Girls Lacrosse Headed to State Tournament

The ETHS girls' lacrosse team cruised to a 17-8 victory over Oak Park on May 4. Cat Novak and Jessica Chukwu each scored five goals, with four poured in by Caitlin Guthrie. Emma Folz also scored a goal and Nora Graham added 2 for the Wildkits, who brought their regular season record to 17-7-1.
Seeded fourth in the State tournament, the team earned a first round bye. They will face Oak Park again in the second round of the playoffs at home on May 15 at 5:30 p.m.

Girls Soccer Ends Regular Season with Confidence, Injuries and Bug Bites

By Nick Batlle

With regionals around the corner, Evanston gave powerhouse Elk Grove a run for their money last Thursday on Senior Night.

In an attempt to shut down the Grenadiers' Katie Klimczak, a top ranked striker in the state who has committed to play at North Carolina next fall, coach Marx Succes decided to play with three defenders, with All-Sectional senior captain Brigit Larson as the anchor in the middle.

Although Klimczak did find the back of the net once, when the final whistle blew, the score board read 1-1, a satisfying result for a game they weren't supposed to win.

"We played well," said Succes. "I think it's one of the best games we've played this year. A great way to end the season in preparation for the playoffs."

Evanston struck in the first 10 minutes, with freshman midfielder Katie Doyle controlling the ball just inside the 18-yard box, then firing a shot across her body into the side netting. Evanston continued to control the flow of the game until Klimczak caught the Wildkit defenders napping with 2 minutes left in the half, evening the score on a breakaway.

The second half went back and forth with neither team taking advantage of opportunities. Junior Kristine Horwitz took a hard foul inside the box with 12 minutes remaining, but a penalty kick was not called as the referee decided to let the girls determine the outcome of the game rather than himself. With 4 minutes left on the clock junior Megan Vandehey sent a beautiful cross into the box to senior Natalie Fenn, but her shot was blocked by Elk Grove goalkeeper Jen Jarris.

The following day at practice, Larson hyper extended her knee while going in for a tackle on Horwitz. With senior captain Amelia Monar and junior defender Linnea Carlson already on crutches, the loss of Larson is especially tough.

Evanston is seeded number four in their sectional and played Ridgewood in the first round yesterday. The winner of that game plays the winner of the Niles West/ Von Steuben game, all of which are being hosted at ETHS. The ranking is lower than Coach Succes would have hoped, but he is still comfortable with where his team stands.

"I like being the underdog, I like sneaking in the back door," said a confident Succes with apparent confidence. "I tell people we're a young team, but we're hungry. I've trained them to the highest level and I have high expectations for them.

Boys Lacrosse Come-From-Behind Win Second of the Week

By Nick Batlle

For boys lacrosse any type of win is welcoming, considering all the disappointing losses they have faced this year. Between their thrilling 15-14 victory over Glenbrook North last Tuesday and the 10-8 win over Wheaton-Warrenville South on Saturday, Coach Dave Allen can finally let out a sigh of relief.

"It shows that we're not coming out of the locker room ready to play," said Allen about his team's recent pattern of falling behind then coming back. "To spot a team a four-goal lead and expect to stay competitive is tough."

Much like the GBN game earlier in the week, Evanston found themselves trailing big early on. With 2:31 left in the second quarter, and trailing 5-0, the Wildkits finally found some life behind an Andy Hobble goal. Two minutes later, senior Sam Alden made a tricky pass to senior Troy Clesen who then dumped it in the net. Finally with 6 seconds left in the first half, Clesen scored again, making the score 5-3.

Going into the third quarter they got started right where they left off. Forty-five seconds in, senior Brian Murphy dished the ball of to an open Alden to cut the deficit to one. Less than a minute later, the two changed spots and tied up the game, this time Alden with the goal and Murphy with the assist. Evanston finally took the lead with 6:20 left to play in the third quarter when sophomore Tyler Hall made a run and scored unassisted.

The Wildkits played virtually the entire third quarter on the offensive with Wheaton-Warrenville South struggling to get a single shot off. Clesen finished the game with a hat trick, and the Kits rolled during their senior game with a final score of 10-8.

