Mei Shirokawa was 3 for 5 with two runs and an RBI for the Rockets, Skarda (2 for 5) had a double and three RBIs, and Sophia Koertgen added three hits, including a double. Isabelle Reed pitched 6⅔ innings of relief, allowing one run with 10 strikeouts.

Ella Arana (two runs) and Logan Grams (2 for 3, double) both homered for the Tigers. Cassidy Murphy added three hits.

Huntley 7, McHenry 4: At Huntley, Layla Olson delivered a two-run single as part of a five-run fifth inning for the Red Raiders (14-4, 7-0), who stayed perfect in the FVC with a comeback win iver the Warriors (7-8, 2-6). Lyla Ginczycki (3 for 4) had two doubles and two RBIs, and Keely Fewell added three hits and drove in two.

Lyla Oeffling (3 for 3) and Natalie Bender both had two RBIs for McHenry. Danica McCarthy had two hits and two runs. Charlee Cape had three hits.

Hampshire 6, Cary-Grove 3: At Cary, Mia Robinson had a perfect 4-for-4 day with three doubles and four RBIs as the Whip-Purs (10-3, 6-1 FVC) topped the Trojans (3-10, 2-6) for their eighth straight win. Julissa Akins added two RBIs for Hampshire, and Ali LeBlanc (2 for 4) had a double and drove in one.

Becca Coffey earned the win, allowing one earned run in seven innings with three strikeouts. Olivia Osadzinski drove in two runs for C-G.

Jacobs 13, Crystal Lake South 6: At Crystal Lake, Audrey Wetzel hit two home runs and drove in four runs as the Eagles (11-11, 4-4) beat the Gators (3-8, 1-6) in FVC action. Avery St. Leger posted two hits and three RBIs. Olivia Fillipp had two hits, two runs and an RBI.

Wetzel also earned the win, allowing one earned run in three innings. Riley Travis had two hits and two RBIs for South. Riley Barda (2 for 4) had a double and drove in a run.

Prairie Ridge 12, Dundee-Crown 0 (5 inn.): At Carpentersville, Kylie Carroll (two runs, three RBIs) and Bella Moore (double, two RBIs) each collected three hits for the Wolves (8-4, 4-3) in their FVC win. Mary-Kate Center tallied three RBIs and Parker Frey added two. Karsyn Ledgerwood scored three runs, and Morgan Powal had two hits and two runs scored.

Emma Dallas pitched four shutout innings with four strikeouts. For D-C (6-13, 2-6), Josie Sheldon had two hits.

Bishop McNamara 8, Marian Central 1: At Woodstock, Vivianna Lara was 2 for 3 with a double and an RBI in a Chicagoland Christian Conference loss for the Hurricanes (10-5, 5-1).

Antioch 10, Johnsburg 0: At Johnsburg, Carlie Majercik had the lone hit for the Skyhawks (5-8) in a nonconference loss.

Jacobs 6, McHenry 5: At Algonquin, Cooper Gulgren hit a walk-off, two-out double to score Ryan Tucker in the bottom of the seventh inning as the Golden Eagles (12-3, 5-2) handed the Warriors (13-3-1, 6-1) their first FVC loss. Gulgren had two RBIs, and Luke Flaskamp and Brock Vincent each had two hits and an RBI.

George Donze went all seven innings for Jacobs, allowing five runs and striking out three. Kaden Wasniewski and Landon Clements both had a double and an RBI for McHenry.

Prairie Ridge 4, Burlington Central 0: At Crystal Lake, Colt Zaleski went the distance for the Wolves (12-2, 6-1) in an FVC win against the Rockets (6-8-2, 3-4). Zaleski struck out five, walked one and allowed three hits in the shutout. Cameron Davis tallied two hits and two RBIs, and Beckett Breseman added a double.

Tyler Kotwica gave up two earned runs in five innings and struck out five for Central.

Huntley 11, Cary-Grove 6: At Cary, Gavin Rettberg (2 for 2) had a homer, double and four RBIs as the Red Raiders moved to 16-1 and 7-1 in the FVC with a win against the Trojans (3-13, 0-7). Joey Lengle was 3 for 4 with three RBIs, Tommy Gasner drove in two runs and Brady Klepfer (3 for 4) had a double. Liam Nash started and struck out eight in four innings, allowing a run. Huntley has won eight games in a row.

C-G scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh after Huntley scored four in the top half. Brady Bauer (two runs, RBI) and Lance Moore (RBI) each collected three hits for the Trojans. Oskar Freund had two hits, including a double.

Crystal Lake South 9, Crystal Lake Central 3: At Crystal Lake, Carson Trivellini was 3 for 3 with a home run and three RBIs for the Gators (9-6, 3-5) in an FVC win over the Tigers (6-11, 3-5). Nolan Dabrowski (2 for 4) had a double, two runs and an RBI. Tanner Mauer pitched three scoreless innings of relief.

Bud Shanahan was 2 for 3 with a double for Central.

Richmond-Burton 5, Sandwich 1: At Richmond, Anthony Harvey struck out nine batters in 6⅔innings in the Rockets’ Kishwaukee River Conference win over the Indians. Harvey allowed one unearned run and also ripped a double with an RBI. Cooper Nagel was 2 for 4 with two runs scored and an RBI.

Woodstock North 17, Harvard 4 (6 inn.): At Harvard, the Thunder had 15 hits in their KRC win against the Hornets (2-10, 0-6). Parker Halihan (double, three runs, RBI) and Frank Cohen (double, three runs, two RBIs) each had three hits. Braeden Berner had a double, four runs and three RBIs, and Brady Rogers had a double and drove in three runs.

Tristan Schaffer was 3 for 3 with a double, two runs scored and two RBIs, and Easton Klesh drove in two. Zaiden Vess struck out six in three innings, allowing one run.

Logan Nulle was 3 for 4 with a double, two runs and an RBI for Harvard. Eltan Powles had a triple and drove in one.

Richmond-Burton 5, Marengo 0: At Richmond, Sydney Frericks had a hat trick and assisted one of Maddie Seyller’s two goals in the Rockets’ KRC win against the Indians (5-5, 3-3). Rylee Molczan made two saves in her seventh shutout for R-B (9-2, 4-1). Abby Leslie, Ella Seyller, Lluvia Garcia and Elle Barrettsmith had assists.

Harvard 2, Plano 0: At Harvard, Julie Silva scored off an assist from Aimar Nava, and Nava scored off an assist from Silva for the Hornets (8-1-1, 4-1) in their KRC win against the Reapers.

McHenry 6, Grant 0: At McHenry, Drew Franklin and Nick Marchant (No. 1), Anthony Rehm and Logan Lewakowski (No. 2), Drake Coon and Atticus LaPorta (No. 3) and Christian Bersie and Luke Miller (No. 4) all won their doubles matches in two sets. Owen Miller (No. 1) and Matt Zurawski (No. 2) each dropped only one game in their singles victories.

Wheaton Academy 6, Marian Central 1: At Woodstock, the Hurricanes’ No. 1 doubles team of Alek Jasovic and Marc Cheng won 7-6 (3), 6-3 in a Chicagoland Christian Conference loss.

In a high-scoring game against Burlington Central, it was Schuring’s two-run double to center field that proved to be the difference, sending the red-hot Whip-Purs to their seventh straight victory with an 11-10 Fox Valley Conference win in Hampshire.

“I was basically 0 for 3. I made it to first base on my third at-bat, but I’m like, ‘You know, I want to show up for my team,’ ” said Schuring, whose two-out double in the sixth scored Becca Coffey (single) and Julissa Akins (hit by pitch).

“I just tried my best and got the hit for my team.”

The Whips (9-3, 5-1 FVC) and Rockets (5-8, 4-3) had almost identical final lines, each team collecting 12 hits and committing three errors. A windy day helped provide three long home runs.

Central junior right fielder Zoe Hornsby smacked a three-run homer to right field in the top of the first inning, and freshman third baseman Alexis Skarda sent out a two-run shot in the third.

The Rockets led 4-0 after 1½ innings and 6-3 after three.

The Whips, highlighted by a two-run home run to left field by junior shortstop Addi Edlen, sent 11 batters to the plate and scored six runs on seven hits in the bottom of the fourth inning.

No. 9 hitter Jiselle Lopez, who left the game after four innings due to a basketball commitment, had a two-run double in the fourth after she cleared the bases with a three-run triple in the second.

“Up and down our lineup, we’ve got people contributing every day,” Whips coach Jeremy Bauer said. “Sometimes it’s the top of the order, sometimes it’s middle, sometimes it’s bottom. We’re just happy it can come from anywhere in our lineup at any time.”

“We’ve been down several times this year and come back. We’re not going to give up.”

