Manteno freshmen Klarke Goranson and Lyla Nevel continue to impress in girls cross country.
The young pair qualified for the Illinois High School Association Class 2A Girls State Meet, which will be held at Detweiler Park in Peoria on November 9.
At the Metamora Sectional, Goranson finished third in the meet, with a time of 17 minutes, 10.51 seconds, while Nevel was 23rd, with a 19:12.14 on November 2 at Black Partridge Park.
Crete-Monee sophomores Evelyn Stolzenbach grabbed a qualifying spot at Metamora with a 41st-place finish of 19:36.90.
Beecher senior Brooklynn Burdick placed ninth in the Class 1A Lisle Sectional, with a 19:25.90 to qualify.
Sectional soccer champs
Manteno won a wild Class 1A Sectional Championship when it beat Chicago Christian in penalty kicks on October 29 in Manteno.
It was all defense in regulation, as the teams were involved in a 0-0 deadlock. Two overtime periods settled nothing as neither team scored and neither did the first penalty kick period, which was a 4-4 draw.
The Panthers won the second penalty kick round, 5-4 as Eric Eldridge provided the winning goal and Maverick Kenney picked up the save. It was Manteno’s first sectional title since 2017.
These two teams battled three times this season, and all three matches were tied after regulation.
The magic ride came to an end on November 2, as the Panthers were beaten, 5-0, by Normal University High School at the Herscher Supersectional.
Heartbreak x2
Halloween was a tough night for area volleyball fans.
Beecher and Peotone were both victorious in their first sets, but it was not meant to be for either school.
Beecher’s season ended in its own Class 2A Regional Final, with an 18-25, 25-18, 25-21 loss to McNamara.
In the Class 2A title bout in Wilmington, the hosts knocked out Peotone 17-25, 25-13, 25-19.
Sports bits
•Crete-Monee hired Niktoyia Ferrell as its cheerleading coach.
•Manteno’s Maddie Geske was named on a preseason list of Class 2A standouts to watch in girls basketball by the Major Movez Basketball Review website.
•Beecher alum Abby Shepard led the University of St. Francis Saints with 18 points in an 86-49 win over the University of Michigan-Dearborn on October 30. The junior hit four 3-pointers in the game and added seven rebounds.