2016 Prep Spring Sports Preview Looking ahead to the baseball, softball, track & field, girls tennis and boys golf seasons.
A Special Publication of the Rensselaer Republican and Kankakee Valley Post-News • April 2016
What will the final sports seasons hold for Kankakee Valley track standout Jenna Jungels (left) and Rensselaer Central golfer Jared Shanley this spring? Don't blink because both athletes will find the answer in two short months.
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rCHS SportS
Bombers determined to get better in 2016 By HARLEY TOMLINSON harley@rensselaerrepublican.com
When Rensselaer Central coach Matt Stevens scans his baseball roster this year, he sees depth in pitching and a ton of baseball-smart kids as well. "I think the baseball IQ of the kids we have on varsity this year is a notch above what we had last year," he said. The Bombers won just seven games last year, including a handful of games that were seemingly within their grasp. But Stevens struggled to find pitchers who could hold down teams in the late innings, which ultimately eroded the kids' mental approach. "My goal is get better in the mental aspect of the game," Stevens said. "Kids are going to make errors in the field, but we need to eliminate the mental mistakes, the base-running mistakes. The physical mistakes will happen, but you can't have the mental mistakes as well and expect to win." Key returners for the Bombers include senior Keegan Stevens, the coach's son who will continue to occupy the No. 1 pitching slot. Jonathon Hickman, who played in every game last year as a sophomore, returns as a middle infielder and will battle for the
No. 2 slot in the pitching rotation. Clay Martin, a senior, will also look to move into the top of the pitching rotation, as well as JV call-ups Ryne Webb, Austin VanMeter and Trent McAdow. McAdow will also serve as the team's No. 1 catcher. "We have a good nucleus of guys mixed in with some guys who are inexperienced players at the varsity level. So it will be a feeling-out phase at the beginning of the year to come up with the best lineup possible," Stevens said. Keegan Stevens won four of his team's seven games a year ago and was often the first pitcher called upon to face the Bombers' better opponents, such as Lafayette Central Catholic, West Lafayette and Benton Central. "He's our top returning pitcher. He got a lot of experience last year and that should help him this year," coach Stevens said. "We've got a lot of kids who will get some mound time. To say who's our 2, 3, 4, I don't know. We've got a bunch of guys right there, but that's a good problem to have. "Last year, we thought we had a good 1-2 pegged, and that didn't work out and we fought to find that No. 2 guy all year long. This year, I think we've got four guys who can fit into that No. 2 spot." While Stevens builds a rota-
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KV turns to youth to build program By HARLEY TOMLINSON harley@rensselaerrepublican.com
Jonathon Hickman had a solid sophomore season and will be asked to provide even more as a junior this spring. tion, the Bombers will lean on their offense and defense to get them through the early stages of the season. Stevens' plans include putting Webb and Aaron and Trent McAdow at the top of the order, with Keegan Stevens, Hickman and Hunter Wright serving as run producers in the middle of the lineup.
Kankakee Valley coach Ryan Armstrong went with youth last season in hopes it would pay off in the future. That future is now for the Kougars, who will carry just two seniors — shortstop and lead-off hitter Greg Larzelere and designated hitter Cameron Fritts — on their roster. "We're young, but we have a lot of kids with experience," said Armstrong, who is in his third season. Armstrong will be able to put experience on the mound with lefthanded hurler Michael Popp, junior Jake Jones and sophomore Gavin Turpin back this year. The trio accounted for five of the team's seven wins a year ago. "I think the pitching staff will be pretty good with those three," Armstrong said. "We've got a lot of good innings out of those guys last year and that should help us this year." Offensively, Larzelere will set the table for run producers Popp, Jones, Fritts and Mac Shane Howard, a junior. Daniel Monk is also back for a KV squad that looks to improve on last year's 7-22 finish. "They're a real dedicated group," Armstrong said. "They know the game pretty well and get along real well." The Kougars will again have the area's strongest schedule, which features road and home games with every team in the Northwest Crossroads Conference. "Every team is really good," Armstrong said of the NCC. "You make a mistake against any of them and it will cost you the game."
