Football
— With signing day only a month away, the top college prospects in the Chicago area are finalizing their lists of college visits. Wheaton North quarterback Kent Graham, who was just named to Parade magazine`s All-America team, will visit Michigan State, Michigan and Notre Dame and is considering whether to visit Indiana, Northwestern and Illinois. Graham, who also stars in basketball and baseball, also has to decide what sports he will compete in in college. He may save two of his five paid visits for basketball. ”I`m still interested in playing basketball,” said the 6-foot-5-inch Graham. ”I want to see what that has to offer me. I feel I can do well in that. I want to keep all my options open. It`s the same with baseball.” Graham is considering playing two sports. He said that Michigan State and Notre Dame are willing to let him compete in football and basketball. Michigan has offered a football-baseball combination.
— Here`s a rundown on some of the other top prospects in the Chicago area:
Nate Turner of Mt. Carmel, Parade`s pick as the nation`s top wide receiver prospect, has visited Illinois and Georgia and will visit Michigan, Michigan State and Nebraska. Tight end Mike Everitt of Schaumburg is visiting Stanford, Boston College, Arizona State, Illinois, and Iowa. Among the linemen, 6-5, 265-pound Joe Allen of St. Rita will visit Duke, Illinois, Michigan, Iowa and Notre Dame. Charles Collins (6-4, 265) of Mendel has visited Minnesota and Missouri so far. Linebacker-fullback Erick Anderson of Glenbrook South has Michigan, UCLA, Penn State, Northwestern and Notre Dame on his visit list. Wide receiver Pat New of Benet Academy has visited Iowa and Illinois and plans to visit Notre Dame, Northwestern and Michigan. Benet coach Tim Cederblad says New wants to go to Notre Dame and is waiting to find out if he can meet admission requirements. ”If it all comes through, I`m sure (that`s) where Pat would choose to go,” Cederblad said.
— The eighth annual Fox Valley Conference Football Coaching Clinic will take place Saturday at Cary-Grove High School. Speakers include John Wrenn of Homewood-Flossmoor, Mike Tracey of Rock Island Alleman, Lou Narish of Tinley Park, Tony Pietrzak of Marist and Dale Patton of Decatur St. Teresa. Registration is 8:30-9:30 a.m. For information, call Bill Suffield at 639-3825.
Basketball
— After his team beat Leo 59-57 in two overtimes Saturday night, Robeson coach Charles Redmond knew it had reached a new plateau. The triumph gave the Raiders victories over Simeon and Leo, two of the top-rated teams in the state. On the horizon are two Red-Central games against defending state Class AA champion King–Jan. 20 at Robeson and Feb. 19 at King. ”The win over Leo is even a bigger boost than winning the Elgin tournament,” said Redmond. ”If we play defense like I know we can, I expect to go 12-0 in our section. That`s the next step.”
— Mt. Carmel coach Ed McQuillen liked playing a double-header at De Paul`s Alumni Hall. His Caravan lost 55-41 to St. Rita before the Leo-Robeson contest. ”It would be great if we played a Christmas tournament in a place like this instead of going halfway around the state,” he said.
— Bolingbrook coach Bob Mitchell likes the way his top scorer, Clyde Hopkins, plays the game, but he says, ”without a doubt, Maurice Hamilton of Lockport is the best player in our conference (SICA West).” Mitchell got first-hand experience Friday night when his team lost to Lockport 64-42.
— Some coaches relish looking at game films, but not Lockport`s Bob Basarich. ”I seldom look at a game after we`ve played it,” he said. ”Sometimes, when friends come over, they ask to see that victory over St. Laurence in the sectional (a 42-41 victory in a match between undefeated teams), and I think I`ve seen that a few times.” That was in 1978, when the Porters went on to beat St. Joseph (and junior Isiah Thomas) for the state title.
— Who plays the toughest schedule in the state? Oak Park coach Bob Parker makes a case for his Huskies, who have an 8-6 record. ”But look who we`ve played,” says Parker, whose team upset 11-2 Proviso West 64-60 in overtime Saturday. He points out that Oak Park`s losses–to Fenwick, Providence-St. Mel, Elk Grove, Leyden, Peoria Manual and Lockport–all have been against teams with winning records.
