In blowing away the Class 2A competition a year ago to win its first Class 2A boys track and field state championship, Hillcrest placed first in just two events. The Hawks won the team title by 46 points. No contest.
This year, the Hawks are in a solid position to defend their crown. Hillcrest has the state’s top time or distance in five events, including the events (400- and 1,600-meter relays) it won last year.
Jamison Wilson, a Hillcrest senior, has the state’s top mark in two events: triple jump (47 feet, 5 inches) and 110-meter high hurdles (14.4 seconds). In all, eight Hillcrest athletes are qualified for the state championships in 14 events, not including three state-qualified relay teams.
The state championships are being held in three classes this week at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, with the finals scheduled for Saturday. Preliminaries began Thursday.
Among the battles to watch in Class 3A are the long jumping and triple jumping of Waubonsie Valley (Aurora)‘s Rickie Walls and Oak Park-River Forest‘s Amir Arif, both of them seniors. Walls has the state‘s top distance in the long jump (23-2); Arif is No. 2. In the triple jump, Arif ranks No. 2 behind defending state champion Jonathan Gardner of Whitney Young (Chicago), and Walls is No. 3.
Jermaine Kline, a junior at Lake Park, ranks No. 1 in both the shot put (62-1.5) and discus (188-6). Among his challengers in the discus: Twin brother Jeremy, with a distance of 180-2.
Colin Hepburn, the defending 3A champ in the 100-meter dash, has the state‘s top time this year as well, 10.67 seconds.
Storylines around Chicagoland
* A record of 19 feet, 3.25 inches in the long jump by Alexandria Harden, plus a winning distance of 38-5.5 in the triple jump, helped lead Springfield Southeast to the Class 2A team title in the Illinois girls track and field championships at Eastern Illinois State. Amber Farrell of the Illinois Math and Science Academy in Aurora won both 2A hurdle events: the 100 high hurdles (14.17 seconds) and 300 low hurdles (43.08, a state record). Jena Hemann of Breese Central was the only triple-winner of the championships, winning the long jump (19-3.25), high jump (5-7) and triple jump (36-11.75) in Class 1A. Hinsdale Central won the Class 3A team title, but the big individual champ was Thornton‘s Ashley Stacey, who won her second consecutive state title in the long jump (19-5.75) and also won the 200-meter dash (24.26 seconds).
* Manteno’s girls soccer team has lost just once in two years, racking up a 42-1-3 record over two seasons while winning its first state championship last year. Senior midfielder Allie Newsom (35 goals and 12 assists in 24 games) and senior goalkeeper Aryn Newsom, twin sisters who are both headed for Illinois State University, lead the Panthers into Friday’s 5:30 p.m. Class 1A semifinal against Interstate Eight Conference rival Lisle (16-7-2) at North Central College in Naperville. A win would send Manteno into the title game against Rockford Lutheran (24-1) or Quincy Notre Dame (22-2) at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
* Crete-Monee, one of the many school districts in the Chicagoland area considering cuts to sports teams because of budget problems, has advanced further in the Class 2A girls soccer tournament than it ever has before. A 3-1 win over Tinley Park sent the Warriors (15-4) into the title game of the Lemont Sectional on Saturday. "We didn’t want today to be the last game ever for this team, nor do we want next game to be," Amanda Tucker told the Southtown Star. A win in the regional final would put the Warriors in the Lincoln-Way West Super-Sectional on Tuesday.
* The Red Tail Run Golf Course in Decatur and Hickory Point Golf Course were awarded the girls golf state finals by the Illinois High School Association. Hickory Point will host the Class AA finals, and Red Tail Run will host Class A. The tournaments will be held in the fall.
3 big performances
* Coal City softball pitcher Kirsten Verdun tossed her third perfect game and 10th no-hitter of the season Thursday, blanking Momence 2-0 in a Class 2A sectional semifinal game. Verdun, a senior, has won all 36 games for the Coalers. Coal City (36-0) will play St. Bede for a sectional title Saturday.
* Shane Conlon won his ninth consecutive decision, and threw his fourth straight complete game, leading Naperville Central to a 4-3 win over Benet Academy in a Class 4A baseball regional at Lockport. Conlon has struck out 100 batters in 63 innings. The Redhawks (32-4) will play Lockport in the title game at 10 a.m. Saturday.
* Naperville North’s Kyle Klosak struck out three Oswego East batters with the bases loaded in the seventh inning, preserving a 4-2 North victory in a Class 4A regional at Naperville North. The Huskies (29-7) will take on Chicago Catholic Blue power Providence Catholic in Saturday’s regional final at 10 a.m.
On deck
* Vanderbilt tennis recruit Blake Bazarnik of Stevenson will swing after his second consecutive state championship in this weekend’s tournament at Hersey High School in Arlington Heights. The No. 4 seed, Bazarnik is attempting to become the first repeat winner since four-time champ Mike Morrison of Deerfield in 1983-86. Among the contenders: Top-seeded Robert Stineman of New Trier, No. 2 seed No. 3 seed Ben Hoogland of Glenbrook South and No. 3 seed Tim Kopinski of Stagg, who hasn’t lost a set in 24 matches and defeated Bazarnik earlier this season. Hinsdale Central, the leader after Thursday’s preliminaries, has won the last three team state championships.
* Class 3A girls soccer sectional final, 6 p.m. Friday, Naperville Central High School: Top-seeded and Upstate Eight Conference champ Waubonsie Valley (19-1-4) will play DuPage Valley co-champ Wheaton Warrenville South (18-3-3) for a sectional championship and a spot in the Super-Sectionals next Tuesday at Benedictine University in Lisle. Waubonsie Valley is led by Vanessa DiBernardo, the Gatorade Illinois Player of the Year.
Paul Bowker, a sports journalist for 25 years who has worked at newspapers nationwide, covers the Chicago area for MaxPreps. He may be reached at bowkerpaul1@aol.com.