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"I think the lineup all the way through is going to put the bat on the ball," Stevens said. "We did a lot of work in the offseason on hitting. It's hard to tell because we haven't got a lot of outside pitching and competition to go against. But things look pretty good there. If we can hit and field and the arms stay healthy pitching-wise, that's the name of the game. I think we'll be in a lot of ball games." The Bombers opened the season on April 5, beating Benton Central for the first time in over a decade. In that game, they got timely hits and had pitchers Keegan Stevens and Hickman combine for the victory. It was the type of effort coach Stevens would like to see more from his team this spring. "As long as they keep battling all the way to the end and don't give up. In recent years, that was the name of the game. We'd give up runs in the last couple of innings, so we're trying to get off that mode and get things turned around," he said. "If we play the way we're capable of, I think we'll be okay. We'll be competitive." The Bombers managed just one win in the Hoosier Conference last season but hope to collect more this year. "We looked through our schedule as a team and went through it and talked about some things. Even our non-conference schedule, it's one of those things where there is no slouch on our schedule," Stevens said.
TCHS SporTS
Youth to drive Cavaliers again in 2016 By HARLEY TOMLINSON harley@rensselaerrepublican.com WOLCOTT — Tri-County's 2-22 finish in 2015 can be attributed to the amount of young players coach Jeff LeBeau and his staff penciled into the lineup last season. And though a young team a year ago will be even younger this year, the quality of play should be much better, LeBeau said. "We've got kids who made some strides last year as they went through the season," LeBeau said. "And though the younger kids will have that learning curve, there is some talent there. They've had success at the lower levels." LeBeau's roster will feature eight
TC track teams feature many new faces By HARLEY TOMLINSON harley@rensselaerrepublican.com WOLCOTT — The quality is there for both the boys' and girls' track teams at Tri-County, but Hall of Fame coach Dick Kochert will look to youth to provide much-needed depth this spring. The boys' team has 26 names on its roster, including 16 freshmen. "This group of boys will continue to improve as we bind the younger
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and Nate Morehouse. Miller and Gonzales were key members of the lineup last season, particularly as pitchers, while the other three seniors were role players. Miller will serve as ace, with Gonzales and Moseley, who had a 2.62 ERA in three appearances last season as a freshman, earning starting nods in conference play. TC had a team ERA of 8.55 last season and will need to cut that in half to be competitive. "Hopefully Trevor and Austin can pave the way for us because they're going to be in the lineup every inning and pitch a lot for us," LeBeau said. "The younger kids will help us, but it will take some time to get them up to speed."
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freshmen, including as many as four — Rustin Schanbach, Chase Kirby, Kale Lawson and Austyn Nevitt — who played Cal Ripken and Babe Ruth baseball the past few years, but could help right away. They will join a lineup that includes second-year players Drew Moseley, Dalton Justice and Grant Melchi, all of whom contributed right away for the Cavs. "We have to continue to build with our young kids, work hard and get back to where Tri-County baseball needs to be," LeBeau said. "We have kids who do have that hunger, from the seniors on down." TC"s senior group includes fouryear varsity player Trevor Miller, Austin Gonzales, who is in his third season, Tanner Bickett, Devin Allison
kids with the veterans," said Kochert, whose teams opened the season last week with a pair of wins over Attica. Among the top returners is senior distance runner Austin Schneider, who had another strong cross country season. Senior Blake Justice will anchor the sprints while providing points in the shot-put. A group of first-year performers offer promise, including hurdler Ethan Layton and mid-distance high jumper Riley Ewen.
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On the girls' side, the lineup features just 13 student/athletes, with many of them first-year varsity performers. Many of those athletes will compete in three or four events each night. "I am impressed on the girls' competitive mind set," Kochert said. Veteran Emily Ewen is back to provide points in the distance events, with sprinter Kylie Casbon and thrower Robyn Corbin among the newcomers to watch.
