| Another Confusing Cody Column |
What and Where is
Scales Mound?
Scales Mound?
Volleyball Team Won First Sectional in School History ...
SCALES MOUND - Not much electric occurs in the corner of
northwest Illinois.
When one does hear of recent news regarding the small
towns of that particular area, it's usually in the high school
athletic scene.
Galena and Stockton are known for their football. Galena is a
historical town known for its shopping district and Ulysses S.
Grant. River Ridge is known for its boys basketball program
under the tutelage of former coach and now-superintendent
Brad Albrecht.
SCALES MOUND - Not much electric occurs in the corner of
northwest Illinois.
When one does hear of recent news regarding the small
towns of that particular area, it's usually in the high school
athletic scene.
Galena and Stockton are known for their football. Galena is a
historical town known for its shopping district and Ulysses S.
Grant. River Ridge is known for its boys basketball program
under the tutelage of former coach and now-superintendent
Brad Albrecht.
C o d y' s
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C o l u m n s
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C o l u m n s
| Those Who Know Northern Illinois High School Sports Know about NISB! |
| Northern Illinois Sports Beat http://www.northernillinoissportsbeat.com |
Warren often gets confused for a couple of high schools in Illinois: one in suburban
Gurnee, and the other near Monmouth, which became no more in 2004. Unfortunately,
this particular Warren is known for its lengthy losing streak in football from 1985-1990.
East Dubuque, Lena-Winslow and Pearl City have had athletic success in the past.
There is one more high school that sits near, in which not much has been heard from:
Scales Mound.
High above the other towns in Illinois, Scales Mound is not to be confused with Charles
Mound which is the highest natural point in Illinois, and a few miles away. The town of
Scales Mound does not have a state or federal highway run through it, but the Illinois
Central Railroad passes through downtown. It also sits on the edge of the historic
Stagecoach Trail, connecting Galena and Lena. It's just a few miles from the Wisconsin
border in Jo Daviess County.
It's grocery store has been at the same location for over 100 years and still has the
wooden floor. One of its gas stations is a full-service Sinclair, one of the last remaining
full-serve gas stations in northern Illinois.
The town is home to a old opera house, and most of the town's boundaries are
preserved as the Scales Mound Historic District. Most of the houses are white, which is
the same color of the old public school building.
Eventually at some point newer buildings do come up, such as the current school.
There is a statue of an anthropomorphic green Hornet (not the comic book hero)
outside the front doors, complete with “hero” garb. Not too many schools have such a
thing.
Sports heroes at Scales Mound, like such statues, are rare.
They compete in the Northwest Upstate Illini Conference along with the other schools
near it. However, there hasn't been much success at the school. It seems like they get
shuffled under the mix of other “small schools” on their way to glory.
Drive north through the town and it will seem like 1952, when the Fred Smart-coached
Hornet basketball team went 21-5 but missed out on a District championship.
Such success by Hornet athletics would not be seen until 1981. That's when a young
Russ Zick coached the Hornets to the first Regional championship in school history,
and finished 22-7 on the year. Zick would leave Scales Mound after that year and spent
14 years at Paxton-Buckley-Loda before moving to Rochelle, where he will retire after
this upcoming basketball season.
Other than that, Scales Mound would win just one Regional championship until 2008:
Gary Neis's 18-9 boys basketball squad in 1989. A few more students would be part of
a Six Rivers football conference co-championship in 1985 – having participated in a
cooperative with Benton, Wisc. which still continues to this day.
The year 2008 is best known in Illinois high school sports history for the expansion of
classification in several sports. Team sports such as baseball, basketball, volleyball and
softball had its number of classes expand from two to four. As one of the smallest
schools in Illinois, Scales Mound didn't have to worry about schools like Forreston,
Lena-Winslow or West Carroll in the postseason.
From that point, Scales Mound teams and athletes had a realistic shot at attaining
goals that many teams of the past have fallen short of.
And heroes became established.
Under coach Erik Kudronowicz, star players Garrett Homb and Joe Kelly led the Scales
Mound basketball team to back-to-back regional championships in the past two years.
Homb would be the first athlete in school history to sign with a Division II school, the
University of Minnesota-Crookston, in football. In that sport, Benton/Scales Mound was
unbeaten on their home field from 2007-2009.
The success was also seen in girls athletics. Kudronowicz would coach the Scales
Mound/River Ridge softball team to a regional championship in 2009. The co-op's girls
basketball team, led by junior Whitney Kieffer, won a regional championship in 2010
under coach Brian Wurster. One of their wins was against defending Wisconsin Class
2A runner-up Potosi, in a rare home game at the Scales Mound gymnasium.
Kieffer and company will be back on the basketball court again this year. But before
basketball, there is volleyball.
That's where the story gets better.
Scales Mound put together a 36-4 season that is still going on ... to the Supersectional.
It was without question that the Hornets, under veteran coach Angie Winter, would be
one of the top teams in the NUIC. However, who would have guessed that they would be
the top team out of the entire conference.
A conference that includes defending back-to-back Class 1A Volleyball champion
Eastland.
Yes, Scales Mound defeated Eastland in three sets at the Pearl City Sectional final on
Thursday. The volleyball team from a high school with just 65 students toppled the
powerful lineup and tradition that is the Cougars.
That power cornered the Hornets when Eastland led 18-9 during the third set. Then like
the fight evident in the statue outside of their school building, the Hornets clawed their
way back to outscore Eastland 16-5 and win 25-23.
It was the first Sectional championship in school history. Thus, an opportunity to expand
on that is possible. The Hornets go up against Ottawa Marquette in Saturday's Class
1A Pecatonica Supersectional.