Central, despite giving away two early leads, had the same mentality. The Rockets trailed 11-8 going into the seventh inning but put the first two batters on base with a double by Skarda (2 for 3, three runs, two RBIs) and a single by Hornsby (2 for 3, two runs, three RBIs).

After a groundout, center fielder Madison Butler had a two-run single and advanced to second on an error. With the tying run on second base, Akins got two groundouts to end the game.

Akins allowed 10 runs (seven earned) on 12 hits while striking out six and walking none. For Central, starter Isabelle Reed allowed nine runs (six earned) on nine hits in 3⅔ innings with a pair of strikeouts and a walk.

First-year coach Jason Edwards said his Rockets have been a resilient bunch.

“What I’ve tried to instill from Day 1, I don’t think there’s been a game this year where we felt like we were out of it, no matter what the score is,” he said. “As the season progresses and we try to adapt to new things and having younger players, it’s only going to get better.”

Edlen finished 1 for 4 with a two-run homer for Hampshire, Akins went 2 for 3 with a double and a run scored, and Mia Perez, another freshman for the Whips, had two hits and one RBI. Ali LeBlanc had an RBI single in the fourth.

For Central, Mei Shirokawa was 3 for 4 with two steals, an RBI and a run scored at leadoff. Mia Lundquist had a double and scored once.

The Whips, who are coming off their second straight Larkin Slugfest championship, will look to run their win streak to eight at Cary-Grove on Wednesday before facing FVC leader Huntley at home Thursday.

“We’re collecting a lot of hits together, and our defense has been locked [in],” Edlen said. “Today we were a little bit sloppy, but it happens. We just never give up, and we try as hard as we can. Our conference’s pitching is all over, so you just have to adjust.”

Schuring said her expectations this season have already been surpassed.

“We didn’t really know what to expect because we lost a lot of seniors,” she said. “We have a younger team, but we have a lot of talent. I think we can go far.”

On the third pitch of the at-bat against Prairie Ridge‘s Emma Dallas, Arana, an NCAA Division-I UIC commit, delivered the second of two straight doubles with an opposite field bullet to left-center field – later scoring her fourth run of the game.

The Tigers’ tough and determined leadoff hitter finished 4 for 4 with two doubles and four runs scored as Central topped Prairie Ridge 7-1 in a rematch of a Class 3A sectional championship from a year ago.

With Arana leading off, the Tigers (7-4, 5-2) often feel like they have a leg up on the competition.

“She just has this confidence to her,” said junior pitcher Oli Victorine, who struck out 13 in the complete game victory. “I think she leads the team in such a great way. In the outfield, you can always hear her. When she’s up to bat, she sets the tone every time.”

Arana, who committed to UIC in December, is as pesky as they come.

“She’s a mess for the defense,” Central coach Brian Strombom said. “She had two quick strikes on her, and with the 0-2 count, she just rips the ball to left field and hits the fence on the second hop. What do you do? She just finds a way.

“She’s a great baserunner, she’s quick, smart and she’s aggressive. She really does a ton for us. And when she’s out there on base, it distracts the defense a lot. She’s kind of the instigator for everything we do.”

Arana led off the game with a single to right field and came around to score the game’s first run on a double by Cassidy Murphy (2 for 2, two doubles, two RBIs). Central ended up getting two more runs in the top of the first on a two-run, two-out single by Logan Grams.

In the second inning, Arana had a one-out single to center field, stole second and advanced to third as Prairie Ridge catcher Reese Vrba’s throw to second fell short of the base and went into the outfield. Arana later scored on a groundout to third base off the bat of Lily Perocho.

“I was just thinking about attacking the ball,” said Arana, who hit .505 with 18 doubles, 29 RBIs, 39 runs scored and 14 steals a year ago. “I didn’t do very good last week against Jacobs (a 5-1 loss), and I wanted to come back and just hit the ball hard. And that’s what I did.”

In addition to the two doubles each by Arana and Murphy, Perocho provided the loudest and longest hit of the day, a two-run home run to straight-away center field in the fourth to score Arana.

Arana, Perocho and Murphy, batting 1-2-3, combined for seven of the Tigers’ 10 hits, scoring six runs.

Victorine, who missed time with a knee injury and said her back was tightening up Monday, allowed just three hits in the win. She walked four to go along with her 13 strikeouts and stranded a pair of baserunners in the first, fourth and fifth innings.

Prairie Ridge leadoff hitter Kylie Carroll was 2 for 4 against Victorine. Parker Frey had the team’s only other hit against the Illinois commit, a solid single to right field that brought home Carroll in the bottom of the first.

But Victorine proved too difficult for the Wolves (7-4, 3-3), who last season beat Victorine and the Tigers 5-2 to win the Class 3A Sycamore Sectional final.

“When Oli’s in the circle, you know if you don’t play really great defense and score at least a few runs, it’s going to be a long day,” Prairie Ridge coach Scott Busam said. “She was spectacular today. It’s good to see her back and healthy. I don’t love seeing her do that to us, but it’s good to see some of the area’s best doing what they do best.”

Marengo (8-6, 3-2) got a 2-for-3 effort from Alex Johnson. Johnson, Brayden Jenkins and Mitchell Aukes all doubled as well. ​​Dane Kowalski earned the win in relief.

Johnsburg (10-4, 4-1) trailed 5-0 after five innings but scored twice in the sixth and evened the score with three runs in the seventh. Ashton Stern hit a two-run homer and Josh Speer doubled in a run.

Woodstock North 7, Harvard 0: At Woodstock, Ryan Lalor allowed two hits over six innings in the KRC game, striking out five and walking one. Parker Halihan went 2 for 4 with a homer and two RBIs for the Thunder (3-7, 2-3). Tristan Schaffter and Levi Perrotta each had two hits. Perrotta, Brady Rogers and Zaiden Vess (three RBIs) all had doubles.

Harvard (2-9, 0-5) got singles from Conner Firlick and Alex Bannwolf.

Richmond-Burton 16, Sandwich 2 (5 inn.): At Sandwich, the Rockets’ 10-hit attack in the KRC game included doubles by Cooper Nagel and Lucas Bynum. Nagel, Max Martin and Bryce Kowall each had two hits and two RBIs, and Ray Hannemann had a single and three RBIs. Ryan Scholberg contributed a single and two stolen bases. R-B (9-8-1, 3-2) got a five-inning, two-hit performance from Grayson Morningstar.

Prairie Ridge 4, Burlington Central 0: At Burlington, Owen Satterlee pitched a two-hitter with 11 strikeouts and no walks as the Wolves (12-2, 5-1) won in Fox Valley Conference action. Beckett Breseman was 2 for 3 with an RBI, Jack Spindler had a single and two RBIs, and Maddon McKim doubled.

Liam Schultz and Josh Cook had the only hits for Central (6-7-2, 3-3).

Crystal Lake South 2, Crystal Lake Central 1: At Crystal Lake, Matt Bychowsky pitched five innings of one-run ball, and Tanner Maurer pitched the final two innings for the save. Bychowsky and Mauer struck out five and three, respectively. The Gators (8-5, 2-4) got a triple from Nick Stowasser, while Wes Bogda and Coleton Bondi had sacrifice flies.

Central (5-10, 2-4) got a double from Connor Saip. Wade Ozment allowed both runs (one earned) in five innings.

Dundee-Crown 12, Hampshire 2: At Carpentersville, the Chargers (8-8, 1-5) earned their first FVC win, as Ikey Grzynkowicz went 2 for 4 with four RBIs. Cole Pearson had a double and two RBIs. Max Backaus (six strikeouts, two hits, one walk) did not allow an earned run in his six innings of work.

Hampshire (9-5-1, 2-4) got its only two hits from leadoff batter Gavin Weston.

Huntley 3, Cary-Grove 1: At Huntley, Brady Klepfer pitched 5⅔ innings of one-run ball, and Rowan Parker finished up to earn the save for the Red Raiders (14-1, 5-1) in the FVC game. Kyle Ziebell was 2 for 2 with a run scored, and Aiden Eickelmann had a double and an RBI.

C-G (3-11, 0-6) got a double and an RBI from Dylan Dumele. Kaden Norman allowed three runs (one earned) in five innings.

Chicago Christian 12, Marian Central 3: At Chicago, the Hurricanes remained winless, despite TJ Cutrona’s 2-for-2 effort, which included a double and two RBIs. Harrison Graf was 2 for 3 with an RBI for Marian (0-10, 0-3) in the Chicagoland Christian Conference game.

Hampshire 8, McHenry 5: At Hampshire, the Whip-Purs (8-3, 4-1) scored six runs in the sixth inning to come back and defeat the Warriors (7-6, 2-6) in their FVC game. Addi Edlen (2 for 4, two runs, two RBIs), Alexa Schuring (2 for 3, two RBIs) and Becca Coffey (1 for 3, two runs, three RBIs) each hit home runs for Hampshire. Coffey picked up the win, allowing five runs on 10 hits in seven innings.

