Latest news with #DuKaneConference
Chicago Tribune
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
With DuKane Conference title on the line, Keaton Reinke steps up for St. Charles North. ‘This is what I live for.'
Junior right-hander Keaton Reinke wants to be on the mound with the ball pitching in the biggest games for St. Charles North. And if it's a winner-take-all championship game, even better. He's definitely got all the tools. But it's his mentality that looms larger. 'This is what I live for,' Reinke said afterward. 'I want to be in these moments with my guys. I know they've got my back. That's just what I love and what I live for.' Reinke, who just returned from a football visit to Stanford, lived up to the moment Friday. Working 6 1/3 innings for the win, Reinke struck out four as the North Stars held on for a 4-3 victory over host Geneva that clinched the DuKane Conference title for St. Charles North. Reinke reached his pitch count with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning for the North Stars (19-12, 14-7). He allowed three runs on seven hits and a pair of walks. Two pitches after Reinke exited, Josh Kobylinski induced a game-ending double play for the save. Sophomore phenom Matt Ritchie was unavailable for the game, but St. Charles North coach Todd Genke didn't hesitate to tab Reinke with the assignment. 'You can't have somebody more important than a kid like him on the mound,' Genke said. 'I thought he took us on his back. That's just the kind of athlete he is and the kind of teammate he is. 'He had electric stuff. To hold that team to three runs is pretty impressive, especially here.' Reinke also scored the first run of the game after legging out a dropped third strike. Charlie Major came up with a two-run single in the second to give the North Stars a 2-0 lead. Langdon Straub doubled and courtesy runner Cam Chickerneo scored what proved to be a pivotal insurance run. Mason Bruesch, Ethan Gronberg and Nelson Wendell each had two hits for Geneva (23-11, 13-8), which scored twice in the bottom of the seventh to cut the deficit to one. Bruesch also stole two bases. Noah Hallahan pitched a complete game. Reinke, a three-star recruit at wide receiver, is navigating that process while also trying to be the ace for the North Stars. Through it all, Genke said Reinke's commitment to the baseball program never wavered. His toughness also has permeated the entire roster. 'When you compete like he does, whether it's on the football field, baseball field, in the box, on the mound or in the outfield, special things happen,' Genke said. 'He's a special human. 'Regardless of all the other stuff going on in his life, he's here for his teammates and for our program and we're really lucky to have him.' Reinke carried a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the sixth. Geneva broke through when Wendell singled and scored on Hallahan's sacrifice fly. After St. Charles North added a run in the seventh, Reinke started to slow down and approach his pitch count. Four of the five batters he faced in the seventh reached base and two scored. 'It was heartbreaking to take him out there with as well as he'd pitched,' Genke said. 'But we have confidence in Koby.' Geneva coach Brad Wendell thought another comeback, which has been a calling card this season of the Vikings, was about to occur. 'It did feel like it,' Wendell said. 'I still believed until the end. Our guys compete. In games like this, it's tough to get wins. We just talked about being competitive.' Once Kobylinski secured the double play, the celebration was on, led by an exuberant Reinke. 'Just being able to celebrate with my guys is what I wanted,' Reinke said. 'It meant a lot. We have the guys. We proved it (Friday) that we're the top guys and we're going to be there for a while.'
Chicago Tribune
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Transfer portal has shifted priorities in college football recruiting. One response: High school showcases.
