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46 | April 27, 2017 | The Homer Horizon sports homerhorizon.com Porters hold on to top LWC 2-1 in conference opener Erin Redmond, Assistant Editor As far as Justin Elliott was concerned, a brand new season started Thursday, April 20. The 21 wins the Porter and his squad had amassed went out the window the moment the ball was served in the conference opener against Lincoln-Way Central. And with the game on the line, Elliott came up with a late, game-changing block, giving the Porters the momentum they needed to pull out the Set 3 victory to win 2-1 over the Knights at LTHS’s Central Campus. Lockport won 23-25, 25-18, 25- 23 to record its 20th straight win. “It was tough game, but we needed to win this one so we could be 1-0 in conference. We forgot about our 21-1 record because we knew it was a fresh start for conference,” said Elliott, who had nine kills and two blocks for Lockport. “I knew Lockport hadn’t won a varsity conference [game yet], so we wanted to get that win tonight. I was like, ‘Let me do what I need to do so the team gets there.’” Elliott’s Set 3 block gave Lockport a 22-21 lead, but Central’s Jack Yurkanin kept it interesting, smashing a perfectly placed kill to opposite side line to tie the set at 22-all. The Porters capitalized on a Central error, and Anthony Pfeiffer took it from there. The junior opposite hitter won a joust at the net and sealed the win by smashing the ball to a hole in the center court. Pfeiffer led the team with a double-double, recording 10 kills and 15 assists. “Any Lincoln-Way school is going to be tough,” Porters coach Nick Mraz said. “Although we’ve been doing well and getting wins, they’ve had a lot of challenges where it’s been back-and-forth, rollercoastertype stuff. We’ve been prepared for it, so I knew they wouldn’t fold, but I’m just happy to come out on top.” Lockport jumped out to a 10-4 lead in Set 1 before Central found its groove. The Knights scored back-to-back points on a Yurkanin kill and Joe Claffy block and padded their lead thanks to Porter errors. LWC scored 10 straight to take a 13-10 lead, from which Lockport never recovered. Elliott kept things interesting, scoring three kills down the stretch, including a smash to keep the Porters in the game at 23- 24. Yurkanin notched the match point on next play, tipping the ball past Lockport blockers. Set 2 was much the same, as both teams traded leads. Back-toback kills from Noah Speechley and Pfeiffer and a pair of Central errors helped the Porters pull away for good at 17-13. Lockport upped the pressure at the net, denying the Knights with two big blocks from Matt Dalton and another from Elliott late to close out the set. “Lockport’s a great team. We just came out firing, won that first set. Down the stretch, we just weren’t tough enough and couldn’t finish,” Central captain William Kickert said. “... We just made mistakes down the stretch, and that really hurt us. Overall, I think we played really well. It was two points [that made the difference] in the end.” Yurkanin led the Knights with nine kills and an ace. Kickert, Matt Von Holst and Mason Davis all had two kills in the contest. Kickert also recorded an ace. The Knights captain said his team will shake off their first conference loss, and added cohesiveness is crucial moving forward. “[We need to work on] just playing together and our toughness, just finishing games,” Kickert said. As for the Porters, Mraz said improving the serve-receive and sealing up seams at the net will be his team’s focus as it charges towards the postseason. “We talked about it, and we’re not only playing for our conference but our sectional,” Mraz said. “Yeah, we want to win conference, but it’s the playoffs at the end of the year we’re preparing for. Getting this win and moving forward is huge.” RIGHT: Lincoln-Way Central’s William Kickert (12) prepares to bump the ball over to the awaiting Porters Noah Speechley (7) and Patrick Surane (4). Anthony Pfeiffer (16) sets the ball for Justin Elliott (8) as Lincoln-Way Central’s players prepare to defend Thursday, April 20, at LTHS’s Central Campus. Photos by Erin Redmond/22nd Century Media
homerhorizon.com sports the Homer Horizon | April 27, 2017 | 47 fastbreak Softball Lockport honors 1997 state champs, win two 1st and 3 Erin Redmond/ 22nd Century Media Lockport boys volleyball stays hot with victory over Knights 1. A conference opponent The Lockport Township boys volleyball team kicked off the conference slate by beating Lincoln-Way Central 23-25, 25- 18, 25-23 at home Thursday, April 20, at Central Campus. 2. A battle throughout Despite Lockport coming in with 19 straight wins, the Knights were a big test for the Porters, taking the first set and keeping Set 3 a tight contest until the end. 3. Taking charge Anthony Pfeiffer led the team with a double-double, recording 10 kills and 15 assists to help take down the Knights. Former players reminisce on title, inspire current team Randy Whalen Freelance Reporter The Lockport Township softball team of two decades ago had an attitude — a winning attitude. When the 1997 Class AA Illinois High School Association Tournament State Softball Tournament ended, the Porters were state champions. This year’s version of the Lockport softball team is off to its best start since that 1997 season. So it was only appropriate that the 1997 state champion squad was honored for their 20th anniversary in between games of a doubleheader on Saturday, April 22, at the Lockport softball field. This season’s Porter team continued its torrid start with a doubleheader sweep of Schaumburg by the scores of 9-2 and 7-2. But this year’s model has not divulged if it had the same sort of moxie in a preseason prediction like the 1997 team did. “We all saw [local