Charlee Cape (2 for 4) hit a solo homer for McHenry, Lyla Oeffling had two hits and two RBIs and Natalie Bender had two hits and drove in one. Brooke Snyder took the loss, allowing eight runs in six innings while striking out eight.

Jacobs 10, Dundee-Crown 0 (5 inn.): At Algonquin, Talia Di Silvio had a home run and three RBIs to lead the Golden Eagles (10-10, 3-3) past the Chargers (6-12, 2-5) in an FVC game. Olivia Fillipp had three hits, including a triple, and two runs scored with an RBI, and Molly Hoch had two hits, two runs and drove in one.

Skylee Ferrante didn’t allow any runs in five innings, allowing just two hits and striking out seven. Jordyn Jeffs had a double for D-C.

Huntley 17, Burlington Central 2: At Burlington, the Red Raiders collected 16 hits to beat the Rockets and improve to 12-4 and 5-0 in the FVC. Piper Heimbrodt (triple, four RBIs), Lana Hobday (two steals, two RBIs) and Megan Bzdusek (double) had three hits apiece for Huntley.

Aubrina Adamik had two hits, three steals, four runs scored, and Katelyn Bayness and Makayla Rasmussen each had two RBIs. Layla Olson struck out seven over seven innings, allowing two runs on four hits and three walks.

Mei Shirokawa had two hits and two steals for Central (5-7, 4-2).

Cary-Grove 7, Crystal Lake South 3: At Cary, Addy Green struck out 11 batters and collected two hits, including a double, and one RBI to lead the Trojans (3-9, 2-5) past the Gators (2-7, 1-5) in an FVC game. Green allowed three runs (one earned) on four hits and a walk in seven innings.

Ella Grimm was 3 for 3 with two runs scored, two steals and one RBI, Paityn Ahlquist was 3 for 3 with a double and two RBIs and Lyla Murray drove in two runs.

Riley Barda had two hits, three steals and two runs for South. Lily Dittrich allowed five earned runs over six innings while striking out seven.

Marian Central 4, Bishop McNamara 2: At Kankakee, Christine Chmiel struck out 12 in seven innings as the Hurricanes (10-3, 5-0) remained perfect in Chicagoland Christian Conference play. Chmiel allowed two runs on four hits and no walks.

Bailey Keller had two hits, three steals and two runs scored, Chmiel was 2 for 3 with an RBI and Vivianna Lara posted two hits.

Grayslake North 17, Harvard 0 (4 inn.): At Harvard, the Hornets (4-6) were no-hit in a nonconference loss to the Knights.

Johnsburg 8, Plano 2: At Johnsburg, senior Liz Smith scored four goals and added two assists on senior night for the Skyhawks (6-0, 4-0) in the KRC victory. Charlie Eastland and Lauren McQuiston had two goals apiece. Lila Konrad made four saves for Johnsburg.

Harvard 3, Marengo 1: At Marengo, Julie Silva scored the Hornets’ (6-1-1, 2-1) first two goals and assisted the third in a KRC win against the Indians (5-4, 3-2). Aimar Nava scored Harvard’s third goal, and Jarithsie Mercado made five saves in goal.

Richmond-Burton 4, Woodstock North 0: At Woodstock, Maddie Seyller had a hat trick and Charlotte Gentry added a goal for the Rockets (8-2, 3-1) in the KRC win against the Thunder (3-7-1, 1-3). Abby Leslie had two assists and Rylee Molczan had four saves for her sixth shutout.

Dundee-Crown Meet: At Carpentersville, Crystal Lake Central won the meet with 94 points, followed by Huntley (59) and Dundee-Crown (32).

Central’s Reed Mihelich won the 3,200 (10:05.87), Amana Omale won the 400 (52.40), Barrett Buchanan won the 300 hurdles (46.10), Tyler Wieczorek won the 1,600 (5:01.82), John Horbenko won the 200 (24.80) and Nathan Krucek won the long jump (5.58m). Central also won the 4x400 (46.68), 4x400 (3:39.02) and 4x800 (9:49.85).

Huntley’s Ryan Wabel won the shot put (13.64m) and discus (38.56m), Malakeigh Stritter won the 100 (12.00), Mark Omoniyi won the 800 (2:03.59) and Ashton Gonzalez won the triple jump (11.69m). The Raiders also won the 4x200 (1:40.95),

Dundee-Crown’s A.J. Chrusniak won the 110 hurdles (17.70), Kyle Brents won the high jump (1.77m) and Rylan Schmidt won the pole vault (4.41m),

Jacobs Meet: At Algonquin, the host Golden Eagles won with 89 points. Hampshire (51) was second and Crystal Lake South (27) was third.

Jacobs’ Kieran Nally won the 100 meters (11.24) and 300 hurdles (43.50), Ben McMahon won the 800 (2:07.08), Jacob Kania won the 1,600 (4:53.31), Jonathan Wagus won the 200 (22.83), Connor Uhler won the shot put (13.55m) and Liam Donahue won the long jump (5.63m),

Jacobs also won the 4x100 (43.86), 4x200 (1:36.73) and 4x400 (3:43.61).

Hampshire’s Knox Homola won the discus (41.43), Rayan Hashmi won the high jump (1.73m), Jack Wetzel won the triple jump (11.84m) and Malik Abdul-Haqq won the pole vault (2.44m).

South’s Matthew Cianciarulo won the 110 hurdles (16.43) and Scott Yassick won the 400 meters (52.93).

McHenry Meet: At McHenry, Cary-Grove took first with 96 points, followed by Prairie Ridge (85.5), McHenry (55) and Burlington Central (26.5).

C-G’s Dexter Starr won the 110 hurdles (17.03), Brandon Freund won the 100 (11.68), Brayden Baker won the 400 (55.89), Lucas Kephart won the 1,600 (4:45.50), James Murdough won the 200 (23.42) and Travis Evelo won the triple jump (11.85m). The Trojans also won the 4x400 (3:52.57).

Prairie Ridge’s Thomas Henry won the 3,200 (10:13.76), Tyler Sjoblom won the 800 (2:07.22), Landon Golden won the discus (45.30m), Logan Thennes won the long jump (6.32m). The Wolves also won the 4x100 (47.01) and 4x200 (1:34.90).

McHenry’s Chris Hernandez won the 300 hurdles (46.70), Jacob Miller won the shot put (13.12m) and Jayden Linderman won the high jump (1.77m). The Warriors also won the 4x800 (9:45.85).

Burlington Central’s Nicholas Sharma won the pole vault (3.81m).

Cary-Grove Meet: At Cary, the host Trojans won the meet with 83.5 points. Prairie Ridge (82) was second, followed by Burlington Central (47) and McHenry (19.5).

Cary-Grove’s Leah Tatroe won the 300 hurdles (51.90), Erin Rebscher won the 200 (27.09), Caelie Mendro won the long jump (5.14m) and Kara Dunker won the triple jump (9.86m). The Trojans also won the 4x100 (54.41).

Prairie Ridge’s Kelly Anderson won the 100 hurdles (17.31), Madison Carver won the 100 (13.44), Emaline Foster won the 800 (2:27.54), Anna Baade won the 400 (1:02.25), Anneke Dam won the 1,600 (5:20.30), Paige Arnold won the shot put (9.98m) and Leo McKinney won the discus (35.09m). The Wolves also won the 4x400 (4:38.86).

Burlington Central’s Cailen O’Brien won the high jump (1.60m) and Gracelin Turschman won the pole vault (3.25m).

Hampshire Meet: At Hampshire, Hampshire (111.5) ran away with first, Jacobs (39.5) was second and Crystal Lake South (16) was third.

Hampshire’s Alicia Mallory won the long jump (4.60m) and triple jump (9.65m), Hannah Nalugemwa won the 100 hurdles (16.55), Chichi Ukachukwu won the 100 (13.23), Miya Moraga won the 800 (2:28.28), Ava Garcia won the 400 (59.63), Annabelle Haskins won the 1,600 (5:27.92), Alyssa Garcia won the 200 (26.77) and Elianna Miranda won the pole vault (3.20m). The Whips also won the 4x100 (52.22) and 4x400 (4:22.97).

Jacobs’ Carly Uehlein won the shot put (11.49m) and discus (41.65m) and Brylan Lemon won the 300 hurdles (47.82),

South’s Makayla Westermann won the high jump (1.57m), and the Gators won the 4x200 (1:54.04).

Prairie Ridge 7, Hampshire 0: At Crystal Lake, Tim Jones (No. 1), Odin Bailey (No. 2) and Trigg Palmer (No. 3) all won their singles matches for the Wolves in the FVC sweep.

