Riverside-Brookfield High School senior Adriana Stanovich means business when she takes the tennis court.
The fourth-year varsity player, second-year captain and one of four veterans in the Bulldogs’ lineup is hoping for an additional payoff from her final competitive season.
“My goal is I want to have a lot of fun,” Stanovich said. “The past three years I’ve worked really hard to win as many matches and as many games. I want to win but also have a lot of fun and enjoy playing with my teammates.”
Senior co-captain Remy Hilpp and juniors Lara Huns and Olivia Dvorak also return for RBHS, which is 1-1 under second-year head coach Sam Weiss.
Stanovich and Dvorak are playing No. 1 doubles with Huns and Hilpp at No. 1 and 2 singles. Seniors Paige Beggs and McKenna Bryant at No. 3 doubles are undefeated.
“My favorite thing [about tennis] is the strategy. It’s always changing,” Stanovich said. “You’re never going to have the same exact play over again. You always have to be thinking.”
Stanovich played No. 2 singles in 2020 and No. 1 doubles with Huns as a sophomore. Her 2019 freshman season was an important building block by playing No. 4 doubles with numerous partners, including several seniors.
“They were definitely very supportive and gave me a really strong sense of how a team should treat each other,” Stanovich said.
“I feel like the program has developed me as more of a character [builder]. My skills have dramatically increased, but I feel like I’ve developed because of a lot of upperclassmen and getting more involved with the school.”
Stanovich’s time otherwise mostly is spent with work and her extended family. Besides her brother, there are eight nearby cousins on her mother’s side alone. Stanovich’s parents own a Firehouse Subs franchise where she has worked on and off since sixth grade. Her mother also is an area representative.
This summer, Stanovich worked nearly full-time behind the counter.
“We’re solely based on supporting first responders,” said Stanovich, who plans to first attend Triton College and become a franchise lawyer. “Being with the business for so long, it’s developed my character and how I can communicate with people and how we can provide for the community.”
In tennis, Stanovich said she has been proud to earn a first- or second-place medal at every tournament she’s played varsity or JV entering this season.
Her father played for Stanovich’s former head coach, Bob Hegner, when attending Morton West.
Last season, Weiss and longtime assistant Mike Heine gave her the rare honor of a non-senior captain.
“She is a leader that the other girls look up to and respect,” Weiss responded.
“If [teammates] need encouragement, I’m able to give them the knowledge I’ve been able to gain from my younger years,” Stanovich said. “Freshman year, I worked really, really hard to prove I should be on [varsity]. I think it really helped me figure out the dedication and to really strive to get the things I wanted to get done.”
Jones, Berger lead Bulldog golfers
Senior standouts Jack Jones and Stephen Berger have been leading the Riverside-Brookfield High School boys golf team, which is 4-3 in duals with victories over Metro Suburban Conference schools Timothy Christian and Chicago Christian and losses to St. Francis, Immaculate Conception and Wheaton Academy.
Jones was named by RBHS as Athlete of the Week for Aug. 16 after an eagle and six birdies over the first three matches.
Other key team members are seniors Dan Schwanderlik and Matt Decosola and juniors Marc Kaplan, Murphy Regan, Daniel Gilhooley, Jake Tyler, Aidan Finkle, Will Domanowski. Joey Garvey, Jon Gruber and Kevin Cronin are the top three sophomores.
The Lyons Township boys (6-1, 1-1 in the West Suburban Conference Silver) have defeated York, Hinsdale South and Naperville North and won their home quad Aug. 21 with its lone loss to Glenbard West. The Lions were second at the St. Viator Invitational Aug. 28.
Seniors Will Caronchi and Wyatt Kartheiser and junior Jack Berry return from the 2020 postseason lineup that won the 3A Payton Regional and was third at the Conant Sectional.
Invite co-medalists were Caronchi and senior Gabe Newman (1-under 69s) at Carriage Greens Aug. 21 and Newman and senior Michael Springer (1-over 71s) at Old Orchard Aug. 28.
Individual medalists have been Caronchi against Naperville North (3-under 33) and Hinsdale South (1-under 34) and Berry against York (par-35).
The LT girls (4-1, 1-1 in WSC Silver) have beaten York, Prospect, Hinsdale South and Downers Grove South and lost to Hinsdale Central.
Senior Chloe Blauw’s hole-in-one aided the 160-162 victory over York Aug. 25. Low rounds have come primarily from senior Sylvia Kozub, a 3A individual sectional qualifier last season, as well as senior Olivia Wojcicki.
