Lyons Township High School junior girls wrestler Avi Gonzalez may have suffered her first loss of the season Saturday at the Shepard Regional but not before a big victory.
Gonzalez joined freshman Zoe Connelly in advancing to the Schaumburg Sectional with top-three regional finishes.
This was the first year of regional advancement to sectionals in girls wrestling. Gonzalez and Connelly could become the first LTHS girls wrestlers to reach state with top-four sectional finishes.
Gonzalez (14-1) reached the regional finals at 110 pounds with three pins before losing to Lockport’s Morgan Turner (4-0) on a pin in 2:28.
At 125, Connelly (18-7) won her all-important third-place match over Proviso West’s Tierra Hardin (23-3) with a pin in 5:08.
Connelly was pinned in the quarterfinals by Riverside-Brookfield senior Eleanor Aphay (16-2), a two-time state qualifier, but responded with four straight victories by pin in the backdraw.
Sophomore Sofia Turek (10-6 at 135) and freshman Mari Sorice (4-5 at 130) also recorded victories.
LTHS boys bowling
Junior Danny Haley (50th, 2,389 for 12 games), freshman Anthony Bonilla (62nd, 2,292) and senior Cesar Izguerra (66th, 2,219) advanced to Saturday’s individual competition at the state meet in O’Fallon.
In their third straight trip to the state bowling meet, the Lions were 18th Friday (5,696) and missed the 12-team cut to Saturday’s team finals.
Haley (30th, 1,263), Izguerra (34th, 1,259) and Bonilla (60th, 1,203) advanced by being among the 30 highest-scoring remaining individuals not among the advancing teams.
Seniors Kalin Burns (1,059), Jacob Healy (667 for 4 games) and John Bee (131 for 1 game) and junior Nolan Deines (114 for 1 game) also competed Friday.
Only Danny Haley (5 games) and Izguerra (1 game) bowled for last year’s 18th-place state lineup (5,690). The Lions also equaled their program-best three straight state trips from 2015-17.
LTHS boys swimming and diving
Sophomore Matthew Ferguson received postseason swimming experience in 2023 by competing at sectionals.
Now an integral part of the Lions’ lineup, Ferguson came prepared physically and even more so mentally.
“During the offseason, I felt like my whole mindset towards swimming changed,” Ferguson said. “I just got a lot more motivated. I feel a lot better in the season now than where I was last year.”
Ferguson was among three top-three finishes Saturday at the annual LTHS Invitational that helped the Lions (214 points) finished fourth of eight teams, four points behind third-place Naperville Central.
“It was a pretty good meet considering our practices this week have been pretty hard. We’re trying to grind it out until we begin to taper,” Ferguson said.
In the battle of two returning state diving qualifiers, LTHS senior Matt Adler (397.70), 15th in 2023 and 23rd in 2022, finished second Friday to Nazareth Academy junior Cooper Kosanovich (459.95), an all-state seventh in 2023.
Ferguson took third in the 500-yard freestyle in a season-best 4:55.59 and then was part of the third-place 200 free relay with junior Lachlan Gantt, sophomore Jack Hannon and junior Jake Thorell (1:30.78) and third-place 400 free relay with Gantt, junior Colin Schertz and senior Peter Smith (3:20.71).
In the 500 free, Ferguson will be chasing the state cut of 4:46.31 at the LTHS Sectional Feb. 17.
“(Saturday’s 500 free) was a pretty good race. I felt good during the entire thing,” Ferguson said. “I’m excited for it. I’ve just got to get it at sectionals. I’m just excited to be on the deck for the state meet and compete with the best.”
Only senior Jack Dillon (200 medley relay) and Smith (400 free relay) return with state finals experience in swimming.
Saturday’s 200 medley relay with junior Declan Vahey, Dillon, Smith and Thorell (1:43.78) was fourth.
The sectional relay cuts for state are 1:36.87 (medley), 1:27.40 (200 free) and 3:12.78 (400 free).
“I think once everyone’s healthy and tapered, we’re going to do really special things at sectionals and state,” Ferguson said.