Winning at doubles for Prairie Ridge were Eli Loeding and Evan Seegert (No. 1), Matt Jones and Rory Senese (No. 2), Andrew Eisch and Charlie Instefjord (No. 3) and Will Bowen and Wesley Carr (No. 4).

Crystal Lake South 6, Grayslake North 1: At Crystal Lake, the Gators swept singles in the nonconference match with Nazar Muktar (No. 1), Jake Pasek (No. 2) and Roman Gulakowski (No. 3). South got doubles wins from Zeke Boldman and Eryk Bucior (No. 1), Tengis Khatanbaatar and Charlie Santarelli (No. 2) and Andy Cardoso and Dylan Dang (No. 4).

School: Crystal Lake Central co-op

Sport: Lacrosse

Why she was selected: Starr, a Villanova commit, scored 19 goals in three wins against St. Charles East co-op, Hampshire co-op and Lincoln-Way Central co-op and surpassed 300 in her career. The Tigers’ senior has helped lead her team to a 7-0 record. Central co-op defeated Huntley 9-6 in a pivotal Fox Valley Conference match Friday, with Starr scoring a team-high six goals.

For her performance, Starr was selected as the Northwest Herald Athlete of the Week in an online vote. Starr answered a few questions from the Northwest Herald.

When did you start playing lacrosse?

Starr: I started playing lacrosse in the spring of fourth grade. I have a lot of extended family on the East Coast who play lacrosse, and they had been encouraging me to play lacrosse for a while. One day, out of the blue, my mom signed me up for a “Give Lacrosse a Try” clinic, and I’ve been obsessed with the sport ever since.

How did it feel to score your 300th career goal?

Starr: It was a pretty cool milestone, and I loved having all my teammates on the field to celebrate, but we were in the middle of a close game, so we had to stay focused.

Do you have a most memorable goal?

Starr: My most memorable goal would be my first goal of my first high school game ever. We were playing Fremd, and I remember being so nervous, but the upperclassmen on the team were so supportive and helped give me the confidence to play my best.

What celebrity would you most like to hang out with for a day?

Starr: I would love to spend the day with Phil Keoghan, the host of my favorite show, “The Amazing Race.”

What is something most people don’t know about you?

Starr: I share a birthday with Billie Eilish, Steven Spielberg and Brad Pitt.

What is your favorite professional sports team?

Starr: My dad is from New York, so I like the Yankees and the Rangers.

What is your biggest pet peeve?

Starr: Slow walkers.

What are some of your favorite hobbies?

Starr: In my free time, I like to read, bake cookies and spend time with friends and family.

What’s your favorite holiday?

Starr: Christmas.

What is your favorite candy?

Starr: My favorite candy is either Werther’s hard caramel candies or pretzel M&M’s.

Who are some of your favorite musical artists?

Starr: My favorite musical artists are Billy Joel, Electric Light Orchestra and the Beatles.

What are your goals for the rest of the season?

Starr: We had an amazing season last year, making it to state for the first time as a program, so we are doing our best to replicate it this year.

Kaylie Kowalsky was 3 for 3 with three runs and three RBIs, while Diana Perez (two runs) and Claire Ostrowski both added two RBIs. Chmiel had three hits, including a double.

Crystal Lake South 8, Dundee-Crown 5: At Crystal Lake, Riley Travis blasted a three-run home run in the sixth inning as the Gators (2-6, 1-4) beat the Chargers (4-10, 2-4) for their first Fox Valley Conference win of the season. Travis finished 4 for 4 with three RBIs and two runs, also adding two doubles.

Riley Barda was 2 for 4 with a home run and two RBIs. Lily Dittrich earned the win, giving up five runs (three earned) on five hits in seven innings. Dittrich struck out six and walked four.

Abby Hsu had two hits, including a double, for D-C. Kate Graham had a double and drove in a run.

Normal West 3, Marengo 1 (6 inn.): At Normal, Ellie White struck out six over six innings, but the Indians fell in a nonconference game. White gave up three runs (one earned) on six hits and two walks. Gabby Christopher and Abby Balmes had the only two hits for Marengo (8-8).

Huntley 4, Crystal Lake South 1: At Huntley, Tommy Gasner went 2 for 3 and drove in a pair of runs in a four-run fourth for the Red Raiders, who moved to 12-1 and 4-1 in the FVC. Kyle Ziebell added a double and one RBI. Sean Dabe started and allowed a run on four hits in four innings, striking out four and walking none. Rowan Parker (1 IP, 2 K) and Josh Rudnick combined for three scoreless innings.

Michael Silvius went 2 for 3 with a double and one RBI for South (7-5, 1-4). Devin DeLoach started and allowed four runs (one earned) on three hits in 3⅔ innings. He struck out five and walked a pair. Tanner Mauer fired three strikeouts in 1⅓ innings of relief.

Crystal Lake Central 6, Dundee-Crown 2: At Crystal Lake, Nick Kohlhase (RBI) and Logan Laudadio (two runs, RBI) each had three hits, including a double, as the Tigers (5-9, 2-3) won their FVC game against the Chargers (6-8, 0-5).

Carter Kropke had two hits and an RBI, and Bud Shanahan posted two hits and two runs scored. Reese Hamric pitched 5⅓ scoreless innings, allowing a hit with a walk and six strikeouts for Central.

For D-C, Ryan Pierce and Shane DeMarsh both had an RBI. Nathan Bushy allowed two runs on five hits in 3⅔ innings, striking out three and walking four.

Bishop McNamara 18, Marian Central 3 (4 inn.): At Kankakee, Will Hamill had two RBIs for the Hurricanes (0-9, 0-2) in a Chicagoland Christian Conference loss.

Crystal Lake South 19, Wauconda 6: At Crystal Lake, the Gators moved to 10-0, with Logan Driscol, Renner Stavropolos (four assists) and Braedon Muraski (three assists) each scoring four goals. Driscol now owns the school record with 123 career goals.

Drake Lenckus added three goals and three assists and Owen Hess had two goals and two assists. Daniel Hayes made seven saves to earn the win in net.

Minooka Invite: At Minooka, Huntley took third with 80 points, trailing Homewood-Flossmoor (159) and Minooka (90). Haley Rahman finished runner-up in the 1,600 (5:13.94) and 3,200 (11:37.40), and Emma Garofalo was second in the pole vault (3.10 meters).

Abigail McKoy was third in the 100 hurdles (16.16), Reagan Ellis was third in the 300 hurdles (49.29), Cori Kilvinger was third in the 800 (2:21.69) and Elena Fetzer was third in the shot put (11.91m).

Myla Wade, Addi Busam, Kalia Parris and Rachel Hogan finished third in the 4x200 (1:45.91), Parris, Ava Acevedo, Wade and Morgan Sauber were third in the 4x400 (4:11.17), and Sauber, Aspen Maldonado, Kilvinger and Lena Jurczyk took third in the 4x800 (10:17.08).

Ritter Invite: At Downers Grove, Hampshire finished fifth in the 16-team meet with 67 points. Host Downers Grove North won with 115.

Hailey Homola finished first in the shot put (11.46m) and third in the discus (31.84m). The Whips’ 4x400 relay of Ava Garcia, Reese Long, Malaya Ligon and Alyssa Garcia finished first in 3:59.47. Alyssa Garcia, Long, Miya Morgan and Annabelle Haskins took second in the 4x800 (9:36.80), and Ava Garcia, J’myra McRoy, Ligon and Chichi Ukachukwu were third in the 4x200 (1:44.65).

Hannah Nalugemwa was third in the 100 hurdles (15.79), Alyssa Garcia was third in the 400 (57.27) and Elianna Miranda was third in the pole vault (3.09m).

“Up until I was 14, I was a No. 2 hitter,” said Christopher, who two years ago as a sophomore hit a McHenry County and Marengo school record 20 home runs. “I was usually a bunter, a sacrifice hitter. I was trying to move people around the bases.”

Christopher still moves people around the bases, just in a different way.

The Indians’ senior tied the team record with her 40th home run on April 9 in a win against Woodstock. She then blasted her 41st and 42nd home runs of her four-year varsity career in a win against Warren on April 12 to become the program’s solo leader.

Christopher, who plays shortstop, broke the record of 2017 grad Marian Dionne, a Class 3A state champion who finished with 40 in her career and was known for some truly monster shots, including a home run that landed on the school’s JV field.

“Mariah was such a good player in her four years here, so for Gabby to beat that, that’s pretty cool,” Marengo coach Dwain Nance said. “She’s had a really good start to the year, with both her average and power. When she broke the season record [in 2024], she sat on it for a little bit, maybe pressed a little bit.

“This time, boom, boom, she got it done.”

Christopher, who has nine homers this season, is also closing in on the team’s all-time RBI mark, also held by Dionne.