— Lyons Township is looking for a school to replace St. Francis de Sales in its Thanksgiving tournament next season. Schools should contact Lyons athletic director Murney Lazier.
— The rematch between Oak Forest and Rich Central will be part of a double-header Saturday afternoon, Feb. 7, in the Horizon. Two weeks ago, Rich Central won a battle of unbeatens 73-70 in two overtimes. The noon opener matches Elgin against St. Charles in an Upstate Eight battle. The second high school double-header in the Horizon is Tuesday, Feb. 24. It will feature a pair of showdowns between what appear to be the best four teams in the Catholic League. Leo will play St. Francis de Sales, and De La Salle will meet St. Rita.
— Brad Niemann of Glenbrook South continues to add to his state record for consecutive free throws. He was two-for-two in a 52-51 victory over Niles West Friday night to run his streak to 59. He has 45 in a row this season. . . . Tony Soskich was 14-of-14 at the free throw line and scored 32 points for Larkin in its 77-75 victory over De Kalb.
Wrestling
— Marist, No. 1 in the Tribune Coaches Preseason Poll, narrowly retained its position as the top team in the Chicago area at midseason. The Redskins, who received six first-place votes, finished a point ahead of second-place Providence in balloting by nine coaches and Tribune writer Reid Hanley. Naperville North is solidly entrenched in third, and Oak Park jumped into the top 10 at No. 4. Lake Park fell from second to fifth, Leyden dropped from fifth to sixth and Mt. Carmel fell from seventh to 10th. Other new arrivals in the top 10 are No. 7 Conant, No. 8 Palatine and No. 9 Glenbard North.
— The debate about who`s No. 1 centers on these factors: Providence has the ability to get off to a fast start in the first three weights and has an edge at heavyweight in Jim Robinette. Marist has better depth and top quality in state champion Dan O`Brien (126 pounds) and state placers Mike LaMonica (155) and Jerry Joyce (185). It`s very close between them. The answer could come in the state semifinals Feb. 20.
— So who is No. 1? Ask Glenbard North coach Bob Fulk, who has lost to No. 1 Marist, No. 2 Providence and No. 3 Naperville North. ”Right now, I`d have to say Providence is No. 3 on the basis of our dual meet,” said Fulk, whose team lost to the Celtics 27-25 after leading going into the final match. ”Who`s the best? I`d say Naperville North and Marist would be a great meet. I wouldn`t bet either way. Those are really three good wrestling teams.”
— Oak Park has won two tournaments and is 11-0 in dual meets. Coach Norm Parker`s team is led by junior Pete Schulte, who is 18-0 at 112 pounds and senior 155-167-pounder Matt McDermott, who is 14-2. Juniors Schulte, Aaron Martin (18-1 at 98), Paul Zina (16-3 at 119) and Pat O`Malley (16-3 at 155-167) have blended well with seniors Gino Fioravanti (18-2 at 138), Jay Petrulis (17-2 at 145) and McDermott. ”We`ll have some kids coming back, but I`m not thinking about next year,” Parker said. ”It`s a nice blend. I`m really surprised. I thought we`d do well, but we`re usually a man away from a real good team. We`ve picked up a man and are doing really well.”
— Joliet Central, rated fourth in preseason, is struggling. Heavyweight Mike Poloskey and 132-pounder Tim Chaplin are threats for individual state honors, but the Steelmen will probably have to wait until next year. ”We have just three full-time senior regulars,” said Mack McLaughlin, who coached Central to the state title two years ago. ”We have a lot of young kids. We just don`t have the intensity we used to have. We`re losing the close matches we used to win. We`re a year away from being tough again. We`ll be back.”
— Fenton`s Ben Morris is rolling along after a holiday tournament loss to Oak Lawn`s Matt Kestian at the Rex Whitlatch Invitational. ”He never says much, but I think the loss takes some pressure off of him, not being No. 1 all the time,” said Bison coach Steve Weiss. ”Plus he lost to a good kid. He`ll be okay.” Morris isn`t afraid to wrestle the best competition he can find, either. Saturday, he took on defending state champion Sam Geraci of Lake Park at 112 pounds and lost 10-7. Then he moved up to 119 to wrestle Barrington`s unbeaten Chuck Brady. Brady won 12-6 after the two were tied 6-6 going into the third period. Morris` season record fell to 19-3.
