The Lake County Journal has been taking a look back at high school sports, highlighting key athletes and their successes. Here's ten more stars who have dominated the sports pages this past year.
Merrick Gentile, Grayslake North
Titus Booker received so much of the press for Grayslake North this past summer, but the man under center wasn’t half bad himself. Merrick Gentile put together a fantastic season on the football field to help lead the Knights to the playoffs. Football isn’t the only sport Gentile excelled at this past season, as the junior just completed his third season on the Grayslake North varsity baseball team. Gentile moved over to shortstop after playing third base his freshman and sophomore seasons and didn’t miss a beat. Gentile finished the season with a .462 batting average , eight extra base hits, and 11 stolen bases.
Jake Balliu, Lakes
Jake Balliu of Lakes is the definition of an all-around football player. This past season alone, Balliu played running back, wide receiver, punt and kick returner, cornerback and even took a few snaps as the Eagles' quarterback. Balliu earned all-state honors after last season, ending up with 1,760 total yards, 62 receptions and a very impressive 23 touchdowns. Balliu also picked a convenient time to play the best game of the season against rival Antioch when he returned an interception 99 yards for a touchdown and added 13 tackles.
C.J. Duff, Carmel
The Carmel basketball team got a nice surprise at the start of the last school year. C.J. Duff left Carmel after his sophomore year and appeared to be headed to Waukegan, but then returned to the Corsairs right before the start of the season. Duff didn’t miss a beat and thrived in the offense of brand new coach Zach Ryan. It didn’t seem to affect Duff missing out on the Carmel summer program, as he finished the year averaging 21 points and six rebounds. With his senior season still ahead of him, Duff went over the 1,000 career point total midway through his ast season.
Dylan DeBoer, Vernon Hills
The Vernon Hills boys volleyball team had a season to remember and a big part of that was because of the play of senior Dylan DeBoer who finished the season with 197 digs, 35 blocks, 304 kills and 51 aces. The recent graduate picked a perfect time to break the school record for kills in a match – DeBoer finished with 24 kills in the state tournament game against O’Fallon.
Armando Gomez, Mundelein
When the Mundelein boys soccer team scored a goal this past season, there was a really good chance that Armando Gomez was part of it. Gomez finished the season with 18 goals and six assists. Not only was the senior a great scorer, but he was a tough defender and showed all season long why he was one of the top soccer players in Lake County.
Jordyn Hughes, Warren
Fans of girls basketball in Lake County will want to get to know the name Jordyn Hughes. Although she was just a freshman, Hughes showed Blue Devils fans that they have a lot to be excited about the next three seasons. The guard showed the entire season that she belonged on varsity. Hughes led Warren in scoring this season and finished with 355 points, including a season and career high 29 points against Libertyville.
Allie Daul, Grayslake Central
Allie Daul became quite a player for the Grayslake Central girls volleyball team this season. Daul proved to be an asset for the Rams – not only hitting, but blocking as well. While serving, Daul seemed to be able to place the ball with a force of speed and accuracy. She finished this past season with 70 blocks and 185 kills. From the service line, Daul was second on the Rams with 41 aces.
Maria DeVito, Mundelein
After finishing her 2014 season with a batting average of .522, things could only go down for Mundelein softball player Maria DeVito. DeVito’s numbers did go down her senior season as teams tended to not let the Mustangs star beat them, but she still finished with a team leading .486 batting average and 42 RBI’s. DeVito also finished with six home runs. The second baseman will be a tough one for Mundelein to replace after playing varsity all four years. The recent graduate will attend Eastern Illinois University this fall with hopes of walking on to the softball team.
Nicole D’Ambrose, Lakes
The Lakes girls soccer team has been fortunate to have Nicole D’Ambrose play varsity the past three seasons. D’Ambrose will leave tough shoes to fill as the recent graduate had another fantastic season this spring. D’Ambrose once again led the Eagles this season with 17 goals and also added six assists. For her total career, D’Ambrose finished with 45 goals and 20 assists. Although she will no longer be playing soccer in Lake County, D’Ambrose will continue her soccer career at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
Sidney Lovitsch, Grayslake North
The Grayslake North girls basketball team had no idea what to expect last season. The Knights had a new coach, Rob Nicoletti, and lost several key players to graduation. Grayslake North ended up winning 17 games and found a new leader on the floor in sophomore Sidney Lovitsch. Lovitsch finished the season averaging 12 points per game and added just over four rebounds per game. Lovitsch was also a key contributor on the defensive end, averaging about four steals per game.