– For the first time in years, Chicago-area television viewers will be able to see all games of both the Class A and AA state tournaments. The Class A tournament is March 11-12, and the Class AA event is March 18-19. WPWR-TV
(Channel 50) will carry-in addition to the Saturday semifinals, third-place game and title game-all of the Friday quarterfinal matches for both tournaments. Frank Bussone will again anchor the announcing teams each weekend, assisted by Art Kimball and Jim Albracht. Coach Ed Butkovitch of Mt. Pulaski will handle color commentary for the Class A telecasts, Barrington`s Bill Geist for Class AA.
– Simeon`s 57-49 loss to undefeated St. Louis Vashon Saturday night in Highland, Ill., was built slowly, brick by brick. The Wolverines, starting five juniors, were victims of their own poor shooting, making only 14 of 43
(34 percent) from the field and only 21 of 34 from the free-throw line. Vashon, 17-0 and ranked fifth nationally, was 22 of 43 from the field (52 percent) and 10 of 14 from the line. ”We played well for about a quarter and a half,” said Simeon coach Bob Hambric. ”But then we got caught in our own mental games. That`s what hurt us the most.”
For example, Hambric`s strategy was to go inside against Vashon`s strong front line of 6-foot-7-inch Malcolm Nash, 6-7 Corey Warner and 6-8 Montrell Nash. ”We shouldn`t have been shooting at the basket from outside, but we were,” said Hambric. That was evidenced quickly. The Wolverines were 1 of 13 from 10 feet or longer in the first half, a half that ended with Vashon holding a 29-22 lead and shutting out Simeon for the final 5 minutes of the second quarter. And then there were those free throws. For a team shooting around 75 percent from the line for the season, Simeon was a hollow shell of itself, missing 8 of 14 attempts in the first two quarters. ”If we make those free throws, then we`re ahead at halftime and we can dictate the tempo of the game,” said Hambric.
Simeon (17-3) was led by 6-6 Deon Thomas, who scored 23 points and took down 16 rebounds. This was the first time this season any team had come within 17 points of Vashon.
– The Illinois High School Association has given the Public League permission to conduct the semifinals and finals of its playoffs on Saturday and Sunday, March 12-13.
Wrestling
– If you look at Oswego`s overall record, you might not look at the Panthers again. That would be a mistake. Oswego, which finished the season with a 15-7 dual record, won its second straight Little Seven Conference title Saturday with 141 points to 113.5 for Waubonsie Valley. The Panthers are wrestling at full strength for the first time this season as Tracy Wright (105 pounds), Brian Hawkins (185) and Sean McGray (155) have returned from injuries. ”I think a lot of people have underestimated us,” said Oswego coach John Sammons, whose team has won four of the last five Little Seven titles. ”We`ve got a full lineup now. We`ve done real well in tournaments
(winning at West Chicago and Downers Grove South and taking second at Palatine). I hope this gives us a good springboard to the regional. We have lost seven matches, but in five of them we might have won if just one of our injured guys was in there.” Oswego is led by 98-pound Steve Gregory-who is 34-1-and 145-pounder Rob Pell, who is 30-3-1. . . . Waubonsie Valley`s Armando Sanders won his third straight Little Seven title and was voted the meet`s outstanding wrestler. Sanders, who is 28-2, pinned Oswego`s Dusty Sonnon in 2:54 of the 138-pound title match.
– Dundee-Crown coach Al Zinke will resign after this season. Zinke`s team, which won the Fox Valley Conference title Saturday, has been
experiencing a tough year due to illness and injuries. ”We`ve had more this year than I`ve had in all the 10 years before,” said Zinke, who will probably be succeeded by longtime assistant Steve Glasder. ”I`m done after this year. I can`t deal with it. I can deal with kids, but I can`t deal with sickness and injuries. I`m also the athletic director, and I`m looking forward to just doing one job.” The Chargers are in their best shape of the season physically, but 145-pounder Mark Hagen is still weak from mononucleosis and 138-pounder Sean Henning is a question mark because of a bad back. Zinke is hopeful that his team will be able to put things together and make another trip Downstate like it did in 1985, when the Chargers were fourth in Class AA. – Grayslake`s Che Kearby showed why seedings are an inexact science. The Rams` 138-pounder was the No. 4 seed in the Northwest Suburban Conference meet but ended up the meet`s Outstanding Wrestler. Kearby defeated No. 1 seed Jim Rorig of Johnsburg in the semifinals and was a 12-4 winner over No. 2 seed Glen Glashagle of Grant in the finals.
