Northern Illinois Sports Beat: Friday 5 for April 10, 2009

By Cody Cutter, NISB Publisher
[email protected]

Writer's Note: Welcome to the newest feature on Northern Illinois Sports Beat: The Thursday 5. The feature is a �bits and pieces� article similar to several newspaper features in the area. I hope it can last, and I hope you enjoy it.

Today is Friday, April 10, 2009. There are 65 days remaining in the high school sports year. Only 99 days until the start of the 2009-10 prep sports season, and 110 days until high school football starts.

Harvard Wrestling Turns 50

The Harvard Hornets wrestling program celebrated fifty years of wrestling at the Harvard Moose Lodge on Saturday, April 4.

Former University of Iowa wrestling coach Dan Gable was the guest speaker at the event. Gable won 15 NCAA championships as Hawkeye coach, as well as a gold medal at the 1972 Olympic Games.

A slideshow of Harvard wrestling memories was also shown.

The Harvard wrestling program is one of Illinois's most winning programs with over 800 dual meet victories. In it's first year, 1958-59, Harvard finished 2-8 under coach Chuck Riker. Three years later, the Hornets began their first of three years of one-loss seasons under coach John Sciacca. They finished 12-1-1 in 1963, 14-1 in 1964 and 12-1 in 1965, a year they won their first IHSA District championship.

Sciacca would guide Harvard to a sectional championship in 1974, and placed fourth at the state tournament. Harvard placed seventh in Sciacca's final year as coach, in 1978.

Richard Holtfreter became coach in 1978 and compiled a 159-34-2 record as coach until 1987. Holtfreter's teams won three district titles, three regional titles and two sectional titles. Harvard finished in eighth place in 1981, and tied for the IHSA State Championship in 1982 with Mahomet-Seymour. Prior to 1984, state wrestling championships were decided based on individual results. In 1987, Harvard took second place under the team dual meet.

Tim Haak took over the helm the following year, and to date has won over 500 dual meets as the current coach. The program began a state record of 21 consecutive regional championships starting in 1987. They won the 1992 Class A state championship, and placed second in 1988 and 1990. They also had a third place finish in 2000.

Four times Harvard won 27 meets in a year, their current most for a season: in 1988, 1989, 1990 and 2007. The Hornets has a record of 26-3 this past year, qualifying for the state tournament for the 12th time since the dual championships began.

Nine Harvard individuals have won state championships: George Bednarczyk (98 pounds - 1985), Sergio Figueroa (112 - 2009), Dan Haeflinger (215 � 2005), Mark Jones (119 � 1994), Mike Leyden (152 � 1991), Steve Nulle (189 � 1999 and 2000), Mark Olbrich (98 � 1988), Jeff Putnam (132 � 1983) and Todd Van Lue (119 � 1989). Forty-eight individuals have placed at the state tournament, winning 52 medals.

Hope For Driscoll Catholic?

Northern Illinois Sports Beat reported the closing of Driscoll Catholic High School in suburban Addison last week. However, efforts to prevent the closing have surfaced.

Driscoll's �The Next 43 Years� Committee was founded in an effort to reverse the decision made by the Christian Brothers, which administer the school.

The Christian Brothers held a meeting on Friday and attempted to change the school closing structure.

�We have our work cut out for us, but we are not ready to give up,� said Driscoll Committee Chair Gene Faut. �The Christian Brothers gave us a two-part mandate: a substantial and immediate influx of cash to cover Driscoll�s immediate needs; and the development of a realistic, comprehensive plan to create a sustainable Driscoll for the future.�

The call for help has been accepted by many Driscoll faithful.

�Students have taken to the streets, going door to door, to raise funds,� said Faut. �Parents and alumni have written both personal and corporate checks. Several foundations have stepped forward. Within the first 24 hours, we raised more than $100,000. The response has been amazing and more and more people are calling, emailing, and sending text messages with offers to help.�

The committee is looking to raise over one million dollars.

A fundraiser event will take place on April 17 at 8:00 p.m. at the Heat Night Club, 616 E. Golf Road (Rt. 58) in Schaumburg.

Those interested in sending a monetary donation can send them to Piccione, Keeley & Associates, Attn: Lauren - County Farm Professional Park - 122C South County Farm Road - Wheaton, IL 60187. Checks should be written out to �The Driscoll Fund.� All contributions will be deposited into an escrow fund.

Drug Testing May Extend For Entire Season

The Illinois High School Association has been drug testing students during their state series events for the past year. Government legislation may make it possible to extend the window of testing to include the entire sports season.

The Illinois House unanimously passed House Bill 272 on March 26. The bill arrived in the Senate on March 30 and is currently in the Assignments Committee.

A synopsis of the Bill reads:

�Amends the Interscholastic Athletic Organization Act. Requires an association that has as one of its purposes promoting, sponsoring, regulating, or in any manner providing for interscholastic athletics or any form of athletic competition among schools and students within this State and that has a performance-enhancing substance testing program to prohibit a student from participating in an athletic competition sponsored or sanctioned by the association unless (i) the student agrees not to use certain performance-enhancing substances, and, if the student is enrolled in high school, the student submits to random testing for the presence of these substances in the student's body and (ii) the association obtains from the student's parent a statement signed by the parent acknowledging certain information.

�Provides that a school district shall require that each district employee who serves as an athletic coach at or above the ninth grade level for an extracurricular athletic activity sponsored or sanctioned by an association complete an educational program on the prevention of abuse of performance-enhancing substances and complete a proficiency exam. Requires the Department of Public Health to provide oversight of the annual administration of a performance-enhancing substance testing program by an association under which high school students participating in an athletic competition sponsored or sanctioned by the association are tested at multiple times throughout the athletic season for the presence of certain performance-enhancing substances in the students' bodies. Contains provisions concerning confidentiality, funding, exceptions, and liability. Repeals these provisions on July 1, 2011. Effective immediately.�

Planned funding for the concept will come from increased fines for drug crimes in Illinois. The IHSA is planning on conducting 1,000 tests by the end of the school year. The bill would double that number of tests. There have been only six positives to date, all of which received a medical waiver.

AlWood Referendum Passes

One area school referendum was decided on by the voters in Tuesday's elections.

The Woodhull AlWood referendum was passed with a 552-457 vote. The district lies in parts of Henry (528-412 for), Knox (34-21 against) and Mercer (3-1 for) counties.

Residents will see an 80-cent increase on taxes, which will go toward various school funds, including athletics.

Chicago's 2016 Olympic Bid

After four days of closed-door meetings with members of the Chicago 2016 bid team, the International Olympic Committee evaluation team wrapped up review of Chicago's proposal.

Chicago is one of four finalists for the 2016 games, including Madrid, Rio de Janerio and Tokyo. Atlanta was the last United States city to host the Olympic Games (1996), followed by Los Angeles (1984 and 1932) and St. Louis (1904). The St. Louis games were originally going to be held in Chicago, but was moved to coincide with the World's Fair that year.

It comes without question that Chicago landing the Games will help high school sports in the area.

Cody Cutter is the Publisher of Northern Illinois Sports Beat, and writes columns about Illinois high school sports. He can be reached at [email protected].
Want more Cody? Check out his NISB Blog, Because I Said So, at Cody�s Corner!