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44 | November 9, 2017 | The Mokena Messenger Sports mokenamessenger.com Girls volleyball Griffins’ season ends at sectional Randy Whalen Freelance Reporter The Lincoln-Way East girls volleyball team found out the hard way that Marist is every bit as good as, not only any team in the state, but practically any team in the nation. The Griffins saw an otherwise very good season end with a 25-16, 25- 18 loss to Marist Oct. 30 in the opening semifinal of the Class 4A Andrew Sectional. The top-seeded Red- Hawks (37-1) advanced to the sectional final Nov. 1. There they played Marian Catholic — a 25-21, 25-21 winner over Sandburg in the second semifinal — for the title. East (26-11) completed an otherwise very good season with its second straight regional title and first South- West Suburban Conference championship in 11 years when it captured the Blue Division. “The difference in the match was at the end they were digging us and getting right back into system,” East coach Kris Fiore said of Marist. “They brought an aggressive attack out of that and we couldn’t match that.” East setter Madi Corey agreed. “They’re ranked No. 3 in the country and they come at you with a lot of intensity,” Corey said. “They have a lot of skill level and can bring it back when it looks like they’re out of system.” The two teams played earlier this season. That was Sept. 29 at the prestigious ASICS Challenge. There Marist won 25-15, 25-15. But in last week’s sectional semifinal it was the Griffins who first reached 15 points in the second set. They had a stretch of six straight points earlier in the set, which turned a 6-4 deficit into a 10-6 lead. All half dozen of those points came via East attacks, too. Corey (10 assists, 3 aces) started it with a kill, junior right side hitter Molly Skoda smashed a kill, Corey floated an ace, senior outside hitter Hanna Lesiak (5 kills) and senior middle hitter Kaelyn Daniel deposited blocks, and senior outside hitter Molly Hackett (3 kills) hammered a kill to send the Griffins into a frenzy with a 10-6 lead. But back came Marist with a 5-1 run to tie the score at 11-11. East trailed 14-13, but took one last lead on a kill by senior middle hitter Haley Hart (6 kills) and a block by Corey. The RedHawks showed their might by responding to that with a 10-2 blitz. A pair of 5-0 runs bookend around two points from East, put them ahead 24-17. Senior outside hitter Savannah Thompson, who had a match-high 12 kills, had three of them and a block in the big burst. Lesiak saved a match point for the Griffins, but senior setter Molly Murphy (27 assists), who will attend Memphis next year, put down a tip to end it. Senior outside hitter Maggie Meyer (5 kills, 12 digs) also contributed for the RedHawks. “It was mostly seniors on the court at the end,” Corey said of seeing the final point drop. “We just sort of looked at each other and said, ‘That’s a wrap.’ It’s the last time we’ll play with each other. We matched our potential though. We won the conference and a regional.” Fellow senior Emily Ripp, who played libero, also thought it was a good season. But the RedHawks were too strong. “Marist is an all-around team,” Ripp said. “They have two good outsides that find the seams, and a good setter. “I’m going to remember the coaches and players. They always made us feel like a family. I’m not going to play in college, so this was my last match. I wish it could have turned out better, but we did our best.” East, which also graduates senior Kate Bruder, scored the first point of the first set. But the RedHawks came back with five straight, including two aces by senior libero Grace Green to take a 5-1 lead. The Griffins closed within 7-5, but Marist went on a 9-3 burst for a 16-8 advantage. Trailing 17-9, Hart had a pair of kills in a 5-1 run as East closed within 18-14. Lesiak later had kills to make it 19- 15 and 21-16. But the RedHawks showed their might as Thompson thumped a kill, Meyer mashed one, sophomore right side hitter Camryn Hannah hammered one and Thompson ended the opener with another kill. “You have to be really great,” Fiore said of anyone beating Marist. “We won the conference and a regional. I’m happy that we developed a new culture and set the bar high here. We had an awesome senior class.” Visit us online at www.mokenamessenger.com State qualifiers Hallie Hoger (left) and Gerry Cushing (back) relax with teammates. Photo submitted Summit Hill runners impress at state championship meet Submitted by Summit Hill Junior High The 2017 Spartan cross country runners ran the whole season with just one date on their minds: the 3A Sectional Oct. 7 at Apollo Park in Homewood. Knowing that the faster they ran meant the quicker they would finish, two Spartans were able to punch their ticket to the state championship. Hallie Hoger and Gerry Cushing both ran their best races of the season to qualify for the state championship: Hoger for the third consecutive year and Cushing for the first time. Hoger took 12th at Apollo Park with a time of 13:08, while Cushing cruised to 9th in his very first year as a cross country runner. Both were able to take that success and hard work down to Parkside Junior High in Normal for the state championship Oct. 14. Unfortunately for Hoger, her final race as an eighth grader wasn’t a memorable one; she took a tumble in the first half mile, but was able to recover and finish strong. Although she did not get the result she wanted, finishing with a 12:58, she was still impressive in the middle of the pack. Cushing scored one of the best times ever for a Summit Hill runner at state, crossing the line in 66th place with a time of 11:25. Not too shabby in a field of 235. Although the season has come to the finish line, the coaching staff is looking forward to 2018. The team had its highest number or participants in years, with almost a third of them coming out for the first time. And, if next year’s team can follow the grit and determination of these two runners, then maybe some fellow Spartans can qualify for the next trip down Interstate 55 for the state championships.