Win or lose, it is still history. Plus, with it being this early in the school year, the athletes
can use this success to help guide them in the winter and spring - and perhaps college.
Northern Illinois hasn't seen anything like this since Ohio's upset win over top-ranked
Newark in boys basketball in 1986. Ohio, a school of 69 kids at the time, went on to
take second place in Class A.
Who knows how "high" Scales Mound can go.
Cody Cutter is the Publisher of Northern Illinois Sports Beat, and writes columns about
Illinois high school sports. He can be reached at Northernillinoissportsbeat@yahoo.
com. --- Talk about what's written on our Message Boards!
Gurnee, and the other near Monmouth, which became no more in 2004. Unfortunately,
this particular Warren is known for its lengthy losing streak in football from 1985-1990.
East Dubuque, Lena-Winslow and Pearl City have had athletic success in the past.
There is one more high school that sits near, in which not much has been heard from:
Scales Mound.
High above the other towns in Illinois, Scales Mound is not to be confused with Charles
Mound which is the highest natural point in Illinois, and a few miles away. The town of
Scales Mound does not have a state or federal highway run through it, but the Illinois
Central Railroad passes through downtown. It also sits on the edge of the historic
Stagecoach Trail, connecting Galena and Lena. It's just a few miles from the Wisconsin
border in Jo Daviess County.
It's grocery store has been at the same location for over 100 years and still has the
wooden floor. One of its gas stations is a full-service Sinclair, one of the last remaining
full-serve gas stations in northern Illinois.
The town is home to a old opera house, and most of the town's boundaries are
preserved as the Scales Mound Historic District. Most of the houses are white, which is
the same color of the old public school building.
Eventually at some point newer buildings do come up, such as the current school.
There is a statue of an anthropomorphic green Hornet (not the comic book hero)
outside the front doors, complete with “hero” garb. Not too many schools have such a
thing.
Sports heroes at Scales Mound, like such statues, are rare.
They compete in the Northwest Upstate Illini Conference along with the other schools
near it. However, there hasn't been much success at the school. It seems like they get
shuffled under the mix of other “small schools” on their way to glory.
Drive north through the town and it will seem like 1952, when the Fred Smart-coached
Hornet basketball team went 21-5 but missed out on a District championship.
Such success by Hornet athletics would not be seen until 1981. That's when a young
Russ Zick coached the Hornets to the first Regional championship in school history,
and finished 22-7 on the year. Zick would leave Scales Mound after that year and spent
14 years at Paxton-Buckley-Loda before moving to Rochelle, where he will retire after
this upcoming basketball season.
Other than that, Scales Mound would win just one Regional championship until 2008:
Gary Neis's 18-9 boys basketball squad in 1989. A few more students would be part of
a Six Rivers football conference co-championship in 1985 – having participated in a
cooperative with Benton, Wisc. which still continues to this day.
The year 2008 is best known in Illinois high school sports history for the expansion of
classification in several sports. Team sports such as baseball, basketball, volleyball and
softball had its number of classes expand from two to four. As one of the smallest
schools in Illinois, Scales Mound didn't have to worry about schools like Forreston,
Lena-Winslow or West Carroll in the postseason.
From that point, Scales Mound teams and athletes had a realistic shot at attaining
goals that many teams of the past have fallen short of.
And heroes became established.
Under coach Erik Kudronowicz, star players Garrett Homb and Joe Kelly led the Scales
Mound basketball team to back-to-back regional championships in the past two years.
Homb would be the first athlete in school history to sign with a Division II school, the
University of Minnesota-Crookston, in football. In that sport, Benton/Scales Mound was
unbeaten on their home field from 2007-2009.
The success was also seen in girls athletics. Kudronowicz would coach the Scales
Mound/River Ridge softball team to a regional championship in 2009. The co-op's girls
basketball team, led by junior Whitney Kieffer, won a regional championship in 2010
under coach Brian Wurster. One of their wins was against defending Wisconsin Class
2A runner-up Potosi, in a rare home game at the Scales Mound gymnasium.
Kieffer and company will be back on the basketball court again this year. But before
basketball, there is volleyball.
That's where the story gets better.
Scales Mound put together a 36-4 season that is still going on ... to the Supersectional.
It was without question that the Hornets, under veteran coach Angie Winter, would be
one of the top teams in the NUIC. However, who would have guessed that they would be
the top team out of the entire conference.
A conference that includes defending back-to-back Class 1A Volleyball champion
Eastland.
Yes, Scales Mound defeated Eastland in three sets at the Pearl City Sectional final on
Thursday. The volleyball team from a high school with just 65 students toppled the
powerful lineup and tradition that is the Cougars.
That power cornered the Hornets when Eastland led 18-9 during the third set. Then like
the fight evident in the statue outside of their school building, the Hornets clawed their
way back to outscore Eastland 16-5 and win 25-23.
It was the first Sectional championship in school history. Thus, an opportunity to expand
on that is possible. The Hornets go up against Ottawa Marquette in Saturday's Class
1A Pecatonica Supersectional.
Win or lose, it is still history. Plus, with it being this early in the school year, the athletes
can use this success to help guide them in the winter and spring - and perhaps college.
Northern Illinois hasn't seen anything like this since Ohio's upset win over top-ranked
Newark in boys basketball in 1986. Ohio, a school of 69 kids at the time, went on to
take second place in Class A.
Who knows how "high" Scales Mound can go.
Cody Cutter is the Publisher of Northern Illinois Sports Beat, and writes columns about
Illinois high school sports. He can be reached at Northernillinoissportsbeat@yahoo.
com. --- Talk about what's written on our Message Boards!