Getting Prepped

High school sports rankings are usually a fun way to rile up the masses. But even though they have no impact on who finishes where, we take them seriously because we know many of you do, too.

The toughest sport for me to rank is baseball because of the biggest variable of all compared to other sports - pitching. What if one team was using its No. 3 guy in the rotation when it gets beat by another team using its ace? Some teams just don't have the pitching depth to succeed in nonconference games, but are more than capable of beating anyone when their top guys are on the mound in the conference games that matter most.

Time to pour out a lot of the news and notes stockpiled lately in the notepads...

Rolling Meadows had a lot of holes to fill after winning the Mid-Suburban East last year. But the impressive work of Kentucky-bound left-hander Jon Carlson and a pair of solid starts from senior Teddy Metzger has the Mustangs at 5-0 in the league going into the 6-game crossover portion of the schedule. "Teddy threw the ball well and had better command than he had early (in the season)," Meadows coach Jim Lindeman said of his 9-3 win Wednesday over Buffalo Grove.

The throwers (shot put and discus) are often out of the spotlight at track and field meets. They usually compete off to the side somewhere from the main attractions on the track.
But for nearly a decade, Fremd boys head coach and throwing guru Jim Aikens has held an event that puts the spotlight solely on the big boys. At 4:30 p.m. Thursday, he'll host his annual Fremd Throws Invite, and it should be quite a show based on some of the early returns from those invited and what appears to be a nice weather forecast.
Lake Park and last year's Class AA shot champ Dan Block, Fremd, Hersey, Wheaton North, West Aurora, Leyden and Hoffman Estates will bring their throwing crews. But Aikens also made a change to invite some of the top individuals to compete as well.

About 15 years ago, former Prospect boys soccer coach Wally Bachir had come out to Crystal Lake South for a brief coaching stint. Bachir had been at Prospect during the growth and transition period of the Mid-Suburban League and Northwest suburbs.
As we caught up on old times, Bachir mentioned that it would be just a matter of time before the Fox Valley Conference made big gains and became a conference worth being mentioned with the big boys in the Chicago area and the state. As more people migrated further out, schools grew and new schools were built.

Here's hoping the 13th annual High School Hoops Showdown will bring better luck to Bob Rylko and David Kaplan than they've had recently with their annual events, which have been hit by injuries, teams that haven't performed up to expectations or star players that have defected. They announced the three matchups at the annual event at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates for Saturday, Jan. 23, 2010. The date should help since it's not Martin Luther King weekend, when there is usually a glut of shootouts and other events.

All three matchups are pretty localized which should help...

Eric Waldstein, who has been an assistant coach at Cornell (Iowa) College and Carthage College, is the new football coach at Harper College. We'll have a story later.

One could only imagine the shock that went through Driscoll students and alums when they heard the news today the school would be closing at the end of this school year. But like everything these days in this economy, no business or institution, no matter how long it's been around or successful it has been, is immune from going by the wayside.
Declining enrollment and revenue led to the decision. Now it will be a footnote in IHSA history with a record seven straight IHSA football titles and a 2A girls basketball title that can't be defended next year.

Schaumburg senior basketball player Cully Payne received his release today from his letter of intent with Alabama. It was what he expected to happen as soon as Alabama officially hired a new coach, which it did Sunday with Anthony Grant from Virginia Commonwealth. Grant replaces Mark Gottfried, who resigned in January.
Payne's dad Kent said Cully is preparing to visit Washington State and coach Tony Bennett soon. Payne is also scheduled to play in a senior all-star game at Niles North High School at 8 p.m. Friday.

The baseball pairings are out and once again I just don't get it. There's no guarantee Schaumburg will get to the Class 4A supersectional, but if it does, shouldn't it be playing in the one it hosts at Alexian Field? Makes sense, doesn't it? Apparently not since the Saxons are in a sectional group where the winner goes to the Rockford supersectional.
And they wonder why so many people take shots at them for things like this and class expansion.

Submitted my Mr. Basketball ballot today - never an easy task to pick just three top players but here goes...

1. Jereme Richmond (Waukegan) - yes, he's only a junior, and yes, he still has some issues to overcome - as evidenced by the first 12 minutes of the 4A title game where there was too much head-hanging and letting a frustrating start get to him. But he also grew up considerably this year and showed the talent that has Illinois fans pretty excited. His half-court shot to beat Warren in the sectional semifinals was one of the most dramatic shots in state history in helping the Bulldogs finish second in the state.