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Glenview Sports Year In Review


The year is long, so here is a refresher on how Glenbrook South and Loyola did this year in local prep sports:

 

Spring

 

Baseball: Loyola (23-10-1) almost made state for the first time, falling just short in super-sectionals to Huntley, the eventual state runner-up. Loyola was one of the final 8 teams in state. They beat Leyden (4-2), Niles Notre Dame (4-1), Maine West (12-6) and Evanston (9-3) before falling 8-4 to Huntley. The Ramblers were able to pick up regional (12th ever, first since 2015) and sectional titles (only second ever) before bowing out. Jake Novak, Trey Torain and Jason Vrbancic were all named to the all-conference team in the Chicago Catholic League.

Glenbrook South lost their playoff opener 6-2 to Lane. The Titans went 11-21 this season, but posted wins over Maine South, Niles West, Niles North, Evanston, Highland Park, Vernon Hills, Hersey and Rolling Meadows, among others.

 

Softball: Loyola went 20-9 this season, but fell to Carmel in the regional title game. The Ramblers offense pounded out 304 hits over the 29 games with 20 HR, 60 doubles, 9 triples and 264 runs scored. Marisa Michi, KK Raymond and Nora Conway were the top three batters in a strong Rambler lineup. Alexis Rocha and Caroline Kinsella were the top two pitchers for Loyola. Loyola beat Glenbrook North in their playoff opener, 2-0, but lost the game to Carmel, 7-2.

Glenbrook South (5-23) struggled this season, but there were still a few bright spots. Maddie Kapsimalis, Maggie Baumstark, Julia Bass and Megan Chin were among the top offensive players for the Titans, who produced 223 hits, but just 144 runs.

 

Boys Volleyball: Loyola (27-13) made it to the sectional finals as one of the final 16 teams in state, but lost to rival New Trier in the sectional title match at Glenbrook South to end the season a game short of the state finals at Hoffman Estates. The Ramblers, seeded No. 6 in sectionals, beat Waldorf, Buffalo Grove, Deerfield (No. 3) and Hersey (No. 2), before the Trevians ended the run. Loyola finished the season ranked No. 16 in Illinois.

Glenbrook South (17-15) rebounded from a 3-6 start to the season to finish two over .500. Maine West defeated them in two sets in the regional semifinals to end their season May 22. GBS, the No. 9 sectional seed, won their opening playoff game over Rickover before the Maine West loss.

 

Boys Lacrosse: Loyola (22-3) won the inaugural IHSA state championship with a 7-2 win over rival New Trier. The Ramblers won 11 state titles before the IHSA took over sponsorship of the sport this year. Loyola had eight players score 20-plus goals this season. Six players were named to the All-State team (Andrew Forsyth, Luca Lazzaretto, Dominic Urukalo, Quinn Cashion, Timothy Hackett, Najee Taylor). Loyola finished the season as the No. 2 ranked team in Illinois and No. 27 in the nation. To win state, Loyola beat Taft (21-1), Oak Park-River Forest (25-0), Evanston (17-5), Fenwick (17-2), Naperville North (15-7) and New Trier (7-2). Loyola coach Rob Snyder improved to 275-84 in 15 seasons leading the Ramblers.

Glenbrook South had a stellar season, but got upset by Stevenson in the first round of the playoffs. Jack Speers was named to the All-State team and led the Titans to a 13-5 record and a No. 11 ranking in Illinois.

 

Girls Lacrosse: Loyola (22-4) finished third in the inaugural IHSA state tournament, snapping a streak of 9 straight championships under the IHSWLA banner. Loyola defeated Naperville North 17-6 in the third place game after losing to eventual state champion Hinsdale Central in the state semifinals. To advance to state, Loyola beat Mather (19-0), Resurrection (16-0), Maine South (18-7) and St. Ignatius (14-2). The Ramblers ended the season ranked No. 3 in Illinois and No. 29 in the nation.

Glenbrook South (16-9) was unable to finish top four at state this year after finishing fourth in 2017, but still ended the year ranked No. 5 in Illinois.

 

Boys Track & Field: Declan Ritzenthaler qualified for state in pole vault and finished third by clearing 15 feet. Earlier in the season, he set the school pole vault record by clearing 15 feet, 6 inches. Ritzenthaler won the conference title in pole vault, along with a sectional title. He also won conference in 110-meter hurdles. Loyola’s 4×400-meter relay team won the CCL championship in 3:30.8. Diego Collado won shot put in the CCL meet. Loyola shared the CCL conference title with St. Laurence after they each scored 122 points. It was the fifth consecutive time the Ramblers won the conference title. Loyola finished tied for 42nd at state with 7 points.