It was Dionne who helped bring out the power from Christopher in her early years, serving as a pitching and hitting coach in Marengo’s youth travel program.

“My sister [Maddy, 2023 Marengo grad] started pitching and got lessons with her,” Christopher said. “I ended up going into pitching, and [Dionne] wanted to work with me. I was more of a bunter than a power hitter. So at the time, she was more working with me with small ball and that kind of thing.

“Towards the end of me working with her, she ended up teaching me how to power through the ball and helped shape me into the person I am today. I mean, we’re still reaching out to each other, my parents are, too. She moved to Arizona, but I think she’s back in town now.”

Christopher also credits her current hitting coach, Jim Donovan, for her transformation into a power hitter. She’s worked with Donovan since her freshman year.

“When I got further into travel, kind of higher level, I had some coaches who really believed in me,” Christopher said. “He’s [Donovan] been a huge inspiration for me. He’s helped me overcome a lot of challenges, and he helped make me into a power hitter.”

Christopher joined her sister Maddy as a record holder at the school, after Maddy broke the team’s all-time steals record in her senior year.

“She set the stolen base record my freshman year. She really set the standard for me,” Gabby Christopher said. “Obviously, we are very different people and players. I’ve always been better at power, and she’s always been good at slapping, so both good, but just different aspects.”

Christopher doesn’t plan on playing softball past high school, as her academic pursuits don’t align perfectly. Christopher joined Marengo’s Future Farmers of America program as a freshman and then decided that’s where her future lies.

“I’ve had some injuries in the past that kind of influenced my decision, and I’m very set on what I want to do in college,” she said. “Only one of my offers was from an agricultural-related school. I’d really love to continue playing softball, but really I just wanted to prioritize my education and future.”

Breaking the school’s all-time home run record was one of her goals.

And according to IHSA.org, Christopher’s 42 career home runs aren’t far off the state’s all-time list. Four players in the state’s history have 46, which is tied for 19th all-time.

“Getting to celebrate with the team at home was really huge for me,” Christopher said. “I really love this group.”

Petryniec wins No. 500: Huntley coach Mark Petryniec entered the season three wins shy of 500 in his career, and he reached the milestone in the sixth game of the spring, a 23-0 win over Rockford Auburn in which the Red Raiders scored 16 runs in the first inning and hit five home runs.

Huntley’s coach since 2004, Petryniec has led the Raiders to 13 regional titles, three sectional titles and two state appearances. Huntley captured the Class 4A state title in 2019 behind ace pitcher Briana Bower and made it back to the state tourney in 2021, placing third. There was no 2020 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Petryniec joins Huntley girls basketball coach Steve Raethz as 500-game winners at the school. Raethz reached the coaching milestone this winter, then announced his retirement after 27 seasons.

“It’s a big testament to our program and all the talented players who have come through up and down the years,” said Petryniec, whose Raiders have at least 20 wins every season since 2013, averaging 28 wins a year. “They’re the ones who have helped achieve this. It wouldn’t be possible without every single one of them.

“It just means I’m really old.”

Huntley’s 2019 state championship was the first in school history for any boys or girls team. And the 2019 Raiders were the first softball team from the Fox Valley Conference to win a state championship and only the second team from McHenry County, joining Marengo (Class 3A titles in 2011 and 2017).

Through Thursday’s games, Huntley (11-4, 4-0) is the FVC’s only team without a conference loss. The Raiders saw their streak of four straight FVC championships end last year at the hands of Prairie Ridge.

Malecke’s big surprise: Gwen Malecke, a 2020 Hampshire graduate, wrapped up her college softball career and graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran College in May, finished student teaching in January and then threw her hat in the ring for one of Woodstock North’s open coaching positions this spring.

Malecke applied to be an assistant, but to her delight, was hired as varsity head coach.

“I’ve just always been around the game,” Malecke said. “I actually applied to be an assistant, had an interview and everything, and they offered head. I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh.’ I took it over, and I’ve loved every minute of it. Truly, the girls are great. My assistant coaches are great, as well. They’ve made the process so much fun. I love being back around the game.

“I thought I’d be down for a while, but, yeah, I couldn’t stay away.”

Malecke, who teaches pre-k and special education at Verda Dierzen Early Learning Center in Woodstock, and the Thunder (7-2) just won their seventh game in a row Thursday and lead the KRC with a 5-0 record.

“The first two games were really rough,” said senior Makayla Nordahl, who pitches and plays first base. “So, just moving on from that. Our attitudes are better. If we make a mistake, just drop it and move on.”

The Thunder haven’t made many mistakes since, and in fact are enjoying one of their better starts in school history.

Nordahl pitched a five-hit shutout Thursday, as North got timely hits and played flawless defense to defeat Richmond-Burton 8-0 in the teams’ Kishwaukee River Conference game in Woodstock.

It was the seventh win in a row for the Thunder, who improved to 7-2 and kept their perfect KRC record intact at 5-0.

“We’re really close,” said senior catcher Kylie Stevens, who threw out a baserunner at second base in the fifth, an inning in which the Rockets got their first four runners on base but did not score. “I think our main strength right now is our defense. We’re just able to get those quick outs.”

Nordahl struck out six and walked four in the win. Junior Kylee Nicholson was 3 for 4 with a double, two runs scored and two RBIs. Senior Allyson Schaid added a pair of hits, two runs scored and drove in one. Junior Maddie Nordahl tallied two hits and scored two runs at leadoff.

North scored a pair of unearned runs in the third against R-B starter Chase Cooper (three strikeouts, five walks), who gave up eight runs (four earned) on nine hits in her six innings of work.

In the fifth, Nicholson had an RBI hit to score Allyson Schaid. Nicholson later came around to score on a bases-loaded walk by Kylee Jordan. Nicholson had the game’s lone extra-base hit, a double in the sixth to bring home Schaid.

North added four runs on four hits in the sixth, with two of the runs unearned. For the game, R-B committed five errors.

The Rockets’ best chance to score came in the fifth when their first four hitters – Bre Warren (walk), Mattie Furzland (single), Kacie Taylor (single) and Ruby Gregurich (infield hit) – all reached base. But Stevens threw out Warren stealing second base, and North later threw out pinch runner Cam Lindholm trying to take third.

North senior Addy Crabill had two line-drive snags at third base, and the Thunder pulled off a 4-3 double play in the first inning when second baseman Aly Jordan leaped in the air to grab a hard-hit ball by R-B’s Rebecca Lanz and threw to first base to retire the baserunner, who was on the move from first to second.

“We’re going to stay true to our philosophy,” R-B coach Tylar Stanton said. “In the first [inning], if that ball is six inches higher, it’s a 1-0 game. I’ll take ownership on that all day if the girls come back and think they did something wrong. We’re going to play aggressive.

“We missed a couple of signs that got us in some negative situations. We’re not a power-hitting team. We’re gonna play a small ball, speed type of game, where we have to hope for timely hits. We didn’t have any today.”

Richmond-Burton was led by Gregurich’s 2-for-3 day at the plate. The Rockets (6-11, 1-4) didn’t have any extra-base hits against Nordahl.

“She’s been getting ahead in count a lot, which has been great,” said Thunder first-year coach Gwen Malecke, who graduated from Hampshire in 2020. “She’s a pitcher where she gets better throughout the game. She learns from each batter each time they’re up and switches it up to make sure she’s still effective.”

Stevens’ arm behind the plate has also been an early-season difference-maker for North.

“She’s aggressive, and I really like that about her,” Malecke said. “She can anticipate what’s going to happen, where the runners are going to be. I think she kind of scares them sometimes, surprises them like, ‘Oh, you’re not going to throw,’ and then she does. She’s a wonderful leader, wonderful catcher, so definitely going to miss her next year.”

Chmiel also finished 3 for 4 at the plate with a home run, double and three RBIs. Bailey Keller (3 for 4) had a homer, two runs scored and three RBIs for Marian (8-3, 3-0), Kaylie Kowalsky had a solo homer, and Vivianna Lara and Claire Ostrowski each drove in a run.

McHenry 8, Prairie Ridge 3: At McHenry, the Warriors (6-3, 2-3) scored six runs in the second inning in a Fox Valley Conference win against the Wolves (7-3, 3-2). Natalie Bender had two hits, including a double, and two RBIs. She also picked up the win, allowing two runs in seven innings. Izzie Townsend drove in two runs, and Layla Oeffling, Jocelyn Roeder and Elyse Fullington (double) each had an RBI.

Kylie Carroll had three hits, including a double, and one RBI for Prairie Ridge. Bella Moore was 2 for 3, and Reese Vrba had a double.

Crystal Lake Central 7, Cary-Grove 1: At Cary, Lily Perocho struck out 13 over six innings, allowing one unearned run on six hits and a walk, as the Tigers (6-3, 4-1) beat the Trojans (1-7, 1-4) in the FVC game. Cassidy Murphy was 3 for 3 with a home run and four RBIs, and Perocho (two runs, RBI), Ella Arana (double, two runs) and Elise Thorson had two hits apiece.