mokenamessenger.com sports the Mokena Messenger | November 9, 2017 | 45 Football ‘We know we’ve got a lot of fight’ Late field goal, interception secure victory for LW East Jon DePaolis Freelance Reporter Lincoln-Way East was down — possibly out. After giving up a touchdown to St. Charles East that made it 14-12 Saints with 1:17 left in the game Saturday, Nov. 4, in St. Charles, it’s not hyperbole to say people were penning the final sentences of the Griffins’ 2017 season. But, as has been the case all season, the No. 1-ranked team in the state and top seed in the Illinois High School Association Class 8A playoffs needed just one play, one spark, to ignite their team. Enter sophomore A.J. Henning, who fielded the ensuing kickoff near the 5-yard line. Henning began running up the middle, but after getting a huge block from a teammate, he cut to his left and raced up the sideline past several defenders before getting knocked out of bounds. By the end of the run, Henning had made it to the Saints’ 43-yard line for a return of more than 50 yards. It was the spark the Griffins needed. With just 1:07 left in the game, on the first play from scrimmage, East senior quarterback Brendan Morrissey (9-of-13, 121 yards) looked deep and found senior Mason Keenan (4 receptions, 88 yards), who caught the pass in traffic for a 32-yard gain to put the ball at the Saints’ 9-yard line. “Obviously, AJ with that spark … when they went up with a minute left, it would have been easy to hang your head,” Morrissey said. “But we got that spark with AJ. Then, Mason beat his guy … and he made a huge play. “We know we’ve got a lot of fight. We’ve had a few games like this now where we’ve had to come back and make plays when we have to. We know we’re going to fight.” But St. Charles East wasn’t ready to throw in the towel, either. After a hard-fought game in which the Saints had led virtually the whole way, the Saints snuffed out East’s next play, a 1-yard run by Morrissey. East quickly used a timeout to pause the game with 43 seconds left. A false start then moved the Griffins back to the Saints’ 13. But Morrissey fired a pass to Henning for a 5-yard gain, getting it back to the Saints’ 8. Then, East took another timeout with 34.6 seconds remaining. On the third-and-goal attempt, Morrissey was stopped for a run of no gain, prompting the final timeout from East. Onto the field jogged East sophomore kicker Dominic Dzioban, who set up at the Saints’ 15. On a wet, muddy, grass field, the snap came out perfect. “Honestly, it was just blank mind, focus on making that kick. That’s all I was thinking of, nothing else,” Dzioban said. The sophomore booted the ball through the uprights for a successful 25-yard kick, giving East (11-0) the 15-14 lead with 23 seconds remaining. After his teammates on the field finished mobbing him, Dzioban savored the moment, jogging off the field with both hands up in the air. “It’s crazy,” Dzioban said. “I’ve dreamt of this day for many years. It finally came. I love it. I live for these. “That just shows what kind of an amazing group we have here, being able to get over all the attrition. That’s a big word in our program. I think that showed tonight.” On the final play of the game, a St. Charles East pass was stripped in the air from the receiver’s hands by East senior defensive back Dugan Bolsoni, icing the game and giving the Griffins the Round 2 victory. “We saw [adversity] late in the Bolingbrook game, so nobody flinched,” East coach Rob Zvonar said. “As long as there was time left on the clock, we were going to battle. At the same time, it wasn’t looking real promising. But again, they probably felt like they kicked it to the wrong kid deep, and [Henning] did what he does. In my opinion, he’s as good a sophomore skill player as there is in the state, and [Dzioban] is as good a sophomore kicker as there is in the state. I’m glad they play for us.” But Zvonar also was quick to compliment St. Charles East. “The gritty, amazing effort that they had today; toe to toe the whole way, they probably deserved to win the game, making that play and going up [late],” Zvonar said. He also pointed to two early special teams gaffes the Griffins made that could have been the difference between winning and losing. The first of those mistakes came