Vernon Hills Review

Girls Basketball: Libertyville top Vernon Hills in NSC title game

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 21:14:24 -0600

GIRLS BASKETBALL: The Wildcats defeated Vernon Hills to claim the NSC Championship on Wednesday.

Wrestling: Vernon Hills’ Brazil wins sectional crown

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 21:52:01 -0600

Vernon Hills star Jeremy Brazil went over the 40-win mark on Saturday. The senior will head to next weekend’s IHSA Class 2A state tournament with plenty of confidence after taking top honors at 285 pounds at the Grayslake Central Sectional. Brazil, who claimed runner-up honors at State last year, pinned Hampshire’s Zach Oranger (1:08) in the title bout, raising his overall mark to 41-1. Teammate Dan Klema also qualified to state by claiming second at 152. He was pinned by Crystal Lake Central’s Jason Fugiel in the final (1:46). Klema will take a 27-10 record to Champaign. Meanwhile, Carmel’s Jake …

Boys Basketball: Vernon Hills bounces back, takes down Antioch

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 21:30:32 -0600

BOYS BASKETBALL: Fresh off a heartbreaking loss the night before against Grant, Vernon Hills wanted to assert itself in its North Suburban Conference Prairie Division matchup with host Antioch Saturday night. And although the Cougars didn’t exactly storm out of the starting gate, they did manage to come away with a solid 54-42 win.

Girls Basketball: Team-first attitude drives Vernon Hills to undefeated league mark

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:53:53 -0600

Rocco Pesola’s smile was impossible to miss Saturday afternoon in Lake Villa. As he sat in a bleacher seat, Vernon Hills High School’s visiting girls basketball team battled Lakes in an NSC Prairie Division regular-season finale. He remembered when Vernon Hills’ current prep players were considerably shorter, when a basketball ball in their tiny hands must have looked like an orange version of that enormous ball that slowly descends in New York every New Year’s Eve. Pesola is president of the Vernon Hills Lady Cougars Feeder Basketball (VHLCFB). He was, for 10 years, the organization’s program director. Pesola also served …

Gymnastics: Vernon Hills’ Tran turns some more heads with stellar showing at regional

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:54:01 -0600

GYMNASTICS: Alli Tran came up with another superb meet. The Cougars junior scored a 38.025 in the all-around at last Thursday’s regional at Deerfield.

Wrestling: Vernon Hills qualifies eight for sectionals

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:53:36 -0600

WRESTLING: Vernon Hills qualified eight team members for sectionals from Saturday’s Marengo Regional.

Boys Basketball: Curry returns to pace Vernon Hills

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 21:00:50 -0600

Life is good again for Stephen Curry. The Vernon Hills junior guard suffered an eye injury — which required seven stitches — in practice on Jan. 30 and was sidelined for two games. Curry returned to the floor on Tuesday night — with a vengeance. He tallied 10 in the first quarter and went on to lead all scorers (22 points) in Vernon Hills’ 76-51 victory over visiting Chicagoland Jewish. The win snapped a two-game losing streak for the 13-9 Cougars. Darren Hoveydai (13 points) and Nathan Rathod (12 points) also scored in double figures for Vernon Hills. Juniors Dylan …

Boys Basketball: Vernon Hills’ McNamara comes on strong in loss at Wauconda

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:53:45 -0600

BOYS BASKETBALL: Making his first varsity start, junior Dylan McNamara turns in a strong finish in Friday’s game at Wauconda.s

Football: Proffitt named new head coach at Lake Zurich

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:12:01 -0600

You didn’t need to be a prophet to see this coming. Lake Zurich has named David Proffitt as its new head football coach. Proffitt, who has been the Bears’ defensive coordinator for the past six years, will replace Bryan Stortz, who has taken a job at Rock Island. Lake Zurich went with experience. Proffitt has been coaching high school football for 25 years, including 10 seasons as the head coach at Marian Central Catholic (1991-2001). “I am confident that Dave will continue with the many traditions he helped build in his six years of coaching here at Lake Zurich High …

Girls Basketball: Vernon Hills has record-breaking afternoon

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:57:52 -0600

It was a record-setting afternon for the Vernon Hills girls basketball team. First of all, after beating host Lakes on Saturday, the Cougars set a school record for most wins in a season: 21. The 61-46 win also secured a perfect 12-0 record in the NSC Prairie — which is another first. Sophomore Sydney Smith played a starring role for VH. She set a school record for most three-pointers made in a game: 8. Smith, who wound up with a game-high 26 points, tallied an amazing 17 points on five threes in the second quarter. Smith also had five rebounds …

Girls Basketball: Vernon Hills will meet Libertyville in NSC title game

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:37:52 -0600

One win away. Vernon Hills’ girls basketball team defeated host Antioch 56-39 on Tuesday to up its NSC Prairie record to 11-0. The Cougars (20-3), who now have clinched first place in the division, will try to secure a perfect league record on Saturday, when they travel to Lakes (2:30 p.m.). They will host Libertyville in the NSC Championship Game on Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. This also is the first 20-win season for the VH program. In the win over Antioch, Sydney Smith led the team with 15 points and four assists. Abby Springer finished with 14 points, six …

Girls Bowling: Vernon Hills’ Rigwood claims sectional crown

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:53:30 -0600

She’s in a zone. Vernon Hills bowler Taylor Rigwood captured top honors in the Lake Zurich Sectional on Saturday at the Brunswick Zone in Deer Park. And she took the title in convincing fashion, averaging a 224.5 (1346 pins). Antioch’s Kelsey Schreiber was the runner-up with a 1284 (212.5). Rigwood has hit her stride at the right time. A week earlier, the Cougars senior claimed a conference championship. She now will contend for a medal at the IHSA state tournament this weekend at the Cherry Bowl Lanes in Rockford. Team-wise, Vernon Hills took fourth place (5301). Antioch (5463) and Zion-Benton …

Wrestling: Carmel’s Salvi steps up, earns sectional berth

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:15:30 -0600

WRESTLING: Carmel will send four qualifiers to this weekend’s sectional at Grayslake North.

Gymnastics: Carmel Catholic’s Cohen-Smith making a career out of collecting crowns

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:15:21 -0600

GYMNASTICS: Sarah Cohen-Smith of the Corsairs knows what it takes to please judges. She’s a six-time pageants winner.

Gymnastics: Vernon Hills’ Tran turns in super showing at NSC Meet

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:00:47 -0600

Shortly after Friday night’s NSC girls gymnastics meet at Ultimate Gymnastics in Gurnee, the following exchange took place: “I voted for you,” Vernon Hills first-year coach Alison Gildemeister said to Libertyville coach John Taylor. “I,” Taylor shot back, “voted for you.” It is an election year, yes. But they’re not running for office. They had voted for each other for NSC coach of the year. Gildemeister, a former Stevenson and Lake Forest assistant coach, won. A vote for gymnast of the meet was not taken. But if it had been, Vernon Hills junior Alli Tran would have earned that distinction. …

Girls Basketball: Vernon Hills improves to 10-0 in NSC Prairie

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 04:18:57 -0600

Vernon Hills improved its NSC Prairie record to 10-0 on Friday night by downing visiting Grant 66-48. With the Senior Night win, the Cougars clinched at least a tie for the league title. Both Antioch and Lakes have two league losses. VH was in a spot to seal the deal on Tuesday, when it traveled to Antioch. Both Lauren Webb and Meri Bennett-Swanson tallied 21 points against Grant. Webb also had eight rebounds. Alina Lehocky had five points and seven rebounds. Abby Springer and Julie Pecht — the team’s two seniors — were recognized. In other action this week, Vernon …