The rugged playoff path on the high school tournament trail winds up with one champion. Every team along the way ends with defeat, albeit much pride and happiness ultimately may spring to the surface. Six top notch football teams from The Voice circulation area in the Class 8A fell to defeat in week two and none advanced to the quarterfinals. Imminent defeat never reached two Naperville North sports, the boys soccer team and the girls cross country team. They captured State championships last weekend. Each has won three consecutive State championships. See page 10 for the girls cross country.
The Naperville North boys soccer head coach Jim Konrad led the team to a three-peat that included victories over Batavia and West Aurora in sectional play, 1-0 over Lyons in super-sectional, and 1-0 over Lake Park in two overtimes and 1-0 over Libertyville in State tournament play.
• West Aurora finished its football season with a 9-2 record after 45-16 defeat at Edwardsville in Class 8A.. “They ran the ball well,” West Aurora head coach Nate Eimer said. “(I will remember) the group of seniors doing things the right way and continuing to keep the program at an elite level.” West Aurora next season will be in the 12-team Southwest Prairie Conference.
• Naperville Central fell to visiting Marist, 38-35, in a Class 8A game in which Central had the ball at the end, however, could not move past midfield. “There were five or six lead changes,” Central head coach Mike Stine said. ‘We were (DuPage Valley) Conference champions the last two seasons and have many great seniors, especially our quarterback (Payton Thorne) and Cade McDonald set the school record with 91 (pass) catches and 1,400 yards. Luke Hallstrom (6-2 and 285 pounds) was an outstanding three-year (offensive lineman).”
• Glenbard East head coach John Walters told his team following the Rams’ first defeat of the season in Class 7A, to East St. Louis, 56-14: “(I am) proud of your accomplishment, conference champs, 10 wiins, home playoff win. The key to the game (against East St. Louis) was interior play on both sides. The size, speed, and athletic ability of their OL/DL was impressive.’
• Yorkville turned a 2-7 record last year to 8-3 following a 35-21 defeat at the hands of Richards in Class 6A. “Richards is very good, but we did not help ourselves with turnovers in the second half,” said head coach Dan McGuire. “We fumbled the kickoff return to start (the second half after leading at halftime). We had a great season, but we have a lot of work to get where we want to be. We were young last year and many of our players got great experience that carried into this year.”