Even Mother Nature couldn’t slow down the top seeds during the opening round of the three-day girls tennis state championships Thursday.
Rain caused about an hour delay in the morning, then players had to deal with unseasonably mild temperatures and strong winds at District 211 and 214 courts in the Northwest suburbs.
“Because of the wind, the balls were flying all over the place,” said Highland Park senior Julie Flanzer after winning her three matches. Flanzer, seeded 3-4 in the singles division, will face Hinsdale Central’s No. 2 singles player, Kate Klein, Friday morning.
The other top-seeded singles players cruised to victories, including No. 1 Elizabeth Epstein of Francis Parker. She won by default in her first match, then swept Prospect’s Anne Duggan and eliminated O’Fallon’s Katie Hargrove.
No. 2 seed Hanna Mar, a Hinsdale Central sophomore, scored wins to help her school secure the team lead ahead of Highland Park, Moline and Downers Grove South.
Courtney Dolehide and Nida Hamilton, the Hinsdale Central sophomores who are the top seed and defending state doubles champions, didn’t surrender a point in their three matches.
Ross Forman
Call him Mr. Zero
Hinsdale Central goalkeeper John Shakon talks a good game, but only when he’s playing one. The senior’s ability to communicate to his teammates is a big reason the Red Devils (15-6-1) are threatening several of the Hinsdale soccer program’s defensive records.
He has 11 shutouts, one off the school single-season mark, and a 0.67 goals-against average. Shakon tied the school’s career shutout record of 21, which he shares with current Michigan starter Patrick Sperry. Combined with the efforts of defenders Sam Toczylowski, Alex Scott, Robert LaRocque and Tribune 2006 All-Stater Dave Tiemstra, Hinsdale Central has allowed only 15 goals this season, and only one in its last seven games.
Shakon wasn’t always good at in-game banter.
“That’s something that’s developed,” said the three-year starter, who recently committed to Wisconsin-Milwaukee. “There was an instance where the coaches said to me, ‘In order to take your game to the next level, you’ve got to step up with the vocal aspects of your game.’
“It especially keeps the defense in the game. It keeps them confident to know that someone’s back there and he’s in tune with the game. It also keeps me focused.”
Hinsdale Central defeated St. Joseph 2-1 on Wednesday and plays regional host Oak Park on Friday for the right to move on to sectionals.
Dave Surico
No more multitasking
On July 31, 2005, Time magazine published a few essays from 13-year-olds around the nation.
Katherine Rack’s was one of those chosen and she wrote, “Call me crazy, but the reason for my overscheduled lifestyle is the love I have for all my chosen activities.”
At the time, Rack was involved in cross country, gymnastics, the clarinet, piano and school plays.
More than two years later, the Oak Park sophomore says, “I’m mostly focused on running now.”
Entering the girls cross country regionals Saturday, Rack is one of the top runners in the state. She finished 10th as a freshman in the 2006 Class AA finals. Last Saturday she was edged by Hinsdale Central’s Elaine Kuckertz in the West Suburban Silver conference meet — just as she was for ninth place at Peoria last season.
“That was a flashback,” she said.
A flashback she’d like to avoid repeating when she faces Kuckertz again.
Alan Sutton
Naming rights
Evanston is holding a weekend-long celebration culminating Saturday in a ceremony naming its football field after legendary coach Murney Lazier, whose 125-17-4 record from 1957 through ’74 is the highest winning percentage in state history. There will be a reunion of Lazier’s former players: More than 100 from 23 states are planning to attend a tailgate party and a procession prior to the Wildkits’ game against Waukegan.
Bob Sakamoto