Glenbrook South qualified two for state — Jordan Theriault (1600-meter run) and the 4×200-meter relay — but neither advanced out of prelims.

 

Girls Track & Field: Glenbrook South scored 8 points to finish tied for 37th place at state after a great performance by Raelyn Roberson, who placed second in long jump with a distance of 19 feet, 4.25 inches. Emily Noone finished 10th in state in 800-meter run. Roberson also rain in the 100-meter dash in prelims, but missed the finals by 0.43. Taylor Ozimek (high jump), Anne Streb (high jump) and the 4×200-meter relay team all represented the Titans at state, but were eliminated in prelims.

Loyola qualified a few for the finals, but they were all eliminated in prelims. Kate Santangelo (pole vault), Addison Bendery (100-meter dash, 200-meter dash), 4×800-meter relay and 4×200-meter relay represented the Ramblers at state.

 

Boys Water Polo: Loyola (26-7) lost 4-2 to Evanston in the sectional finals to finish as one of the top 16 teams in state. Loyola beat Maine West and Glenbrook South in the playoffs before Evanston eliminated the Ramblers.

Glenbrook South, which was led by Illinois Water Polo Senior Scholastic Award winner Brendan Chang, beat Niles West in the the sectional quarterfinals before falling to Loyola. Chang ended his amazing career as the second leading scorer in program history with 279 career goals. He fell just shy of the 291 record set by Chris DeLetto (2009). GBS ended the season with a 19-13 record.

 

Girls Water Polo: Loyola finished fourth in state to tie for the best finish in program history. Loyola lost state games to Fenwick (17-9) and Naperville North (11-9). The Ramblers (20-14 record) did beat Conant in the quarterfinals for their first state win since 2009. That was also the last year Loyola finished fourth at state. Loyola won the sectional championship over rival New Trier to advance.

Glenbrook South went 11-18 this season and exited the first round of the playoffs following a 10-5 loss to Evanston.

 

Boys Gymnastics: Glenbrook South didn’t advance to state as a team, but Lucas Pauker qualified for all-around and all six events to represent the Titans. Pauker finished fourth on pommel horse (9.25 score) for his best finish. He also took 10th on parallel bars (8.95) and 12th on vault (8.5). Pauker finished 15th in all-around with a 51.75 score. Loyola does not have a boys gymnastics program.

 

Girls Soccer: Loyola went 19-2-4 (5-0-1 in conference) and won a regional title, before falling 2-1 in the sectional finals to eventual state runner-up New Trier. Loyola, which had three All-State players (Maggie Avery, Maggie Brett, Stephanie Ramsay), finished the season ranked No. 5 in Illinois and No. 17 in the nation, despite not making the final four.

Glenbrook South (19-4-5) had another amazing season under Seong Ha, who stepped down after the season to spend more time with family and to explore other interests. Ha posted a 235-51-30 record in 12 seasons leading the Titans. South finished the season ranked No. 13 in Illinois and No. 81 in the nation. Glenbrook South won a regional title before Loyola defeated them 3-0 in the sectional semifinals. Makayla Stadler earned All-State honors.

 

Boys Tennis: Glenbrook South had a great year and qualified both singles players (Michael Bukhalo and Rohan Gupta) for state, along with both doubles teams (Daniel Deborin/Ben Soyfer and Jacob Adas/Marc Blekhman). Bukhalo went 2-2 before exiting in the fourth round of consolation bracket. Gupta went 3-2 and exited the same round as his teammate. Deborin/Soyfer went 3-2 and fell in fourth round of consolation bracket while Adas/Blekhman went 1-2 and dropped out in second consolation round. GBS piled up 13 points to finish tied for sixth at state. The Titans also claimed a sectional title, narrowly beating Glenbrook North by a single point.

Loyola scored 11 points and placed eighth at state. Alan Arocho went 3-2 before falling out in the consolation quarterfinals. Andy Paden/John Livaditis and Thomas Sullivan/Daly Frost each went 2-2 at state in doubles.

 

Badminton: Glenbrook South had a stellar season and capped it tied for ninth place at state with Prospect after collecting 5 points at the finals. GBS qualified both singles and both doubles teams to help them pile up the points. Sophia Lau went 3-2 in singles and exited in the fourth round of the consolation bracket. Emily McClanahan went 1-2 and left two rounds before Lau. Christina Moy/Rhea Shah went 1-2 in doubles for an early exit, but Molly Sedin/Christina Joseph went 3-2 to earn 2 team points. GBS won the sectional for their first sectional title since 2004. Loyola does not have a badminton program.

