Area Sports Roundup: Riverside-Brookfield wins first cross country state title

By Jeff Vorva
Staff Writer

Riverside-Brookfield’s boys cross country team brought home a state championship, the first championship — according to IHSA records — is the the school’s first state title an any sport.

And four of the five runners who scored for the Bulldogs are underclassmen and could be back next season to defend the title.

The Bulldogs took the course at Detweiler Park in Peoria on Nov. 5 and scored 131 points for the Class 2A crown, beating out Belvidere North (155), Glenbard South (157) and Grayslake Central (169). Those were the only four teams under 200 points.

Grayslake Central was favored to win in multiple ratings and rankings with the Bulldogs second, but R-B flipped the script.

Junior Cooper Marrs led the charge with a fifth-place finish at 15:27.45. Also finishing all-state (top 25) was junior Jack O’Brien in 16th place (16:00.40).

Junior Williams Kallas took 38th with a 16:24.49, senior Zack Gaynor was 56th with a 16:39.34 and sophomore Brady Norman was 69th with a 16:46.96.

Juniors Brennan Lester (80^th) and Hayden Marrs (160^th) did not score but picked up valuable state experience for coach John Brady’s team.

It’s also just the fifth state trophy brought home by an athletic team in school history.

The boys tennis team took second in 1946 and third in 1979, the boys  cross country team finished second in 1974, the wrestling team was third in 1981 and the competitive dance team was second in 2010.

Also making all-state was Richards’ senior Owen Fornberg, who took 20^th with a 16:04.56. He is just the second runner in program history to earn all-state. Dave Bensema also earned it in 1975 and 1976.

In Class 3A, Sandburg junior Grant Giblin was the area’s top finisher with a sixth-place showing of 15:03.91. Senior teammate Trent Anderson was 17^th with a 15:18.21 for all-state honors.

Lyons, which finished seventh, had three all-staters. Junior Nicholas Strayer took ninth with a 15:06.67 just ahead of junior teammate Cillian Henning, who was 10^th with a 15:06.76. Senior Aidan Collins was 19^th with a 15:22.32.

Chicago Christian’s girls cross country team celebrate its fifth-place finish in Class 1A. Photo courtesy of Chicago Chirstian High School.

Knights take fifth

In the girls cross country state meet, Chicago Christian claimed fifth in the team competition in Class 1A with 241 points. Anna Enderle was all-state with a 22^nd-place finish of 18:26.72.

In the Class 3A race, no area runner placed in the top 25 but senior Catherine Sommerfeld’s 30^th-place finish helped Lyons finish seventh.

Nazareth senior Collette Kinsella earned all-state with the 12^th-place finish in the Class 2A race with an 18:17.70.

Swimmers make their marks

Sandburg won its 25^th sectional title when it captured the Lockport Sectional with 260 points on Saturday.

State qualifiers were divers Anna Crnich (402.35 points) and Elysa Corcoran (367.60), Julia Barry in the 100-yard butterfly (56.64 seconds) and Maya Dobry in the 100 breaststroke (1:05.81).

The Eagles 200 medley relay team of Samantha Barry, Dobry, Julia Barry and Maureen Flannery (1:45.92) and the 200 free relay team of Flanner, Ella Briscoe, Anne Driscoll and Julia Barry (1:37.64) also qualified for the state meet, which is scheduled for Friday and Saturday at the FMC Natatorium in Westmont.

Lyons finished second in the Hinsdale Central Sectional with 281 points.

State qualifiers for the Lions are Maggie Adler in the 200 (1:53.01) and 100 (:52.60) Becky Phillips in the 200 IM (2:08.04) and 100 (:52.50), Audrey Cavaliere (:23.56) and Amelia Mariano (:24.29) in the 50 free, Tess Walkerin diving (391.05) and Lindsey Forebaugh in the 100 butterfly (:56.83)

The Lions also qualified the 200 medley relay team of Kylie Thompson, Dylan Jorgensen, Forebaugh and Cavaliere (1:46.79), the 200 free style relay team of Mariano, Adler, Cavaliere and Phillips (1:35.00) and the 400 relay team of Adler, Cavaliere, Ella Jean Kelly and Phillips (3:29.16).

Other area state qualifiers were Riverside-Brookfield’s Hailey Vlcek in the 200 (1:51.78) and 500 (5:07.58) Mother McAuley’s Sarah Speski in diving (391.50) and Argo’s Peyton Lupo in diving (364.05).

Solorio fourth in soccer

Solorio finished fourth in the Class 2A state soccer tournament on Saturday at Hoffman Estates High School.

The Sun Devils reached the final four with a 1-0 overtime win over Mount Carmel in the St. Laurence Supersectional on Nov. 1 as Orlando Ojeda came up with a header for what turned out to be the winner.

But in the semifinals, Solorio lost a 4-2 decision in overtime to Peoria Notre Dame. Junior Pineda Alcala and Sebastian Gonzalez scored goals for the Sun Devils.

In the third-place game, Solorio lost 4-0 to Grayslake Central.

Crazy eights

In a crazy coincidence, the Saint Xavier men’s and women’s basketball team each played the NAIA’s No. 8 team in the nation on the same night, Nov. 1, and suffered losses.

The women stayed home in Chicago and faced Clarke, which was ranked eighth in the NAIA coaches’ poll. The Cougars lost that one 83-65 and were led by Marist grad Claire Austin’s 13-point effort.

The men headed to Winona Lake (Indiana) and dropped an 84-60 setback to No. 8 Grace College despite Kevin Bishop’s 18-point, 10-rebound performance.

A dozen for Ritter

Cougars volleyball setter Kaleigh Ritter won her sixth Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Setter of the Week honor, announced on Nov. 2.

It’s the sixth time this season the sophomore earned the honor, and the 12^th time in her career. She won the award six times as a freshman in 2021.

Red Stars assistant leaves

Chicago Red Stars assistant coach Morinao Imaizumi is leaving the team after a short run with the club.

Imaizumi joined the team in June after Juliane Sitch left in the team in April to take the head coaching job at the University of Chicago.

“Ima is a first-class professional,” Red Stars coach Chris Petrucelli said in a news release. “He made an immediate impact on our team.”