| Another Confusing Cody Column |
Great Ending to a Great
Year
Year
No June has ever been this explosive for the NISB area ...
I am exhausted.
In eight days, four of them were considered “double-duty” days at Peoria. One day
even saw this writer cover three State Final games.
The best thing about the past couple of weekends is that it was an area-wide
representation: Eastland Baseball, Prophetstown/Erie Baseball, Morrison Softball,
Kaneland Baseball, LaSalle-Peru Softball, Marengo Softball and Moline Softball.
Four teams won state titles. Two more took second, and one took third.
And none of these schools are located across Illinois Route 47 – which is the
unofficial western border of the Chicago Metropolitan Area (and official eastern
border of the NISB coverage area) - or on the other side of US Route 6 (the
southern boundary of the coverage area).
In the two weeks before that, our area track teams (both boys and girls) combined
for a first, third and a fourth.
The area has seen five state champions in the fall, five state champions in the
winter and five state champions in the spring. No other school year has seen such
state championship success than 15 state titles and 32 state top-four finishes.
The hardest thing to fathom, when putting all of this into perspective, is that one of
the most unbelievable stories of the prep sports year had nothing to do with
winning a state championship. Somehow the magic of Scales Mound gets shuffled
behind all of this – it's hard to imagine.
When the 32 top-four finishes are broken down we get 15 state titles, seven
runner-up finishes, four third-place finishes and six fourth-place finishes. (A full,
and updated, list of such accomplishments is at the left side of this page.)
Without trying to create any drivel, let's let the accomplishments speak for
themselves.
*Of the 15 state titles this year, three schools won their first state title in school
history: Lena-Winslow, Newark, and Marengo.
*Boylan became the first school in Illinois history to win a boys futbol title and a
boys football title in the same year.
*There had never been five area football teams competing at the State
Championships, until this year when Lena-Winslow, Newman, Stillman Valley,
Alleman and Boylan all competed. Likewise, the wins by Le-Win, Newman and
Boylan marked only the third time in our area's history that three area teams won
state titles – all three times have been since 2004. The three teams outscored
opponents 143-40.
*All but one full area football conference had a team represented at Champaign,
that lone conference being the Northern Illinois Big 12. (The NCIC is not
considered a full conference by virtue of only five teams).
*The best Scales Mound as a school had ever accomplished as far as postseason
success was a Regional championship. That is, until the biggest upset in IHSA
volleyball history when the Hornets defeated two-time defending Class 1A State
Champion Eastland in the sectional final.
*No IHSA volleyball state champion or runner-up had a smaller enrollment than
Scales Mound's 71. Only Ohio boys basketball in 1986 had a smaller enrollment
than Scales Mound and played for an IHSA title.
*Belvidere North's boys cross country team became the first area large school
cross country program to win back to back state titles. No non-area boys cross
country team has ever won the Class 2A title (Sycamore won in 2007, Dixon won in
2008).
*In the expanded-class era (after 2007) Boylan's boys soccer win marked the
area's first state title in a sport's largest division (Class 3A of three), and Moline
Softball would accomplish the same later in the year (Class 4A of four).
*Stillman Valley became the first non-Chicagoland small school to take home State
hardware in both football and boys soccer in the same year.
*Newman and Stillman Valley's Class 1A Wrestling title tilt this year marked the first
time that two area teams played for a football title and a wrestling title in the same
school year.
*Rock Island's Class 3A boys basketball state championship marked the first time
an area large school boys basketball team won the state title since West Rockford
in 1956, and Rock Island is the first such area large school outside of Rockford to
win a state boys basketball title.
*Rock Island and Newark paired to create the first such duo of area boys
basketball state champions in the same year. In nine games prior to this year, area
teams had a nine-game losing streak at the State Tournament.
*For only the second time (and the first since 1999), four area schools took home
top-four honors at the Dual Team Wrestling State Meet.
*Harlem's girls bowling team set a state record for the greatest combined score at
the IHSA State Meet (12,533).
