas, Oregon, :10.54.
200: Ross Johnson, Newton, :22.24.
400: Jordan Thomas, Oregon, :49.44.
800: Peter Callahan, North Shore Country Day, 1:54.59.
3,200 relay: Tremont.
1,600 relay: Lena.
800 relay: Murphysboro.
400 relay: Oregon.
For a complete 1A state finalists list, go to: http://www.ihsa.org/activity/trb/2008-09/1qual.htm
Girls Track: Waubonsie Valley senior wins state titles
Shakela Pinnick won both hurdle events at the Class 3A girls track and field championships last Saturday, helping Waubonsie Valley tie Palatine for second place with 41 points behind 3A state champ Belleville West (53 points).
Pinnick, who had finished runner-up in the 300-meter hurdles each of the previous three years, won it this year with a time of 42.84 seconds. She also won the 100 hurdles in a time of 14.27 seconds.
The state meet was a happy finish to a strange season for Pinnick, who actually left the team in mid-season after a family dispute with her coach over practice times, then returned.
“It was not a normal season, but it still worked out in the end,” Pinnick told the Chicago Tribune.
Despite Pinnick’s first career gold-medal wins, the biggest star of the 3A meet was Belleville West’s Yolanda Suggs, who was a triple winner in the 200 (24.53 seconds), 400 (:55.01) and 100 (:12.06).
Martha Shepard was the only winner for Palatine, winning in the shot put with a distance of 45 feet, 2 inches.
In Class 2A, Kawanna Brooks finished runner-up to Jen Jenkins of Rochelle in the triple jump, but Brooks was awarded a state record with a jump of 39 feet, 4.25 inches because Jenkins’ leap was wind aided.
Class 3A top five teams: Belleville West, 53; Palatine, 41; Waubonsie Valley, 41; Evanston, 38; Hinsdale Central, 30.
Class 2A: Rock Island, 49.50; Springfield Southeast, 48; Cahokia Co-op, 39; Bloomington, 34; Galesburg, 32.
Class 1A: Bloomington Central Catholic, 41; Breese Central, 33; Downs Tri-Valley, 31; Newton, 29; Greenville, 28.
Girls Soccer: Waubonsie Valley wins marathon game
The game lasted more than 24 hours and took four overtimes to complete.
Finally, two-time defending state champion Wabonsie Valley defeated rival Neuqua Valley of Naperville, 2-1, in a Class 3A sectional semifinal Wednesday at Bolingbrook.
Vanessa DiBernardo scored the winning goal in the 119th minute from about 25 yards out, dramatically ending a game that was suspended due to a thunderstorm Tuesday. DiBernardo also scored a goal in regulation Tuesday before storms forced a suspension.
DiBernardo’s teammates mobbed her on the field after the game-winner was scored.
“It feels really good, especially since we lost to them in the regular season,” DiBernardo told the Naperville Sun.
Waubonsie Valley (19-3), winners of 14 straight, will play Naperville North (18-2-3) in the sectional title game Friday at Bolingbrook.
More Girls Soccer: News and notes
* Lake Forest’s hope for a state title ended Tuesday in a 1-0 loss to Palatine Fremd in the semifinals of a Class 3A sectional at Libertyville. The Scouts (18-3-1), No. 1 seed in the sectional and ranked No. 3 in Chicago, were ousted by a 1-0 loss to fourth-seeded Fremd (17-3-1) despite dominating play. Elise Kotsakis scored the game-winning goal for Fremd. “It‘s too bad, especially for the seniors, to lose like this,” Lake Forest coach Ty Stuckslager told the Sun-Times News Group.
* New Trier’s Amber Fry scored two goals in a Class 3A sectional 4-0 victory over Maine South. New Trier (17-4-1), which has won 12 of its last 13 games, will play Loyola (24-1) in Friday night‘s sectional final at Evanston.
* Manteno will put its perfect 20-0 record on the line this weekend at the Class 1A soccer championships at North Central College in Naperville. The Panthers will face Pleasant Plains (21-2) in the semifinals at 5:30 p.m. Friday. Rockford Lutheran (20-1-3) and Alton Marquette (18-5-1) will meet in the other semifinal at 7:30.
The championship game will be played at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
Allie Newsome has led Manteno with 19 goals and 8 assists this season. The Panthers are making their first appearance in the 1A final four.
Baseball: Providence stuns top seed
* Providence Catholic, the 16th seed in the Class 4A Lockport sectional, eliminated No. 1 seed Lincoln-Way East with a 7-6 victory Wednesday. Sam Travis completed a five-run seventh inning for Providence with a run-scoring single. Providence (19-16) will play for a regional title Saturday at Joliet.
* St. Rita’s Angelo Burrage hit a home run and totaled six RBI in a 10-0 Class 4A regional semifinal win over Farragut. The Mustangs (30-6), ranked No. 5 in Illinois by MaxPreps, will play Simeon in Saturday’s regional final...
* Batavia pitcher Adam Karger won his ninth consecutive game, striking out eight in a 9-3 Class 4A regional win over West Aurora. The win was a school-record 27th for Batavia.
Softball: Eight no-nos for Coal City’s Verdun
* Kirsten Verdun of Coal City tossed her eighth no-hitter of the season Wednesday, leading the Coalers to a school-record 30th win and their first appearance in a softball sectional title game. Verdun struck out 16 in the 8-0 victory over Spring Valley Hall. Coal City will play Momence for a sectional title Saturday at Coal City.
* Sandburg’s Brittany Gardner and Lora Olson combined for a perfect game in an 11-0 Class 4A regional win over T.F. North.
* Illiana Christian’s Jocelyn Oppenhuis tossed a perfect game, striking out 14 in a Class 3A regional 10-0 win over Oswego. Oppenuis also had three hits for Christian (27-8-1).
* Benet Academy’s Mikayla Panko hit a home run and triple, totaling six RBI, leading the Redwings to a 10-0 win over Hinsdale Central in a regional semifinal victory -- Benet’s school-record 30th win. Benet will play Neuqua Valley for a regional championship Saturday. Neuqua Valley advanced with a 2-1 victory Thursday over Naperville North, courtesy of a Colleen Hohman no-hitter.
Volleyball: St. Rita wins Catholic League
St. Rita defeated St. Ignatius 17-25, 25-22, 25-17 to win its first-ever Catholic League championship in boys volleyball.
Andrew Kats had eight kills for St. Rita in the deciding match. St. Rita (23-8) also upset top seed Loyola en route to the title.
Paul Bowker covers the Chicago area for MaxPreps. He may be reached at
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