To put the past year of local high school sports in perspective and to get a preview of the new year, Pioneer Press interviewed Maine East athletic director Steve Schanz.
Q: What was the highlight for Maine East’s athletic programs this calendar year?
A: It had to be our football team winning their first game since 2013 in the first game of the year against Schurz. (Maine East won one game in 2014 via forfeit.) There was a fourth-down play, and our long snapper was hurt. Since we couldn’t really punt, we threw just a fly pattern down the sideline. The kid caught it, which pretty much sealed the deal. You could see the team and I cheering for him on the sidelines. I honestly don’t think they really knew how to celebrate the win. They didn’t really know who to hug or whatever. But it was great to see coach (Scott) Smith’s hard work pay off. There’s a lot more to measuring success than wins and losses, but I was really hoping they’d get at least a victory this year. When the celebration happened and Smith was doused with water, I literally just took a step back and watched.
Q: What was one team that stood out in 2016?
A: That was probably our girls volleyball team, led by first-year (head) coach Kevin Bohn. They finished second in conference and took the last conference game against (Glenbrook North) to the third game (in a 2-1 loss), so it was nice to see them compete all year long. We weren’t a very tall or experienced team, but we were a very good defensive team. They also extended points. That’s an epitome to the girls and coach Bohn. We also had a co-player of the year (in the Central Suburban North) in Madeline Sielski.
Q: Who was one athlete who surpassed expectations on the field or in the classroom, and why?
A: There were a couple since two of our own had qualified for the state swim meet in freshman Alyssa Klug and sophomore Anabelle Delgadillo. (Delgadillo) was in the athletes with disabilities one, and Alyssa qualified for the 100 and 50 freestyle. (Klug) was coming back from injury, and we weren’t exactly sure if she would qualify or not. She ended up hitting the mark in two events, so that was exciting. Anabelle was in three events. I was up in the rafters and just smiling. That was the first time since I’ve been here (June 2013) that we’ve had someone in the state meet. It was also the first time since 2009 that we’ve had someone qualify, and that was Natalia Bialecka, who’s now our assistant coach.
Q: Who was one coach who went above and beyond this year?
A: Jeff Bishop has done a great job of getting our (boys) soccer program in a position that is really set up for success in the future. All three levels were very competitive this year, especially our freshmen boys, who only had one loss. We had over 100 kids try out too, so we had to make a lot of cuts this year. That’s always heartbreaking, but it’s a sign that your program is going in the right direction. Coach Bishop did a great job of working his tail off in the offseason and during the regular season to really get that program going.
Q: Looking back on 2016, is there anything that you wish would have gone differently within the program?
A: Our coaches have so many things to do besides just coaching, but I’ve certainly had to push the state concussion rules. All of the kids have to see the (state concussion and district student-athlete) videos, and the parents have to sign off on all of them (confirming that they and their student-athlete watched the videos) per state law. We’ve also just went to online registration (for students), and there are little things we’ll have to fix to make it easier for coaches. There were certainly some rough transition times that added to the coaches’ stress. I wish I would’ve had a better grasp of that, but we’re still getting better at it.
Q: When you look ahead to 2017, what is your athletic program’s New Year’s resolution?
A: Never be satisfied. We always want to get better. We didn’t win a conference championship this year, but by far, it was our best overall athletic year in the standings. We’re getting to the point we’re competitive in almost every sport now. That’s my own mantra too. I want to be a better AD in 2017 and years after. I’ve also been participating in at least one practice in every sport, like I’m an athlete. In football, I’ve put all the gear on, and I attempted to do a practice with the girls swimming team. I’m not much of a swimmer, though. To see, firsthand, how hard they work has been an eye-opener for me.
Q: What are you most looking forward to about Maine East athletics next year?
A: We’ve got some tremendous athletes, who I’m looking forward to seeing in the spring. The incredible Michael Boduch, one of our star volleyball players, will be fun to watch. Antoine Kelly, who’s a future star in the making at pitcher for our baseball team, should be good as well. Our softball team is very young, and they’re poised to be even better this year. The spring will be a fun time to see a lot of growth in some of our sports that just wasn’t there a number of years ago.
Eli Hershkovich is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press