*For the third time since the creation of the Boys Bowling State Meet, area teams
swept both boys and girls championships (Guilford Boys also won this year).
*Scales Mound became the first area school to defeat back-to-back state
champions in two sports on their way to their State Tournaments (Eastland
Volleyball and Hinckley-Big Rock Girls Basketball). It should be noted that the girls
basketball team was a part of a co-op with River Ridge.
*Rockford Christian and Scales Mound both won state trophies for the first time in
school history, but both are the only ones to win an additional one in the same
year they brought home their first.
*Harlem won two state trophies in the same sports season for the first time in
school history.
*For only second time in history (and the first since 2005) two schools won a pair
of state championships: Boylan in football and boys soccer, and Newman in
football and wrestling. In 2005, Dakota won football and wrestling titles and
Winnebago swept the cross country State meets.
*Seneca's Alyssa Applebee set a small school state record, and tied an overall
state record, in the pole vault at 12'9”.
*Byron's Paige Knodle set a small school state record in the 100 high hurdles at
14.35 seconds.
*Marengo's win over LaSalle-Peru in the Class 3A State Softball finals marked the
first time that two area girls sports teams competed for a large school state
championship.
*Kaneland Baseball had never won a regional in program history. Then they win
the Class 3A State Championship.
*Eastland's senior Class of 2011 can account for four state tournament trophies, in
a span of all three sports seasons: 2008 and 2009 volleyball state champions,
2010 fourth place in state boys basketball, and 2011 second place in state
baseball.
*Stillman Valley's senior Class of 2011 can say that they have experienced seven
such occasions where they have seen a team at team-state tournaments while in
school (four in wrestling, two in football and one in boys soccer). Only one
(football, 2009) won a state title.
*There has never been three area state champions in softball since the number of
classes grew in 2007. Only two times (1992 and 1994) did area teams sweep
softball titles in the two-class system.
*The NIC-10 Conference has never won five state titles as a conference until this
year (Belvidere North boys cross country, Boylan boys soccer, Boylan football,
Guilford boys bowling and Harlem girls bowling).
*The Three Rivers (and Big Rivers football conference) has never won three state
titles as a conference until this year (Newman football and wrestling, and Morrison
Softball).
The next three stats do not involve every IHSA sport offered, but rather those
offered throughout the area: football, volleyball, cross country, golf, girls swimming,
girls tennis and boys soccer in the fall; basketball, wrestling, boys swimming and
bowling in the winter; and baseball, softball, track, girls soccer and boys tennis in
the spring.
*In the fall, 18% of the state's championship honors went to area schools. In the
winter, 36% of the state's championship honors went to area schools. In the spring,
28% of the state's championship honors went to area schools.
*In the fall, 11% of the state's allotted top-four hardware went to area schools. In
the winter, 22% of the state's allotted top-four hardware went to area schools. In
the spring, 14% of the state's allotted top-four hardware went to area schools.
*The NISB coverage area is considered the northern quarter of the state, minus
the Chicago Metropolitan Area. Of the 60 IHSA State championships awarded this
year, Chicagoland claimed 24 titles, the NISB coverage area claimed 15, and the
rest of “downstate” claimed the remaining 21.
Last year of the 60 IHSA State championships awarded, Chicagoland claimed 33
titles, the NISB coverage area claimed eight, and the rest of “downstate” claimed
the remaining 19. Two years ago, Chicagoland claimed 33 titles, the NISB area
claimed seven, and the rest of “downstate” claimed the remaining 20.
This year marked the first year in many that non-Chicagoland schools won more
state titles than Chicagoland schools – again only factoring in the sports
mentioned a few paragraphs above.
The only classification sport that Chicagoland did not win a state title was girls
soccer: Class 1A went to Alton Marquette, Class 2A went to Troy Triad, and Class
3A went to Granite City – all considered Metro-East schools.
