by Trojan Athletics posted 03/10/2010
 
by Rob Valentin / Downers Grove Bugle

Glenbard North was almost perfect meaning Downers Grove North never stood a chance as they fell to the Panthers 74-50 in the Geneva Regional quarterfinals, Monday, March 1.

Glenbard North hit 28-of-41 shots from the floor and 11-of-22 from beyond the arc.

“They really pressured us on defense and got a couple of turnovers and easy baskets,” Trojans coach Jim Thomas said. “We saw them play four times and they looked different every time. Some nights they can knock down the three’s and then other times they can get it done inside. They did both of them against us. They just had a great night.”

Downers North only trailed 16-15 at the end of the first quarter and 39-33 at halftime. Thomas thought his team could get right back in the game if they didn’t allow another 30-point half. Unfortunately, they gave up 35 points in the second half as Glenbard North slowly turned a close game into a blowout.

“We hang our heads on defense and rebounding and we didn’t do that well,” Thomas said. “Once we were down going in the third quarter we had some good looks and didn’t knock anything down. We had to play up tempo to get some points back and didn’t get it done.”

Tyler Mason led the Trojans in the loss with 12 points.

While Downers North finished the season with a sub .500 record, Thomas was proud of how his kids played.

“The best things about our kids is that they battle,” he said. “We went in knowing we don’t have the same type of talent. But we can battle every possession and work hard on the court. We had some nice wins and the kids stuck together all year.”

The Trojans will bid adieu to five seniors, which wound up being more than Thomas expected after last season finished.

“It was a unique bunch of kids and we only thought we would have two seniors but we had a transfer and a couple of other kids come back,” Thomas said. “They all contributed in their own way. They busted their hump and led by example. We’ll always remember them because of their effort and the type of kids they were.”

Playing their last game for Downers North were Eric Jagielo, Nick LeBeau, Kyle Benton, Nick Nehls, Marcus Milner.

“Eric is a division I athlete (baseball) and just going about everything the way he does, he’s a class act,” Thomas said. “He’s really respected around the school and community. Kids see that and want to emulate that.

“Nick is a fierce competitor. He’s a guy you can always count on and he’s going to be relentless. He pours his heart and soul into the game and wants to win so bad.”

Next season will definitely be a challenge for the Trojans so it’s important to put in the work during the offseason.

“We have a lot of question marks as far as if guys are coming back or if they’re dedicating themselves to other sports,” Thomas said. “We don’t have a point guard and haven’t had one in a while. If we can find some hard-working kids I think we have a chance to be a 15 or 18 win team. But you’re only as good as the work you put into it.”

by Prep Baseball Report posted 03/06/2010
 
Madeline Boltin
SCHOOL Downers North
SPORT Basketball
YEAR Junior
ACHIEVEMENTS While Ali Schuster and Jackie Burke provided offense in the paint for the Trojans, Boltin’s emergence as an excellent long-range shooter was another pivotal factor in Downers North’s jump to 15 wins from eight last winter. One of Boltin’s biggest games came in a win over crosstown-rival Downers South, in which she hit six 3-pointers and scored 20 points in the Trojans’ 44-24 win.

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Tegan Clinton
SCHOOL Downers North
SPORT Bowling
YEAR Junior
ACHIEVEMENTS Clinton followed a strong regular season by tying for the individual championship at St. Ignatius sectional, leading the Trojans to their first state trip as a team in 25 years. Clinton then placed 83rd at state. Her regular-season highlights included the individual championship at the Hinsdale South tournament with a six-game average of 226.

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HONORABLE MENTION:

DOWNERS NORTH
Rachel Oldham, bowling; Ali Schuster, basketball; Bronte Southworth, gymnastics
 

by Prep Baseball Report posted 03/03/2010
 
by Matt Le Cren / Downers Grove Bugle

Mike Reed’s teammates on the Downers Grove North boys swimming team call him “Tree” because at 6-6 he towers over many of his fellow competitors.

If the junior keeps up his rapid improvement, his accomplishments may eclipse everyone in similar fashion. Finishing only his third season of competitive swimming, Reed carted off two medals from last weekend’s state meet at Evanston.