on the opening kickoff, as Saints’ senior Nicholas Garlisch fielded the ball past the 5-yard line and shed several tacklers early before busting down the sideline for a 95-yard touchdown 13 seconds into the game. After the Griffins’ offense stalled on their opening drive, the defense came up big. On a third-and-5 from the Saints’ own 12, the Griffins forced a fumble, with senior Dylan Shelton falling on top of the loose ball. Lincoln-Way East’s senior tight end Turner Pallissard (four receptions, 28 yards) gets the late touchdown Saturday, Nov. 4, against St. Charles East. The Griffins narrowly won the game, 15-14 on a late field goal by sophomore kicker Dominic Dzioban. Julie McMann/22nd Century Media After three failed shots at scoring, the Griffins sent out Dzioban — but it was a ruse. East senior Matt Judd received the snap, got up and ran in a 10-yard touchdown with 5:44 left in the first quarter. But on the extra-point attempt, the kick by Dzioban went wide to the left, meaning the Saints held the lead at 7-6. “There are two special teams errors to start the day that got you down and could have cost you the ballgame,” Zvonar said. “But we persevered, fought back and took the lead late.” Despite the impressive defensive performance by East in the first half, which included a sack by Jaden Hacha and a fumble recovery by Brendan Gallagher, the Griffins weren’t able to put any additional points on the board in the first half. It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that the offense got going again, and it came courtesy of great field position. The Saints opted to go for it on a fourth-and-1 from their own 35. But their rushing attempt by Justin Jett was stopped for no gain at the line, turning the ball over on downs. From there, Morrissey had three straight runs of 9, 3 and 7 yards, followed by a pass to senior Turner Pallissard (4 receptions, 28 yards) for a 6-yard gain to set the offense up at the Saints’ 10. But after a run for no gain, a false start penalty and a 1-yard gain, the Griffins faced a third-andgoal from the Saints’ 14. The Griffins opted to use a play they had practiced all week, Pallissard said. “We knew the safeties would go out wide and the linebackers would step up, because B-Mo is such a versatile quarterback,” Pallissard said. “They were [respecting] his running ability. I saw them step up and just saw the opening, so I ran to the back of the end zone. B-Mo threw a perfect pass.” Morrissey connected with Pallissard over the middle, and Pallissard reached up over his shoulders to haul in the score in the end zone. East had its first lead of the day at 12-7 with 6:07 left in the game. The Griffins tried for two but came up short. Then, the Saints fought back. With the following drive starting at their own 35, the Saints started converting big plays. That included a fourth-and-7 from the East 39, when quarterback Clayton Isbell connected with Matthew Goetsch for a 16- yard play. Then, on a thirdand-12 from the East 25, Isbell dropped back and lofted the ball to the left corner of the end zone. Despite having two East defenders on him, St. Charles East junior Ronan Macaluso dove for it and completed the catch for the touchdown to make it 14-12 with 1:17 left. “Probably a lot of people thought it was over,” Zvonar said. “I’m glad our players didn’t.” In many ways, memories of last season may have played a part in the Griffins’ comeback. “Us seniors know how it feels to lose in the playoffs,” Pallissard said. “After last year, we came together and said, ‘That’s not happening again.’ No matter what’s left on the clock or what the score is, we are ready to come back and keep fighting.” After the thrilling victory, Zvonar said it could have easily gone the other way. But at this stage of the game, it’s survive and advance. “Whether it was 35-7 or 15-14 on a last-second field goal, I guess we’re going to advance,” Zvonar said. “I’m just proud of our kids. We talk about it being a 48-minute game, and we had to play about 47 [minutes] and 30- plus seconds to get what we needed to get.” Now, for the second straight season, the Griffins will play in the Class 8A quarterfinals. They will host Oswego, who defeated Glenbard West 24-20 in the second round.
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