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Chicago Tribune
5 days ago
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
After pushing car home, Jozef Walus propels Reavis to upset win over Brother Rice. ‘Meant for a moment like this.'
On the eve of one of the biggest boys volleyball matches in years for Reavis, senior outside hitter Jozef Walus certainly didn't see this coming. The engine blew in his car. Walus and his friends pushed the car for two miles Wednesday night, and when all was said and done, he got home at 3 a.m. and finally went to sleep. But the effects from that adventure weren't over. 'I got up at nine and my back was hurting from pushing that car,' Walus said. His mother, Agnieszka, came to the rescue. 'She put some Icy Hot on my back, I fell back asleep with it, and when I woke up, I felt better,' Jozef said. 'I felt replenished.' Things went much better Thursday night for Walus. The host Rams hummed along like a brand-new car, pulling off a 25-18, 25-15 stunner over Brother Rice at the Reavis Regional in Burbank, winning their first regional title since 2011. Walus tallied five kills and three aces for sixth-seeded Reavis (31-2). He also unleashed several other serves that had the backrow of third-seeded Brother Rice (30-8) scrambling. Pawel Greczek led the Rams with nine kills and a .500 hitting percentage, while Brandon Wilke added six kills. Blue O'Neill had 23 assists and Krystian Paluch chipped in with 18 digs. Vaughn Goberville paced Brother Rice with four kills. The Crusaders were guilty of 13 hitting errors and six serving miscues, ensuring that their season would end sooner than they expected. Walus and the Rams, however, set the tone by taking a 14-5 lead in the first game. That helped silence the jitters they were collectively experiencing. 'We were 100% nervous,' Walus said. 'We were all nervous, but we put that aside and said that we wanted to win this. We put it aside and played our hardest.' How nervous was Walus? 'When I went back to serve, I thought I was going to trip and fall,' he said. To prove the opener wasn't a fluke, the Rams took a 15-4 lead in the second game and won handily, advancing to Saturday's Hinsdale Central Sectional semifinals against second-seeded Sandburg (33-4). For Reavis coach Mike Jebens, this was the culmination of a graduating class that featured talented freshmen with potential four years ago. And Walus was one of them. 'Joey has been through so much,' Jebens. 'He was a JV player as a freshman and started as a sophomore and started as a junior and as a senior and has improved so much. 'He was meant for a moment like this.' Paluch, who was also a top soccer player for Reavis, remembered regional final losses to Marian Catholic and Sandburg the past two years. He thought the Rams were ready for a breakthrough. 'It was great that we were at home,' he said. 'When we're at home, there is this different vibe, and the fans came out and supported us. This is something special.' Paluch said he doesn't think he will go to college, so he wants to make the most out of the end of his high school career. On the other hand, Walus committed to play volleyball at Bryant & Stratton in Wisconsin. He's glad that he can get in at least a couple more years of the sport and go from there. 'They are bringing in a few 6-8 middles and the setter from Argo,' Walus said, referring to Alexander Jakowicki. 'I didn't want to go to a four-year college. I just wanted to get my associate's degree real quick and go to a trade school. 'But I had a friend who committed there. It's a two-year program and it's close to home.'
Chicago Tribune
17-02-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Kavel Moore operates outside of spotlight for Mount Carmel. And that's just fine to him. ‘Love being the underdog.'
Mount Carmel's Kavel Moore has spent his whole high school career surrounded by star wrestlers. That list includes four-time state champion Sergio Lemley, who is now at Michigan. Two-time state champion Colin Kelly, who is now at Illinois. And current senior teammate Seth Mendoza, a Missouri recruit who will try for his fourth state title this weekend. When he was younger, Moore would compare himself to those standouts and feel unworthy. Now, the senior 120-pounder has embraced learning from them. And he knows that he belongs. 'Seeing them make it look so easy, at first, I was doubting myself,' Moore said. 'But then I just kept building off what I saw them doing and kept getting better, and then when my time came, I took advantage of it. 'Now, I'm going back for my last dance.' Indeed, Moore will make a second and final trip to the individual state meet. But this time, he's going as a sectional champion after upsetting Glenbard East's Ismael Chaidez in Saturday's Class 3A Hinsdale Central Sectional championship match. Mendoza rolled to his fourth sectional title at 138. Illinois recruit George Marinopoulos (132), North Carolina State commit Will Denny (165) and Ohio recruit Ricky Ericksen (190) all took titles for Marist, while Virginia commit Rocco Hayes (113) was a champion for Sandburg. Marist and Mount Carmel each qualified nine wrestlers and Sandburg will send four to the state meet, which begins Thursday at the State Farm Center in Champaign. Moore (25-11), who is an honorable mention in Illinois Matmen's rankings, trailed seventh-ranked Chaidez 4-0 in the second period before coming up with a pin. It was a comeback Moore said mirrors the way his season has gone. 'Early in the year, I got off to a slow start,' Moore said. 'I went from being ranked to just being an honorable mention. But it's like that match. I got off to a slow start and then I was able to flip that switch. I also flipped it halfway through the year and really started to pick it up. 'Now, I'm a sectional champion.' Moore's early season struggles took him off the radar a bit. He likes that. 'I love being the underdog,' he said. 'I love when people are like, 'Yeah, you're good, but this kid is better than you.' I'm like, 'We'll see.' 'Obviously, a lot of people thought that kid was going to beat me, but it didn't happen.' After going 1-2 at state last season, Moore spent the offseason training hard with Mendoza. 'Last summer, he started coming to the gym by my house and me and my dad would do workouts a couple days a week in the morning,' Mendoza said. 'He wouldn't miss any of them. 'You can see a lot of progress from last year and especially from freshman and sophomore years. This year, he's really taken a step up. Winning sectionals is awesome. I've been wrestling with him for four years, and the growth I've seen is pretty awesome.' Mount Carmel coach Alex Tsirtsis has seen Moore push through adversity and persevere. 'I would say the last month, he's been coming on,' Tsirtsis said. 'We had a rough January with ups and downs as a team and as individuals, but I think a lot of our guys found themselves. 'He was definitely one of them who really turned it on.' Moore has been wrestling since he was 9 years old. Reluctantly, at the start. 'At first I didn't even know it was a sport and then my parents told me about it one day,' he said. 'I looked into it. I was like, 'I'll try it.' At first I didn't like it, like any kid wouldn't like it because it takes away from play time.' What changed his mind? 'Just the feeling of winning,' Moore said. 'Accomplishing something that you set your mind to, especially in this sport, there's not another feeling like it.'