– Here is a list of some of the wrestlers who finished the regular season unbeaten and untied with conference championships: Sean Kegel, Johnsburg (30-0 at 98); Ron Kowalski, St. Laurence (21-0 at 112); Mike Sheehy, St. Edward
(28-0 at 119); Sam Geraci, Lake Park (34-0 at 119); Chad Carls, Sycamore
(18-0 at 126); Joey Gilbert, Andrew (28-0 at 132); Tim Chaplin, Joliet Central (30-0 at 138); Tony Jacob, De La Salle (30-0 at 138); T.C. Danzler, Thornwood (26-0 at 138); John Granat, De La Salle (29-0 at 155); Brian Paramski, Libertyville (31-0 at 155); Steve Hughes, Stagg (28-0 at 185); Tom Salvino, Marist (28-0 at 185); Steve Rokusek, Crystal Lake South (33-0 at heavyweight). . . . Brothers Mike and John Eierman won Catholic League titles for different schools. Mike, who is 21-0-1, won the 98-pound title for St. Laurence while John, who is 22-2, won the 167-pound title for Leo.
– The Leyden regional should be interesting. West Suburban Conference Silver Division champion Oak Park and WSC Gold champion Leyden will be the top contenders. Leyden defeated Oak Park during the regular season, but Eagles coach Chuck Farina doesn`t see that as an advantage. ”Losing can really help you get your team ready,” said Farina, whose 34th Leyden team finished 24-0. ”If you lose a match, it makes you work a little harder for next time. They`ve got some really good individuals, and it should be a real
barnburner.”
– Defending Class AA state champion Marist was an easy winner in Saturday`s East Suburban Catholic meet. The Redskins did it without two regulars, 112-pounder Dan Nybert and 126-pounder Bill O`Brien. Nybert was resting an injured ankle, and reserve Mike D`Angelo filled in well with a second-place finish. O`Brien, the third O`Brien brother to wrestle for Marist, was to have a cauliflower ear drained. ”I can`t remember the last time we didn`t have an O`Brien in the lineup,” said Marist coach Mark Gervais. Gervais was happy with his team, which will host a regional Saturday, in the conference meet. ”We made some great strides,” he said. ”We had some kids beat guys they had lost to before. We`re looking good going into the regional. Thornwood looks like the team we have to beat. We`ll have to be on the top of our game.”
– The Mid-Suburban League ended in a tie between Conant and Fremd. That`s right, a tie. Conant won the Mid-Suburban League tournament, but the Cougars were in a three-way tie for the South Division dual title, which counts toward the overall title. Fremd was the unbeaten MSL North dual champion, but Conant`s winning the tournament put the Vikings into a tie for the league title. Conant, without an individual champion, scored 143 points to 137.5 for Fremd and 136 for Elk Grove.
– Glenbard North, with Mike Cava (105), Mike Palazzo (132), Romaldo Derain (155) and Marc Fiore (167) winning titles, won the Du Page Valley Conference title with 180.5 points to 167.5 for defending champion Naperville North. North got titles from Matt Gruszka (145) and Dave Sullivan (112).
– In the battle of state champions, Lake Park`s Brett Janis defeated St. Charles` Matt Bartlett in the 112-pound final of the Upstate Eight Conference meet. Janis, the 105-pound Class AA champ last year, was an 8-5 winner over Bartlett, the Class AA 98-pound winner a year ago. De Kalb, which finished with a 22-0 dual-meet record, won the team title with 175.5 points to 169.5 for Lake Park. De Kalb got titles from Andy Neal (105), Kevin Beasley (132)
and Brett Milbourn (167) while Janis, Sam Geraci (119) and Ziggy Tkaczenko
(heavyweight) won titles for Lake Park.
– The match that never was-between Joliet Central`s Tim Chaplin and Andrew`s two-time state champion Joey Gilbert-would have been a beauty. Champlin won the 138-pound title in the SICA West with a 16-1 technical fall over Lockport`s Tom Fogarty, while Gilbert won the 132-pound title with a 17-1 technical fall over Romeoville`s Nick Tarnowski. Chaplin, who led the Steelmen to the team title, is 30-0 going into the regional, and Gilbert is 29-0. Gilbert beat Chaplin 7-4 in the Class AA 132-pound finals last season.
Girls` gymnastics
– The state series begins Monday, with regionals running through Saturday. While teams like Rich Central, Palatine, Resurrection and Libertyville appear to have a shot at the finals Feb. 19-20 at Palatine, many others could wind up among the final eight. The Evanston regional is Monday, with high-flying Resurrection as the favorite. Tuesday, Palatine is favored at the Fremd regional, with three-time defending state champion Fremd also capable of scoring high. Host Libertyville and Deerfield will also battle Tuesday, with Schaumburg the clear-cut favorite in its regional.
Wednesday, Downers Grove South looks good at Downers North, Streamwood is in position to win at Larkin, while Naperville North will battle host Naperville Central. Hinsdale Central should win its regional Thursday, with New Trier strong at Glenbrook South, and Addison Trail the probable front-runner at Lake Park. Friday, Rich Central is the favorite at its regional, while Barrington could be another home winner. Regionals conclude Saturday at Riverside-Brookfiel d, Mundelein, Conant and York. Host teams are among the favorites everywhere except Conant, where Rolling Meadows should dominate.