Paityn Ahlquist had a triple and drove in C-G’s lone run. Avery Mattran had two hits, including a double.

McHenry 20, Cary-Grove 6: At Cary, the Warriors (11-2-1, 5-0) collected 20 runs on 15 hits in a runaway FVC win over the Trojans (3-9, 0-5). Kaden Wasniewski (3 for 5) hit a homer with five RBIs and three runs scored, Carver Cohn had two hits, including a double, with four RBIs and three runs, and Jeffry Schwab had two hits, three runs and an RBI. Landon Clements had two hits, two runs and an RBI.

Oskar Freund was 2 for 3 with two RBIs for C-G, and Canyon McKinney had three hits and two runs scored.

Sandwich 5, Harvard 3: At Sandwich, Eltan Powles and Connor Firlick collected two hits apiece for the Hornets (2-8, 0-4) in a KRC loss to the Indians. Alex Bannwolf had a triple, and Logan Nulle knocked in one run. Bannwolf allowed five runs (four earned) on six hits in five innings, striking out six and walking two.

Harvard 1, Woodstock North 0: A Woodstock, Julie Silva scored off an assist from Crystal Morales in the first half to lift the Hornets (6-1-1, 2-1) past the Thunder (2-7-1, 1-3) in their Kishwaukee River Conference game. Jarithsie Mercado came up with 10 saves for Harvard.

McHenry 7, Woodstock 0: At Woodstock, Drew Franklin (No. 1), Matt Zurawski (No. 2) and Angel Gonzalez (No. 3) won at singles for the Warriors in a nonconference victory over the Blue Streaks. Nick Marchant and Owen Miller (No. 1), Tony Rehm and Logan Lewakowski (No. 2), Atticus LaPorta and Drake Coon (No. 3) and Christian Bersie and Luke Miller (No. 4) had wins at doubles.

Marian Central 4, Johnsburg 3: At Johnsburg, the Hurricanes came out on top in their nonconference matchup against the Skyhawks. Marc Cheng and Alek Jasovic won 6-0, 6-0 at No. 1 doubles for Marian, while Tyler Batt won at No. 1 singles by the same score for Johnsburg.

Marian’s Danny Derouen and Finn Peifer (No. 2) and Trevor Zopp and Michael Davis (No. 4) added wins at doubles. Ryan Falbo won by default at No. 3 singles.

For Johnsburg, Ryan O’Dell won at No. 2 singles, and Josue Ortega and Drew Jesuit won at No. 3 doubles.

“I get sore, but just got to push through it,” said White, who threw all five innings Tuesday in a 16-5 Kishwaukee River Conference victory against Johnsburg. “It’s not too bad. There’s kind of no other option, so you got to do what you got to do.

“Just go out and get the job done.”

White, who has thrown 77⅓ of her team’s 84 innings so far this season, shook off a four-run top of the third inning Tuesday, surrendering home runs to No. 3 hitter Kimmy Whitlock and No. 5 hitter Carlie Majercik, and finished with 10 strikeouts as the Indians (7-7, 3-1 KRC) moved to .500 after an 0-4 start.

Marengo has won the conference three years in a row, and a lot weighs on the arm of White, who doesn’t plan to play softball beyond high school.

“I was pretty nervous before the season,” said White, who allowed four earned runs on eight hits and no walks. “I was behind Jozsa [Christiansen] last year. She kind of taught me. She kind of plays in my head every day. Just trying to be a leader and staying positive. We’ve had a couple of rough games this season, and I’m just trying not to get down on myself.”

Along with a .371 batting average, 14 doubles and 35 RBIs, White was 6-1 as a junior with a solid 3.12 ERA behind Christiansen, who factored into 31 decisions with 21 of the team’s 27 victories.

Only sophomore Payge Litchfield and freshman Natalie Potirus have joined White in the circle this season, totaling just 6⅔ innings.

White was coming off a 5-0 win over Plano on Monday, where she allowed four hits, struck out nine and walked none in seven innings.

“I think Ellie White’s been doing a really good job all year,” Marengo coach Dwain Nance said. “She’ll probably break the record of innings pitched for us. There’s times where she labors because she throws a few too many balls. But when she’s really on and hitting those spots, a lot of the time she gets one-, two-, three-pitch outs, and that’s a really big key. I think there’s only been a couple of games where she’s been over 100 pitches. A lot of games she’s in the 90s, and I do look at that number quite a bit.”

White also helped her own cause at the plate, reaching base in her first three plate appearances, which included a double, and scoring three times. Marengo came out with a 10-run first inning, sending 16 to the plate against Johnsburg (3-7, 1-3), and added five runs in the second.

Allie Tucker went 3 for 3 with four RBIs, while Gianna Iovinelli (1 for 4, double, two runs), Ari Rodriguez (1 for 2, three runs) and Abby Balmes (1 for 2, two runs) each drove in a pair of runs. Mia Miceli had two hits, including a double, and drove in one.

Tucker, a freshman, started at catcher Tuesday. She didn’t even expect to make the varsity team.

“I thought I was going to be on JV, but I’m super grateful to be on varsity,” Tucker said. “We’ve had some rough games, but we’ve been able to work as a team and push through that. [White] hits her spots really well. She stays positive and is able to perform under pressure.

“I just try to be a wall. Try not to let anything get past me and be the best target for Ellie so she can pitch well.”

Johnsburg, despite going down 15-1 after two innings, found some offensive life in the third, thanks to long balls from Whitlock and Majercik. Whitlock’s was a two-run shot.

Johnsburg has lost two in a row following a doubleheader sweep against Marian Central, which threw ace and Dayton-commit Christine Chmiel at the Skyhawks.

“We do have some really good hitters,” first-year coach John Rodgers said. “They take a lot of pride in their at-bats. We never really take any at-bats off. ... It was just unfortunate that, today, you get into a spot like this and suddenly the game’s a little out of hand, and you’re trying to come back. Sometimes you just run out of time.”

Brooke Wilkinson was the third pitcher to enter the game for Johnsburg, and she held the Indians to a run in 2⅔ innings with three strikeouts.

“She’s not super experienced, but she’s improved a lot,” Rodgers said. “She’s been very dependable being around the plate. She has a lot of the pitches you wouldn’t expect from somebody who hasn’t pitched that much.”

In the top of the fifth, White struck out Whitlock and Evelyn Mercurio to start the inning. A fielding error allowed Majercik to reach base before White got Abri Bruns to ground out for the final out.

“I just wanted to end it right there,” White said. “If they scored, we’d have to keep playing.”

And keep pitching.

In a new email to families Monday, District 155 officials said that a decision to move to a co-op restructure has not been made. Furthermore, the district will postpone any consideration of a softball restructure until the end of the current season.

The district said in an email to families Friday that, due to declining numbers and an inability to field multiple teams at all four district schools, they had planned to move to a co-op restructure in 2027. The restructure would pair Crystal Lake Central with Prairie Ridge and Crystal Lake South with Cary-Grove.

In Monday’s email, the district acknowledged that communication was “not clearly conveyed and gave the impression that a decision had already been made. That is not the case.”

Dr. Neil Lesinski, District 155 superintendent, released the following statement Monday:

“At District 155, we take pride in working collaboratively with our students, families and community. We recognize that the timing of the softball restructure announcement during the current season was not appropriate and may have created unnecessary distraction for our athletes and families, which was not our intention. We could have communicated more effectively and been more inclusive throughout our decision-making process.

“In response, our leadership team has decided to postpone any consideration of a softball restructure, and we are postponing any discussions of the softball structure until after the conclusion of this current season, at which point we will schedule listening sessions with our athletes and families before having further discussions with the Board of Education.”

In Monday’s email to families, the district said it will “provide opportunities for athletes and families to share feedback and engage in discussion with our administration,” “share the details of each meeting with athletes and families when they are scheduled following the current season,” and “explore all options to support and sustain a strong and thriving softball program in District 155.”

In addition, the district said there will be no planned discussion of softball at the upcoming District 155 board meeting April 21, and no softball proposal will be brought up at the May meeting.

Nate Larson started and allowed an unearned run in five innings with 10 strikeouts and a walk. Josh Rudnick allowed a run in three innings, and Travis Dudycha pitched the final inning with one strikeout to close out the win.

Ryan Pierce had two hits, including a double, and two runs for D-C. Cole Pearson drove in two runs. Jacob Gilette allowed two runs on five hits in seven innings, striking out three and walking three.