By finishing sixth in the 50-yard freestyle and 11th in the 100 freestyle, Reed became just the fourth swimmer in school history to medal in multiple events and the third to do it in the same year.

“I can’t really complain,” Reed said Saturday. “All I wanted to do was make it to the top 12, so I got that accomplished. I’m a little disappointed with my times today. I felt like I could have swum a little bit faster.”

Reed’s ascent has been nothing short of fast. He barely qualified for state in the 50 last winter and finished 38th. But he made huge time drops at this year’s sectional and headed to state with the third-best sectional time in the 100 and fourth-best in the 50 free.

“I surprised myself at sectionals,” Reed said. “I didn’t think I’d drop so much time, so I think I can keep lowering my goals. Next year hopefully I can get a little bit better.”

In the 50 free, which appears to be his forte, Reed timed 21.16 in Friday’s preliminaries, which was good for fifth place and a spot in the six-man championship heat. In the finals he went 21.52. Glenbrook South senior Dominik Cubelic won his second straight title in 20.48.

Reed clocked 46.92 to finish ninth in the prelims of the 100 free before timing 47.48 in the finals. That was 2.16 seconds behind champion Mitch Stoehr of Lake Forest. Six of the swimmers who finished ahead of Reed in the 100 free are seniors, as are four of the five in the 50 free, so a state championship is not out of the question next year.

“Clearly his best swimming is ahead of him,” North coach Judy Busse said. “It’s been fun to watch him take everything in and figure out how everything works. He’s definitely a student of the sport and he’s still in some respects a newbie. He’s just decided this is the thing he wants to do.”

Indeed, Reed only began swimming with the Express club team after his freshman year and he admits he still has a lot to learn.

“My technique last year wasn’t very good and so my coach took me aside and helped me work on it,” Reed said. “I’ve always been asking my coaches what I can do to improve my technique, what drills I can do, so working on that in practice I think helped a lot. I think my better swimming is ahead of me still.”

Reed also anchored both of the Trojans’ relay squads, neither of which made finals. The 200 medley team of seniors Kevin Skrabacz, Conor Ozog, Alex George and Reed timed 1:39.20 to finish 23rd, while the 200 free relay quartet of Skrabacz, juniors Alex Matuzewich, Umesh Rajan and Reed was 17th in 1:28.37.

Ozog and Barylowicz also competed in the 100 breaststroke, with Ozog finishing 29th in 1:01.26 and Barylowicz 36th at 1:01.68.

by Trojan Athletics posted 02/26/2010
 
by Scott Taylor / Woodridge Bugle

Girls Basketball: No. 9 Downers Grove North rallied in the fourth quarter, but came up short in a 53-47 loss to No. 8 East Aurora Wednesday, Feb. 18 in the Romeoville Regional semifinals.

The Trojans (15-13) trailed by 13 heading into the fourth quarter before making a run to make it a two-possession game.

“I think we worked together as a team,” North senior Jackie Burke said of the comeback. “We were able to get it out to our three-point shooters and we ran through the plays to set up the offense. We weren’t running through the plays early, which was a big difference in the end. It would have been a different story.”

“Both teams played hard and we competed like we have all year,” North coach Leslie Dehn said. “I think we had some open shots in the first half that we missed. I think we turned the ball over a few too many times. Our kids have battled all year and they made a little bit of a run at the end. It was just a little too late.”

A big key to the run was Madeline Boltin, who scored all 11 points in the second half, including three three-pointers.

She left briefly in the fourth quarter with a leg injury, which hampered the Trojans’ comeback.

“The first basket gave me confidence because if I make one shot, it gets me in a better mindset,” Boltin said. “Usually when I make one, I’ll make a few. It kind of threw me off when I came out (with the injury).”

Marissa Koszewski added 10 points, while Burke and Alison Schuster each had eight points.

The loss kept North from a chance to play the No. 1 team in the state, Bolingbrook.

“I think it would have been interesting to play them,” Burke said. “It would have been interesting to see how we did against them.”

Despite the early postseason loss, it was a successful season for the Trojans.

“It was definitely a successful season,” Burke said. “We came back and played together. We did a lot better than last year. I’m proud of the way my career ended.”