 

Winter Sports

 

Boys Basketball: Loyola (24-7) won a regional title before falling to Evanston in the sectional semifinals. Coach Tom Livatino was the CCL Blue Tony Lawless Award winner for Coach of the Year. Kevin Cunningham was first team all-conference while Connor Barrett and Pete Mangan also earned all-conference honors. Cunningham was named third team All-State. Tom Livatino was one of the IBCA Coaches of the Year. Loyola finished the season ranked No. 27 in Illinois.

Glenbrook South beat Taft in the regional quarterfinals before falling to No. 1 Evanston in the regional semifinals.

 

Girls Basketball: Loyola finished the season 25-6 and claimed a regional title before falling in the sectional finals to Maine West, who went on to finish third at state. The Ramblers broke a few individual records this year. Julia Martinez was named first team All-State as a junior. Lilly Wehman was named third team All-State. Celia Satter was named IBCA special mention. Loyola ended the season ranked No. 11 in Illinois.

Glenbrook South had another stellar season, going 20-9 overall, but was eliminated from the playoffs with a loss to Maine West. Lizzy Shaw and Kristin Ralston were both named IBCA special mention on the All-State team.

 

Boys Hockey: Loyola (53-10-2) won the Illinois State High School Championship by beating Stevenson, 4-2, in the title game at the United Center. Nicholas Liebers was named MVP of the championship game. Loyola won its third state title and first since 1996. The Ramblers had six players named to the All-State team: Hugh Brady, Timothy Hackett, Matthew Parma, Aidan Finnegan, John Purcell and Daniel Stevens.

Glenbrook South had an amazing season as well, finishing in the state semifinals. The No. 7 seeded team beat Mt. Carmel (2-1), OPRF (2-0) and No. 2 seed New Trier (8-3) in the playoffs, before No. 3 Stevenson beat them in the semifinals.

 

Girls Hockey: Glenbrook (16-7-3) finished second in state after losing in the title game, 5-1, to New Trier at the United Center. Hannah Jensen, one of seven All-State Glenbrook players, scored the only goal of the game for the defending state champions. Also earning All-State honors for Glenbrook were Madeline Dunham, Madison Itagaki, Kathleen Thomas, Chloe Carroll, Lily Cataldo and Nicole Knudson. Itagaki was the winner of Cammi Granato Female High School Player of the Year and coach Steve Hamelin was named Girls High School Coach of the Year.

Loyola was a state semifinalist this year, finishing top four in state, after another strong year. The Ramblers were led by All-State selections Kayla Johnson, Kaela Finegan, Gabriella Ciesla, Jayna Park, Jenna Rekoske and Caroline Smith.

 

Girls Gymnastics: Glenbrook South had a record breaking year and finished third at state with a 146.5 team score. The Titans set the school record for points (147.85) when they claimed the regional championship at South. The Titans went 1-3 in all-around in regionals with Jenna Hartley claiming regional titles in all-around (37.775), floor (9.525) and vault (9.8). Hartley helped the Titans win the sectional title as well, winning individual sectional titles on floor (9.35) and vault (9.8). Sheena Graham, a standout freshman, won the regional title on uneven parallel bars (9.55). Graham (37.225) beat Hartley (37.15) for the all-around title in sectionals. At the state meet, Hartley finished fifth on vault (9.525) and seventh on floor (9.475). Hartley was ninth in all-around at state with a 37.05 score, but Graham proved to be the best freshman all-arounder in state by placing sixth with a 37.15 score. Graham, at her first state meet, finished seventh on vault (9.5) and seventh on beam (9.05). Bebe Haramaras, the senior leader for GBS, wrapped her career with a 10th place finish on beam (8.65) at state.

 

Girls Bowling: Loyola sent three bowlers to sectionals, but none of them were able to qualify for the state finals. The Ramblers, who finished sixth in regionals with 4,474 total pins, sent Claudia Pensamiento, Asiana Olando and Caroline Paden to sectionals. Paden shot a 985 series at the Buffalo Grove sectional to lead the way for the Ramblers.

Glenbrook South doesn’t have a girls bowling team.

 

Wrestling: At the CCL meet, Loyola finished ninth out of 16 teams, highlighted by a runner-up finish by Sean Cloherty at 145 lbs. Cloherty ended his career at Loyola with school records for career wins, most pins and most pins in a single season. Cloherty (34-8) and Quinn McCarthy (23-11) each qualified for sectionals out of regional competition, but neither advanced to state.