sports reporter] Gary Seymour at a volleyball match the fall before our season,” 1997 Lockport softball star Ginny Georgantas said. “We told him that we were going to win state.” Georgantas was one of eight seniors and was the leading hitter on the team that backed up that claim. The other seniors were Tracy Beneventi, Gina Calderone, Peggy Casey, Dawn Glasscock, Vicki Rinando, Amy Somerville and Renay Wilkinson. The juniors were Rachael Bambrick, Meghan Fisher, Jenny Lindemann, Candice Polino and Lisa Rinando. Sophomores were Katie Blackmore, Kristen Perry and Jenny Stringham. Freshman Shannon Lindgren was the team’s top pitcher most of the season, going 17-2 with an ERA of 0.91 and striking out 145 in 138 1/3 innings. But she got hurt for the postseason, making the Porters run to the title even more improbable. Longtime coach Barb Burk, who had a record of 685-194 and took seven teams downstate as Porter coach between 1973-2002, knew she had a special squad in her 25th year. “They worked together, and they worked to improve each other,” she said. “Our goal as a team was to win, and losing was not an option. There’s a difference between playing a game and playing to win, and they were playing to win.” Burk, who just turned 72 on April 18, was the girls sports coordinator for 15 years at Lockport and was involved in assistant coaching many other sports. But softball was her love and passion. In 2011, she was rewarded with National Association of Girls And Women’s Sports Pioneer Award in San Diego. Currently, Burk lives on her family’s long- held farm in Arkansas, but she was happy to be in attendance for the reunion. When she was coach at Lockport, she often had sayings she would tell her team. She related another one of those last Saturday. “If you want to be the best, you have to do more than the rest,” said Burk, whose lucky number is 13. “It was so special after 20 years to see these girls. I’m so proud of them.” She had a lot to be proud of those 20 years ago. The Porters breezed through the regular season with only three losses. In the postseason, they hosted their own regional, where they shut out their first two opponents and then beat Naperville North 11-5 for the regional title. In the East Aurora Sectional, they defeated Waubonsie Valley 4-1 and then won a hardfought 3-2 games in eight innings against Providence. There was no supersectional in those days, so that sent Lockport to state for the fourth time in 11 seasons. The games then were held at Mineral Springs Park in Pekin. Glasscock fired a one-hitter in a 5-0 win over Loyola in the quarterfinal. That was followed by a 3-2 win over Belleville West, as Vicki Rinando knocked in the winning run in the bottom of the eighth. The state title game was epic, as Lockport battled Morton for 15 innings. It was tied 1-1 through seven innings, and both teams scored in the ninth to extend the game. In the top of the 15th, Vicki Rinando once again hit in what proved to be the winning run as the Porters beat the Potters 3-2 for their first state title. Lockport finished 38-3, which is still a school record for wins in a season. Georgantas, who is currently doing her dream job being a detective with the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, came in relief of Glasscock and only allowed one hit in pitching the final three innings to get the win. “I got the win, but Dawn [Glasscock] deserved the win,” Georgantas said. “She pitched her heart out. I remember that, and at the end Jenny Lindemann made a diving catch [at third with a runner on base] to end the game. She got up and slammed the ball into the ground, and then we all met in the middle of the circle to celebrate. Blackmore is now Dr. Katie Meader. As a sophomore, she was the starting right fielder and leadoff hitter on the team. She had two hits and scored a run in the title game. “We were all confident in our position,” Meader said. “Everyone was so different, and you couldn’t get a much more unique group. But we knew we all wanted it, and we and we came together for one common goal. “There’s always Lockport pride, and the tradition was here before me and after me. The state championship was one of my top moments. Regardless of wherever I am in my life, I’m proud to be a Porter.” Someone else who was extremely proud of that 1997 team was assistant coach Amber Podlesny. Between her and her older sister, Leigh, they were the ace pitchers at Lockport between 1985-1992. Leigh pitched the Porters to the Class AA title game in 1987, and Amber did the same in 1990, but both times were heartbreaking 1-0 losses. “It was a sense of relief that we could finally break through,” Amber said of the 1997 team. “We did it, and I cried. It didn’t matter if it was then or 20 years before then, we did it, and it melted our hearts. It was a big moment, not only for the team and the player, but for the community.” This season’s Porter team hopes to make that sort of impact in the end, too. The Porters got off to a 12-0 start, the best since 1997, and improved to 17-2 after the doubleheader sweep on Saturday. In Game 1, Lockport jumped out to a 9-0 lead, as senior Please see softball, 45 LISTEN UP “Yeah, we want to win conference, but it’s the playoffs at the end of the year we’re preparing for. Getting this win and moving forward is huge.” Nick Mraz — Lockport boys volleyball coach, on the win over Lincoln-Way Central and goals going forward Tune In Boys Volleyball On the road again — 5:30 p.m. Thursday, April 27, at Andrew • The Porters travel to Tinley Park to take on the Thunderbolts, hoping to maintain the success the team has had this year. Index 41 - This Week In 40 - Athlete of the Week FASTBREAK is compiled by Editor Thomas Czaja, tom@ homerhorizon.com.
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