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46 | December 8, 2016 | The New Lenox Patriot sports newlenoxpatriot.com Knights hand Warriors first dual loss of the season Freshman Nolan leads way with 435 between two games RANDY WHALEN Freelance Reporter Usually bowling teams don’t look forward to dual meets as much as they look forward to the weekend tournaments. But last week there was an exception. That’s because it was a crosstown meeting of the schools from New Lenox as Lincoln-Way West faced host Lincoln-Way Central. Not only are the teams in the same town, they came into the dual meet with only one loss on the season between them. But on this night it was Central that was the better team. The Knights used a 435 series from freshman Alex Nolan and a 422 series from sophomore Jack Davern to roll to a 1,922-1,710 victory over the Warriors in a SouthWest Suburban Conference matchup on Nov. 29 at Laraway Lanes in New Lenox. Central (7-1, 4-1) bowled a steady 981 in the opener and 941 in the second game. The Warriors (5-1, 3-1) also bowled steady with an 860 and an 850. But that was not the type of steady they wanted as they were dealt their first dual defeat of the season. “It’s fun to play them and it’s fun to beat them,” Central coach Coley O’Connell said of West. “But this [competition] will also get us ready for tournaments later on in the year.” On the other side, the Warriors believe they will be ready for the tournaments too. “It wasn’t our day; we were off,” West coach Scott Ullian said. “But I’m confident in our guys in any sixgame tournament. Lincoln- Way Central is a good team and we still are one of the best on any given day, too. “No one shot average [against Central], but we can still run the table. I’m still confident.” Both teams have great reason to be confident. The Knights, however, were the ones that made more shots last week. “We’ve been doing it together and sharing roles,” said Nolan, who had games of 203 and 232. “No one has fallen off and if they do, we pick them up. It’s nice to Warriors top bowler Eric Ullian bowls during warmups. bowl my best games with [the Knights], it’s been unbelievable. “Against [West] we needed to be fired up. If we put our heads down, we’d go south. We didn’t.” There were no seniors in the Knights starting lineup. A trio of juniors rounded out the roster against West. They were Steven Plane (193, 184 – 377 series), Trevor Amir (185, 174 – 359), and Ricky Wesel 164, 165 – 329). “Consistency and attitude, that helps a lot,” Davern said. “We all have each others back and we have great attitudes, that’s important. We’re all good friends, so it’s fun and more competitive. “If we just go out and do our best, we will go far.” Senior Eric Ullian (208, 186 – 394) led West. Junior Caleb Kirby (179, 197 – 376), sophomore Mike Nork (169, 176 – 345), senior Nick Baber (170, 158 – 328), and junior Alex Kubitz (134, 133 – 267) rounded out out the Warrior scores. Both teams are likely to be in the same regional, which is just over a month away, Lincoln-Way Central freshman Alex Nolan follows through on a roll during warmups before a crosstown matchup against Lincoln-Way West Nov. 29 in New Lenox. Paul Bergstrom/22nd Century Media and both have large rosters. O’Connell, who was the boys coach at Lincoln-Way North and took the Phoenix to a sixth place state finish two seasons ago, is very happy with the all aspects in his first season at Central. “We have 19 total kids in the program and had even more come out,” he said. “I’ve always had good assistants and do again here. I have Joe Infantino, who was previously the head girls coach coach at North, and Bob Clayton is our skills coach and has been great. “From the get-go, we’ve done well. We won the Plainfield North Baker Tournament [on Nov. 5 at Brunswick Zone in Woodridge] to open the season and Jack [Davern] threw a 300 against Lockport [on Nov. 9 at Laraway Lanes].” Both Central and West will be at the Lincoln-Way East Invite this Saturday, Dec. 10 starting at 8 a.m. at Orland Bowl. Athlete of the Month Lockport swimmer earns state medal, November competition win Bill Jones, Managing Editor Lindsey Merk already has a great way to show just how talented a swimmer she is, after taking home the bronze medal in the 100-yard butterfly from this year’s Illinois High School Association State Swimming & Diving Finals. But in the event that she needs an insurance policy, she also now can call herself 22nd Century Media Southwest Chicago’s Athlete of the Month for November, after earning the most votes to take home the honor. The Athlete of the Month competition pits featured Athlete of the Week selections from our south suburban newspapers against one another in an online voting contest. The next contest is to begin Saturday, Dec. 10. To vote, visit newlenox patriot.com, hover over the “Sports” menu tab and click “Athlete of the Month.” Readers can vote once per session per valid email address. Voting ends at 5 p.m. Dec. 25. All athletes featured in the November Athlete of the Week sports interviews are automatically entered into the contest. Lockport swimmer Lindsey Merk earned the most votes to be named 22nd Century Media Southwest Chicago’s November Athlete of the Month. 22nd Century Media File Photo
