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northbrooktower.com sports
the northbrook tower | April 5, 2018 | 41
From the Sports Editor
Go outside, try something new
Michal Dwojak
m.dwojak@22ndcenturymedia.com
Spring can be such a
refreshing time of
year.
Although it might’ve
not been the worst winter
the Chicagoland area has
seen, winter takes a lot
out of you. Whether it’s
the traffic, the walking
in the cold or the task of
putting on seven layers to
stay warm sometimes, the
winter can take its toll on
you.
For many, including this
sports editor, there’s nothing
better than the first
warm weekend day where
you can ditch the winter
coat and put on a light
jacket or a long-sleeved
T-shirt.
Spring is a great time
to start anew, and that
can apply to your sports
fandom, especially your
Spartan fandom. As I’ve
quickly learned, there are
a ton of spring sports; like
a ton. Whether it be baseball
or softball, or lacrosse
or boys volleyball, there
is a sport for any type of
sports fan.
As much as we loved
watching the Spartans
compete in the gyms, pools
and ice rinks, it’s time to
go outside and appreciate
the great outdoors and
watch our Spartans compete
under the lights —
and sometimes, hopefully
sun. Sidenote: Yes, we can
The Glenbrook North baseball team is just one of the
spring sports Spartans fans should be excited about
this spring. 22nd Century File Photo
still go to the gym and pool
to watch some sports there
too, there’s some great
competition happening
there this spring too.
Many of you might
have noticed that the
“High School Highlights”
portion of the sports section
has returned in the
last few weeks. Because
there are so many sports
to cover and not enough
room in the paper to cover
it all, the “High School
Highlights” section is
a good place for you to
catch up on the sports we
didn’t find the space to put
in for the week. And yes,
I realize that the section
is not existent this week,
but that is because the
past week was Glenbrook
North’s spring break.
It’s always important to
go support the Spartans
in their different efforts,
but the spring can be a
great time to do it. Maybe
you had a long day at the
office or it just hasn’t been
your week. There’s nothing
better than sitting on
a warm evening, grabbing
a hot dog and watching a
baseball or softball game.
The sunset will relax you
until the umpire messes
up a call.
Miss the intensity of
football and hockey?
Lacrosse matches if not
exceeds the speeds that
football and hockey have.
Both Spartans girls and
boys lacrosse are primed
for an impressive season
in the first year lacrosse is
an IHSA-sanctioned sport.
Want to see speed? Go sit
at the football stadium and
watch some track and field
(the boys team’s Kyle
Foley has already broken
four school records this
spring).
There are so many
sports that I won’t get the
chance to mention in this
plea but what you need to
know is there’s a lot of talent
in the area. Have you
ever been to a water polo
game? It’s electric. Try
something new this spring
and branch out; refresh
yourself.
It’s time for change
as the seasons change,
so why not start with
refreshing your Spartans
fandom? Go check out
the sport you’ve loved for
years or one that you’ve
never watched before.
It’ll be a refreshing
change of pace.
This week in ...
Spartans varsity
athletics
Baseball
■April ■ 5 - hosts Maine
South, 4:45 p.m.
■April ■ 7 - at Buffalo Grove,
11 a.m.
■April ■ 10 - at Niles West,
4:45 p.m.
■April ■ 12 - at Niles North,
4:45 p.m.
Girls badminton
■April ■ 5 - at Evanston, 4:30
p.m.
■April ■ 7 - at York Invite, 9
a.m.
■April ■ 10 - hosts Deerfield,
4:30 p.m.
■April ■ 11 - at Glenbrook
South, 4:30 p.m.
Boys lacrosse
■April ■ 6 - at Chanhassen,
Minn., 7 p.m.
■April ■ 7 - at Warren, 6 p.m.
■April ■ 10 - hosts Highland
Park, 7 p.m.
Girls lacrosse
■April ■ 6 - at Stevenson,
6:30 p.m.
■April ■ 9 - at Highland Park,
Lacrosse
From Page 42
4:45 p.m.
■April ■ 10 - hosts
Schaumburg, 7 p.m.
Boys volleyball
■April ■ 9 - hosts Vernon
Hills, 6 p.m.
■April ■ 11 - at Highland
Park, 6 p.m.
Softball
■April ■ 6 - at Leyden Invite,
4:30 p.m.
■April ■ 7 - at Leyden Invite,
9 a.m.
■April ■ 10 - hosts Deerfield,
4:45 p.m.
■April ■ 12 - at Maine West,
4:45 p.m.
Boys tennis
■April ■ 5 - hosts Lake Forest
Academy, 4:30 p.m.
■April ■ 7 - hosts Liberty Bell
Invite, 8:30 a.m.
■April ■ 9 - hosts Fremd,
4:30 p.m.
Girls soccer
■April ■ 6 - at Lake Zurich
Invite, 4:45 p.m.
■April ■ 7 - at Lake Zurich
invite, 10 a.m.
Boys volleyball
arena for young children to
learn and fall in love with a
sport many might think is
only played in the nation’s
Northeast. When a school
keeps winning, there’s
more attention.
“I think it’s awesome
and the girls are so lucky
to have that in their backyard,”
Glenbrook South
girls coach Annie Lesch
said. “I think it’s been exciting
and has brought fans
to the game who don’t have
a connection but know the
game and hear about the
high schools having girls
lacrosse.”
Despite the talent at the
Division-I level, there are
far more players D-II and
D-III lacrosse. While there
are many players like Bireley
who have played the
sport from a young age,
there are more athletes
who don’t start to play
lacrosse until they come
to their respective high
school. Many coaches
have noticed that for lacrosse
offers a chance to
keep in shape during another
team’s offseason.
Whether it be football,
field hockey, ice hockey
or another sport, athletes
come to lacrosse with open
arms and minds to learn
about a sport they likely
knew little about.
Sometimes taking a shot
on a random sport leads to
a great opportunity they
didn’t expect.
“Lacrosse is growing so
rapidly now there are so
many D-III and D-II opportunities
that we have
so many kids playing at all
■April ■ 5 - at Glenbrook
South, 6 p.m.
Boys gymnastics
■April ■ 6 - at Mundelein, 6
p.m.
■April ■ 10 - hosts
Libertyville, 6 p.m.
Boys water polo
■April ■ 5 - hosts Lane Tech,
6 p.m.
■April ■ 10 - hosts Maine
West, 6 p.m.
■April ■ 12 - hosts Highland
Park, 6 p.m.
Girls water polo
■April ■ 10 - at Maine West,
6 p.m.
■April ■ 12 - at Highland
Park, 6 p.m.
Girls track and field
■April ■ 6 - hosts Spartans
Relays, 4:30 p.m.
■April ■ 11 - at Deerfield/
Northside Prep, 4:30 p.m.
Boys track and field
■April ■ 6 - at Deerfield Invite,
5 p.m.
■April ■ 11 - hosts Deerfield/
Northside Prep, 4:30 p.m.
levels from his state — all
over this country,” Lake
Forest girls lacrosse coach
Catherine Catanzaro said.
The hope is the sport will
continue to grow in Illinois
with the IHSA sanctioning
the sport. Many coaches
think there still needs to
be a youth development
and more coaches to teach
lacrosse for the sport to
grow like they want.
But the sport will have to
look to Illinois’ hotbed in order
to achieve that growth.
“There’s definitely a
lot of history,” Glenbrook
North boys coach Justin
Georgacakis said of the
North Shore. “It is unique
to be in this area and to
be competitive. The more
teams that are competitive
in the state ... the better the
quality there is.”