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frankfortstation.com sports
the frankfort station | September 21, 2017 | 55
fastbreak
Girls tennis
East tennis takes second at invite
22nd Century Media file
photo
1st-and-3
Three key Griffins
plays in the East-
Sandburg football
game
1. During the
opening quarter,
wide receiver
Mason Keenan
scored a 66-
yard punt return
touchdown with
just 36.4 seconds
remaining.
2. Kwaku Appiah
returned a
touchdown
following a 33-yeard
interception
3. In the third
quarter, Jordan
Corbett scored on
a 15-yard run up
the middle, bringing
the score to 39-7.
Corbett went on
to score another
touchdown with a
14-yard run in the
fourth quarter.
RANDY WHALEN
Freelance Reporter
Rachel Schilke wasn't going
to give in.
It was nearly 5 p.m. and
every other match in the
Sandburg Girls Tennis Invite
- which started at 9 a.m., had
ended, some of them as many
as two hours before. But
Schilke still was playing as
the Lincoln-Way East senior
was involved in an epic third
place match in the second
singles category.
In the end Schilke's perseverance
paid off as she prevailed
for a 7-6 (12-10), 7-5
victory over Lemont senior
Anna Ford. Not only was
the marathon win great for
her personally, it helped East
place second in the 12-team
invite, which was held on
Saturday, Sept. 16 in Orland
Park and included three other
teams that will be in the same
sectional as the Griffins.
"It was really long, but it
was worth it," Schilke said.
"It was long, but it was fun
playing her [Ford], she's
tough. I was playing for the
team and for our team to
come here and get second
place in a tournament like the
one at Sandburg, it's quite an
honor."
Indeed Schilke's epic
match victory helped East
to a total of 19 points and
second place by itself. If she
would have lost the Griffins
would have tied for second
with eventual third place finisher
Lincoln-Way Central
(18 points). The Sandburg
Blue team, one of two that
the Eagles entered, won three
of the four titles - including
senior Agnes Florczyk defeating
Central sophomore
Kiana Sikich 6-1, 6-2 for the
second singles title, to finish
first with 29 total points,
The Sandburg Gold team (14
points) placed fourth.
Lemont (12 points) was
fifth and Andrew (11 points)
and Shepard (11 points) tied
for sixth. Providence (10
points) was eighth, followed
by Marist (8 points), Stagg (7
points), Mother McAuley (4
points) and Reavis (3 points)
rounded out the 12 team field.
"We're 9-2 on the season
with our only dual meet
losses to state powers Hinsdale
Central and Wheaton
Warrenville South, East
coach Wes Cooley said of his
teams record through Sept.
16. "We return three state
qualifiers from last season
and have a lot of interchangeable
parts and can move people
to different positions on
the team."
That shows in the fact that
Erin Klein, who was a sectional
champion as the teams
No. 1 singles player last season,
is now paired with fellow
senior Claire Stec at second
doubles.
"I felt like when I went
to state last year that I was
good, but there are a lot of
good singles players at state,"
Klein said. "I didn't match
Griffins girls tennis player Rachel Schilke serves the
ball Saturday, Sept. 16, at the Sandburg Girls Tennis
Invitational. East placed second at the event.
Geoff Stellfox/22nd Century Media
up with them. So I wanted
to try something different.
[In doubles] there's an extra
person to motivate you. So
hopefully we can do well and
go to state."
Stec did not go to state last
season. In fact she was not
even playing varsity tennis
last season. But she worked
hard over the summer and
certainly hopes to be at state
next month.
"I was second doubles on
the JV team," Stec said of
last year. "But I took a lot of
lessons, went to some camps,
and put in a lot of work. Our
conference is tough. But
we're hoping to win at sectionals
and get to state."
At the Sandburg Invite,
Klein and Stec lost a tough
semifinal match, including
10-8 in the deciding super tiebreaker.
But they rebounded
to topple senior Abby Bruno
and junior Olivia Goodwin
from Providence by a score
of 6-1, 6-1 for third. That
was important as Providence,
along with Lincoln-Way
Central and Andrew are with
East in the same [Andrew]
Sectional.
The Sandburg Blue team
of Mia Strolia and Konstance
Delis defeated the Sandburg
Gold team of senior Angie
Rooks and junior Celanie
Peng 6-1, 6-1 for the second
doubles title.
The East first doubles team
of seniors Makenzie Helsel
and Cassandra Weyker
placed second at the invite.
The duo, who went to state
last season, lost to the Shepard
seniors Rachel Habbal and
Brooke Zielke 6-3, 6-2 in the
final.
In first singles East senior
Mackenzie Rhode fell to Andrew
sophomore Lily Darman
7-6 (7-5), 6-0 in a quarterfinal
before bouncing back to win
a consolation match and eventually
settle for sixth place
overall. But she hopes to rebound
come sectional time.
"I just enjoy working on
my shot and being with the
team," said Rhode, who was
the No. 2 singles player on
the team last year. I've hit
more drop shots and served
better. That's helped make me
a better player and my goal is
to get to state."
Sandburg junior Anna
Loureiro remained undefeated
on the season and won the
No. 1 singles title with a 6-0,
6-3 win over senior Sophie
Davis from Providence.
East, which moved to the
Blue Division of the South-
West Suburban Conference
this season, faced league
leader Lockport on Tuesday,
Sept. 19 in Frankfort. On
Tuesday, Sept. 26 the Griffins
are back at Sandburg for
a 4:30 p.m. dual meet match.
All three Lincoln-Way
schools, along with Homewood-Flossmoor,
Providence
and the host Thunderbolts,
will be at the Andrew Sectional
on Saturday, Oct. 14.
"This next week and a half
stretch will be big for us,"
Cooley said of facing Lockport
and Sandburg in dual
meets. "We might finish third
in the conference, but still
win the sectional. We just
have to keep working at it."
Listen Up
"It was really long, but it was worth it." It was long, but it
was fun playing her [Ford], she's tough. I was playing for the
team and for our team to come here and get second place in a
tournament like the one at Sandburg, it's quite an honor."
Rachel Schilke — East girls tennis player
TUNE IN
Boys and Girls Cross Country
At Tinley Park Invite, Saturday, Sept. 23
• Athletes on both Griffins cross-country
teams compete at the annual invitation.
Index
49 — This Week In...
48 — Frankfort Square Baseball
FASTBREAK is compiled by Editor Nuria Mathog,
nuria@frankfortstation.com.