“All season I’ve been competing for spots on the (relays) so it’s definitely a motivator to go out there and it’s been fun.”
LTHS girls basketball
There’s six seniors on the LTHS girls basketball team, including usual starters and third-year varsity standouts Kennedy Wanless and Elin O’Brien.
Hoping to use an all-senior starting lineup for Senior Day against rival Hinsdale Central Saturday, Wanless deferred her starting role to senior teammates Brooke Etheridge, Keira Kessler, Ashley Airhart and Jenna Rentz.
“Kennedy decided she would let her teammates start because she gets to start all of the time. That was very nice of her,” LTHS coach Meghan Hutchens said.
It’s the kind of support and mutual respect the seniors have for each other and have earned from the underclassmen.
“We got to see those seniors go through (in past seasons). It’s been a fun four years,” Wanless said. “You always think about it and always think it’s far away and then all of a sudden it’s your Senior Night. It’s crazy how fast it went by.”
The last few minutes of the game were crazy, too. The Lions prevailed 62-57 after their 45-39 lead entering the fourth quarter dwindled to 53-52 on a three with 3:07 remaining.
“It’s like the end of a really good journey of a really good high school career,” said O’Brien, whose nifty left-handed driving scoop put the Lions ahead 57-52 with 2:17 left.
“It’s exciting to be on the other end of things where in the past four years it’s been you celebrating the seniors. This time, they’re celebrating you.”
All six seniors have been with the program all four years for the Lions (16-10, 7-3 in West Suburban Conference Silver).
“Everyone on our coaching staff is awesome. That definitely helps keeping the players in the program,” Wanless said. “And how close we are as a team. We just love spending time together.”
Emma O’Brien, Elin’s sophomore sister, had 22 points and two threes over the first three quarters. Nora Ezike had 14 points over the final three quarters with eight rebounds, Elin O’Brien and Wanless (6 rebounds) each had seven points and Avery Mezan had five rebounds and five assists.
“It’s definitely gotten better (playing with Emma) since she is now contributing more and playing more,” Elin O’Brien said. “It’s fun because we get more minutes together. It’s just exciting to play with someone like that.”
Mezan, Ezike and Wanless combined for four free throws in the final 31.9 seconds after Hinsdale Central closed to 58-55. The Red Devils never had a possession to take the lead.
“I thought our girls did a really nice job showing composure at the end. That’s something we’ve been working a lot on,” Hutchens said. “We’ve had a lot of close games. They understood what they were supposed to do. They did it and did it well.”
The Lions beat St. Ignatius 74-51 Friday behind Ezike (21 points, 9 rebounds), Emma O’Brien (20 points, 6 assists, 5 steals) and Elin O’Brien (13 points with 3 threes). They combined for 20 points and four threes as LTHS led 22-10 after one quarter.
LTHS girls gymnastics
The Lions play host to regionals Wednesday with hopes of advancing again as a team to the Hinsdale Central Sectional Monday.
This season’s improved lineup earned numerous top-five medals Saturday at the West Suburban Conference Silver Meet at Glenbard West.
The Lions (137.725 points) finished second with their second-highest score of the season and third in the final overall standings.
Senior Emily Tucker was third on uneven parallel bars (8.875) and fifth on balance beam (8.875).
Freshman Brynn Krantz was third in all-around (34.875), senior Elle Rockrohr (9.0) and Krantz (8.975) were third and fourth on floor exercise and junior Dahlia Highland was fifth on vault (9.05).
While Tucker also was third on uneven bars in 2023, these were the first all-conference honors for the other three Lions. It was the first 9 for Rockrohr on any event.
“I’ve come close, like 8.95, but never a 9,” Rockrohr said. “My last goal for high school was to get a 9 and so that was pretty awesome. Getting a medal was really cool, confirming the hard work that I’ve put in over the past four years.”
Highland has become the Lions’ top vaulter by acquiring a higher-value tuck Tsukahara in the offseason. She improved from 11th (8.7) in 2023 with a half-on, full-off.
“I feel like my hard work has really paid off this season,” Highland said. “The flipping vault definitely was a score booster for sure. It was a huge goal of mine so I was very happy to achieve it.”