“We played a lot better this year than last year,” Boltin said. “Last year we were like 8-21 and this year we improved a lot more. We worked well as a team and executed better.”

The first year coach was also pleased with the season.

“The kids competed well all year,” Dehn said. “With the few exceptions, we were in most of the games this year. They were a young team last year, so they had more experience this year and worked hard over the summer. They invested their time and it showed. I am very happy and proud of them.”

North may be even better last year as they lose just two seniors in Burke and Elaina Analitis.

“Next year should be good,” Boltin said. “It is going to be hard losing Jackie, but we should still have a really good team. Having sophomores on our team now will make it more comfortable next year.”

“We are excited,” Dehn said. “We are definitely going to miss our two seniors. Jackie Burke is our starting center and played a lot of minutes. But, we have a strong nucleus of juniors who will be coming back strong. We are optimistic.”

by Trojan Athletics posted 02/25/2010
 

By PAUL JOHNSON For Sun-Times Media

After losing to last season's 119-pound state champion Jameson Oster of Lockport in the Class 3A, 125-pound semifinals at the individual state wrestling meet in Champaign on Feb. 21, Downers Grove North junior Jimmy Nehls would just as soon have gone right back out on the mat.

"I was ready to go right after that session, but we had a long break and I had time to think about it, think about what I was going to do, and it worked out well," Nehls said.

Nehls took the few hours he had to think about his next match, and his mission was clear. Nehls shook off the disappointment and followed the loss with a 7-4 decision over Leyden's Kyle Langenderfer and a gritty, 1-0 win over Josh Katz of Deerfield in the third-place match.

"It feels really good," said Nehls, who wrapped up his junior season with a 41-4 record. "I'm really happy with third place. My mentality going into this match was to end my season with a win, not a loss."

Points were hard to come by in his final match, so his mentality switched from attack-mode to survival, and he was able to hang on for the win.

"I just wanted to ride him out and then get away," Nehls said. "I was trying to keep it a 1-0 match, and that wound up happening."

Nehls started slowly against Oster, but he started gaining steam near the end of the match. He wound up maybe a minute shy of really getting into a groove and finding his way against Oster, who was ousted in the state championship match by the man who topped Nehls at sectionals, undefeated Joey Gosinski of Glenbard North.

"At first, I thought he was really good, well, he is really good. But at first I was a little bit scared, returning state champ," Nehls said. "After I started wrestling him and got a feel for him, I was like, 'Hey, I can beat him.' I started gaining some momentum, but it was too late in the match."

Nehls got a feel for the state meet after advancing to Champaign as a sophomore. Now, he will enter his senior season with a third-place medal, and he's already looking ahead to getting back on the mat, which is no surprise.

"Next year, I'm going to try to get on top and take first," Nehls said. "This year, I knew I was already down here, just let everything fly as a junior. It worked out well."

by Trojan Athletics posted 02/25/2010
 

By CHRISTINE BOLIN For Sun-Times

MediaIt did not matter to much to Downers Grove North coach Judy Busse that crosstown rival Downers Grove South beat her Trojans by a mere point.

Busse was much more focused on the fact that four individual entries and two relay teams from North qualified for the state meet out of the York Sectional on Feb. 20 in Elmhurst.

Hinsdale Central won with a 252, followed by Lyons. The Mustangs edged out the Trojans, 169-168. Hinsdale South scored a 164.

"Almost a perfect meet," Busse said. "You can't ask for anything more than that. You can pick any name, and I'm going to say they did unbelievable because every single man swam better than they've ever done. Ever. I feel very fortunate as a coach to be able to watch that."

This season's state meet is Feb. 26 to 27 at Evanston Township High School.

"It's going to be great because I don't think everyone is fully tapered yet," Downers Grove North's top finisher, Mike Reed, said. "I'm really excited to see what we can do."

Reed scored a pair of first-place finishes and pool records in both the 50-yard freestyle (21.25 seconds) and 100 freestyle (46.22).

"The kids call him, 'The Tree,'" Busse said. "He's one very special young man. He had a very good day today...the guy is unbelievable. The guy definitely has more in him. He has some very high goals -- he's a very goal-oriented guy and so we'll see what happens."