Cody Cutter is the Publisher of Northern Illinois Sports Beat, and writes columns
about Illinois high school sports. He can be reached at Northernillinoissportsbeat
(at) yahoo (dot) com. --- Talk about what's written on our Message Boards!
In eight days, four of them were considered “double-duty” days at Peoria. One day
even saw this writer cover three State Final games.
The best thing about the past couple of weekends is that it was an area-wide
representation: Eastland Baseball, Prophetstown/Erie Baseball, Morrison Softball,
Kaneland Baseball, LaSalle-Peru Softball, Marengo Softball and Moline Softball.
Four teams won state titles. Two more took second, and one took third.
And none of these schools are located across Illinois Route 47 – which is the
unofficial western border of the Chicago Metropolitan Area (and official eastern
border of the NISB coverage area) - or on the other side of US Route 6 (the
southern boundary of the coverage area).
In the two weeks before that, our area track teams (both boys and girls) combined
for a first, third and a fourth.
The area has seen five state champions in the fall, five state champions in the
winter and five state champions in the spring. No other school year has seen such
state championship success than 15 state titles and 32 state top-four finishes.
The hardest thing to fathom, when putting all of this into perspective, is that one of
the most unbelievable stories of the prep sports year had nothing to do with
winning a state championship. Somehow the magic of Scales Mound gets shuffled
behind all of this – it's hard to imagine.
When the 32 top-four finishes are broken down we get 15 state titles, seven
runner-up finishes, four third-place finishes and six fourth-place finishes. (A full,
and updated, list of such accomplishments is at the left side of this page.)
Without trying to create any drivel, let's let the accomplishments speak for
themselves.
*Of the 15 state titles this year, three schools won their first state title in school
history: Lena-Winslow, Newark, and Marengo.
*Boylan became the first school in Illinois history to win a boys futbol title and a
boys football title in the same year.
*There had never been five area football teams competing at the State
Championships, until this year when Lena-Winslow, Newman, Stillman Valley,
Alleman and Boylan all competed. Likewise, the wins by Le-Win, Newman and
Boylan marked only the third time in our area's history that three area teams won
state titles – all three times have been since 2004. The three teams outscored
opponents 143-40.
*All but one full area football conference had a team represented at Champaign,
that lone conference being the Northern Illinois Big 12. (The NCIC is not
considered a full conference by virtue of only five teams).
*The best Scales Mound as a school had ever accomplished as far as postseason
success was a Regional championship. That is, until the biggest upset in IHSA
volleyball history when the Hornets defeated two-time defending Class 1A State
Champion Eastland in the sectional final.
*No IHSA volleyball state champion or runner-up had a smaller enrollment than
Scales Mound's 71. Only Ohio boys basketball in 1986 had a smaller enrollment
than Scales Mound and played for an IHSA title.
*Belvidere North's boys cross country team became the first area large school
cross country program to win back to back state titles. No non-area boys cross
country team has ever won the Class 2A title (Sycamore won in 2007, Dixon won in
2008).
*In the expanded-class era (after 2007) Boylan's boys soccer win marked the
area's first state title in a sport's largest division (Class 3A of three), and Moline
Softball would accomplish the same later in the year (Class 4A of four).
*Stillman Valley became the first non-Chicagoland small school to take home State
hardware in both football and boys soccer in the same year.
*Newman and Stillman Valley's Class 1A Wrestling title tilt this year marked the first
time that two area teams played for a football title and a wrestling title in the same
school year.
*Rock Island's Class 3A boys basketball state championship marked the first time
an area large school boys basketball team won the state title since West Rockford
in 1956, and Rock Island is the first such area large school outside of Rockford to
win a state boys basketball title.
*Rock Island and Newark paired to create the first such duo of area boys
basketball state champions in the same year. In nine games prior to this year, area
teams had a nine-game losing streak at the State Tournament.
*For only the second time (and the first since 1999), four area schools took home
top-four honors at the Dual Team Wrestling State Meet.
*Harlem's girls bowling team set a state record for the greatest combined score at
the IHSA State Meet (12,533).
