THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | FRIDAY, MAY 2, 2008
Can Fremd Defend Title?
By DWIGHT ESAU
Journal Sports
Believe it or not, the first girls state high school tournament of the spring of 2008 is upon us.
Eighty-six badminton teams from throughout Illinois will compete in 16 IHSA sectionals this weekend, and the state finals will be held in downstate Charleston on May 9-10.
Before you know it, the season will be over and we will know if Fremd will defend its 2007 state title or if a new champion will be crowned. Fremd, by the way, rallied dramatically last weekend to win the Mid Suburban League title, so the Vikings should be considered strong contenders for a two-peat this spring.
Ten Journal-area teams will compete in seven sectionals this weekend. Best area teams, based on season-to-date performances, are Wheeling, Hersey, and Glenbrook South.
The top four singles players and the top four doubles teams from each sectional will advance to state.
Jillian Cabrera and Jackie Black lead Hersey, runner-up in the MSL. Wheeling, third place finisher in the MSL, is pinning its hopes on Ashley Lepcin and Karolina Sabaliauskaite, both in singles and doubles, and the doubles pair of Shannen Chechang and Somie Tsogtbaatar.
Maine West's strongest contenders are Amanda Czekaj and Rachel Krech, who had strong efforts in the recent Central Suburban League finals. Maine South is counting on Abby Hayden and Erin Deda, along with Basia Stanek and Nicole Moersch.
Here are the sectional assignments for area teams, and the times and dates of their sectional competition:
* At Hersey, 4:30 p.m. today (Friday) - Hersey, Deerfield, Maine West, Prospect, Zion-Benton
* At Evanston, 5 p.m. today - Evanston, McHenry, Glenbrook North, Rolling Meadows, Waukegan, New Trier.
* At Wheeling, 4:30 p.m. today - Glenbrook South, Lake Forest, Palatine, Maine South, Wheeling
* At Willowbrook, 8 a.m. Saturday, May 3 - Elk Grove, Schaumburg, South Elgin, Streamwood, Willowbrook
Sectionals were held yesterday (Thursday) at Glenbard East, Glenbard West, and Buffalo Grove. Area teams participating in them were Leyden, Maine East, and Conant.