Glenbrook South saw a few of its wrestlers break 20 wins this season, but none advanced out of the regional tournament hosted by South. Matt Rubel (22-15 record), Cam Mercer (27-13) and Jessie Quijada (21-19) all had solid seasons that ended in regionals.

 

Boys Swimming: Loyola scored 37 points to finish 13th place at state. Luke Maurer finished third in 100-yard free (45.63) and fourth in 200-yard free (1:39.4). Alex O’Toole finished eighth in 1-meter diving (442.65). Tommy Barr finished ninth in the 50-yard free (21.41). Barr also finished 10th in 100-yard free (46.85). Everet Andrew, a sophomore, finished 13th in 500-yard free (4:40.65). Loyola’s 400-yard freestyle relay team of Maurer, Barr, Andrew and Benjamin Dukes finished in 12th place. Loyola also qualified its 200-yard freestyle relay team (14th place).

Glenbrook South finished 35th at state with 4.5 points. GBS finished 12th in the 200-yard medley relay with the team of Adam Zuiker, Max Iida, Quinn Loughran and Nick Shechtman. Loughran tied for 11th in 100-yard butterfly with a time of 50.41. Iida finished 12th in the 100-yard breastroke and was the only freshman competing in the finals. Iida finished 15th in 200-yard IM, but was the only freshman in the top 32. The Titans also qualified Elliot Chen (200-yard free, 500-yard free), Mike Hadjiivanov (100-yard free), Cameron Schulte (100-yard breaststroke), 200-yard freestyle relay and 400-yard freestyle relay.

 

Competitive Dance: Loyola qualified and finished 15th place at state in Class 3A after scoring 89.08 in prelims. Only the top 12 teams advanced to the finals to compete for the title.

Glenbrook South came close behind in 17th place with an 88.4 score.

 

Cheerleading: Loyola (75.58 score) finished 10th out of 15 teams in their sectional, but didn’t advance to state as a team. Glenbrook South (70.52) finished 12th out of 15 teams in their sectional.

 

Fall Sports

 

Boys Cross Country: Glenbrook South finished 11th in sectionals, but didn’t qualify any athletes for state.

Loyola finished 10th in sectionals, but didn’t qualify anyone for state. Connor Hoag was named to CCL first team all-conference while teammates Spencer Dzyacky, Jack Lynch, Eli Miller and Alex Owens were second team all-conference.

 

Girls Cross Country: Glenbrook South didn’t advance to state as a team, but sophomore Kate Jortberg managed to finish 20th with a time of 17:09. GBS finished fourth in the regionals, but failed to advance out of sectionals as a team. The Titans finished sixth with 179 points, but only the top five advance to state. Palatine claimed the last spot in sectionals with 168 points.

Loyola’s only state qualifier was Lainey McKinley. She finished in 110th out of 210 runners. McKinley finished in 18:17. Loyola qualified for sectionals as a team, but their 12th place finish wasn’t high enough to advance.

 

Girls Tennis: Loyola’s Maggie Hines and Elizabeth Witkowski were honored with second team All-State honors. The doubles team finished third in sectionals behind both New Trier teams. At the state finals, Hines/Witkowski went 4-2 overall, exiting in the consolation quarterfinals. Loyola scored 6 points to finish tied for 22nd.

Glenbrook South finished third in sectionals and qualified one singles player and one doubles team. Vanessa Vaisanen finished fourth in sectionals, the same position as GBS doubles team Jayne Fradin/Kendall Oldham, to qualify for state. Vaisanen went 1-2 before being eliminated in the second round of consolation bracket. Fradin/Oldham won their first match before dropping the next two for a quick exit. GBS scored 3 points to finish tied for 34th at state.

 

Football: Loyola (12-2) finished state runner-up in Class 8A for the second straight year, this time falling to Lincoln-Way East. Loyola’s Quinn Boyle and Marty Geary were both named All-State players. Boyle was also named Lawless Player of the Year in CCL while Geary was named Outstanding Defensive Player of the Year in conference. Loyola head coach John Holecek was named the Lawless Coach of the Year. Eight Loyola players were named to the all-conference team. Loyola’s only losses were to Phillips (20-14 in week one, 14-0 record, state champions) and LWE. In the spring, alums Peter Pujals (Minnesota Vikings) and Jimmy Murray (Kansas City Chiefs) signed contracts with NFL teams following the NFL Draft.

A year after Glenbrook South went 1-8, they rebounded to go 5-5 this season with a playoff appearance (48-3 loss to Barrington).