"I really hadn't anticipated getting (two pool records)," Reed added. "(Busse) told me I could either get the school records (Saturday) or next week (at state). I just figured why not see how fast I can go and it was fast enough. I can't complain."

Connor Ozog placed second in the 100 breaststroke (1:01.09), and the following all went fourth -- Alex Barylowicz in the 100 breaststroke (1:01.87) and two relay teams -- the 200 medley (1:38.72) and the 200 freestyle (1:28).

"I have wonderful things to say about all of them," Busse said. "It's fantastic."

by Trojan Athletics posted 02/20/2010
 
The first weekend of the college baseball season has a Downers Grove North feel to it when three former Trojans will face off today in Clarksville, TN at 11:00 AM.

The University of Iowa will open their 2010 season vs. Illinois State University. The Hawkeyes have a pair of former Trojan standouts in sophomore 1B/P Sean Flanagan and freshman C/OF Dan Sheppard who was drafted by the Cubs Last spring in the 30th round. Last season Flanagan led the Hawkeyes in slugging percentage .509 and his six homeruns set an Iowa record for a freshman.

Back after a 2009 season ending wrist injury is former Trojan star Kevin Tokarski who will play 2b for the Redbirds. Tokarski was named to the 2009 Preseason Brooks Wallace Watch List, in 2008 he was named the Missouri Valley Freshman of the Year and also received Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American Honorable Mention Honors.

Follow the Hawkeyes vs. Redbirds here on Game Tracker

by Trojan Athletics posted 02/20/2010
 

by Trojan Athletics posted 02/18/2010
 

By PAUL JOHNSON For Sun-Times Media

After suffering a tough loss in the finals at 125 pounds at Feb. 13's Class 3A Glenbard North Sectional, Downers Grove North junior wrestler Jimmy Nehls wasn't an easy man to find.

Nehls had just lost to undefeated Glenbard North junior Johnny Gosinski, 4-2 in overtime, in the title bout.

While Nehls was already guaranteed a trip to this weekend's individual state meet in Champaign, the sting of the loss hurt.

In a field house attached to the main gym at Glenbard North, there was Nehls, running wind sprints by himself in the far corner. The moments after his loss were a perfect time to start working toward state.

"I just need to get in a little better condition," Nehls said. "He's in better shape than I am. I'm going to get a little stronger, get in a little better condition, and come back next week."

Nehls (37-3) topped Gosinski (44-0), 7-5, at sectionals last year. But this time, Nehls had to hold on to force overtime with a 2-2 tie. Then with 13 seconds left in overtime, Gosinski was able to earn a takedown to send his home crowd roaring and send Nehls to the indoor track.

"I wanted to get that takedown in the third period, but I didn't get it," Nehls said. "Went into overtime and fell a little short. He caught me a little flat-footed. He's the toughest I've faced."

Nehls will be joined in Champaign by fellow junior teammate Dave Tessiatore (38-12). Tessiatore lost his first match at 160 pounds to West Aurora's Greg Jacquez Friday night, but fought all the way back to reach the state meet. He won three matches in the wrestle back before being pinned by Wheaton Warrenville South DuPage Valley Conference champion Spartak Chino in 1:54 in the third-place match.

The key win for Tessiatore was in the consolation semifinals when he held off Wheaton North's Geoff Pevitts, 4-2, to punch his ticket to state.

by Trojan Athletics posted 02/17/2010
 
by Scott Taylor / Downers Grove Bugle

Although the team didn’t qualify for Saturday, Downers Grove North advanced an individual in senior Rachel Oldham last weekend at the state tournament at Cherry Lanes in Rockford.

Oldham overcame the nerves and used a strong first four games Friday to vault her into contention.

She had a morning series of 631 with all games over 200 and followed it up with a 258 in the afternoon.

“It was rough in the beginning, but it got better,” Oldham said. “I was extremely nervous at first. Then the nerves kind of went away and it got better.”

It was the 258 game that got her over the hump and into day two as she finished with a 1,238, good for 33rd place, ninth among individuals not on the top 12 qualifying teams for Saturday.

