Evanston Netminder Leads Team to Number 2 Spot in the Nation

ETHS freshman Wes Anderson, goalie for the Chicago Mission Tier 1 AAA Hockey Team, led his team to a second-place finish in the USA Hockey National Tournament last week in Hackensack, New Jersey. In order to compete in the championship, the team had to win the state and regional titles. During regional play, Anderson posted a shutout and let in just 2 goals in three games. For the national championship, the Chicago Mission faced Detroit Little Caesars, the top-ranked team in both Canada and the United States all season. The Chicago Mission lost 2-0, with Anderson recording 33 saves and coming within a hair of a national title.

Wildkits Baseball Team Finishes 2-2 at National Tournament in Sunshine State

By Michael O'Sullivan

The Evanston Wildkits returned home from Boca Raton, Fla., late last week after finishing with a record of 2-2 in the National Grand Slam Tournament. This was the first year any Evanston baseball team had left the state of Illinois to compete in a tournament.

"This was an incredible week and experience for us," said ETHS senior pitcher and shortstop Zach Morton. "Playing against great competition in Florida and competing in an elite tournament like that one is an unforgettable experience for all of the players. The trip also brought us a lot closer together as a team and a unit."

Evanston was pitted against Forest Hill High School for their first game in the tournament; the Kits won by an impressive 12-0 slaughter-rule decision. Senior pitchers Morton and Chris Metz combined for a two-hit shutout in the victory, and E-Town thrived at the plate as well. Evanston went on top early by putting up three runs in the home-half of the first, thanks in part to a leadoff double by senior Nate Hobbs and a two-run homer from Morton.

The Kits then moved on to put up four runs in the second inning and five in the third inning to cruise for the 12-0 win.

"We came out really excited to play that first game," said senior first baseman Nick Boyer, who had two singles in the victory. "We came out with an energy that could not be matched, and that is why I think we played so well that first game."

In the second game Evanston faced West Boca Raton High School who had a record of 48-9 last season. The Kits battled the Bulls hard and the game was tied 3-3 heading into the final frame, thanks to a two-run shot from senior Colin Sallee. In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Bulls shortstop hit a game-winning walk-off home run to defeat the Kits 4-3. "That was a really tough loss to swallow," said senior outfielder John Wagner. "We played them tough but we just could not pull it out. They were a really good team, and they came up big in the final inning and we didn't."

Even though the team did not earn a win the energy level and intensity of the game was a valuable experience. "I have never played in a game with that much intensity," added Wagner. "Even though we didn't win, it was a great learning experience for us ... I will never forget that game."

Evanston lost another close game the next day, as they were shut out in a tough 2-0 loss to the American Heritage Delray High School Stallions. But the Kits rebounded from the two losses with a victory in their final game of the tournament over the Clearwater High School Tornadoes. Senior Ashok Freitas led the way in the high-scoring slugfest by driving in three runs as the Kits held on to defeat the Tornadoes by a score of 12-9.

Evanston's trip to Florida was a memorable event that should help the team succeed throughout the rest of the regular season. "By playing the talented teams that we played in Florida, we have a lot of confidence coming back and playing games in Illinois. We are not scared of any teams that we face now," said Boyer. The Kits won convincingly in their first game back from the Sunshine State by defeating Mundelein High School 17-4. The Wildkits currently have a record of 6-0 and have not lost under new head coach Frank Consiglio.

The Kits put their undefeated record on the line this week as they played games on Monday and Tuesday and match up with Notre Dame this afternoon at ETHS, where first pitch is set for 4:30p.m. Evanston is also in action tomorrow on the road against division foe Waukegan, where the game will begin at 4:45 p.m.

Hooked on Fishing

Shore Anglers - Time To Hook Up

The open-water fishing season is just around the corner. Water temperatures are slowly climbing into the upper 40s and lower 50s, depending on the size and depth of the particular body of water. This is when the largest amount of spawning activity takes place, with walleyes, smallmouth bass and largemouth bass all beginning their pre-spawn feeding and spawning-bed locating.

This a great time of year for shore anglers to hook up with some large fish as these fish move into the shallows. With this in mind there are a few things to do to be ready for that big bite.

Now is the time to respool fishing reels. There is only one thing between an angler and that trophy fish ... the fishing line.

Plan on replacing at least half of the line on the reel with new line; old line that was on the reel last year will have too much memory (curls) and will have lost some of its tensile (break) strength. Just spool off half to two-thirds of the line from the reel, tie on the new line to the end, and respool with fresh line.

Any local tackle shop will respool the fishing line; the folks at FishTech on Dempster Street in Morton Grove (formally Ed Shirley Sports) are experts at doing this.

The other critical thing to do is to make sure hooks are all sharp and straight. There are more fish lost due to dull hooks than any other single mistake a fisherman makes. Take the time to check all hooks and sharpen them as needed; a small sharpening stone should be part of every tackle box. Use it. If there is visible rust or debris on the hook, sharpen it before using it. It is easier to sharpen hooks at home than while fishing.

Once the reels are set with fresh line and the hooks are sharpened for the day, try catching some of those early season fish. Next time I will go over prime locations for those big ones.

'Til then, keep a tight line ...hookedonfishing@comcast.net