42 | March 22, 2018 | The Lockport Legend SPORTS lockportlegend.com This Week In... Lockport Township High School Varsity Athletics Baseball ■March ■ 24 host Glenbrook South, 11 a.m. ■March ■ 26 host Lincoln-Way West, 4:30 p.m. ■March ■ 28 at Thornton, 4:30 p.m. Softball ■March ■ 23 host Plainfield North, 4:30 p.m. ■March ■ 26 host Andrew, 4:30 p.m. BADMINTON From Page 46 it was sophomore Sam Keta over Abboud, and Burke beat Bozue at fifth singles. Schmutzler defeated Abustan at No. 6 singles, Espada won over Baltierres at No. 7, followed by Westberg winning over junior Natalie Lassak in eighth singles. Mackin defeated junior Neha Kapur in ninth singles, and Beland rounded it out with a win over Trejo at 10th singles. Markham, who first started playing badminton in high school, also played in an exhibition single match. She is one of only four seniors on the squad. “I hope to move up in the lineup, but I like to be with my friends,” Markham said. “We work hard and laugh a lot.” A change this season for the Porters is they have a new assistant coach. Standing at 6-foot-9, John Ford is baseball From Page 47 and 31, Lockport is slated to play in the WJOL/Don Ladas Memorial Baseball Girls Soccer ■March ■ 23 at Parkway Classic in St. Louis, Missouri, 4:30 p.m. ■March ■ 24 at Parkway Classic in St. Louis, Missouri, 8:30 a.m. ■March ■ 27 host Providence, 4:30 p.m. Boys Track and Field ■March ■ 24 at Top Times Invite, TBD at Illinois Wesleyan University Boys Volleyball ■March ■ 23 at Marist Redhawk Invitational, 5 p.m. ■March ■ 24 at Marist Redhawk Invitational, 9 a.m. ■March ■ 28 host Waubonsie Valley, 6 p.m. hard to miss. But Ford, who played basketball for Joliet Township in the mid-1990s, is no stranger to Lockport athletics. He’s been an assistant coach on the girls basketball team for the past three seasons. He, however, never coached badminton until now. “It’s a unique opportunity,” said Ford, who replaced Haley Egelhof as assistant this season. “I like challenges, and I’m learning something every day. It’s not a sport that I’ve known a lot about, but the girls have been great.” The Porters opened the season two days earlier, on March 13, with a quad meet at Hinsdale Central. There, Lockport lost 5-3 to Lyons Township and 5-3 to the host Red Devils but defeated Wheaton Warrenville South 7-1. “In the opener, we did really well,” Lockport secondyear coach Stacy Sparlin Tournament. There, the Porters will once again face Lincoln-Way West in the first round. That game will be at 4:30 p.m. on March 29 at Plainfield Central. The Girls Water Polo ■March ■ 22 host Andrew, 5 p.m. Boys Water Polo ■March ■ 22 at Andrew, 5 p.m. Badminton ■March ■ 22 at Lincoln-Way Central, 4:30 p.m. ■March ■ 24 host Lockport Quad, 9 a.m. ■March ■ 27 at Lincoln-Way West Quad, 4:30 p.m. Boys Lacrosse ■March ■ 22 at Lincoln-Way Co-op, 7:30 p.m. ■March ■ 24 at Andrew Invitational, 8 a.m. said of the opening quad meet at Hinsdale Central. “We got off to a rough start there last year, and those are some tough schools. “Our juniors won the conference as sophomores last year, and we have a lot of them up. Plus, two sophomores. I’m really looking forward to this season. I really like the personalities of the group. Just the way they compete hard and want to work. It’s a fun group, and I’m excited.” Lockport closed last week with a trip on Saturday, March 17, to the Downers Grove North Invite. This week brought a nonconference meet on Tuesday, March 20, at Argo, and then a SouthWest Suburban Conference on Thursday, March 22, at Lincoln-Way Central. This Saturday, March 24, the Porters host a quad starting at 9 a.m. with Andrew, Naperville Central and St. Charles North. times and locations for the following games will be determined by the results, but Lockport does host semifinal and consolation games on March 31. Visit us online at Lockportlegend.com Athlete of the Week 10 Questions with Bryan Fox Bryan Fox is a senior at Lockport Township and a catcher on the baseball team. How excited are you for the upcoming baseball season? I’m super excited. It’s going to be a real fun year. I expect us to win a lot of games and get far in the state tournament. How did you get involved in playing baseball? I started plying baseball when I was 4 years old. No one pushed me to do it. I just decided to do it on my own. But the first year I tried it, I fell in love with it. Do you play any other sports? No, not at Lockport. I played basketball this winter for the Homer Athletic Club rec team, but that was just for fun. What is it about baseball that makes it the sport for you? I love the complexity of it. Not too many people can watch a game and see all the little things that go into it. It’s just amazing that the professional athletes that play it can do what they do. What is something about the position of catcher that the average baseball fan does not know? That the catcher controls every part of the game. It’s the only position that can see the whole field. So as a catcher, we can control the fielders, as well as every other aspect. I’ve also been a catcher as long as I can remember. What opponent do you look forward to playing the most this season? Providence. Because they have a good program, and there’s a lot of history between the two programs. I have a few friends that are on their team, so there’s some bragging rights. Who is your favorite pro baseball player? Kris Bryant. I’m a big Cubs fan, so watching him come up and play has been really awesome. When the Cubs won it, I was in my living room watching the game with my family. We’re all Cubs fans, and we pretty much did go crazy. What have you learned Photo submitted from Lockport baseball coach Andy Satunas? I’ve learned a lot, especially on the mental side. Just digging deep into the game instead of just going out and playing it. That’s what he taught me. Are you going to play baseball in college? Yes, I’ve already signed to play at Roosevelt University in Chicago. I was playing with Rhino Baseball in an unsigned showcase event with Prep Baseball Report. Roosevelt saw me, and it went from there. I really like the school, I’m excited to go there and live in the city. What is the best thing about being an athlete at Lockport? The best thing is playing against some big-time competition. At Lockport, we are always playing the best, and it helps us to get better. It will help us succeed at the next level in college, too. Interview by Freelance Reporter Randy Whalen
lockportlegend.com LOCKPORT the Lockport Legend | March 22, 2018 | 43 RIZZACARS.COM 8100 W. 159th Street |Orland Park 8130 W. 159th Street |Orland Park 8150 W. 159th Street |Orland Park 8425 W. 159th Street |Tinley Park
Change language