The top 30 individuals not on those qualifying teams advanced.

“I just hit the pocket and hit my mark,” Oldham said of her 258 game. “Everything just went fine. The pressure was always there, but after the 258, I thought I could make it.”

Oldham followed it up with a 1,107 Saturday, with a high game of 206.

“The first half was a little rough, but the second half was better,” Oldham said of her second day at state. “I missed a lot of spares and the splits came my last game (in the morning). I switched balls for the afternoon and the strikes came for me.”

She finished in 54th place with a 2,345 total (195 average).

“I’m happy because it was nice to make it to state my senior year,” Oldham stated. “I’m happy to be here. I am pretty happy with everything (in my career).”

The rest of the team represented themselves well as they shot a 5,262, including a second game of 1,019 to take 21st in state.

“We had some good games in there,” North’s Tegan Clinton said. “Our individual scores were consistent. That is something we have struggled with, so to have that at state was a really good thing for us. I think next year if we make it back, the juniors will have that experience. We have three varsity players returning.”

That result is much better than many thought heading into the season.

“At the beginning of the season, I think everyone had low expectations of us because we graduated a lot of seniors,” Clinton said. “So, to make it all the way to state and have this experience, I think all of us were grateful to have that.”

Clinton finished with a 1,117 with high games of 236 and 218.

“I had an inconsistent day,” Clinton said. “It kind of showed in the last couple games. I had some good games in there, but it was hard adjusting to the different lanes each time. It wasn’t a bad day, but not a day I would like to have at state.”

Fellow junior Molly Corbett rolled a 1,045 and senior Elyse Besinger added a 938.

by Trojan Athletics posted 02/17/2010
 
by Rob Valentin / Downers Grove Bugle

Downers Grove North had the opportunity of a lifetime last Saturday night when they faced Lyons Township and the Trojans tried to make the most of it.

The Lions came into the game with a perfect 21-0 record and the North gave them all they could handle before succumbing 76-62 in a West Suburban Silver road game.

“We watched their game against Oak Park with about 4,000 people there and we knew it would be a fun atmosphere,” North coach Jim Thomas said. “You don’t get an opportunity to play a team like that in that situation too often. There was no pressure on us and our kids were relieved.”

The Trojans (6-17, 3-7) came out and played almost flawless basketball in the first half, committing just two turnovers. Still, Lyons (22-10, 10-0) held a 31-29 lead at halftime.

The Lions started to take control in the third quarter thanks to some North miscues. After three quarters of play Lyons held a 46-41 advantage.

“We had seven turnovers in the third and that kind of rattled us but our kids kept battling,” Thomas said. “Then when we started fouling them they closed us out by being flawless (from the free-throw line).”

The Lions finished the game 19-of-20 from the charity stripe and were 15-of-16 in the fourth quarter.

Thomas was impressed with how his entire squad played especially Tyler Mason’s defense, the overall play of D.J. Cienawa and Nick LeBeau’s offense (18 points).

While the Trojans would have loved the win, they showed what they’re capable of.

“We’re not into moral victories but our kids have a lot of grit,” Thomas said. “We know that’s how we have to compete. We’re not going to win any conference championships so we’re just trying to get ready for the postseason. If we can play like we did like (Saturday) night we’re going to be a tough out in the playoffs.”

North’s performance the night before wasn’t as good. The Trojans lost a 67-44 decision to Proviso West.

“It was Senior Night and our seniors did a great job getting us out to an early lead,” Thomas said. “But then we starred turning the ball over and when we turn the ball over we’re a terrible team. We were up eight points and then we were down nine.”

North found out that they’ll open the Class 4A state playoffs by facing Glenbard North on March 1 in the Geneva Regional.

“They score a lot of points and they like to get up and down the floor and pressure us,” Thomas said. “We like doing the exact opposite and slow things down. If we can anchor our defense and guard (James) Fleming we’ll have a good shot at it.”

by Trojan Athletics posted 02/17/2010
 
by Mark Gregory / Downers Grove Bugle

The Downers Grove High Schools combined to send three wrestlers to this weekends Class 3A
state wrestling tournament on the campus of the University of Illinois in Champaign.