Chicago's western suburbs played host to a sort of 'high school crawl' for college football coaches Wednesday, with talent evaluators shuttling from one DuKane Conference football field to the next in search of recruits. Conference coaches, led by St. Charles North's Robert Pomazak, started the eight-school event — called 'DuKane Day' — a few years ago in an effort to get more eyes on their players amid an increasingly challenging high school recruiting scene. Coaches from more than 60 colleges at all levels attended to see players work out, chat with them and obtain their information from high school coaches. Pomazak said the day, which was modeled after a similar showcase in Indianapolis, is 'a one-stop shop within our conference for them to see upward of 200 to 300 kids, which the coaches find very advantageous because the travel is pretty rigorous.' Other high schools and conferences around the Chicago area are fielding similar events — or hoping to — as they look for new ways to promote their recruits. 'This allows us to promote our conference, which is important, but also promote every player within our program, not just the blue-chip athlete,' Pomazak said. 'Because the majority of kids who go to college to play football are not Division I scholarship athletes.' The NCAA transfer portal and this year's uncertainty about Division I roster limits have changed the recruiting game for high school athletes — and the coaches who try to set them on the best college path. The Football Bowl Subdivision saw 2,902 players transfer to new schools last year through July 2024, and 1,395 Football Championship Subdivision players transferred in that time, according to NCAA records. The biggest programs' recruiting attention — and offers of roster spots — often is swayed toward transfers now. Anecdotally, area high school coaches and their athletes are feeling that shift in terms of the volume of coaches calling — and the level of the programs interested. Naperville North coach Sean Drendel said two years ago he had 75 colleges visit the school as of May 1. Last year that number was 37. This year it was six. Instances of regional recruiters checking into high schools each year have decreased, Drendel said, as some programs focus on the portal or shift to positional recruiting. Glenbard South coach Ryan Crissey said his text conversations with other high school coaches about the number of college recruiters coming by their schools have changed. It was once: 'This week was kind of crazy. We had 13, 14 schools.' Now it's: 'We had two. We had four.' 'When you look at things from a Division I standpoint, whether it's the FBS or the FCS, the high school kids for the most part seem to be the afterthought,' Crissey said. 'But I understand why. I mean, if I'm the head coach — it doesn't matter if I'm at Illinois State or if I'm at Illinois — if I can get a 20-year-old who's played two years in college football compared to an 18-year-old who hasn't, I'm probably going to take the chance at the transfer kid.' In the new climate, high school coaches try to find multiple avenues to get their players noticed. That can include utilizing personal connections, reaching out to recruiting services and media analysts — and showcases such as DuKane Day. It's 'a full-time job unto itself,' Pomazak said of helping his players get recruited. A week before Pomazak's event, Crissey and Drendel hosted their own version, called 'Western Suburbs College Football Evaluation Day.' The pair had conversations for a couple of years about how to help their athletes get recruited. They wanted to help players who couldn't afford the prohibitive costs of multiple third-party showcases or college camps, where it's often hard for non-elite players to stand out anyway. They saw the number of classes some athletes had to miss to meet with colleges. And they wanted to collaborate with other coaches to bring in more college recruiters to see their players. So last year they started their showcase, a two-day event with 13 high schools and more than 200 players. They spoke with college coaches to tailor the schedule and put the players through agility workouts, positional drills and unpadded competition periods. Sixty-seven coaches from multiple college levels attended this year's event, though attendance by FBS programs was limited, Crissey said, based on each school's interpretation of rules by its compliance officer. The DuKane schools hold their event on each school's individual field to ensure FBS programs can attend without being wary of NCAA violations. Crissey and Drendel said they're working on a proposal to help their event be open to more FBS schools. But Drendel said their event is especially useful for smaller schools anyway. 'The big schools, they have an endless budget, so it doesn't matter to them,' Drendel said. 'But if you're at Western Illinois or Eastern Illinois, your budget is not as big, so you need to see as many kids in a short amount of time as you can. 'Generally you can only hit so many schools a day. So if we can put six to eight of them in an area for a two-hour period, they can kill a lot of birds with a lot of stones. And we can go back to our parents and say, 'We had them evaluated.'' The broad range of college programs at the events is important at a time when multiple high school coaches said they've had to adjust their athletes' expectations for the level of football they can play to start their college careers. Jacobs coach Brian Zimmerman, who hopes the Fox Valley Conference can start its own showcase next year, said he has seen some 'mind-boggling' recruiting droughts for players he thought deserved better. 'I had a couple of kids this year that in my opinion would have been at least Division II or FCS kids that I couldn't get a sniff from coaches,' Zimmerman said. 'If you're a tweener kid who might not be a three-, four-, five-star (recruit), you might have to look to start at a lower level.' Zimmerman and other coaches are advising players that the path to playing football in college might look different now. One of Zimmerman's former players, tight end Nick True, is transferring from Illinois to a smaller school because he wants more playing time. He valued his time as a walk-on at Illinois but said if he were in high school now, he might have made a different decision 'if I knew about how crazy this portal thing is.' The lower-level programs have embraced selling the new path of the high school player, playing up the developmental aspect that might not be as likely anymore at FBS programs if young players can't get on the field, Crissey and Drendel said. And they're offering another promise. 'There are plenty of colleges, all divisions except for FBS, that will come in and tell our higher-level kids, 'Come to us for two years, and we will help you transfer,'' Crissey said. 'Never in my life would we have heard that three, four years ago.' As Pomazak said, 'the ecosystem of recruiting has changed 180 degrees.' And high school showcases are one way coaches can help their players adapt to the changing times in college sports.
Chicago Tribune
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Caleigh Higgins, only a sophomore, settles into role at first base for St. Charles East. Her swing? ‘Warming up.'