*For the third time since the creation of the Boys Bowling State Meet, area teams
swept both boys and girls championships (Guilford Boys also won this year).
*Scales Mound became the first area school to defeat back-to-back state
champions in two sports on their way to their State Tournaments (Eastland
Volleyball and Hinckley-Big Rock Girls Basketball). It should be noted that the girls
basketball team was a part of a co-op with River Ridge.
*Rockford Christian and Scales Mound both won state trophies for the first time in
school history, but both are the only ones to win an additional one in the same
year they brought home their first.
*Harlem won two state trophies in the same sports season for the first time in
school history.
*For only second time in history (and the first since 2005) two schools won a pair
of state championships: Boylan in football and boys soccer, and Newman in
football and wrestling. In 2005, Dakota won football and wrestling titles and
Winnebago swept the cross country State meets.
*Seneca's Alyssa Applebee set a small school state record, and tied an overall
state record, in the pole vault at 12'9”.
*Byron's Paige Knodle set a small school state record in the 100 high hurdles at
14.35 seconds.
*Marengo's win over LaSalle-Peru in the Class 3A State Softball finals marked the
first time that two area girls sports teams competed for a large school state
championship.
*Kaneland Baseball had never won a regional in program history. Then they win
the Class 3A State Championship.
*Eastland's senior Class of 2011 can account for four state tournament trophies, in
a span of all three sports seasons: 2008 and 2009 volleyball state champions,
2010 fourth place in state boys basketball, and 2011 second place in state
baseball.
*Stillman Valley's senior Class of 2011 can say that they have experienced seven
such occasions where they have seen a team at team-state tournaments while in
school (four in wrestling, two in football and one in boys soccer). Only one
(football, 2009) won a state title.
*There has never been three area state champions in softball since the number of
classes grew in 2007. Only two times (1992 and 1994) did area teams sweep
softball titles in the two-class system.
*The NIC-10 Conference has never won five state titles as a conference until this
year (Belvidere North boys cross country, Boylan boys soccer, Boylan football,
Guilford boys bowling and Harlem girls bowling).
*The Three Rivers (and Big Rivers football conference) has never won three state
titles as a conference until this year (Newman football and wrestling, and Morrison
Softball).
The next three stats do not involve every IHSA sport offered, but rather those
offered throughout the area: football, volleyball, cross country, golf, girls swimming,
girls tennis and boys soccer in the fall; basketball, wrestling, boys swimming and
bowling in the winter; and baseball, softball, track, girls soccer and boys tennis in
the spring.
*In the fall, 18% of the state's championship honors went to area schools. In the
winter, 36% of the state's championship honors went to area schools. In the spring,
28% of the state's championship honors went to area schools.
*In the fall, 11% of the state's allotted top-four hardware went to area schools. In
the winter, 22% of the state's allotted top-four hardware went to area schools. In
the spring, 14% of the state's allotted top-four hardware went to area schools.
*The NISB coverage area is considered the northern quarter of the state, minus
the Chicago Metropolitan Area. Of the 60 IHSA State championships awarded this
year, Chicagoland claimed 24 titles, the NISB coverage area claimed 15, and the
rest of “downstate” claimed the remaining 21.
Last year of the 60 IHSA State championships awarded, Chicagoland claimed 33
titles, the NISB coverage area claimed eight, and the rest of “downstate” claimed
the remaining 19. Two years ago, Chicagoland claimed 33 titles, the NISB area
claimed seven, and the rest of “downstate” claimed the remaining 20.
This year marked the first year in many that non-Chicagoland schools won more
state titles than Chicagoland schools – again only factoring in the sports
mentioned a few paragraphs above.
The only classification sport that Chicagoland did not win a state title was girls
soccer: Class 1A went to Alton Marquette, Class 2A went to Troy Triad, and Class
3A went to Granite City – all considered Metro-East schools.