newlenoxpatriot.com sports the New Lenox Patriot | December 8, 2016 | 47 fastbreak Wrestling Pins from Bohne, Schmidt, lead West past Sandburg Julie McMann/22nd Century Media 1st-and-3 Basketball standouts 1. Courteney Barnes (ABOVE) The Lincoln-Way Central forward nearly notched another doubledouble to her season total, scoring 9 points and nabbing 13 rebounds in a loss against her former team Lincoln- Way East. 2. Marco Pettinato The standout point guard did his best to keep the Warriors afloat, registering 18 points, which accounted for 40 percent of West’s scoring, against district rival Lincoln- Way east. 3. Aaron Michalak and Chris Robinson The Knights’ backcourt duo combined for 35 points in a loss against Bolingbrook. Dave Owen, Freelance Reporter Lincoln-Way West’s wrestling team is getting bigger, better and tougher. The Warriors’ impressive 38-17 dual meet win over Sandburg on Dec. 1 featured domination at the lower weights and key wins on pins by middleweights Josh Bohne (160) and Trevor Schmidt (182). And maybe the biggest effort of all came from heavyweight Nick Skentzos, who battled through four overtime periods before a lastsecond escape earned him a 3-2 win over Sandburg’s Malik Scates. “Skentzos was huge beating a [2015] state qualifier [Scates],” said West coach Brian Glynn. “He’s a firstyear varsity kid who could never break into the lineup, one of the hardest working guys in the room, and last week he beats a really good kid and this week a state qualifier. It’s been maturity and his work ethic.” “I just work hard, try to be stronger and get the win,” Skentzos added. Skentzos’ win followed the matchup of the night – in a battle of state title contenders at 220 pounds, Sandburg’s Patrick Brucki impressively turned a 2-0 lead after one period into a 15-5 major decision win over the Warriors’ Jake Dudeck. “Out of the gate Bohne got us going with a pin,” LISTEN UP “Against [West] we needed to be fired up. If we put our heads down, we’d go south. We didn’t.” Alex Nolan - Lincoln-Way Central freshman, on the boys bowling team’s mindset going into the crosstown dual against Lincoln- Way West TUNE IN Glynn said of the night’s first match. “And then the marquee matchup with Brucki – I know Dudeck lost, but it was closer than the score, for sure.” The team score was 12-11 Warriors after the Brucki win, but Skentzos’ OT battle began a run of six West wins in the next seven matches. Wins by Garrett Geigner (4-1 decision at 106 pounds), Payton Geigner (8-2 at 113) and Chris Kennedy (10-2 major at 120) were the opening salvos from a strong lightweight corps. “At 106 and 113 we have the freshmen [Geigner] twins, and they beat two really kids and also outtoughed them,” Glynn said. “After that I knew it was going to be good for us, because we have our hammers in a row [at lower weights]. I knew it was going to get ugly – in a good way.” Dominant major decision wins by seniors Gehrig Simon (19-4 major at 132) and Jake DiBenedetto (17-1 major at 138) and a 7-3 win by senior Joey Schloegel at 145 capped the night for the Warriors. West’s already formidable lineup became even better with the offseason arrival of former state qualifiers Dudeck from Lincoln-Way Central, and DiBenedetto from Lincoln-Way East. “It’s pretty similar,” DiBenedetto said of moving to West. “I have really good partners here, and everybody’s competing hard every day. It’s pretty awesome.” With former state medalist Tom Buell also in the lineup at 126, the Warriors are loaded. “Everyone pushes each other,” DiBenedetto said. “If you’re having a bad day, someone’s going to beat up on you. You better be ready to work.” The Warriors have the potential to be tough on a lot of foes this winter. “We don’t have any holes,” Glynn said. “We’re a very deep team. We don’t have any super superstars, Wrestling 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9 • The Lincoln-Way Central wrestling team will host Andrew in a SouthWest Suburban Conference Matchup in New Lenox. Lincoln-Way West 145-pounder Joey Schloegel secures a double leg and gears for a takedown of opponent Tyler Foley, of Sandburg, during a dual between the two teams Thursday, Dec. 1 in New Lenox. Photos by Julie McMann/22nd Century Media Warriors 132-pounder Gehrig Simon secures top position over opponent Alex Abdellatif. but a lot of good guys. I’m excited to see where we go this year.” “Everyone’s working INDEX 46 – Athlete of the Month 40 – Athlete of the Week hard and has the same goal in mind,” DiBenedetto said. “That’s what’s going to push everyone.” FASTBREAK is compiled by Editor James Sanchez. Send any questions or comments to james@newlenoxpatriot.com, or call (708) 326-9170 ext. 48.
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