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KVHS SportS
KV softball short on seniors, long on talent By TOM SPARKS Sports Correspondent WHEATFIELD – The Kankakee Valley softball program will miss its seniors from last year, especially in the pitching circle, but will return several talented starters as they seek to better or at least, match, last season’s record of 19 wins and 12 losses. “We are a young team, nine of fourteen are freshmen and sophomores,” said Brian Flynn, the only varsity coach the program has ever had. “There is plenty of talent back from last season.” Three seniors are on the squad – Breanna Toppen, Hailey Ford and Haley Wotherspoon. Toppen, a stand-
out in every sport she attempts, will definitely provide leadership to the underclassmen. She has been a fouryear starter, playing both shortstop and third base as well as pitching if necessary. She carries a career batting average of .340 into the season and scored 34 runs with 17 RBIs last year. Other players to watch are multiposition fielder Mckenzie Adams and Emma Maple. Adams, a junior, provided many of the team’s timeliest hits last season. She carried a .500 batting average and set not one, but two school records. Adams had 55 hits and 28 stolen bases to become the school’s all-time leader in both categories. Pitcher Maple is no slouch offen-
sively either. She had a .346 batting average while notching 29 runs and 38 RBI’s, setting her own season school record for RBIs. The sophomore also slammed six home runs and had 15 extra-base hits. Also contributing to the varsity effort will be junior outfielder Hannah Cambe; sophomores Ashley Fisher, Lindsey Stokes, Sarah Starr and Kendall Winnick; along with four solid freshmen in Kaylee Barrett, Emma Sark, Madeline Swart and Jillian Brewster. “Our lineup sets the stage for a very competitive season,” said Flynn. Assistant coaches will include Tom Niemiec, Paul Norwine, Eric Maple, Tonya Parks and David Parks.
rCHS SportS
Lady Bombers have lineup to compete By HARLEY TOMLINSON
harley@rensselaerrepublican.com
Mckenzie Adams is back at shortstop for the Kougars.
Rensselaer Central softball coach Don Doyle has had an entire year to work with his young players, and that should bode well for the 2016 Lady Bombers. Doyle was thrust into the job at the last minute last season — he got the job a couple of weeks before the preseason — and was unfamiliar with the Bomber program. Now he is much more aware of what he has to work with as Rensselaer looks to record its first winning season. "Starting so late last year, I just
didn't know the girls," Doyle said. "But this year, I know what I've got and the girls are starting to learn my system." The Bombers had a school-record eight wins in 2015, but lose six starters from that team. They do return four players — first baseman Cayci Lane, pitcher Morgan Moore, catcher Alex Stevens and infielder Uria Gerlach — who earned their fair share of starts a year ago. Lane, Gerlach, who will be moved to centerfield, and Mady Wright serve as the team's seniors. "We should be fine. We're rebuilding this year, but I think we got a big
jump over last year," Doyle said. "Last year, I didn't get the job until right before the season started. It was tough, but this year I got to work with the girls over the winter." Moore will once again anchor the pitching staff. She led the team in wins, ERA and strikeouts as a freshman last season and continues to improve, Doyle said. "She pitched probably 80 percent of the time last year. She's coming back strong this year. She's been taking lessons and played a lot of ball over the winter time," he said. See LINEUP, Pg. 5
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Lineup
TCHS SporTS
Lady Cavs to showcase young talent
From Page 4 Stevens served as a back-up at catcher to former teammate Riley Davis last year and will assume the starting role this year. Sara Steinke will move into the reserve role. Defensively, Doyle will move members of the JV squad last year into the varsity infield. Look for freshmen Bailey Craig and Sydney Potts to fill in some of those holes when the season gets underway. As of Monday, April 11, the Bombers had yet to play a game because of the poor weather. "It makes it tough to see what you've got. I know the girls are chomping at the bit to get out there," Doyle said. Potts, who will bring some pop to the offense in the middle of the batting order, will also serve as the team's No. 2 pitching option and will likely get some innings at the JV level also. "We're going to try to work her in some games. But she may be one of the girls that goes down to see more innings at the JV level," Doyle said. "My pitching's going to get better as the season goes on. The hitting is coming around. We just haven't seen that much live arm." Doyle is also encouraged by the play of his defense, which should get stronger with each inning. "The defense, from what I've seen, could be fairly strong. We have good speed in the outfield. Everybody can catch the ball, everybody can make throws," he said. Doyle feels his team will be solid in every aspect of the game, whether it be pitching, defense and offense. He has also worked on his team's mental approach to the game this off-season. "One of our goals is playing seven innings every game. Last year, we pretty much did that," he said. "I don't think we got 10-runned once. In the past, there were games where it was five innings and out. I think we can play with everybody on our schedule."
