1. H-BR girls hoops wins state
The Royals' offseason could not have been more tumultuous, as the school fired coach Larry Peppers, who started Hinckley-Big Rock's girls basketball program in 1977.
But the Royals were able to keep things in tact when longtime assistant coach Greg Burks became head coach. Burks then helped lead the Royals to a 31-3 record and the school's first state championship with a 42-30 win Feb. 28 over Winchester West Central in Class 1A.
The theme of the team was selflessness, as Northern Illinois signee Jenna Thorp didn't hog the ball – she averaged just over 12 points per game – and seniors Melissa Herrmann and Bianca Edmeier accepted their roles coming off the bench to help the Royals to the most successful season in school history.
Freshman Kaitlin Phillips and sophomore Tess Godhardt stepped into prominent roles for the Royals, as Thorp missed significant time with a shoulder injury while Maxzine Rossler, Jes Meyer, Alyssa Baunach, Katie Hollis and Jessica Leifheit all played their own significant roles as the 10 members of H-BR's championship squad.
Just like the season before, the Royals' season was decided in the Serena Sectional final against longtime rival Newark. In 2008, the Royals lost by one point on a buzzer-beater. In 2009, the Royals were the team to come away with a one-point victory to move on.
2. McNeal purposely misses FTs
It was supposed to be a friendly non-conference boys basketball game followed by a pizza party, just like DeKalb and Milwaukee Madison had played over the past several seasons.
But when Madison star Johntell Franklin's mother, Carlitha, died Feb. 7 after a long battle with cervical cancer, that all changed.
The Barbs didn't even know if they would play the game, and they were fine with that, knowing the heartache the Madison players were going through. But Madison did play that night, with only eight players on the roster. During the second quarter, Franklin came directly from the hospital, put on jersey and decided to play.
When Franklin entered the game, however, Madison was assessed a technical foul because Franklin's name wasn't written down in the official scorebook. DeKalb coach Dave Rohlman asked for a volunteer to shoot the free throws, and Darius McNeal accepted.
McNeal purposely missed both shots, rolling the ball to the end line as the crowd went to their feet and cheered the act of selflessness. Over the next month, the story was told and retold everywhere from ESPN to the ABC Nightly News and in newspapers around the globe. Most recently, the Barbs were honored at the 2009 AT&T National Sportsmanship Awards, which later aired on the CBS College Sports Network.
3. Waller swims after cancer
Grace Waller knew her knee was hurting fiercely during the 2008 IHSA state finals, but she wanted to press on and compete before going to the doctor to have her ailment checked out. She did compete, finishing 11th in state in the 200-yard individual medley.
Soon after the finals, Waller went to the doctor and found out she had cancer in her right femur. In March, she had surgery to remove the tumor, along with her kneecap and the bottom 6 inches of her femur. She began the chemotherapy process with a prosthesis in her leg, all along hoping she could return to the pool and compete before the season finished.
The treatments never dampened Waller's spirit and she continued to swim laps between her hospital stays with the assistance of DeKalb/Sycamore co-op swim team coach and personal tutor Leah Eames.
On Oct. 24, her chemotherapy sessions were complete. And three weeks later, Waller was in the pool with her teammates competing at the St. Charles East Sectional.
4. Harrington's senior-night 3
Since he was deprived of oxygen at birth and immediately developed a dead spot on his brain, Tim Harrington always was told there were certain things he could not do.
His eyesight and motor functions were affected, so one of those things that he was never able to do competitively was play basketball.
But that didn't stop Harrington from gaining an undying affection for his favorite spot. That love was so strong that he inspired Indian Creek boys basketball Joe Piekarz to invite Harrington to join the Timberwolves as a manager.
In the 2008-09 season, however, Piekarz took it a step further. Harrington underwent stem-cell therapy in Mexico in the summer of 2008, and he saw signs of improvement in his eyesight. So Harrington joined the Timberwolves as a player his senior year.
Harrington entered the lineup in the final seconds of the game several times. But on the Timberwolves' senior night Feb. 17 against Rockford Christian Life, Harrington was a starter.
Piekarz spent plenty of time in practice the day before the game planning out a play to get Harrington a three-point shot. That's the play they ran immediately that night, with Harrington standing in the corner. Benefiting from several picks, he stood behind the three-point line and banked in a shot from the corner as the Indian Creek gym erupted in cheers.
Those would be Harrington's only career points and was a moment caught on tape by his sister.
5. NIU's English drafted in first round
The whole scene was surreal. There was Larry English, standing on the field at Huskie Stadium during NIU's spring football game, talking to reporters and enjoying the atmosphere of a place the soft-spoken defensive lineman learned to call home.
Five hours later, English was a San Diego Charger, and a first-round NFL pick at that.
Putting a cap on one of the most legendary careers Northern Illinois has ever seen, the two-time Vern Smith Award winner was selected with the 16th overall pick by the Chargers in April's NFL Draft.
