If you saw much of me last weekend, you must have been at a high school basketball game. Friday night, I was at Normal Community High School covering the Boys’ game between the Ironmen and rival Normal Community West.
The biggest surprise of that night was that the game started late because the junior varsity from Normal West needed overtime to claim a 51-47 victory. You got the feeling watching that game that both sides will still be intense against one another when these underclassmen become upperclassmen. That’s always the hope, anyway, felt whether expressed or not, by coaches and fans alike.
Saturday was spent at the annual North-South Shootout at NCHS featuring girls’ teams from the host school, Normal West, O’Fallon, and Belleville East. It was a lot of un for the fans but those covering it and working the scorer’s table were happy to either keep track of or take notes about the games for the papers but were very tired by the event’s conclusion. The event moves south next year before coming back this way again, where Normal West will take its turn to host.
NCHS Swimming And Diving Team Honored: At halftime of the game between the boys’ teams from Unit 5 on Friday, NCHS’ girls’ Swimming and Diving Team was honored for finishing 4th at the State Meet. During their season, the team won the Intercity title, set eight new school records, won the Big 12 Conference title, and captured a first-ever Sectional title. At State, the team earned medals in 7 of 12 events. Members of NCHS’ Swimming and Diving Team are: Grace Ariola, Ashley Bengtson, Julia Heimstead, Claire Koh, and Julia Oostman.
Can El Paso Gridley Special Olympics Pull Off A “Three-Peat”?: Two years ago, the Special Olympics basketball team from El Paso Gridley High School got into the Special Olympics State Basketball Tournament due to a forfeit. Last year, they got in by their own merits and won gold (in double overtime, no less).
The district playoffs took place recently and Titans head coach Cindy Martorana’s team is headed back to State for the third consecutive year as a result of their efforts and partly due to another forfeit. Teams are required to play two games at district and need to earn gold medals to qualify for State.
The Titans won their first contest beating Rockford Guilford, 34-22, Martorana told me and were all set to meet their next challenger. But when they got to the court, they were informed illness prevented the other team from making the second game. As a result, Martorana’s team won the second game by forfeit and are headed back to State. EPG team members are: Jordan Peacher, Andrew Hartman, Zoey Slightom, Caleb Turner, Brady Neill, Geneva Powell, and Courtney Adkins. Here’s wishing them luck!
Normal West Chess Team Headed To State: It isn’t just the athletically inclined headed to a State event of some kind. Congratulations are also given here to the Chess team from Normal Community West High School who have been giving opponents fits to the point that the Wildcats will go to the Illinois High School Association State Chess Tournament in Peoria on Feb. 9 and 10.
To get this far, first, they beat Bloomington High School on tie breaks to earn the League Championship for the season. Then, on Jan. 27, they traveled to Mahomet and took first at sectionals. Normal West was the only team out of a field of 19 schools in the sectional to earn a perfect 4-0 record at the tournament, defeating East Peoria High School, University High School, Metamora High School, and Dunlap High School.
The team that conquered the Sectional includes: Joseph Kessinger, Gabe Chambers, Clayton Davis, Bekah Nielsen, Sawyer Price, Naaman Rivera, Henry Lovelette, Tori Kafer, Austin Schillage, Zach Gilliam, and Jon Spaulding.
Individually, Davis earned a sectional medal on his board with 3.5 points and Kessinger also earned a medal, being the only player to earn 4 points.
Here’s wishing them good luck at State, as well.