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Sophomore Morgan Moore led the Bombers in every pitching category last year as a freshman.
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WOLCOTT — Tri-County's softball team just keeps getting younger, but that isn't terrible news for the Cavaliers this year. The strongest players in the lineup are freshmen and sophomores as TC looks to build on last year's 4-24 finish. Junior Havannah Williams will be the team's No. 1 pitcher after sharing that role last year. She will get assistance from sophomore Erin Hinkle, who is one of several talented underclassmen for coach Dave Moseley. Williams won a team-high three games last year and opened the 2016 campaign with a win over Lafayette Central Catholic in early April. She will be one of a couple of players who have at least two years experience playing varsity softball. The other is lone senior Autumn Auxier, who will bat at the top of the lineup again this spring. Sophomore Grace Michal, who led the team in batting average (359) and RBIs (22) a year ago, returns in a run-producing role. Fellow sophomore Torie Miller (.329 in 2015) will also drive in runs for an improved Cavs squad. Sophomore Madison Bulington also returns to the lineup, which will get a boost from the presence of three talented freshmen: Odyssey Whitcomb, Chloe Auxier and Kenzie Brooks.
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KVHS SportS
rCHS SportS
Newcomers give RC girls a boost
KV girls' track ready to defend dynasty
By HARLEY TOMLINSON harley@rensselaerrepublican.com
By TOM SPARKS Sports Correspondent WHEATFIELD – The Kankakee Valley Lady Kougars' track and field team is ready to defend its dynasty, according to long-time varsity coach Lane Lewallen. Last year, the team went 13-1 en route to its fifth straight team sectional. “This 2016 group looks to add to our very proud legacy,” said Lewallen. “We have an excellent mix of vets and newcomers. It may be the deepest overall team I've ever had." Lewallen ought to know talent when he sees it. His overall career season record is 118-15 over 11 years with six sectional team titles. He will be aided in this season’s effort by assistants David Veldman, Page Walczak, Joli Jungels and Allison Rockley. The team will feature seven seniors: Alyssa Eger, Nina Freund, Erin Gouwens, Leah Gouwens, Jenna Jungels, Jazmyne Mehay and Kaila Moskalick. Jungels looks to build on her legacy in the long jump, hurdles, sprints and 1600 relay. Jungels placed second in the long jump at the indoor state meet March 26 to garner the eighth all-state medal of her historic career. She holds numerous school, conference, regional and meet records, and is a terrific leader and role model. Fellow seniors Eger and Mehay will add their power in the shot-put and discus, respectively. Eger qualified for the indoor state meet shot put in 2015 and Mehay was area-ranked in the
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Kankakee Valley thrower Alyssa Eger scored a slew of points for her team last season. discus. Leah Gouwens will contribute to the team’s success in the long sprints and relays. Juniors Raegan Walther, Julianna Colon and Allie Tokarz will also make their presence known. All-sport standout Raegan Walther will add her speed to the sprints and 400 relay, while Colon will run long sprints and relays with Tokarz taking on the distance events. One freshman that should make a big wave will be Catherine “Cat” Cavinder in the sprints and relays. Cavinder was a standout in middle school, often running at a pace that caused the other competitors to stop and watch. “Goal number one is to defend our sectional titles," said Lewallen. “We also want to have as good a regular season as possible; the priority is always to advance as many athletes as possible from sectional to regional, and from regional to state.”