Downers Grove North is sending a pair of grapplers, while South has one going.

The district was highlighted by one wrestler in the Glenbard North sectional final, as Jimmy Nehls lost to Joey Gosinski of Glenbard North in the finals 4-2 in overtime at 125 pounds.

To get there, he defeated Oswaldo Quintanilla of West Aurora 13-2 and pinned Nick Ruffino of St. Charles East in 3 minutes, 27 seconds.

“I wish I would have won,” Nehls said. “Now I am going to work harder for state this weekend and go after it. I haven’t won any matches down there, so I am looking to win some matches at state.”

His teammate Dave Tessiatore (140) also advanced, finishing fourth. He was pinned by Spartacus Chino in 1:54 in the third-place match.

“Chino beat me twice before and I just went out there and wrestled,” Tessiatore said. “Captain Danny Balderas really refocused me after I lost. I am prepared now for state if I lose early I know I can come back.”

by Trojan Athletics posted 11/11/2009
 

Dear Business Owner:

As you know, The Downers Grove North Trojan Booster Club is the non-profit organization

That financially supports all of the athletic programs at Downers Grove North High School. We provide financial support for athletic teams and also award college scholarships to graduates each year. Our funds are primarily raised through concession stand sales at athletic events, our fashion show and our club members.

We are now offering Advertising Space on our website to local businesses in our area. For the cost of a single newspaper ad, we will display your company banner with a link to your website on our main website page for one whole year. Your total cost is $100.00 annually for front-page advertising and $200.00 for Front Page and all Team Page advertising.

And that's not all, we'll create the banner for you utilizing your company logo!

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by Trojan Athletics posted 11/06/2009
 

Student-athletes at Downers Grove North include (front row, from left): Claire McNulty, Haley Sims, Kendall Ryndak, Samantha Fry, Addie Danchisin and Britta Baarstad; back row, from left: Ben Silver, Paul Hogan, Luke Schubert, Jimmy Nehls, Eric Jagielo, Greg Petty and Joe Claver.
(Rich Hein/Sun-Times)

BY TAYLOR BELL
Chicago Sun-Times

TOP SPORTS MOMENTS

1. Stunning upset

Coach Bruce Ritter’s girls cross-country team won its second state title in 1985. The Trojans had two runners drop out of the sectional because of injury and illness and barely qualified for the state final. Rebecca Rusch finished 23rd. She teamed with Shellie O’Neal, Jenny Edmonds, Caroline Tracy and Elise Martin to score 131 points to Palatine’s 146 and Hersey’s 169.

2. Back-to-back

Coach Anthony Calderone produced back-to-back state champions in badminton in 2003 and 2004. The 2003 team was led by Jessica DeBruler (44-4) and Nicole LaVallie (38-6), who finished 2-3 in singles, and Laura Svoboda-Emily Kalal (36-1), who won doubles. In 2004, DeBruler (45-6) was fourth in singles and Svoboda-Meghan LaVallie (34-4) fifth in doubles.

3. Football champion

After a 2-2 start, coach John Wander’s 2004 football team won 10 in a row, capping the streak with a 33-13 upset of Maine South for the Class 8A title. Team leaders were All-State tackle Cody Cielenski, guard Joe McMahon and quarterback Garrett Edwards, who rushed for 1,720 yards and 25 touchdowns and passed for 832 yards and 12 touchdowns.

4. Terrific trio

In the 2008-09 school year, Downers Grove North produced three state champions in individual sports, the most in school history. Adrienne Bicek won the 200-yard individual medley in girls swimming, Burke Sims won the 500-yard freestyle in boys swimming and Douglas Rybar won the still rings and the state all-around title in boys gymnastics.

5. State runner-up

Coach Pete Ventrelli’s 1990 football team, led by RB Jeremy Sample, OT Pete Stone and LB Mike Barry, stunned the nation’s top-ranked team, East St. Louis, 28-26 in the state semifinals, but was defeated by Thornton 31-21 for the Class 6A championship. The Trojans finished with a 13-1 record. Sample went to Notre Dame, Stone to Toledo and Barry to Kent State.

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