— Maine East assistant Morrie Geselter will coach the Illinois Wrestling Federation Greco-Roman team that has been selected to compete in an international meet in Canada this summer. ”We should be loaded in Greco,”
said Geselter. ”It`s nice to have the state represented in an international meet like this.” Geselter hopes to have standouts such as Conant`s Carl Presley, Bloom`s Ken Thompson, Lake Park`s Sam Geraci, Barrington`s John Sehnert and Wheeling`s Neil Kohlberg represent the IWF.
— St. Laurence has had a disappointing season so far, losing to Providence and Gordon Tech. The Vikings have been bothered by injury and illness most of the season, with as many as six regulars missing. Next week, coach Bob Trombetta will see regulars Bill Bracken (119), Joe Cascone (126), Mike Gryga (138) and Pat Connelly (145) back in the lineup.
— The West Suburban Conference has never had a conference wrestling tournament. But now that it has split into Silver and Gold Divisions, it will have two. For long-time WSC members Proviso West, Oak Park, Lyons Township, York, Hinsdale Central, Downers Grove North and Glenbard West, who compete in the Silver Division, it will be the first conference meet. ”The coaches in our division were unanimously against it because we had to drop a tournament for a seven-team tournament,” said Oak Park`s Norm Parker. ”If you combine the two and have a Silver and Gold tournament with 14 teams, that would really be something. We proposed it, but it was voted down.”
— Maine East`s Ara Bayindiryan could be a sleeper. The Demon senior 155-pounder is 14-4, but two of those losses came at 185. Bayindiryan, whose natural weight is about 160, has also wrestled at 167.
— Conant finished what most people would call a disappointing fifth at the Leyden Invitational Saturday, but coach Jim Cartwright wasn`t unhappy. The Cougars wrestled without regular 98-pounder Mike Fronczak and 105-pounder Brad Bessemer. Fronczak was sick, and Bessemer was bounced on his head Friday in a match with Wheeling star Neil Kohlberg and was held out. Cartwright figures the pair could have scored as many as 30 points Saturday. ”We have important meets coming up, and I didn`t want to take a chance,” he said. ”We aren`t wrestling well here, but it`s the first time we`ve wrestled in three weeks. The Lake Park tournament (in December) was the last time we`ve wrestled. I like that, though. We were fresh and need to be.”
— Conant heavyweight Carl Presley is 22-0 with 16 pins at midseason. Presley, the national junior Greco-Roman champion, has defeated several of the top contenders for the state title. He`ll have to get by East Peoria`s Tim Simpson, who beat him in the third-place match last year, to get to the finals. ”I just saw the brackets, and if we both win, I get Simpson in the quarterfinals,” said Presley, who turned 18 last Wednesday. ”That will be all right meeting the first night. It would be nice to meet in the finals, but the first day is fine with me. You`re all fired up all day. Last year, I won my first three matches and then had to wait a lot Saturday to wrestle (Proviso East`s) Ricky Stewart, and then I lost to him and Simpson on Saturday.”
Girls` gymnastics
— Schaumburg finally broke the 140 barrier last week, outdistancing Hersey 141.2-139.5 Thursday. A big reason for the Saxons` success is senior all-arounder Cheryl Kosak, who came out a week late after thinking about sitting out the season.
”Cheryl just renewed her reasons for being on the team,” said Schaumburg coach Howard Rubin. ”She has a different approach right now. She seemed burned out and unhappy after the state meet last year, and I just backed off to let her make her own decision.”
Kosak has already averaged 9.35 in the all-around. Teammate Lisa Straz, a sophomore, is in the high 8s in all-around. Add freshmen Cyndi Sieb and Julie Griswold and junior Kim VonDrasek, who didn`t compete in high school her first two years, and there`s reason for Rubin to be optimistic.
”Taking everybody`s personal best–what they`ve each already scored when things came together–I came up with a score of 144.6,” he said. ”I`d really like to shoot for a 143 score in our regional.
”With the competition at our (Rolling Meadows) regional (Feb. 3), having Conant, Hoffman Estates, Prospect and Streamwood as our opponents, it will be tough. Then come sectionals. In my area, you either win sectionals or don`t go to state.
”We`re strong on (balance) beam. We beat Palatine and Hersey this season because of our work on beam. I know the event is usually a problem, but, if you stay on it, you`ve got a good chance to win.”
