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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 />

Like The New Lenox Patriot: facebook.com/TheNewLenoxPatriot<br />

“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 />

The New Lenox Patriot encourages readers to write letters to Sound<br />

Off. All letters must be signed, and names and hometowns will be<br />

published. We also ask that writers include their address and phone<br />

number for verification, not publication. Letters should be limited to<br />

400 words. The New Lenox Patriot reserves the right to edit letters.<br />

Letters become property of The New Lenox Patriot. Letters that are<br />

published do not reflect the thoughts and views of The New Lenox<br />

Patriot. Letters can be mailed to: The New Lenox Patriot, 11516 West<br />

183rd Street, Unit SW Office Condo #3, Orland Park, Illinois, 60467.<br />

Fax letters to (708) 326-9179 or e-mail to<br />

james@newlenoxpatriot.com.<br />

www.newlenoxpatriot.com.<br />

Visit us online at www.newlenoxpatriot.com

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