Cody Cutter is the Publisher of Northern Illinois Sports Beat, and writes columns
about Illinois high school sports. He can be reached at Northernillinoissportsbeat
(at) yahoo (dot) com. --- Talk about what's written on our Message Boards!
| Northern Illinois Sports Beat http://www.northernillinoissportsbeat.com |
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| Those Who Know Northern Illinois High School Sports Know about NISB! |
In the past 25 years (and
as of today), the NISB area
has seen 115 state
championship teams and
390 top-four state placing
teams.
2010-11 State Champions:
Belvidere North Boys XC
Boylan Boys Soccer
Lena-Winslow Football
Newman Football
Boylan Football
Newark Boys Basketball
Rock Island B. Basketball
Newman Wrestling
Guilford Boys Bowling
Harlem Girls Bowling
Byron Girls Track and Field
Morrison Softball
Marengo Softball
Moline Softball
Kaneland Basebal
2010-11 Top-Four Placers:
Stillman Valley Football
Alleman Football
Scales Mound VB
Yorkville Girls XC
Dixon Girls XC
Stillman Valley B. Soccer
R. Christian B. Basketball
RR/SM Girls Basketball
Sycamore Boys Bowling
Jefferson Girls Bowling
Sycamore Wrestling
Harlem Wrestling
R. Christian B. Track
Belvidere North B. Track
P'Town/Erie Baseball
Eastland Baseball
LaSalle-Peru Softball
State Champions &
Top-Four Finishers:
1986-87: 3, 11
1987-88: 4, 13
1988-89: 2, 13
1989-90: 3, 11
1990-91: 4, 16
1991-92: 5, 13
1992-93: 3, 18
1993-94: 7, 17
1994-95: 4, 16
1995-96: 4, 13
1996-97: 2, 12
1997-98: 5, 13
1998-99: 4, 19
1999-00: 4, 16
2000-01: 3, 10
- football goes to 8 classes
2001-02: 2, 13
2002-03: 6, 17
2003-04: 2, 12
2004-05: 3, 17
2005-06: 10, 18
2006-07: 3, 12
- class expansion
2007-08: 8, 24
2008-09: 6, 24
2009-10: 8, 28
2010-11: 15, 32
as of today), the NISB area
has seen 115 state
championship teams and
390 top-four state placing
teams.
2010-11 State Champions:
Belvidere North Boys XC
Boylan Boys Soccer
Lena-Winslow Football
Newman Football
Boylan Football
Newark Boys Basketball
Rock Island B. Basketball
Newman Wrestling
Guilford Boys Bowling
Harlem Girls Bowling
Byron Girls Track and Field
Morrison Softball
Marengo Softball
Moline Softball
Kaneland Basebal
2010-11 Top-Four Placers:
Stillman Valley Football
Alleman Football
Scales Mound VB
Yorkville Girls XC
Dixon Girls XC
Stillman Valley B. Soccer
R. Christian B. Basketball
RR/SM Girls Basketball
Sycamore Boys Bowling
Jefferson Girls Bowling
Sycamore Wrestling
Harlem Wrestling
R. Christian B. Track
Belvidere North B. Track
P'Town/Erie Baseball
Eastland Baseball
LaSalle-Peru Softball
State Champions &
Top-Four Finishers:
1986-87: 3, 11
1987-88: 4, 13
1988-89: 2, 13
1989-90: 3, 11
1990-91: 4, 16
1991-92: 5, 13
1992-93: 3, 18
1993-94: 7, 17
1994-95: 4, 16
1995-96: 4, 13
1996-97: 2, 12
1997-98: 5, 13
1998-99: 4, 19
1999-00: 4, 16
2000-01: 3, 10
- football goes to 8 classes
2001-02: 2, 13
2002-03: 6, 17
2003-04: 2, 12
2004-05: 3, 17
2005-06: 10, 18
2006-07: 3, 12
- class expansion
2007-08: 8, 24
2008-09: 6, 24
2009-10: 8, 28
2010-11: 15, 32
