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homerhorizon.com sports<br />
the Homer Horizon | February 14, 2019 | 31<br />
fastbreak<br />
Lockport athletes put college commitments in ink<br />
Ten athletes make<br />
college choices<br />
official at signing day<br />
ceremony<br />
22nd Century Media File<br />
Photo<br />
1st and 3<br />
LTHS studentathletes<br />
make college<br />
commitments on<br />
signing day<br />
1. Signing ceremony<br />
Ten Porters studentathletes<br />
made their<br />
college commitments<br />
official Feb.<br />
6 at LTHS’s East<br />
Campus.<br />
2. Staying nearby<br />
Eight of the ten announced<br />
athletes,<br />
spanning from<br />
football to baseball<br />
to boys and girls<br />
cross country and<br />
boys and girls soccer,<br />
picked colleges<br />
around the Chicago<br />
area to attend.<br />
3. Proud participants<br />
Those Porters taking<br />
part in the signing<br />
day were Josh<br />
and Luke Bentley,<br />
Joe Tor, Alex Martinez,<br />
Donovan Paske,<br />
Kate Wojcikiewicz,<br />
Jay Janeczko, Jose<br />
Mendoza, Justin<br />
Biela and Finley<br />
Travis.<br />
Randy Whalen<br />
Freelance Reporter<br />
Lockport Township feels<br />
like home to many students.<br />
So when the high school<br />
held a collegiate signing ceremony<br />
in conjunction with<br />
National Signing Day on<br />
Feb. 6 in the Porter Room<br />
at LTHS East Campus, that<br />
feeling of home continued.<br />
That’s because eight of<br />
the 10 announced athletes<br />
who are moving on to continue<br />
their careers in college<br />
are staying close to home.<br />
But no matter where they are<br />
going, Lockport is certainly<br />
proud of the fact they are<br />
moving on to the next level.<br />
“This is a great day for<br />
Lockport Township High<br />
School and your sons and<br />
daughters,” Lockport Athletic<br />
Director Mike Dwyer<br />
said during the ceremony.<br />
“This is very exciting for us,<br />
and we are very happy that<br />
everyone can be a part of it.”<br />
The Porter baseball team<br />
is expecting great things this<br />
spring. They now have 10<br />
players who have committed<br />
to continue on to play in college.<br />
Of those, four signed<br />
on the dotted line at the signing<br />
day ceremony.<br />
Two of those were twin<br />
brothers Josh and Luke<br />
Bentley. They will attend<br />
different colleges, however.<br />
Josh Bentley will attend<br />
Ten LTHS athletes made their college choices official Feb. 6 at a signing day ceremony at LTHS’s East Campus. Photo<br />
submitted<br />
South Suburban College,<br />
while Luke Bentley will be<br />
at Moraine Valley Community<br />
College.<br />
“It’s a great program, an<br />
opportunity to improve,”<br />
Josh Bentley said of going<br />
to South Suburban. “Their<br />
coach [Steve Ruzich] has<br />
been doing it a long time [32<br />
years as head coach]. Plus,<br />
it’s a lot easier to find a fit<br />
near here.”<br />
His Porter teammate, Joe<br />
Tor, will also be a teammate<br />
at South Suburban College, a<br />
community college in South<br />
Holland.<br />
“It was a factor, for sure,”<br />
Tor said of staying close to<br />
home. “But I also didn’t<br />
want to sit for the first two<br />
years. I want to be able to<br />
play and then move on to<br />
bigger things.”<br />
Being close to home at<br />
Moraine Valley in Palos<br />
Hills was a factor for Luke<br />
Bentley, too.<br />
“It was just the home factor,<br />
and it fits perfect for<br />
me,” Luke Bentley said.<br />
“Plus, their [assistant]<br />
coach, General McArthur<br />
III, coaches me on the Rhino<br />
Summer League team. Alex<br />
[Martinez] and I played on<br />
the same summer team.”<br />
Martinez, another Porter<br />
baseball player, will also attend<br />
Moraine Valley.<br />
“I decided to go to Moraine<br />
because I love the<br />
sports programs,” Martinez<br />
said. “Baseball is great, and<br />
the other ones are, as well.<br />
They all have a great culture.<br />
And being close to home<br />
was a factor, because I do<br />
not think I could live on my<br />
own just yet.”<br />
The Lockport cross country<br />
teams had great success<br />
last fall. Both the boys and<br />
girls teams won regional<br />
titles and made it to state.<br />
So a pair of those athletes<br />
signed to continue on in college<br />
at the signing. On the<br />
Please see college, 29<br />
LISTEN UP<br />
“This is a great day for Lockport Township High School<br />
and your sons and daughters. This is very exciting for<br />
us, and we are very happy that everyone can be a<br />
part of it.”<br />
Mike Dwyer — LTHS athletic director, addressing parents<br />
and student-athletes gathered at signing day<br />
Tune In<br />
Girls Bowling<br />
Bound for state — Friday, Feb. 15, and Saturday, Feb. 16, at Cherry<br />
Bowl<br />
• The Porters girls bowling team heads to Rockford for state<br />
looking to bring back a trophy.<br />
Index<br />
28 - This Week In<br />
27 - Athlete of the Week<br />
FASTBREAK is compiled by Editor Thomas Czaja,<br />
tom@homerhorizon.com.
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