The addition of athletes new to track and field, including sophomore distance standout Morgan Fleming, offers all sorts of scoring options for Rensselaer Central coach Linda Kaufman. Fleming, who served as the Bombers' top distance runner in her first season on the cross country team in the fall, is expected to give Rensselaer as many as 30 points each meet in her first season on the track team. She will likely compete in mid-distance and distance events and possibly long jump. Her presence adds even more punch to a strong distance team that includes seniors LeeAllison Korniak and Riley Hickman. "I think Fleming will score some big points, Hickman, Korniak, (Hannah) Hall, (Hailey) Henry … they're all going to score some big points. And they're going to fight among themselves for spots on the relays. That's a big plus for us," Kaufman said. Korniak and Hickman are among five seniors on Kaufman's roster this spring, with sprinter/long jumper
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Kylie Nugent, hurdler Monica Clemente and mid-distance runner April Hendon the others. With Korniak, Hickman, Fleming and Henry, the Bombers stand to score big in all the distance events, particularly in the 4-by-800 relay race where any foursome combination could set a new school mark. "A few years ago, that's where we really controlled things," Kaufman said of the distance squad. Junior Regan Rodibaugh is back to add depth at mid-distance, with Mackenzie Flanigan, a sophomore, expected to provide points in the distance events in her first year on the team. Hall will be used in several events ranging from mid-distance on up, while freshman Lilly Davisson, junior Jessie Kuiper and Nugent will compete in the sprints. "The depth is there. I think we're going to score when we double-up in some events at conference and sectional," Kaufman said. "We placed second to KV last year (at sectional) and we seemed to peak right about conference time." See RC GIRLS, Pg. 7
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rCHS SportS
KVHS SportS
Youth gives Bombers depth By HARLEY TOMLINSON harley@rensselaerrepublican.com
Experience and youth will combine to give Rensselaer Central boys' track coach Dan Yeager a competitive team this spring. The roster has just three seniors, all of them point scorers for the Bombers. Jack Ziese scored key points in both the shot-put and disc last season. "He scored a bunch of points for us all year long. It was actually his first year in track, so coming into his second year, with more experience, he's going to help us a little more," Yeager said. Caleb Moore is a versatile runner who will add depth in jumps this spring. "He really came into his own as a junior last year. He did all kinds of sprints and pole vault. He's worked out all winter," Yeager said. Beau Balch, meanwhile, is a fouryear distance runner who is coming off a strong cross country season. He should continue to provide points in the 4-by-800 and the mile. "He scored tons of points for us for three straight years," Yeager said. "He does the 800 and the mile and the 4-by4 as well. I see great things out of Beau this year overall. I think he's going to surprise some people. He probably had his best year in cross country, so I think he'll come into his own this spring." Beau's brother, Landon, had a break-out season in high jump last season and flirted with the idea of reaching the state meet. Yeager said the younger Balch, a junior, is ready to
RC girls:
excel in other areas as well. "He tied for fourth place (in high jump) at the regional, so he just missed going to state in the high jump," Yeager said. "In hurdles, he had a tremendous year as well. I think he's going to take hurdles more seriously this year. Last year, he did it just to score points for us, but he actually wants to do well in both events this year. He's already being recruited to do track at the next level. He's excited." Adding depth to the throws is junior Luke Branson, who threw in the 130s last season as a first-year discus thrower. He'll also compete in the shotput. "He's throwing about as he did last year or further. We expect big things from him as well," Yeager said of Branson. Bryce Kingman will also throw shot for the Bombers while veteran Graham Balvich will continue to anchor the long jump. "I would say he's going to be close to the 20-foot category this year," said Yeager, who will also utilize Tony Ybarra in the jumps as well. Ybarra will return at sprints, where he will be joined by Parker Jordan, Will Spencer and newcomer DeShawn Warren. Spencer will be counted on to utilize his versatility in a handful of events again this year. "For two years in a row, Will scored the most points for an underclassman. We can put him in any event. Will's a great kid and works real hard," Yeager said. Another newcomer is sophomore Braden Dobson, who will compete in a