St. Charles East's Caleigh Higgins almost underestimates her own power. The sophomore first baseman thought her at-bat in the first inning was a simple pop-up. 'I'm always going to keep working and not let one at-bat determine how I play,' Higgins said. 'With my size, I've always had the sense if the ball was anywhere near me, I was going to swing.' And that first swing Wednesday? It wasn't merely a pop-up. Higgins hit a two-run home run to spark the host Saints to a 10-0 DuKane Conference victory over Geneva in five innings. Junior designated hitter Hayden Sujack hit two homers and drove in three runs for St. Charles East (11-10, 2-3). Senior infielder Holly Smith added two RBIs, while senior pitcher Kyli Dunn struck out four. Sophomore outfielder Caroline Winsininski had the only hit for the Vikings (5-12, 0-5). Senior shortstop Addison Wolf was at second base when Higgins — who also scored twice — stepped up for her first plate appearance. She felt a surge of excitement heading toward home. 'Caleigh is warming up to us,' Wolf said. 'She was definitely more quiet at the beginning of the season. Now, we're really getting to know her and she's a really good addition to our team. 'We knew as soon as she got here she was going to do good things.' St. Charles East coach Jarod Gutesha said the signs of Higgins' emergence were evident before her breakthrough moment. 'She has swung the bat really well the last couple of days, both in practice and in our game (Tuesday),' he said. 'If you watch her in a round of batting practice, it doesn't take long to figure out she can hit the ball a long way. 'She's getting into that comfort zone. It was great to see that ball go over the scoreboard.' The 6-foot Higgins has a great swing radius and prototypical size to generate power. Playing center on the basketball team also has improved her agility, quickness and balance. Her improvement has been incremental in softball, learning to counter different pitching styles. 'The pitching is much more advanced, but I never get too far ahead of myself,' Higgins said. 'I just think one base at a time and go from there. I've worked on my power and how to drive the ball.' Higgins bats sixth in the order for the Saints, underscoring the team's developing faith in her immense promise and potential. In that first inning, Sujack hit a two-run homer as well. 'She's been working really hard, especially in practice, and I'm really proud of her,' Sujack said of Higgins. 'Her improvement since the beginning of the season has been substantial. 'She's doing a really good job of slowing things down, making it simple and playing her game.' Sujack said Higgins is so quiet it proved virtually impossible to mentor her in the beginning. But Higgins' game is catching up, and that speaks volumes. 'Earlier this season, I was in a little bit of a slump and it felt great just to bounce back and hit,' Higgins said. 'I always try to get myself into a good mindset and make sure I'm only talking positively about myself.' Higgins got start in softball at age 8 when her father signed her up for a local recreational league. That was the spark she needed, and the game has become her private passion. Striking out in her first varsity career at-bat is now a long and distant memory. 'My favorite part about the game is just the energy you get and being with the rest of the team,' she said. 'When I'm not playing, I just focus on school.'
Chicago Tribune
08-02-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Sneaky-good Hudson Kirby skies in for huge dunk as Geneva remains unbeaten in conference. ‘As good as it gets.'
Sometimes, people sleep on the athleticism of Geneva's Hudson Kirby. So once in a while, the 6-foot-6 senior forward likes to remind everybody about what he can do. He did that Friday night when he flew past a defender and threw down a two-handed slam dunk. 'Coach (Scott) Hennig draws up a ton of plays for me to get open and to get down and drive a gap that's open,' Kirby said. 'I'm just thankful for everything that goes through me in the offense. And then I know we have the shooters that are going to make them. 'You can't give them an inch of air.' Kirby found some rarefied air against Batavia, putting together a stellar 31-point effort as the Vikings topped the archrival Bulldogs 68-44 to remain undefeated in the DuKane Conference. A Wisconsin-Parkside recruit, Kirby also had seven rebounds and three blocked shots for Geneva (22-4, 11-0). Gabe Jensen tallied 14 points and four 3-pointers, including a buzzer-beater at the end of the first quarter. Jax Abalos led Batavia (9-14, 4-7) with 19 points. Xavier Justice added 14. Hennig, who knows what kind of athlete he has in Kirby, loves setting up plays to feature that athleticism. 'That's a combination of a sneaky athletic kid who has really good feet and he's just super skilled,' Hennig said. 'It's just a great kid that works hard. It's a kid that's been in our system that's willing to put in the work, that's willing to accept the feedback and then just go work on it.' Kirby's big jam came right after Abalos, his good buddy and former AAU teammate, filled the lane and slammed home a rebound. After those highlight-reel plays, however, Kirby got down to business. He scored the final 10 points of the half for Geneva as the Vikings opened up a 36-20 lead. 'He's very composed on his drives and very balanced,' Batavia coach Jim Nazos said. 'He has a nice touch. I mean, he's strong. He's a nice player. There are a lot of good players over there. 