Jacobs 12, Prairie Ridge 2 (5 inn.): At Algonquin, Andrew Robertson, Brock Vincent, Cooper Gulgren, Jack Coates and Ryan Tucker each had a double as the Golden Eagles moved to 9-1 and 3-0 in the FVC. Vincent, Tucker, Coates, and Aaden Colon each had two RBIs. Andrew Deegan scored three runs. George Donze allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits in five innings with three strikeouts and no walks.

Gabe Winkelman had two hits and two runs for the Wolves (8-2, 2-1). Gavin Piekos had two hits and one RBI.

Hampshire 4, Crystal Lake Central 3: At Hampshire, Tyler Rubino had two hits, including a home run and a walk-off single in the seventh with two outs, and drove in three runs as the Whip-Purs (9-3-1, 2-2) scored three runs in the final two innings to beat the Tigers (4-8, 1-3) in an FVC game.

Jonathan Alexander added two hits and one RBI. Mason Stanley allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits in five innings, striking out three. Joey Rodriguez tossed two scoreless innings of relief with two strikeouts.

Wade Ozment allowed a run on three hits in five innings for Central. He struck out five and walked one. Konner Altergott had two hits, including a double. Ozment added a double and one RBI.

Johnsburg 10, Woodstock North 0 (5 inn.): At Johnsburg, Peyton Mesce tossed a five-inning no-hitter with seven strikeouts and two walks in the Skyhawks’ (9-3, 3-0) Kishwaukee River Conference win over the Thunder (2-6, 1-2). Josh Speer had a triple and two RBIs, and Jacob Smith tallied two RBIs. Carter Block had two hits, including a double, and one RBI.

Burlington Central 11, Cary-Grove 6: At Cary, Wagner Viebrock (2 for 3) had a homer, two runs and two RBIs, and Jaxton Bovee added two hits, including a double, and three RBIs as the Rockets (6-5-2, 3-1) beat the Trojans (3-8, 0-4) in their FVC game. Daniel Koertgen didn’t allow a run in three innings of relief, allowing three hits while striking out five and walking none.

Oskar Freund had two hits, including a double, and two RBIs, and Mason Klimek added three hits. Kaden Norman allowed seven runs (six earned) on six hits over 5⅓ innings, striking out five and walking two.

Richmond-Burton 9, Woodstock 6: At Richmond, Cooper Nagel had two hits, including a homer, and three RBIs from the leadoff spot to lead the Rockets (7-7, 1-2) to their first KRC win of the season. Ray Hannemann had three hits, including a double, and two RBIs, and Bryce Kowall had two hits with a double.

Grayson Morningstar struck out 10 and walked two in 5⅔ innings. He allowed six runs (five earned) on eight hits. Nagel threw 1⅓ shutout innings.

Sonny Marsalla had two hits and three RBIs for the Blue Streaks (3-4, 2-1). Noah Henning had three hits, two runs and an RBI.

Marengo 7, Plano 3: At Plano, a five-run top of the fifth lifted the Indians (7-4, 2-1) to a KRC win against the Reapers. Konstantinos Siambanis tallied two hits and three RBIs, and Max Broughton drove in two runs for Marengo while striking out 12 and allowing no hits in five innings. Broughton walked five.

Harvard 5, Sandwich 4: At Sandwich, the Hornets (4-3, 3-0) rallied for three runs in the top of the seventh to beat the Indians and stay undefeated in the KRC. Kara Knop hit a go-ahead, three-run homer and struck out 13 batters in the win, allowing four runs (three earned) on 12 hits.

Woodstock North 10, Johnsburg 4: At Johnsburg, the Thunder (5-2, 3-0) picked up their fifth straight victory, beating the Skyhawks (3-6, 1-2) in their KRC game. Kylie Stevens (three RBIs), Aly Jordan (three runs, two RBIs) and Kylee Nicholson (double, two RBIs) each had three RBIs in the victory.

Allyson Schaid had a double and two RBIs. Makayla Nordahl allowed four runs (one earned) on five hits over seven innings. She struck out four and walked five.

Mady Stark had an RBI for Johnsburg.

Richmond-Burton 12, Woodstock 2 (5 inn.): At Woodstock, Ellie Smith (two doubles, three RBIs) and Reagan Gregurich (three runs, RBI) each collected three hits for the Rockets (6-9, 1-2) in their first KRC win of the season.

Chase Cooper added a double and earned the win, allowing a pair of unearned runs on four hits in five innings. She struck out four and walked one.

Quincey Beard had two hits, including a double, and one RBI for the Blue Streaks (2-5, 0-3).

Marengo 5, Plano 0: At Plano, Ellie White struck out nine batters in seven scoreless innings for the Indians (6-7, 2-1) in their KRC win against the Reapers. White gave up four hits and walked none. Gianna Iovinelli had two hits, including a homer, and three RBIs. Ari Rodriguez had a double and two runs scored.

Crystal Lake Central 12, Crystal Lake South 0 (5 inn.): At Crystal Lake, Harper Wright hit two homers and drove in four runs, and Cassidy Murphy had a homer, double and five RBIs as the Tigers (5-3, 3-1) beat the Gators (1-6, 0-4) in an FVC game. Logan Grams gave up two runs on three hits in four innings of relief with two strikeouts.

Georgi Austin drove in two runs for South.

Jacobs 6, McHenry 0: At McHenry, Skylee Ferrante fired seven scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts as the Golden Eagles (7-9, 1-3) earned their first FVC win of the season. Ferrante allowed five hits and walked four. Kendall Davignon had two hits, including a double, and two RBIs, and Molly Hoch also drove in two.

Natalie Bender had two hits for the Warriors (5-3, 1-3). Brooke Snyder allowed six runs (two earned) on four hits in seven innings. She struck out six and walked four.

Prairie Ridge 4, Burlington Central 1: At Burlington, Kylie Carroll and Parker Frey both had two hits, including a double, and an RBI for the Wolves (7-2, 3-1 FVC). Emma Dallas pitched all five innings, allowing a run on three hits. She struck out five and walked five.

Madison Butler drove in a run for the Rockets (4-5, 3-1), who suffered their first FVC defeat of the spring. Isabelle Reed allowed four runs (two earned) on 10 hits in seven innings, striking out four.

Hampshire 12, Dundee-Crown 5: At Carpentersville, Adi Edlen (double, two runs, two RBIs) and Julissa Akins (two RBIs) each hit a homer in the Whip-Purs’ (4-3, 3-1) FVC win over the Chargers (3-9, 1-3). Becca Coffey had two hits, including a double, two runs and two RBIs, and Mia Perez had three hits and drove in one.

Akins picked up the win, giving up five runs (one earned) on nine hits. She struck out seven and walked one in her seven innings.

Kerrigan Svec had two doubles and one RBI and Casi Attapit had a double and two RBIs for D-C.

Huntley 11, Cary-Grove 1 (5 inn.): At Cary, Piper Heimbrodt hit a homer with two RBIs, and Lana Hobday added a double and drove in two as the Red Raiders (11-4, 4-0) stayed perfect in the FVC.

Aubrina Adamik had three hits and three runs, and Kateyln Bayness had two hits and one RBI. Layla Olson allowed a run on five hits in five innings with six strikeouts.

Taylor Allen drove in the lone run for the Trojans (1-6, 1-3).

Crystal Lake Central 5, Metea Valley 0: At Crystal Lake, Addison Schaffer had two goals and two assists as the Tigers (3-1) picked up a win in the BodArmor Series Tournament. Skyler Ferrero, Allison Barnett and Peyton McMahon also scored. Skyler Ferrero made three saves and Charlotte Wallner had one.

Harvard 2, Woodstock 1: At Harvard, Julie Silva and Aimar Nava scored in the first half for the Hornets (5-1-1, 1-1) in the KRC win against the Blue Streaks (0-7, 0-3). Jarithsie Mercado had four saves for Harvard.

Richmond-Burton 8, Marian Central 0: At Richmond, Maddie Seyller had a hat trick and Sydney Frericks added two goals for the Rockets (6-1) in a nonconference win over the Hurricanes. Nicole Medlik, Abby Leslie and Elle Barrettsmith also scored.

Dundee-Crown Meet: At Carpentersville, Cary-Grove won with 74 points, followed by Jacobs (68) and D-C (25). C-G’s Logan Abrams took first in the shot put (17.67 meters) and discus (51.94m).

Jacobs’ Kieran Nally won the 100 meters (11.59 seconds), 200 meters (23.11) and 300 hurdles (43.94). The Eagles took first in the 4x100 (43.99) and 4x400 (3:42.15) relays.

Burlington Central Meet: At Burlington, Prairie Ridge’s Alexander Trejo won the 110 hurdles (15.33) and was second in the 300 hurdles (41.64). The Wolves swept the relays, winning the 4x100 (44.24), 4x200 (1:37.31), 4x400 (3:36.19) and 4x800 (8:43.87).