English is the highest NFL draft pick in school history. A dominant force that single-handedly changed gameplans for opposing teams, English never was one to boast about his accomplishments, choosing instead to lead by example.
"It is hard to explain, hard to put it fully into words how I feel," English said on draft day. "I'm extremely excited, I'm very happy, and I'm extremely grateful. Today has been an excellent day. It was great to see everyone at NIU earlier today, to see the team and be able to say a few parting words. It kind of made the transition complete."
6. Sycamore volleyball finishes 3rd
This wasn't supposed to be one of those great seasons for the highly successful Sycamore girls volleyball program. They were without a true star and stuck in one of the toughest Class 3A volleyball regionals in the state.
As it would turnout, however, the lack of a star would become the Spartans' main weapon en route to the state finals. They were unpredictable and kept their opponents off balance with a rotation of three juniors (Jill Johnson, Evyn McCoy and Kaitlin Roach) and five seniors (Justine Schepler, Brittany Olson, Kate Binder, Brittany Huber and Sarah Verckler).
As it turned out, the most dramatic moment of the Spartans' season would be the first night of the Class 3A Burlington Central Regional, when Sycamore played host Burlington Central, which was the state runner-up a season before.
The Spartans (35-7) left with a dramatic 25-13, 17-25, 25-23 victory before dominating matches against Hampshire, Sterling, Freeport and Normal University en route to the state tournament.
Once there, they didn't have enough to match the consistently powerful serving of Breese Mater Dei in the semifinals, but came back with a 25-22, 20-25, 25-19 over Crystal Lake Central in the third-place game to finish the season as a winner.
7. Sycamore girls soccer finishes 4th
It wasn't so much that the Sycamore girls won. That was expected. It was how easy they did it.
In a game that defined the word dominant, the Sycamore girls soccer team advanced to the state's final four with a 5-0 win against Peoria Notre Dame in the Class 2A Supersectionals. The Spartans didn't allow a shot, dominated possession and showed why opposing coaches continually called them one of the best teams in the state.
Led by Marquette recruit Karissa Miller, who set a school record with 40 goals on the season, and Northern Illinois recruits Nici Newquist and Sara Cervenka, Sycamore finished 26-3, won the Western Sun Conference and fell just short in the state semifinals and third-place game.
"There is a camaraderie there that just can't be duplicated," coach Dave Lichamer said just after the team's final game. "That is not something I can coach. I can't coach them to be best friends off the field. That needs to come from them, and it certainly did."
8. Sycamore football reaches state quarterfinals
The Sycamore football team's season was shaping up like 2008's season. It won the first three games, then lost close games to Kaneland and Geneva.
Facing a tough Rochelle team on the road without starting quarterback Ryan Bartels, it looked like the Spartans were headed in the same direction. But, that night, something changed.
The Spartans began using running back Marckie Hayes in a direct-snap "Marckie set," where he became nearly impossible to stop as they ran away with a 26-0 season-defining win.
From there, the Spartans (8-4) gained more confidence as Hayes ran for 1,792 yards, scored 17 touchdowns, won the Daily Chronicle Football Player of the Year honor, won a share of the final Western Sun Offensive Player of the Year honor, and earned all-state status.
After the win at Rochelle, the Spartans would lose only one more regular-season game, in the final week with the playoffs already clinched against Glenbard South. They then beat Kaneland (40-13) and Wheaton Academy (42-0) in the first two weeks of the playoffs.
The Spartans' season ended with a 31-17 loss to eventual Class 5A state champion Montini in the state quarterfinals, the furthest the Spartans had gone in the playoffs since 1978.
9. NIU reaches second straight bowl game
Another year, another bowl game.
That's never been said about Northern Illinois since it moved up to the major college ranks. With an invitation to the International Bowl against South Florida, the Huskies will play in back-to-back bowl games for the first time as a Football Bowl Subdivision member.
"It's tremendous, it's great for our senior class because they've been through so much," NIU coach Jerry Kill said. "A coaching change, a 2-10 record, for them to be able to do this, go back-to-back and be the first group of seniors in school history to do that, I think it's great for our seniors."
The Huskies played in last year's Independence Bowl, barely making it in as a 6-6 team. This year, the Huskies didn't have to wait until the final day of the season to know they were going to a bowl. After a 7-5 season that included a victory at Purdue, NIU's second-ever win over a Big Ten team, making history was a sure thing for these Huskies.
10. Local basketball players sign Division I letters of intent
Most years, the DeKalb County area hopes to have one player advancing to play college basketball. This year, however, things are a little different.
Hinckley-Big Rock senior Jenna Thorp became the school's first Division I girls basketball player – and second Division I basketball player of any gender – when she signed to play college basketball at Northern Illinois in a ceremony Nov. 11.
Kaneland center Dave Dudzinski signed to play at Holy Cross the same day, and DeKalb's Jordan Threloff signed with Illinois State on Nov. 12.
The trio marked the strongest class of high school basketball stars the DeKalb County area has seen in years, maybe ever, and their final season of high school basketball will last long into 2010.
