By Jeff Vorva
One shot made all the difference in the world for Beecher’s boys golf team.
The Bobcats won the second sectional title in program history by compiling a 326 at the Illinois High School Association Class 1A Bismark-Henning Sectional on October 7, at Turtle Run Golf Course. They beat out North Shore Country Day, which finished second with a 327.
Jackson Reece led the Bobcats with a seventh-place finish, by firing a 77. Ben Anaclerio took 13th with an 80, Peyton Serafin had an 81, and Noah Berry carded an 88.
The Bobcats head to the state meet at Prairie Vista Golf Course in Bloomington on October 18.
The only other time the Bobcats won a sectional was in 2022. This is the fifth time they qualified for state as a team.
Running to state
The area is sending seven athletes to the Illinois Elementary School Association state cross country meets October 19, at Maxwell Park in Normal.
Manteno Middle School’s girls team is sending the most as Emma Froeschle, Maddy McLain, and Delanie Monroe qualified in Class 3A.
Beecher’s Rachel Imig and Molly Krupa qualified in Class 2A.
University Park Crete-Monee’s Julia Stolzenbach qualified in Class 4A.
On the boys side, Manteno’s Noah Nevel Manteno qualified in Class 3A.
Big game coming
Manteno and Wilmington will both take 7-0 overall records and 5-0 conference records into their football showdown at 7 p.m., October 18, in Manteno.
Manteno has outscored opponents 262-79 this season and scored 42 or more points four times, including a 54-32 win over Sandwich to open the season.
Wilmington, the defending state champion in Class 3A, has outscored its opponents 293-75 and scored 40 or more points six times, including a 56-7 won over Lisle on September 13.
Volleyball seeds
Beecher, Manteno, and Peotone are seeded second, third, and fourth respectively in the Sub-Sectional B portion of the 20-team Class 2A Manteno Sectional. Wilmington drew the No. 1 seed.
Sub-Sectional A’s top four seeds are Catalyst/Maria, UCCS/Woodlawn, Chicago University and Chicago Christian.
In Class 3A, Crete-Monee drew the sixth seed in the 18-team Kankakee Sectional.
Regional play begins October 28.
Sports bits
•Crete-Monee’s Kaylee Mazur won the Southland Athletic Conference singles title.
•Former Crete-Monee football star Josh Franklin, who is now at Western Michigan University, recovered a fumble for his first career touchdown October 12 in a 34-24 win over Akron.