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newlenoxpatriot.com SOUND OFF<br />
the New Lenox Patriot | June 21, 2018 | 17<br />
Social snapshot<br />
Top Web Stories<br />
From NewLenoxPatriot.com as of Monday,<br />
June 18<br />
1. New Lenox woman found passed out behind<br />
wheel with 3-year-old in backseat<br />
2. Police Reports: Joliet pair allegedly gets<br />
caught changing price tags at Walmart<br />
3. Mokena man allegedly punches cop while<br />
high on acid<br />
4. Raffy’s Candy Store expands, launches<br />
shop in Frankfort<br />
5. Officials approve tentative budget, Board will<br />
vote on it in September<br />
Become a member: NewLenoxPatriot.com/plus<br />
New Lenox Police Department posted this<br />
June 12:<br />
“Thanks to all who participated in the New<br />
Lenox leg of the 2018 Illinois Law Enforcement<br />
Torch Run for Special Olympics. A<br />
good time was had by all while supporting<br />
the Special Olympic Athletes.”<br />
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“It’s all about the little extras you do as<br />
a team in the offseason that make huge<br />
differences in season. Good participation<br />
the first week but it can be better. Check out<br />
schedule online.”<br />
@lwcswimpolo, on June 14<br />
Follow The New Lenox Patriot: @The<strong>NL</strong>Patriot<br />
From the editor<br />
A season of surprises, triumph and heartbreak<br />
James Sanchez<br />
james@newlenoxpatriot.com<br />
All seasons in high<br />
school sports have<br />
their twists, turns,<br />
joyous and agonizing moments.<br />
High school sports in<br />
New Lenox this past spring<br />
were no different. In my<br />
opinion, the 2018 spring<br />
season was the craziest in<br />
my time following area<br />
sports since I started nearly<br />
three years ago.<br />
The first sport that sticks<br />
out has to be Lincoln-Way<br />
West boys volleyball. This<br />
was a team that finally<br />
broke its regional title<br />
drought, which is a surprise<br />
because the program<br />
had averaged 20-plus wins<br />
through the past several<br />
seasons. It just ran into a<br />
buzzsaw when it hit that<br />
point. But now the Warriors<br />
can call themselves regional<br />
champions for the first time.<br />
And sectional champions.<br />
And supersectional champions.<br />
The team went from<br />
only making it as far as the<br />
regional title match since its<br />
existence to appearing in the<br />
state quarterfinals.<br />
When the regional/sectional<br />
seedings and locations<br />
were announced and<br />
saw that West was going be<br />
away from the other Lincoln-Way<br />
schools for once, I<br />
had predicted them winning<br />
its first regional, but that’s<br />
it. I have this preconceived<br />
notion when it comes to<br />
volleyball that teams must<br />
have the towering guys in<br />
the middle blocking shots<br />
and athletes on the outside<br />
who could jump out of the<br />
gym to go all the way. A<br />
team like West changed my<br />
perceptions. The Warriors<br />
didn’t stand out in either of<br />
those descriptions, but they<br />
beat teams because they’re<br />
a smarter, fundamentally<br />
sound bunch who knew<br />
where to place their kills.<br />
They also had a number of<br />
different scorers to keep<br />
other teams off balance,<br />
and they were scrappy and<br />
mostly mistake-free on<br />
the defensive end. They’ll<br />
return nearly everyone again<br />
for next year in their quest<br />
to return to state again and<br />
possibly go farther.<br />
Providence softball was<br />
another state-qualifying program<br />
this spring, eventually<br />
earning third place in Class<br />
3A in a 16-15 win over Mt.<br />
Zion. The combined 31 runs<br />
was a Class 3A tournament<br />
record, and it also was the<br />
longest-played game to date.<br />
But this was a team that was<br />
close to not making it out of<br />
the regional semis against<br />
Morris. Hannah Falejczyk<br />
hit a 2-run, go-ahead home<br />
run in the bottom of the<br />
sixth to seal the comeback<br />
win and ignite the playoff<br />
run.<br />
West boys water polo<br />
didn’t make it nowhere<br />
near as far as the school’s<br />
volleyball program, but it<br />
was going through its own<br />
drought of zero postseason<br />
victories since its existence.<br />
I was glad to be there for<br />
the volleyball team’s first<br />
regional, but I was happier<br />
to be covering the water<br />
polo team when it broke<br />
through with a playoff win.<br />
Warriors water polo on the<br />
girls and boys side have had<br />
down season after down<br />
season through the years, so<br />
it was exciting to see that<br />
12-6 win over an Andrew<br />
team that was seeded better<br />
than the Warriors. The girls<br />
side didn’t win its playoff<br />
game, but it did finish with<br />
the most wins in program<br />
history, so kudos to them,<br />
as well.<br />
But with the excitement,<br />
comes heartbreak for other<br />
programs. Lincoln-Way<br />
Central softball had a<br />
promising year, being the<br />
top-seed in its sectional,<br />
but was eliminated in the<br />
regional finals. The Knights<br />
were one out away from<br />
moving on, but Minooka hit<br />
a game-tying, 2-run double,<br />
and eventually won in extra<br />
innings.<br />
Lincoln-Way boys<br />
lacrosse defeated Neuqua<br />
Valley in the regular season<br />
finale to finish the regular<br />
season with a 16-1 record,<br />
but the two teams met again<br />
when it mattered most in the<br />
sectional finals and lost.<br />
Central girls soccer<br />
started the season 9-2 before<br />
hitting a multitude of injuries<br />
that derailed its season,<br />
which ended early in the<br />
regional semis. Central<br />
baseball beat themselves<br />
in its quest to repeat as<br />
regional champions when<br />
errors and walks led to free<br />
runs for Marist, who won in<br />
extra innings.<br />
All in all, though, this<br />
year in New Lenox sports<br />
was the most successful in<br />
my time following the area.<br />
To continue with the spring<br />
success, West badminton<br />
qualified all of its sectional<br />
participants down state,<br />
and West boys tennis had<br />
its most successful season<br />
to date. Now, factor in the<br />
other seasons’ accomplishments,<br />
like Central and<br />
West both winning two<br />
playoff games, Central girls<br />
tennis winning conference<br />
for the first time in many<br />
years, Central boys bowling<br />
finishing third at state,<br />
West boys and girls bowling<br />
making state, Lincoln-Way<br />
gymnastics making another<br />
state appearance, and Central<br />
girls golf having two<br />
Top 10 finishers at the state<br />
tournament.<br />
Let’s see if 2019 can top<br />
this.<br />
Sound Off Policy<br />
Editorials and columns are the opinions of the author. Pieces from<br />
22nd Century Media are the thoughts of the company as a whole.<br />
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