— Rolling Meadows is one of those tough teams Rubin refers to. With standout junior Bonnie Higgins coming on strong, coach Al Galatte`s Mustangs are looking toward a successful regional championship defense.
”We`re just over 140 (140.2 Thursday against Wheeling), but I think we can go higher,” Galatte said. ”If we do the job, we`ll be right up there in the end. Yes, we have what I think is the hardest regional in the state. If we can win our own regional, we should be in a good position to qualify for state.
”We have to wind up beating teams from other areas, like Naperville North and Naperville Central, if we want to achieve our goals. I think we`re potentially a 144 team.
Galatte says Higgins is looking good after incurring strained back muscles and what he terms a ”leg pull” just before Christmas break. Higgins, a tough competitor, is bouncing her way back to the tune of an all-around average just below 9.0. Another top performer for Rolling Meadows is junior all-arounder Laura Pederson, who`s averaging in the high 8s.
— At Riverside-Brookfield, Eileen Breslin is pleased with freshman all-arounder Tammy Zabloudil, whose sister, Sue, is also on the Bulldogs` squad, and with sophomore all-arounder Lynette Mareska. ”We`ve had some tough competition and also our share of the flu, sprained ankles and other minor injuries,” said Breslin. Still, Mareska is scoring in the high 8s and Tammy Zabloudil in the low 9s. ”Our goal is 135,” said Breslin, whose high score is 135. ”And we think Tammy and Lynette have a real good shot at going to state.”
— Willowbrook is another team looking for big things. Coach Andy Isaacson has one of the top all-arounders in the state, senior Sheila Roelle, who`s just back from a sprained ankle. Roelle averaged 9.4 in the all-around Thursday against Leyden. The other big scorers are juniors Chrissy Rushton and Diane Szudrowicz, who have been sidelined with knee and shoulder injuries, respectively. ”The injuries that have hit us are just a fate thing, I guess,” said Isaacson. ”We`ve still scored 140 this year. That`s a reflection of the character these girls have. This is a closer team than I`ve had in the past, and they`re all looking forward to the state series.”
Girls` basketball
— Regional tournaments in both Class A and Class AA are just four weeks away, but there are plenty of superb matchups remaining on the regular-season schedule. Monday, two of the state`s traditional powers meet when East St. Louis Lincoln plays Marshall, the top-ranked team in The Tribune poll, at 3:30 p.m. in the Commandos` gym. If, as expected, Marshall wins its 10th straight Chicago Public League championship and the Tigers qualify for their eighth state tournament appearance in the last nine seasons, the two would meet in a 1:30 p.m. state quarterfinal Feb. 27 at the Assembly Hall in Champaign.
— Once-beaten Immaculate Heart of Mary, which has already played such notables as Maine West, York, Oak Park and New Trier, won`t be easing up as the season draws to a close. The Tigers play host to Mother McAuley, whose only loss was a four-point decision to Marshall in the Mayor`s Tournament championship game, on Jan. 20. Six days later, IHM visits Marshall before closing the regular season against defending Class AA state champion Peoria Manual Jan. 31 at Maine West. Maine West, which forged through a similarly rugged schedule the first half of the season, meets New Trier on the same Jan. 31 card.
— The 23-team Rich South Galaxy Tournament continues Saturday. The championship game begins at 8 p.m. next Monday. The tournament formerly was played in mid-February but was moved up a month this year because of the shortened girls` season.
— Maine South, coming off its biggest victory of the season, a 35-33 Central Suburban League North Division decision over seventh-ranked New Trier Saturday, jumps right back in the fire Tuesday when the 13-4 Hawks visit 14-1 Conant in a nonconference game. Conant, which edged Maine South by two points en route to the championship of the Hersey Christmas tournament, added the title of its own invitational to its list of trophies Saturday. The Cougars clubbed Fremd 61-48 in the final. Maine South, which took over sole possession of first place in the CSL North, lost four starters off its 1986 supersectional qualifier but has come back strong behind returning starter Lisa Hennessy, who is averaging 14 points a game, and point guard Beth Carroll. The Hawks` losses have come against Maine West, Libertyville, Conant and unbeaten Luther North. Carroll has emerged from the lengthy shadow of her sister Mary, a three-year starter who is a freshman at Iowa State. ”She`s having a beautiful season,” said Mike Deines. ”A lot of people talk about her sister, but Beth is putting it together beautifully. In our area, we have some very nice point guards with (Maine West`s Nancy) Kennelly and
(Libertyville`s Teri) Rodgers. But I think Beth`s as good as any of them.”