 

Boys Golf: Loyola finished fifth in state in Class 3A with a 608 score. Peter Radler shot 147 over the two days to finish tied for eighth individually. Chip Savarie, who shot 151, tied for 26th. Jack Crawshaw (39th), Ben Scherman (53rd), Ryan Savarie (70th) and John Kryscio (70th) also competed at state for the Ramblers. Loyola finished second in CCL with a 290 score and had all-conference honors for Kryscio, Chip Savarie, Ryan Savarie and Scherman. Loyola also made history by winning a regional and sectional title in the same year for the first time ever. Scherman won medalist honors at the New Trier sectional. Crawshaw was the medalist in regionals for the Ramblers.

Glenbrook South didn’t qualify as a team, but Jack Grier finished 14th as an individual after shooting 149.

 

Girls Golf: Loyola Academy finished eighth at state in Class 2A after scoring 640. The Ramblers were led by Nina Rutkowski (30th place), Mary Boesen (51st), Grace Kryscio (69th), Tatum Koehn (76th), Lilly Gentzkow (78th) and Shea Graf (82nd). Loyola finished second in regionals and sectionals to advance.

Glenbrook South finished 11th in Class 2A after scoring 668. It was the Titans first team qualification since 2000. GBS was led by Maria Perakis (19th place, second highest freshman finisher), Hanna Tanaka (30th), Sophia Lau (61st), Ysabella Arrojo (107th), Olivia DeMattia (110th) and Katherine Feerick (110th). Glenbrook South finished third in regionals and sectionals to advance.

 

Boys Soccer: Loyola’s all-conference players were Luke Phillips, Jonas Madison and Collin Leider. The Ramblers entered the playoffs as the No. 11 seed and upset No. 7 Niles West before falling in the regional final to No. 3 Evanston. Loyola finished the season 13-6 overall.

Glenbrook South, the No. 5 seed in the New Trier sectional, was upset by No. 9 Lane in the regional semifinals. GBS, under first-year coach Reggie Lara, went 12-7-4 overall, including 2-1-2 in the ultra competitive CSL South. GBS posted 10 shutouts this season.

 

Girls Swimming and Diving: Loyola was busy at state, where they placed 23rd with 18 points, after qualifying three individuals and two relay teams. Emily Rourke (1-meter diving), Shannon Kearney (50-yard free, 100-yard backstroke), Margaret Guanci (100-yard butterfly, 100-yard backstroke), 200-yard freestyle relay (13th place) and 200-yard medley relay (13th) all qualified for the Ramblers. Kearney placed second in the 100-yard backstroke (53.9) and also finished 10th in 50-yard free (23.66). Rourke finished 11th in diving. Guanci was 17th at state in 100-yard backstroke.

Glenbrook South had multiple state qualifiers including Kate Solem (200-yard free, 500-yard free), Alexis Kachkin (50-yard free, 100-yard free), Catherine Devine (50-yard free), Alex DiMarco (1-meter diving), 200-yard freestyle relay (25th place) and 400-yard freestyle relay (29th). Despite the number of qualifiers the Titans had, GBS didn’t score any points at the state meet.

 

Girls Field Hockey: Loyola went 11-9 this season including an impressive 7-2 record at home. Grace Ballestrery and Anya Kavanagh were named to the All-State team for Loyola.

Glenbrook South (11-9) made it to the Elite 8 with help from All-State player’s Shannon Schmitt and Mary Jane McNary. Unfortunately, the Titans just missed out on making the final four.

 

Girls Volleyball: Loyola went 23-13 under Mark Chang, who departed after the season and will be replaced by Mallory Thelander in the fall. The Ramblers, seeded No. 3, were stunned by No. 14 Wheeling in the regional semifinals for a quick exit.

Glenbrook South struggled this past season, going 14-23 (2-8 in CSL South). They beat Prospect in the regional quarterfinals of the playoffs, but fell to No. 1 New Trier in the regional semifinals.

 

Loyola Proves They Are One Of Best In Illinois

Every year Loyola is one of the top programs in the state and this year was no different. Boys lacrosse and boys hockey each won state this year, but they weren’t the only successful teams coming out of Wilmette.

Here is a rundown of where some of Loyola’s teams finished this year:

Boys lacrosse (1st)

Boys hockey (1st)

Football (2nd)

Girls lacrosse (3rd)

Girls water polo (4th)

Girls hockey (top 4, lost in semifinals, no 3rd place game)

Boys golf (5th)

Boys tennis (8th)

Girls golf (8th)

Baseball (top 8)

Competitive dance (15th)

Boys water polo (top 16)

Boys volleyball (top 16)

Girls soccer (top 16)

Girls tennis (tied 22nd)

Girls swimming (23rd)

Boys track (42nd place)

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