Belvidere North finds success in multiple sports’ competitions

By Bob Balgemann

REPORTER

It was quite a weekend for winter sports teams at Belvidere North High School.

First of all, the Blue Thunder co-ed competitive cheer team was crowned state champion on Saturday, Feb. 4 going up against some larger, suburban schools such as Hoffman Estates Conant (second place), and Buffalo Grove (third place).

North scored 93.29 points to edge Conant by 3.66 points. At the Belvidere sectional, first-place North had 93.69 points with Fox Lake Grant (92.40) finishing second.

Blue Thunder Cheer is no stranger to state competition, having taken second place in 2015; seventh in 2015; ninth in 2014; and sixth in 2011.

Girls’ bowling

Meanwhile, in bowling, both the Belvidere North and Belvidere girls’ teams moved on to the Saturday, Feb. 4 Belvidere sectional at Forest Hills Lanes in Loves Park. The Lady Blue Thunder finished second at the  Boylan regional, with the Lady Bucs coming in third.

Belvidere received some outstanding individual performances led by junior Holley Steelberg. She was the regional champion with a six-game series of 1,416, which was the highest among those placing first at 17 other regionals. Second best was a 1,391 by Abby Gray of Belleview East High School, at the downstate Cahokia regional.

Team-wise, Steelberg, sophomore Alexis Sherman (1,287), junior Hannah Lowery (1,262), and sophomore Elyce Turnipseed (five-game 857) all exceeded their regular season averages by a considerable margin.

Another in the starting five, junior Hailey Carter, was within a few pins of her average. Sophomore Hannah Whidby bowled one game, a 127.

Also with the team were freshman Adriana Anderson and sophomore Allison White.

Belvidere North launched its march to a third consecutive state appearance led by Kylie Johnson’s 1,369 series, an average of 228 per game. She was followed by freshman Rachele Nelson with a 1,243; junior Brynn Lambrecht with a 1,238; senior Alex Bendorf with a 1,128; and senior Sidney Baird with a 1,117.

Also accompanying the team were seniors Giovannina Casteldo, Emily Nakishima, and sophomore Camile Spencer.

The state meet will be held Friday, Feb. 17 through Saturday, Feb. 18 at The Cherry Bowl in Cherry Valley. North finished eighth at state year.

12 wrestlers qualify

In wrestling, Belvidere North and Belvidere combined to qualify 12 competitors for the Saturday, Feb. 4 sectional tournament at Sterling.

Blue Thunder came home with regional champions in senior Tyler Demo (16-0) at 138 pounds and junior Sean Lock (17-4) at 152 pounds. Demo steamrolled to the title, registering a pin in just 59 seconds in the semi-finals and a technical fall in the title match. Lock won his first match, 16-2, and then took the championship by pinning his opponent in 3:04.

North had two second-place finishes and four thirds.

Sophomore Chris Jarka (19-12) was the runner-up at 120 pounds while junior Kent Myerson (27-9) took third at 145.

Qualifying third-place finishes went to freshman Milayke Rodriguez (24-7) at 106 pounds; junior Mia Rodriguez (9-5) at 113; sophomore Isaac Hernandez (22-16) at 126; and senior Caleb Blatchford (27-8) at 132.

Coming within one place of qualifying for the sectional was senior Brandt Lerna, who took fourth place at 160 pounds.

Belvidere wrestlers who qualified were senior Deon Roby (19-12), second at 220 pounds; sophomore Glenn Winchel (17-16), third at 152 pounds; senior Enrique Morales (23-12), third at 170; and Shamel Lesley (11-22), third at 285.

Morales was busy, having to wrestle three matches to qualify. He scored a 13-5 decision in the consolation finals. Shamel was involved in three close matches, losing the opener, 6-2, then winning 4-0 and, finally, 4-2 in the battle for third. All of Winchel’s matches were decisions, a 10-5 loss then close victories of 2-1 in the semi-finals and 5-1 in the consolation finals. Roby went 1-1 at his weight class, winning by a pin and losing, 7-3, in the finals.

One week earlier, Belvidere North took 11 places in the NIC-10 tournament, while Belvidere won 10.

Champions for the Blue Thunder were Demo at 138 pounds and Lock at 152. Demo won his title match with an 11-3 major decision; Lock was a 7-1 winner in his championship bout.

Myerson finished second at 145 pounds, being edged, 5-3 in the championship match.

Rodriguez was fourth at 106 pounds; Jarka, third at 120; Hernandez, fourth at 126; Blatchford, third at 132; Lerna, fifth at 160; Natt Williams, sixth at 182; and Mendoza, fifth at 195. Mendoza won with a 54-second pin in his third-place match.

Oswaldo Maldonado did not place at 135 pounds.

For Belvidere, Roby was second at 220; Jase Abraham (21-15), third at 182; Morales, third at 170; Winchel, third at 152; Michael St. Germain (14-10), fourth at 195; Lesley, fifth at 285; Preston Beasley (2-3), sixth at 106; and Tayvius Sanders (10-19), sixth at 145.

Not placing were Brandon Childers at 120 and Jake Colson at 160.