With Christmas cleared away and New Year’s Eve on the clock, consider this time-sensitive story your holiday halftime break. Here’s the Landmark’s Top 10 sports stories of 2010:
10) Tracy Cooper’s death saddens Brookfield
The 42-year-old Brookfield youth baseball coach shockingly passed away in September. Cooper coached his 13-year-old son, Chris, and other Brookfield little leaguers to a scintillating 44-4 record and a championship at the Roy A. Overholt Tournament over the last two summers. In a 16-15 loss to South Cicero in the Overholt quarterfinals this year, Chris went 4-for-4 with three home runs and eight RBIs with 14 relatives in attendance.
“It was pretty special having my family [at Overholt],” Chris said. “I put my best effort into every game.”
9) Fenwick wins Prep Bowl
Fenwick senior linebacker Ricky Sorrentino’s 85-yard interception return for a touchdown carried the Friars to a 6-0 win over Curie at the 77th Prep Bowl at Soldier Field in late November. Sorrentino also lost his father in 2010.
“I feel my dad’s spirit every time I put on [this] Fenwick helmet,” Sorrentino said. “The season was dedicated to him.”
The Friars (8-5), who move to the Catholic League White next season, notched their fourth Prep Bowl championship in 10 appearances.
8) Bulldogs coaches/brothers truly two of a kind
Coaching together for over four decades, RB softball coaches Dan Hull, 67, and Jim “Sully” Sullivan, 74, proved they still got it by leading the Bulldogs (32-4) to the second best record in school history and Hull’s passage into the 300-career win category.
Shortstop Jessie Hutchens (now at Radford) hit .536 with 66 hits and set school records in home runs (15) and RBIs (74), while Kristin Kleinmeyer (11-0), Morgan Vogel (8-2), Liz Demitro (.450), Michelle Demitro (.441) and Kiley Rusen (.500, 70 hits) also starred for RB.
“I was at an awards dinner,” Hull said after the season. “This little girl told me she was a good softball player and would be at RB in six years. I guess Sully and me have to hang on.”
7) Liston lights up scoreboard during final Friars’ run
Fenwick senior guard Tricia Liston went out in style, scoring 40 points during her last high school game as the Friars (32-4) edged Hersey 55-51 in the Class 4A playoffs third-place game. Liston, now playing for Duke, finished as the Friars’ all-time leading scorer with 2,713 points.
6) Rocco and RB girls hoops prove skeptics wrong
Despite losing four starters, Larry Rocco coached the RB girls basketball team to 27 wins along with conference and regional titles.
Seniors Jessie Hutchens (14 points per game), Shaquita Slater (10 points, 10 rebounds per game), Anna Tess and Kristy Frampton led the revamped Bulldogs, who lost 93-53 to eventual state champion Montini in a sectional final.
“After the Montini game, [Montini football coach] Chris Andriano told me ‘your kids play hard,'” Rocco said. “That always makes me feel proud.”
5) Lions roar to state volleyball title
The LT girls volleyball team nipped Cary-Grove 25-23, 19-25, 25-23 to claim the 2010 state championship.
Jocelynn Birks (18 kills), Alexis Viliunas (seven kills, 14 assists) and Laura Williams (6 kills) delivered clutch performances as LT (41-1) squeaked out a tense third set over previously unbeaten Cary-Grove.
“I’m speechless,” said Birks, now playing volleyball at Illinois. “We knew we could do it.”
4) Heartbreaking loss doesn’t diminish Bulldogs’ banner season
Three seconds. That’s how painfully close Riverside-Brookfield was to advancing to its own sectional championship game. Unfortunately, Marshall guard Marlon Sykes had other plans sinking a half court shot to force overtime which ultimately sparked the Commandos to an improbable 56-54 win.
Led by “Lethal Weapon 3” guards Sean McGonagill, Billy VandeMerkt and Ryan Jackson, the Bulldogs (22-6) picked up their ninth straight conference championship in 2010.
Added RB coach Tom McCloskey: “In conference, everybody circles our date – it’s their Super Bowl.”
3) LT boys basketball enjoys historic season
The Lions reeled off 23-straight wins to open their unforgettable 2010 campaign, including victories in their own Thanksgiving tournament, the Tosh Holiday Classic, and a game at the United Center en route to a 26-2 mark.
Seniors Dan Lalonde (13.2, 9 rebounds per game), Lusson (9 ppg), Justin Phipps (8.7 ppg, 7.3 rpg) and Jimmy Stamas (7 ppg) led LT.
“This [season] was the most fun I’ve had playing basketball,” Lalonde said.
LT’s dream season abruptly ended when eventual state champion Simeon rocked the host Lions 65-35 in a Class 4A sectional semifinal game.
2) LT football stuns Glenbard West; postseason run follows
On a Saturday afternoon in late October, the Lions rolled into Glen Ellyn snapping the host Hilltoppers’ gaudy 27-game regular season winning streak.
“Everyone was fired up for this game,” LT running back Jaime Jones said. “Glenbard West is definitely the best team we have faced, but we just had to pull it out.”
The Lions tied York and Glenbard West for a three-way share of the West Suburban Conference Silver Division championship. LT (10-2) won a pair of playoff games over Vocational, 58-0, and Sandburg, 21-20, before bowing out to Mount Carmel in the Class 8A quarterfinals.
1) Jason Rech replaces Otto Zeman as RB football coach
On June 8, the Riverside-Brookfield High School board voted 4-3 to hire Jason Rech as the new RB varsity head coach replacing Otto Zeman, who coached the Bulldogs to a 162-114 record over 28 years.
The coaching change generated plenty of mixed reactions, opinions and emotions within the community.
“I’m disappointed with the decision,’ Zeman said. “I’m still passionate about coaching football and working with kids.’
Rech, who offered praise for Zeman’s considerable impact on RB football, guided the Bulldogs to a 4-5 record his first season. The Bulldogs, who just missed the playoffs, losing to Fenton 20-13 in their regular season finale, will return 15 starters next year, notably quarterback/cornerback Nick Callahan and linebacker Blake Beck.
“Obviously, we would have liked to have finished [the season] better,” Rech said. “I think we’ve laid a good foundation schematically, established a style of play, and our kids worked very hard.”