pair of relays as well as the 800 meters and the mile event. Sophomore John Clay Anderson will be the team's primary two-miler after a solid cross country season and freshman Brayden Wright can provide depth in sprints and mid-distance. "He ran some of the fastest splits when we ran at Purdue (in the Hoosier State Relays)," Yeager said of Wright. "He was a tremendous 800 runner in the middle school and ran the 200 as well." Jeffrey Green, a freshman, will compete in the sprints as well as the 300 low hurdles and fellow freshman Jarrett Allen will compete in the 400. "We're looking pretty good in the 400 and lower with the some of these younger kids coming out and the transfer of DeShawn," Yeager said. On paper, the Bombers show great depth in the high jump, pole vault, discus and shot-put in the field events. Meanwhile, Yeager will tinker with his roster before settling on who will fill spots in the running events. "I'm going to mix them up every week to see what they can do. I use the season as a conditioning tool to prepare for the sectional. "We can move some kids around with the young talent we have. We can experiment." If all goes as planned, Yeager believes he'll have a team peaking by sectional time in mid-May. "I want to do real well in the Gene Edmonds, the RMD and the sectionals," he said. "With this group we have this year, I truly believe we can compete for a sectional title again."
From Page 6
Kaufman counts 34 athletes on her roster and many of them will provide points in more than just one event. "Even with 30-odd kids, when you come down to crunch time with conference and sectional, you only put two in each event. I'm going to load kids up and see what they have," she said. Junior Katie Kem, the 2015 sectional champion in the discus last year, returns to anchor the field events. She
will also try shot-put this year in an effort to gain points in an event that lacked any punch last spring. "We struggled in scoring points in the field events. Katie did a real nice job for us, but after you had Chelsie Meeks pulling in 10 points for you every night, that's a plus. I'd like to see us win some events and maybe score points," Kaufman said. Kem placed sixth in the discus at regional last year and looks ready to
move the ladder with an eye on a state berth. "She placed sixth at regional and all of those girls who were ahead of her are gone," Kaufman said. "She really worked hard in the off-season, but we've had a lot of kids work hard to better themselves for this year." Nugent should be able to score points in the long jump. Claire Hurley, a freshman, looks good as a high jumper.
KV boys' track looks to improve By TOM SPARKS Sports Correspondent WHEATFIELD – Kankakee Valley High School boys’ track and field coach Tim Adams looks to improve his team’s performance this season. Adams will be assisted in this endeavor by coaches Ryan Standish and Emma Rozhon. Last year, the team finished fourth in the tough Northwest Crossroads Conference and third in the sectional meet. How the team matches up with Lowell and Hobart will tell the tale as the season progresses. “We hope to improve upon our endof-year finishes from 2015, if we can fill some important gaps in our line-up,” said Adams. “With rookies KV senior comprising 50 Isaac Tillema percent of our roster and a lot of teaching and learning to do, it may be several meets before we see the strength of this squad. Fortunately, we have some good leadership.” Adams has but four seniors on the team: Chad Hill, Oscar Gutierrez, Kreed Gentz and Isaac Tillema. He definitely does, however, have some athletes to keep your eye on: In the field events, athletes to watch include throwers Lucas Bohannon and Darin Kapella and pole vaulter Nick Schoonveld. On the track, standouts should be Bryce Niewoehner and Danny Rockley in the distance events, Isaac Tillema in the sprint events and his younger brother Gavin Tillema in the hurdles.
