Plainfield North High School has established it prominence in athletics in recent years. Will this Spring be the culmination, or, the springboard to greater success?
The boys baseball team won the Class 4A State championship Saturday in Joliet and the girls softball team captured second place in the Class 4A State tournament in East Peoria.
Plainfield North’s baseball team defeated Huntley in the championship game, 4-3, after defeating Sandburg, 7-3, in a semifinal game. Huntley defeated Lake Park in a semifinal game, 5-1. Lake Park took third place with a 6-0 victory over Sandburg.
North head baseball coach John Darlington said he knew his team could win the State championship, “after we beat Brother Rice in the super-sectional. We felt like we had a chance. Why? We felt once you make the State tournament everyone is in the same boat.”
The biggest challenge, according to the Morris native, was, “trying to get Huntley’s hitters out.”
Among the top players this season for the Tigers were Brady Miller, pitcher, Gavin Dole, shortstop, Cameron Kissel, center fielder, and Greg Budig, catcher. North ended the memorable season with a 2-7-1 record.
• Plainfield North girls softball coach Mark Green, who led his team through the Oswego Sectional tournament with a victory over Oswego East in the championship game, came within one game of capturing the State championship. Rock Island stood in the way with a 2-1 victory in the final game.
• Montini Catholic High School continued its successful seasons with a State championship in the Class 4A girls softball tournament. See page 10 and Bobby Narang’s reflection of the comeback victory over Kaneland in the Class 3A tournament. Montini head coach Mike Bukovsky certainly has been a part of State tournament success in three sports. His softball teams won two State championships in the last four years. He was a top assistant coach to head football coach Chris Andriano when the program won six State championships in 12 years, through 2015. Bukovsky made his initial foray into State championships in wrestling. His team won eight State championships in 16 seasons through the 2009-2010 season. That count is 16 State championships he has been a part of in three sports. Andriano was head football coach at Montini for 38 years through 2017 and won 300 games. That’s longevity and quality.
• Montini’s girls softball team earlier this week, was elevated from Class 3A to Class 4A for next school year for its standard of success. The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) released the changes following its meeting Monday. Other schools in specific sports which have been elevated through the success formula include: IC Catholic Prep in football up to Class 4A; Harvest Christian Academy in boys cross country up to 2A; Wheaton Academy up to Class 2A in girls soccer and up to Class 3A in boys soccer; and St. Francis in Wheaton up to Class 3A in soccer.
• Transition to Summer sports has started. In Aurora, there are six teams, down from eight, in the Aurora American Legion League. Teams are Legion Post 84, Tiger A.A., Geneva Construction, Kirhofer’s Sports, A-Z Tax, NewLife Mechanical. The Boys Baseball of Aurora all-star game will be Saturday June 30.