'Credit to Geneva. Obviously we're not there yet, but we're working on it.' Batavia did cut the deficit down to 12 points in the third quarter on back-to-back 3-pointers from Justice but never got any closer. 'We just never sustained stopping them to get all the way back into it,' Nazos said. 'When you get down that much, that quick, you have to be prefect the rest of the way.' Kirby, meanwhile, had this game circled on the calendar. Geneva had never swept the season series over Batavia in his high school career. 'I feel like everything contributed to it,' Kirby said. 'The atmosphere getting ready, I was just ready for this for weeks. And we know what we did last time and we had to do it this time too. 'This is probably as good as it gets.' Kirby made sure to get downhill to do his damage, something Hennig brought up as a comparison this week in class. 'We were talking about Marcus Domask, who used to play for Illinois,' Hennig said. 'That's how he kind of played, like a bowling ball. It's his commitment upstairs to the weight room. It's not like he's Tommy Diamond, but just a kid we said, 'Hey, you have to get stronger.' And he was like, 'OK.' 'He added 10 to 15 pounds of muscle and it shows — hence why colleges were all over him. It's not like he's this Division I power. He's just a local kid that loves playing basketball and wants to keep getting better.' The Vikings have been putting together a memorable season, knocking on the door of a DuKane Conference title with three more games to go. And that's not all for Kirby. 'I think it's going great so far,' he said. 'In every important game, we've shown up and we've found a way to come out on top in every single one of them.'
Chicago Tribune
31-01-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Playing on one knee, Josh Kahley keeps going for Batavia. The only way he knows how. ‘A blessing to be out there.'
There's a narrative in sports that talks about an athlete leaving it all on the court, and senior guard Josh Kahley is living that out in spades for Batavia. Despite playing with a knee injury — and knowing that his competitive athletic career is over after this season — Kahley is literally leaving it all on the court for the Bulldogs. 'I'm getting surgery right after the season and then I'm done with sports,' Kahley said. 'This is the last ride for me. Especially when at the start of the year I was told I wasn't going to be able to play. 'That puts things in perspective. It's a blessing to be out there.' Batavia is certainly happy to have him on the court. He hit a key 3-pointer with 6:50 left in the fourth quarter Thursday night, pulling the Bulldogs even at 40-40 in a DuKane Conference game. Down the stretch, Batavia then fended off host St. Charles North for a 55-49 comeback win. Senior guard/forward Jax Abalos led all scorers with 16 points for Batavia (8-12, 3-5), followed by Joe Reid with 13 and Brett Berggren with 11. Braden Harms had 13 for the North Stars (5-16, 1-8). Batavia coach Jim Nazos knows other players garner more attention than Kahley. That's not what matters to him, however. 'Why do teams win?' Nazos said of Kahley. 'They look at Reid scoring and Jax scoring. We win because we have guys like him that just defend, move the ball, and then all of a sudden, when it's his turn, he's going to hit it. 'That's why we have a chance going forward to do some special things.' Kahley thought his competitive athletic career was over before the football season even started. It all come down to pain tolerance, however, and he has answered that bell. 'He's playing on one leg,' Nazos said. 'He never complains. I'll talk to him and he'll say, 'I'm a little sore.' I know he's a lot more sore. He might be the toughest guy I've ever coached.' Kahley has followed the lead of his older brother, Ryan, in terms of having a tough mentality. Being a star on a football team that played for a state championship also has helped. 'I've kind of embraced that winning mentality,' Kahley said. 'In football, they grill that into you and that's something that carries into this.' St. Charles North led by as many as 13 points in the first half and by 11 points halfway through the third quarter Thursday but couldn't sustain that as Batavia slowly climbed back into the game. 'We had great effort,' North Stars coach Tom Poulin said. 'We just made too many mistakes in the second half. It's a tale of two halves in terms of execution and confidence. 'I'm not sure what changed. We have to figure that out.' Kahley said his goal this season is easy, and he embodied his philosophy in the fourth quarter. In addition to hitting the game-tying 3-pointer, he made two key defensive stops in the late stages to help secure the win. 'I try to produce winning plays,' Kahley said. 'That's what we call it. It's the first to get to the ball when the ball is on the court. We preach diving on the ball when it's on the ground and getting it.' Kahley was a key part of Batavia's run last season to a regional championship. In that manner, Nazos isn't surprised how Kahley is emerging as a key piece of the team this winter. 'He's been like this since fifth grade,' Nazos said. 'He doesn't know any other way. He loves hoops. He just competes at whatever he does. 'After basketball, he's going to fix his knee and hope he can walk when he's 40. He's literally leaving it out there. It's an unsung story in the area that's worth noting.'