Maine South has moved into The Tribune poll at No. 13.
— Five years ago, when Al Ostrowski took over as head coach at Fenton, he looked north to find a girls` basketball program to pattern his work after. He found it in North Suburban Conference rival Libertyville. Now, Ostrowski thinks the Bisons have approached the Wildcats` level. They`ll find out Monday when Fenton (14-2, 9-1) plays at Libertyville (15-2, 9-1) in a 6:30 p.m. conference showdown. ”When I started here five years ago, Libertyville was very strong,” said Ostrowski. ”They`ve done nothing since to change my attitude. (Coach) Tom (Murphy) has always done an excellent job. I`ve tried to pattern us up to their level. I would hope we`ve reached a level with those people.” The Bisons, No. 14 in The Tribune poll, returned 10 players from last year`s 15-10 team. They`re shooting for a 20-victory season.
Girls` soccer
— Six Illinois` players have been selected to the 66-girl 1986 All-America team. Graduated seniors who received the honor include Kathleen Economou, a midfielder from Evanston who`s at the University of Connecticut; goalkeeper Jenny Krusing of St. Charles, now at Wisconsin; Stevenson midfielder Colleen Keegan, who`s also at Connecticut; and Maine South midfielder Laura Haaning of Western Illinois University. Underclassmen receiving the honor were Maine South forward Amy Stenholt, now in her senior year, and St. Charles midfielder Sue Soderberg.
Swimming
— Before the season, St. Charles and Hinsdale Central figured to be the favorites for the state title Feb. 27-28. Nothing changed after five-time defending state champion St. Charles edged Hinsdale 128-123 Saturday for the championship of the New Trier Relays, annually the state`s most prestigious regular-season meet. ”Psychologically, maybe it was a good thing for us,”
said St. Charles coach Dave Bart, whose team did not have an individual champion but won the 400-yard freestyle relay (3:16.01) by less than a second over the Red Devils. ”But it really has no bearing on state performance.
”It`s a good meet because of the people there and the whole situation. Everybody`s coming out of Christmas, and they want to get in some good times. It gets everything in tune. They`re looking toward getting toward the championship era of the season, and everybody wants to swim faster. But it has no bearing on what`s going to happen Feb. 27 and 28. I`ll say again, Hinsdale`s the team to beat. We`re still pursuing them.”
— Hinsdale Central`s best event was the 500 freestyle, where Brian Gunn
(4:42.03) and Dave Burgess (4:42.06) dominated. ”The meet didn`t tell us anything we didn`t already know,” said Red Devil coach Tom Schweer. ”We`ve all got a lot of work to do. ”Dave and I discussed that we both had opportunities to put the other away, and neither capitalized on them.” No more than six points separated the two teams throughout the meet. The best thing is so many good swimmers are there. We wanted to see how they stacked up. And a few of our guys had their eyes opened up a little. We can tell `em and tell `em and tell `em, but until they see it happen, they don`t realize it.”
— Unlike most invitationals, the New Trier meet does not have diving competition. Many of the state`s top divers competed Saturday in an invitational at Hinsdale. There, Hinsdale Central edged runner-up St. Charles 31-25, and Hinsdale`s Marty Turek (364.15) nudged the Saints` Mark Wainwright (362.05) for the individual championship.
— Lake Forest plays host to perennial Iowa swimming power Cedar Rapids Washington in a dual meet starting at 1:30 p.m. Saturday. Lake Forest coach Frank Quigley is a former assistant to Washington coach Jim Voss, and this is the second year the two schools have gone up against each other. The Warriors own 17 Iowa state championships. ”They`re the St. Charles of Iowa,” said Quigley. The visitors will stay with Lake Forest swimmers Friday night. All will have a pancake breakfast Saturday morning and a potluck supper following the meet. Washington, which finished second in last year`s Iowa state meet, edged Lake Forest in their dual meet last year. ”This year, I`m hoping we can do a little better,” said Quigley. ”Nobody knows about us, but we`ve got some kids with good times.”