Page 8 —————–––––––––––––––––––––– 2016 Spring Sports Preview —––––––––––––––––– Thursday, April 14, 2016 PreP SPortS
PreP SPortS
KV tennis set to serve
Veterans set to lead Bomber golfers
By TOM SpARkS Sports Correspondent
By HARLEY TOMLINSON harley@rensselaerrepublican.com
RENSSELAER — Rensselaer Central's Mike Feagans finds himself in a dream situation in his first season as boys' golf coach. He takes over a program that features three players with loads of experience, including senior Jared Shanley, and a handful of young talent he can mix and match as the season moves along. "Five of the top six players from last year's team are back," said Feagans, "so we have something great to build off of. It's a great situation to step into." The team's No. 1 golfer last season, Shanley has scored for the Bombers since his freshman season. He will be joined in the varsity lineup by veterans Ben Hillan and Brantley Culp, with as many as six players set to occupy spots four and five. Senior Austin Grist will likely crack the varsity lineup, as well as senior Garrett Eldridge, who returns to the sport after taking a year off. Sophomore JT Feagans will also compete for a varsity spot once he fine-tunes his game at the junior varsity level. "We've got six guys who can help us each match," coach Feagans said. "We have a lot of guys who are interchangeable and could helps us this season." Culp had a strong start to the season on April 11, shooting a team-best 41 against Hanover Central at Cedar Lake's South Shore course. But Shanley is expected to provide the most consistent scores, with junior Hillan nipping at his
RCHS junior Ben Hillan consistently scored in the top three for his team last spring. heels. "Jared is looking good," Feagans said. "He knows the game, and he's a great leader for our kids." Poor weather has denied the Bombers a chance to get out on the course, so the scores they put up in their first meet of the season on Monday will have a noticeable drop by the end of the season. "We haven't practiced since last Tuesday (April 5) because of the weather," Feagans said. "It's been a tough beginning of the season, but I joked with the kids that we will be different players on Friday (vs. Kankakee Valley) and at Twin Lakes (invite) on Saturday because we'll get a chance to practice this week." The weather is expected to cooperate the rest of the week, with temperatures in the 50s and 60s and plenty of sunshine. Feagans expects the Bombers to not only compete for a regional spot at the sectional meet in June, but to compete for a sectional title also. Four freshmen will occupy JV spots, including Drew Meyer, Tyler Castongia, Alec Schultz and Mahesh Chaghanti.
WHEATFIELD — The ladies of the Kankakee Valley tennis team are ready to serve. Under the tutelage of coach Kelli VanDuyne, the team possesses just two seniors but both are seasoned veterans. Seniors Megan Groen and Sydnee Capouch will look to lead the team this season. According to VanDuyne, Groen will most likely play as the number two singles and Capouch will team with partner Kyla Dykstra as the number one doubles pair. Playing top singles will be Britney Hoffman and VanDuyne is happy with what she sees so far from all of the players. “We have a lot of girls that are competing really closely for varsity spots,” she said. “Overall, I think KV girls tennis will be very competitive from number one singles down to second doubles.” The team recorded an enviable 13 wins and just five losses last year so this season’s squad has a lot to live up to. The teams from Hobart, Hanover Central and Andrean should prove the biggest tests for the team this spring.
Lady Bombers' tennis prospects Competition abounds for Rensselaer Central's girls' tennis team
kV senior Megan Groen will look to again provide solid play for the team this season. also, with Jaci Engleking, a sophomore, currently owning the title of No. 1 singles player. She will receive competition all season from No. 2 player Elaine He, who opened the spring with a win over Hanover Central's No. 2 player. Jenna Rule is the team's No. 3 player. Pooling their efforts at No. 1 doubles are Paige Morris and Holly Johnson.