For the last 11 months they toiled on the gridirons, the hardwoods, the diamonds, and everywhere else, competing for the fun and glory of sport. The athletes, the coaches, but most of all the games themselves, made for some of the school year’s most memorable sports moments, good and bad.
Aug. 2005
RB football: The season doesn’t kick off so well for RB or LT football. The Bulldogs, coming off an 8-3 season and a Suburban Prairie (East) Conference title, and who are looking to qualify for their sixth consecutive playoff berth and 10th since head coach Otto Zeman took over in 1982, are stunned by Yorkville 27-26 in their season opener.
Leading by 13 with four minutes left in the game, RB watches Yorkville orchestrate two touchdown drives and execute a 25-yard extra-point kick with 38 seconds remaining for the win.
“We should’ve put them away,” says Zeman. “We let them hang around and they did some great things against us.”
LT football: The Lions, who have a new look with not one returning starter from the previous year, get bounced by Hersey 31-14 in their season opener.
Sept. 2005
RB soccer: The squad pushes its early season record to 2-1-1 with a 9-0 slaughtering of Nazareth. But more meaningful to the team is a 3-3 tie against powerhouse Sycamore, who crushed the Bulldogs the year before.
“The team got some revenge this time around,” says RB head coach Danny Makaric. “They showed that they have improved.”
LT boys soccer: Tim Markham records his seventh goal of the Pepsi Showdown to help his team defeat New Trier 1-0 for third place. Markham hammers a shot from 10 yards out to the right corner of the net for the game-winner.
RB girls swimming: The Bulldogs swim away with a top score of 375 in its own nine-team tournament. The 400-medley team of Megan St. John, Natalie Pike, Jordana Jantze, and Sara Martinek take first in 4:29.01. Jantze, Meghan Crowley, St. John, and Martinek take first in the 200-yard freestyle relay with a time of 1:44.78.
Oct. 2005
RB golf: By shooting an 83, Andy Razniewski is the lone RB golfer to advance beyond the Nazareth Regional.
RB football: Mario Triplet saves the day by blocking a punt late in the fourth quarter of RB’s eventual 28-20 win over Fenton. Triplet recover his own block and scamper 18 yards for a touchdown, breaking a 20-20 tie.
RB girls tennis: Colleen Morrissey and Ruth Osbrink take first place in No. 4 doubles to help the Bulldogs to a two-way tie for third place (18) at the Suburban Prairie (East) tournament.
LT football: The Lions stay perfect in the West Suburban (Silver) Conference at 4-0 with a 14-13 victory over Glenbard West. LT defensive back Stephen Grisko blocks an extra-point attempt after the Hilltoppers’ final touchdown.
Nov. 2005
LT boys soccer: The Lions down Stagg 2-0 to win the Loyola Super-sectional and earn their first state quarterfinal birth since 1999. Markham scores both goals in the victory.
LT, who goes into the state tourney with an 18-game win streak, falls to Rockford Boylan 2-1 in the first round.
RB football: After an up and down season, the scrappy Bulldogs qualify for state for the sixth year in a row. The moment doesn’t last long, however, for RB loses 34-20 to Bremen in the opening round of the Class 5A playoffs.
LT girls cross-country: Led by sophomore Jane Simpson’s 21st place finish in 17:36, LT finishes 11th overall at the State Meet. Keegan Kilrea finishes behind her fellow sophomore in 18:38, good for 83rd place.
RB swimming: Sophomore Sara Martinek finishes first in the 200-yard medley (2:14.95) and second in the 100 freestyle (:53.16) to qualify for the State Meet.
Dec. 2005
RB boys b-ball: The Bulldogs score 56 points in the first half en route to an 87-54 win over Addison Trail. Matt Sandrik scores 19 points and hauls down eight rebounds by halftime.
RB girls b-ball: Four-year varsity starter Maggie McCloskey sets three school records?”most points in a game (44), most field goals in a game (17) and most points in a career (1,446)?”during her team’s win over Elmwood Park. She also nails 10 three-pointers in a 49-46 win over Lemont.
Jan. 2006
RB gymnastics: Dana Magyarics leads the team to a first place finish at the Niles North Invitational. Magyarics takes first in the vault event with a score of 9.65, and second in the uneven bars with an 8.65.
RB girls b-ball: The Bulldogs reach 20 wins on the season, and win their fourth straight Suburban Prairie (East) Conference title with a perfect 10-0 mark.
Feb. 2006
LT girls b-ball: Sophomore Jill Keeve drains a 30-foot shot to give the Lions a 41-39 victory over Oak Park. It’s the team’s fifth victory in the last six games.
The shot becomes known as the “Keeve heave.”
March 2006
RB boys b-ball: The Bulldogs close out their season with a disappointing 53-47 loss to Morton in the first round of the regional tournament. The team finishes with a record of 15-11 and 9-1 in the SPC.
April 2006
LT baseball: Twenty-seven hits and 25 runs help the Lions sweep Oak Park in a doubleheader. LT’s Casey McMurray goes 3-for-3 with two RBIs as LT wins Game 1, 11-1, in five innings. The team wins the nightcap 14-5.
May 2005
RB girls track: Senior Krystina Segura, juniors Meghan McMahon and Lindsey Peterson and sophomore Rachel Recht take first in both the 400 and 800 relays to run the team into a second place finish at the SPC Meet.
LT girls soccer: The Lions blast rival RB 7-0 in the regional opener to advance to the sectional where they down Leyden 2-0.
LT boys track: Jacob Nachel wins the 3200 run at the IHSA State Meet with a time of 9:09.36.
June 2006
LT girls soccer: After failing to advance past the quarterfinals the past two years, the team slips into the Final Four with a 1-0 victory over Peoria Notre Dame.
Mary Daly records her fourth shutout of the postseason for the Lions.
The Lions fall to Barrington 1-0 in the semifinals, concluding the season with a record of 21-8.
LT baseball: Justin Birks goes 4-for-5 with a homer to push the Lions past Mt. Carmel 12-2 in the Crestwood 1 Super-sectional.
The Lions lose to O’Fallon 2-1 in the Class AA State Quarterfinals. Illinois State-bound pitcher Dan Weston closes out his high school career with an impressive 11-1 record.
LT finishes 34-7 on the season.