Although content with the win, coach Allen appeared to recognize that his team had some adjustments to make down the stretch.

"The offense works when we're disciplined enough to run it," said Allen. "I think sometimes we get nervous. We get a little hesitant to really think about how to run it."
They face a tough New Trier squad tomorrow at Winnetka Field.

Ferguson-Mahem Throws a Gem, Baseball Splits Doubleheader

By Nick Batlle

ETHS pitcher Zach Morton on the hill against Mundelein.

Evanston played a doubleheader against Maine East and Mundelein last Saturday coming off two big wins over Maine South earlier in the week. Senior James Ferguson-Mahem took the mound in the first game, and junior Zach Morton pitched the second.

In Ferguson -Mahem's last start he suffered a tough loss to Deerfield, but against Maine East he looked as sharp as ever, taking the win by a score of 11-1.

The only run Evanston surrendered came unearned in the first inning, behind an infield error. Ferguson-Mahem went five innings, allowing three hits, walking one and striking out four.

"James has been throwing well. He's had a great year," said head coach Ed Toledo. "We came out early, scored a few runs at the beginning of the game and that was it."

Offensively he got a lot of help with senior outfielder Robert Rashid going 3-4. Rashid doubled to drive in two runs, contributing to Evanston's big five-run 4th inning. Junior Noah Lieberman came in to pitch a 1-2-3 sixth inning.

Junior David Baskin is the day to day catcher, but he played third base on Saturday, going 3-4 with 2 RBI against Maine East, then stepping up even bigger in the first inning against Mundelein, hitting a two-run homer over the center field fence.

Having Morton pitch is usually comforting, but the Mustang bats proved relentless, hitting what seemed like double after double.

When Morton left after the fifth inning, Evanston was up 5-4. Going into the sixth, Alex Hossfeld came in to provide some relief, but had trouble finding his spots, giving up the game-tying run and eventually getting slated with the loss. Nathan Hobbs then took the mound, but also struggled. In the end Mundelein left Evanston with a hard fought 9-5 win.

Coach Toledo did not hold the pitchers responsible for the loss, however."We're still not hitting on all cylinders," said Toledo. "It's one of those deals where as long as we keep going the way we are, at some point, the other guys should catch a little fire for us. Then we should be in a pretty good situation."
Their record currently stands at 18-12-1, and they are hosting Waukegan today at 4:15.

700 Students Expected at 32nd Ron Risch Track Meet

The 32nd Annual Evanston/Skokie Ron Risch Invitational Track & Field Meet will be held on June 2 at Evanston Township High School. More than 700 students from public, private and parochial schools are expected to compete this year.

Meet director Rich Fattes said fourth- through eighth-graders will participate in boys', girls', and co-ed events on the ETHS field. In case of rain, the events will be held in the field house. The meet will open with the mile run at7:30 a.m. and activities are scheduled throughout the morning in grade-level categories.

The meet is now named for Ron Risch, a dedicated District 65 physical education teacher who was instrumental in creating the first "Junior Olympics" in l976, held on June 5 at Northwestern University.

After teaching at Dawes, Washington, and Central Elementary schools, Mr. Risch signed on at Chute Middle School, as one of the newly opened school's original teachers, and worked there until his 1993 retirement. He was also assistant coach of the girls track and field team at ETHS from 1979 to 1993, which led him to receive the Illinois Girls' Coaches Association Track & Field Coach of the Year award for 1988-89.

Mr. Risch died in l994 of a lung cancer related to asbestos exposure.

In l995 the all-City athletic event was renamed to honor his commitment to the promotion of physical well-being for all students and for his efforts to continue the annual track meet. Mr. Risch is remembered for his dedication and devotion to his students; though he fiercely valued competition, he never lost sight of the worth of sportsmanship. He conveyed his high expectations without criticism.

Evanston Athletic Club and Dengeo's Restaurant join Districts 65 and 202 in support of the day's activities. Mr. Fattes expressed his appreciation to the two commercial sponsors and hopes to bring in other local businesses to continue the track and field meet in the years to come.