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glenviewlantern.com sports
the glenview lantern | September 20, 2018 | 31
Coach Talk
Junior Titans Corner
Glenview softball hall of
famer still going strong
Jon ‘Coach’ Cohn
Contributing Columnist
Glenview Resident
How bout a quick
game of did you
know?
Did you know a hall of
fame member has made
Glenview his home the
past 16 years? One of the
greatest to ever play his
particular game.
Here’s a hint: The teams
he played for include
the Tappers, Roadrunners,
Registers, Lettuce,
Rabbits, Red Dog, The
Rascals and currently Still
Cruisin.
Those were his teams
mind you, not his nicknames.
At age 73, this long
time hall of famer is still
playing and still winning
games.
Meet Wally Pecs, longtime
Glenview resident
and a legend indeed in the
great Chicago game of 16-
inch softball.
Pecs, who now has his
own team in Glenview’s
very competitive 50 and
over league, has won
numerous tournaments
and championships over
the years. He captained
some of the finest 16-inch
softball squads to ever
play, and as pitcher he is
always been the center of
action.
Add to the mix a
competitive streak that
could rip the tar off a
newly paved driveway,
and you begin to get the
picture.
“I still love playing,”
the eternally young Pecs
said. “The Glenview
league has been great to
us because it gives us a
chance to still compete in
a 50 and over league. And
the competition has really
improved over the past
few years.”
Every Wednesday night
this past summer and now
into fall, some of the best
of the best who have ever
played the game gather in
Glenview to compete and
maybe even reminisce a
little of the glory days of
yore in this senior only
softball league.
The names could go on
forever, but fellow Glenview
residents Kenny
Flaws and Chris Miller
are among them. Mark
Frighetto, who works in
Glenview, is one of the
stars. Throw in colorful
names like Jimmy Martino,
Frankie ”knuckles“
Matelli , Big Bob Russ
and you have a veritable
“who’s who” of 16-inch
softball playing right here
in our hometown.
But there is something
about the intense presence
of the hall of famer when
he is on the mound. Make
no mistake, the now
bearded, still in good
shape Pecs is the clear
center of attention.
His teammates know
it, opponents know it,
umpires definitely know it
andnd if they don’t, Pecs
will not so gently remind
them.
Watching Pecs pitch is
truly like watching a man
in his very best element.
It is like watching Van
Gogh paint, Shakespeare
write, Tiger with a club in
his hand or Gretsky with
a puck on his stick. Some
people are just made for
certain things.
Pecs was made to be out
there pitching the softball.
“I played some first
base and some outfield
in my early years,” Pecs
explained, “but in 1975, I
started my own team and
became the pitcher, and
once I started, I haven’t
left the mound since. I
like being in charge. I
started my own business, I
captained my own teams.
I kind of like being in control,
I guess.”
The hall of famer is
quick to give great credit
to what surely is his finest
teammate ever, that being
his wife of 46 years,
Peggy.
Peggy, who supported
him through all the different
games and tournaments,
all the travels, the
big wins, the tough defeats,
not to mention four
kids Tracey, Jeff, Kim and
step daughter Pamela.
In fact, thinking about
all that, there may be two
hall of famers in the Pecs
family.
Cohn has been a coach,
physical education teacher,
sports announcer and
athletic supervisor in the
community for over 35 years.
He can be reached at jcsportsandtees@aol.com.
The Third/Fourth-grade Junior Titans team plays against Deerfield/Highland Park in
Northbrook. Photo submitted
Jr. Titans finish 2-1 in opening week
Staff report
Here are the summaries
of the three levels of Jr. Titans
games in Week 1.
Third/Fourth-grade
Titans: Junior Titans 34,
Deerfield/Highland Park 7
The Junior Titans defense
was solid with the
only score coming from a
15-yard pass play over the
middle, which was welldefended
in the end zone
by Daniel Myint and Zachary
Master. Sean Banks
also had a number of key
tackles playing both defensive
line and linebacker. On
the offense, Aiden Collins
stood out at quarterback
with two touchdowns and
additional production coming
from Robert Simmons.
Fifth/Sixth-grade Titans:
Junior Titans 22, Skokie 0
In a hard-fought game
against Skokie, the Titans
won the battle defensively
and with some highlight
reel plays on offense. The
scoring began when running
back Drew MacPherson
scooped up a loose ball
in the backfield and jetted
past Skokie defenders over
50 yards for a touchdown.
Quarterback Andrew Bonvechio
finished the drive
by tossing a perfect ball to
the tight end, Cosby Fua,
for the 2-point conversion.
The dynamic pair would
go on to complete the
same conversion pass later
that game.
MacPherson reached
paydirt twice more on designed
runs after cutting to
the outside and zooming
down the sidelines. Tyrone
Cotton III also flashed his
speed with a 35 yard gain
on a quick pitch. The reason
for these holes in the
defense? A powerful offensive
line led by a stellar
performance from Ragnar
Kaage. Teddy Sobecks
and Alan Motoa exhausted
the Skokie offensive line,
shedding blocks and making
key tackles to force difficult
4th down situations.
Seventh/Eighth-grade
Titans: Vernon Hills 16,
Junior Titans 12
The Titans fell behind
early in the first half giving
up a touchdown in the
opening drive and then
again on a 3rd and 15 pass
down the middle, giving
the Junior Cougars a 16-0
lead. But that was the last
first down the Titan defense
would surrender.
Led by Patrick Downing
and Mazeed Soyege, they
spent the rest of the game
in the Cougars backfield.
Defensive standouts Ryan
Taylor, Tommy McPherson,
Dom Rejkiewicz,
Dennis Poulopoulos and
Chuck Gottfred all racked
up multiple tackles.
The Titans offense
moved the ball at will behind
the great blocking of
Taylor, Soyege, Alex Pappas,
Ryan Peters, Christian
Tirado. McPherson took
the second half kickoff
into Cougar territory and
scored on a 3-yard run of
tackle, making the score
16 to 6. Then Downing
scored on a 25-yard sweep
to cut the score to 16-12.
Late in the fourth quarter
with time winding down,
back-to-back McPherson
tackles pinned the Cougars
deep in their own territory
and forced them to punt.
The Titans drove the ball
but time ended with the Titans
on the Cougar 5 yard
line just short of a winning
touchdown.
After the game, the
coaches remarked “It
could have been easy for
these guys to just give up
being down 16-0 at half
but not these kids, they
have shown that they will
never quit, we are real
proud of them.”