Sectionals start Feb. 10, with Willowbrook on tap for that night. Feeding Willowbrook are the York, Naperville Central, Lake Park and Schaumburg regionals. The Lake Forest sectional is Feb. 11, with teams from Evanston, Glenbrook South, Libertyville and Mundelein regionals. The Feb. 12 Prospect sectional features teams from regionals at Barrington, Larkin, Conant and Fremd. The lone afternoon regional is Feb. 13 at Downers Grove North. Feeding it are the Downers North, Hinsdale Central, Rich Central and Riverside-Brookfiel d regionals.
Football
– Bremen quarterback Dan Hancock visited Rice this weekend. The 6-foot-4- inch, 230-pound dropback passer might wait until after signing date to decided on a school. Many of the schools that were interested in him early have gone to running quarterbacks or want Hancock to switch positions. He wants to play quarterback and will wait to see what happens on signing day. He has also visited Wyoming, and Louisville, Miami (Ohio) and Northwestern have been recruiting him.
– For the second consecutive year, 37 percent of the more than one million high school football players in the nation were sidelined by injury, according to a survey by the National Athletic Trainers Association. There were 374,678 injuries resulting in lost time among the nation`s 1,021,000 players. Multiple injuries boost the total to 516,000. The totals were projected from a survey of 7,886 players in 134 high schools across the country. The overall injury total dropped 19 percent from the 636,000 reported the previous year. NATA research director John W. Powell, said ”real injuries” may not have decreased as much as the survey indicates. ”We have reason to believe it is more a reflection of record-keeping than a reduction in injuries,” he said. ”The actual injury toll is probably somewhere between what we projected last year and this year.” Other findings were that 60 percent of all football-related injuries came in practice, sprains and strains accounted for 49 percent of the injury total, running backs and quarterbacks remained at the greatest risk and there were 13,612 football-related surgeries in 1987, with 77 percent of those knee-related. NATA is pushing for more certified athletic trainers in high schools; fewer than 15 percent of the 20,000 U.S. high schools have such trainers.
Soccer
– Six boys and six girls from Illinois high schools earned All-America status for their play last year. The boys honored were Alfredo Contreras of Joliet Central, Aleks Dupor of Libertyville, Vince Jajuga of New Trier, Tom O`Connor of Fremd, Joe Reiniger of Collinsville and Jay Rensink of Naperville North. Girls selected were Michelle Coole of Rockford Boylan, Shelley Gehrke of Naperville North, Claudia Gerth of Evanston, Mary Lappin and Sue Soderberg of St. Charles and Amy Stenholt of Maine South.
c8 Thornwood is looking for a head boys` soccer coach. Applicants should call athletic director Don Evans at 210-2279 or 339-7800, ext. 2725.
Miscellaneous
– The 10th annual Hall of Fame dinner sponsored by the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association will be Feb. 12 at the Wellington Restaurant in Arlington Heights. Hall inductees include Bill Anderson of Thornton Fractional South, Bill Bonali of Herrin, Al Lodl of St. Francis de Sales, Irish O`Reilly of Lewis University, Al Otto of Rolling Meadows, Herb Sisler of Rockford Auburn and Jerry Szukala of Lane Tech. The Man of the Year award will go to Bill Seiple of Naperville Central, the Scout of the Year award to Frank Piet of the Milwaukee Brewers. The following day, a baseball clinic at Forest View High School will include speakers Paul Ryan of Naperville North, Gordon Gillespie of St. Francis College, Dave Alexander of Purdue, Augie Garrido of Illinois and Jimmy Piersall of the Cubs.
– Montini High School`s 11th annual Youth League baseball clinic will be on four consecutive Thursday evenings, starting February 4. Coaches interested in learning about infield and outfield defense can join Northwestern baseball coach Paul Stevens on February 4. February 11, College of St. Francis`
Gillespie will speak on the ”Psychology of Pitching,” and former major-leaguer Tom Brennan will address the ”Mechanics of Pitching.” Wally Weisenburger, Montini hitting instructor and coach of the Lombard American Legion team, will speak on hitting February 18. On February 25, the Montini baseball team and coach Bill Leeberg will cover the art of baserunning. The clinics, available only to persons above high school age, will run from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Cost is $25.
– The UMPS (Umpires Metropolitan Professional Service) Association is looking for new umpires in the Chicago area. The group is interested in people who want to umpire baseball or softball games. UMPS assigns officials to work high school, park district and local college games in spring and summer. Training sessions start Feb. 15 at St. Viator. Call Kurt Pingel at 934-9099 for further information.