McHenry Meet: At McHenry, Huntley (75) took first, McHenry (69) was second and Crystal Lake South (31) was third. Ryan Wabel took first in the shot put (14.04m) and discus (36.97m). McHenry was first in the 4x100 (44.04), 4x200 (1:32.80) and 4x400 (3:53.93).

Max Gemelli won the triple jump (12.57m) and 400 (55.58) for the host Rockets. Hampshire’s Tyler Brown was first in the 200 (24.19) and second in the 100 (11.68).

Team scores were not provided.

Crystal Lake South Meet: At Crystal Lake, Huntley took first with 80.5 points, followed by McHenry (53.5) and South (43). Elena Fetzer won the shot put (11.98m) and discus (34.50m). Huntley also was first in the 4x100 (58.14) and 4x200 (2:02.24).

McHenry’s Addison Hoffman finished first in the 100 (12.83) and 200 (26.15). South’s Makayla Westerman was first in the high jump (1.47m) and second in the triple jump (9.23m).

Jacobs Meet: At Algonquin, the host Golden Eagles and Cary-Grove tied for first with 50 points. Dundee-Crown (37) was third. Jacobs’ Aaliyah Guichon took first in the 100 (12.56) and 200 (26.16). For C-G, Olivia Parker was first in the 100 hurdles (15.40) and 400 (1:00.91).

Crystal Lake Central Meet: At Crystal Lake, Hampshire was first with 96 points, followed by Burlington Central (95), Prairie Ridge (51) and Crystal Lake Central (18). Chichi Ukachukwu (100 meters), Ava Garcia (200), Hailey Wilson (300 hurdles), Reese Long (800), Alicia Mallory (long jump) and Hailey Homola (shot put) took first for the Whips, along with the 4x100 relay team.

For Burlington Central, Stella Volk (100 hurdles), Maria Kutrovatz (400), Addison Davis (3,200), Gracelin Turschman (pole vault) and LaRaiya Cunningham-Duncan (triple jump) all took first. The Rockets also won the 4x200 and 4x800 relays.

School: Woodstock

Sport: Softball

Why she was selected: Kuiper racked up 38 strikeouts in her first 14⅓ innings of the season, nearly tossing a no-hitter against Round Lake. She carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning against the Panthers, whiffing 20 batters in a 6-0 victory.

For her performance, Kuiper was selected as the Northwest Herald Athlete of the Week in an online vote. The Blue Streaks sophomore answered a few questions from the Northwest Herald following her 20-K performance.

How did you become a pitcher?

Kuiper: I started playing softball when I was 9 years old, and I tried a lot of positions, but not pitching. I got the chance to try the next year, and I really liked it. I was absolutely terrible, so my parents signed me up for pitching lessons, and since then I’ve kept working hard at it and getting better.

What is your favorite pitching drill?

Kuiper: My favorite pitching drill are falls. That’s when I stand behind the mound and fall forward a little bit, then use that momentum to step and drive off the mound.

What is the hardest part about pitching?

Kuiper: The hardest part about pitching is learning to accept that not everything is going to be perfect, and you can only control what you can control. For example, if you don’t get a call that you like from an umpire, you can’t control that, but what you can control is how you respond to it. Another example is when someone hits a home run off of you; you can’t control that, but you can control what you do afterwards. Are you going to give up, or are you going to go after the next batter?

Who is your funniest teammate?

Kuiper: My funniest teammate is Emma Douglas. She can always lift the mood when things start to get tense. She also always has a smile on her face and is making jokes, whether it is during practice, in a game and even outside of softball.

What is a song that always gets you pumped up?

Kuiper: I usually listen to a lot of different music, depending on my mood or what I’m feeling that day. But a couple songs that always get me pumped up are “Gemstone” by Don Toliver, “Run for the Hills” by Tate McRae and “Thinkin’ Bout Me” by Morgan Wallen.

Do you have any game-day rituals or superstitions?

Kuiper: Every single game, no matter what, I always wear the same Kendra Scott earrings my aunt gave me a couple years ago, along with a “40” (my travel softball number) necklace that my mom and dad got for me. Another superstition I have is that if I have a certain drink on the first day of a tournament and do well, I have to get the same drink every morning for the rest of the tournament.

What is something that scares you?

Kuiper: Softball-related, it scares me a little when the ball is hit hard right back at me up the middle. Not softball-related, snakes freak me out.

What’s your proudest sports moment?

Kuiper: My proudest sports moment was probably when I pitched against the Beverly Bandits in a championship game and won.

What is your most prized possession?

Kuiper: My most prized possession is my glove. It’s a custom one that my dad got me for my 16th birthday.

What’s a sport you are bad at?

Kuiper: I tried gymnastics when I was little. Apparently, I was really bad at it. I thought I was good.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

Kuiper: The best piece of advice I’ve gotten is to stay in my bubble. Things can get really loud, and there are a lot of distractions when you’re in the circle. I always try to remember to stay in my bubble and block out all that extra noise.

Woodstock North’s Braelan Creighton placed first in the high jump (1.77m), pole vault (4.26m) and triple jump (12.49m), JR Fadahunsi was first in the 400 (51.82) and Geo Kopulos was first in the 3,200 (10:22.80),

Marengo’s Jackson Heimsoth was first in the 200 (22.14). The Indians won the 4x100 relay (Sam Tucker, Michael Gieseke, Grant Heimsoth, Jackson Heimsoth) in 43.28 and 4x200 (Tucker, Gieseke, Grant Heimsoth, Jackson Heimsoth) in 1:29.75.

Richmond-Burton’s Travis Roberts, Gavin Saranzak, Luke Uphoff and Forest Wells won the 4x400 (3:32.32).

Johnsburg’s Nico Hartmann was first in the 300 hurdles (43.20). The Skyhawks’ Grady Smith, Micah Klos, Aidan Koch and Carson Klos won the 4x800 (9:06.20).

Harvard’s Braden Wittum won the discus (50.25m) and shot put (16.15m).

Wilson Jakubowicz led the charge for Marian with a pair of runner-up finishes in the 100 meters and long jump, including a personal-best 11.16 seconds in the 100. Luke Aragona added a second-place finish in the triple jump.

Mike Stokes “Stogie” Relays: At Mount Prospect, Huntley’s Nathan Sauber, Andrew Raistrick, Mark Omoniyi and Joseph Sittler finished first in the 4x800 relay (8:07.77). The Red Raiders placed fourth out of nine teams.

Ed Reeves Invite: At Marengo, the host Indians took runner-up with 89 points, trailing only Warren (123.5). Richmond-Burton (81.5) was third, Johnsburg (69) was fourth, Harvard (54) was sixth and Marian Central (41) was eighth.

Marengo’s Olivia Walter took first in the 100 hurdles (16.13) and 300 hurdles (48.35). The Indians won the 4x400 (Ava Frederick, Caelan Nolen, Walter and Mikayla Barry) in 4:22.26 and the 4x800 (Amy Smith, Amber Hagen, Brooke Rubel, Alexis Harris) in 11:02.73.

Johhnsburg’s Hope Klosowicz took first in the 200 (26.30) and 400 (58.88). Stori Hurckes won the discus (37.96m) and shot put (11.27m).

Harvard’s Hayden Binz won the pole vault (2.27m).

Richmond-Burton’s Khloe Lundy was first in the 3,200 (12:05.85). The Rockets’ 4x100 relay of Sophie Nelson, Sophia Komar, Emily Wisniewski and Sydney Frericks took first.

Marian’s Addie Leitzen won the triple jump (10.11m). Leitzen, Jenna Remke, Lainey Remke and Lorelei Egert took first in the 4x200 (1:52.67).

Thomas McBride Invite: At Springfield, Huntley claimed the top spot with 153 points in the 13-team field. Elena Fetzer won the shot put (12.00m) and discus (35.20m), Haley Rahman won the 800 (2:16.89) and Cori Kilvinger won the 1,600 (5:19.06).

Also for Huntley, Ava Acevedo, Rahman, Kalia Parris and Myla Wade took first in the 4x400 (4:05.03).

Bison Invite: At Buffalo Grove, Jacobs finished fifth in the 10-team meet. Brylan Lemon finished first in the 300 hurdles (46.63).

Jill Holmes Invite: At Maple Park, Dundee-Crown (89.5) finished runner-up to DeKalb (151.5) in the 11-team meet. Crystal Lake Central (49.5) took seventh.

D-C’s Delilah Kissane took first in the 400 (1:01.43). The Chargers’ 4x400 relay of Anna Moskalik, Praise Komolafe, Rachael Jade Adegbusi and Kissane took first in 4:27.91.

Crystal Lake Central’s Ryleigh Mazzacano took first in the high jump (1.58m).

Gary Everett Invite: At Elgin, Hampshire captured the nine-team meet title with 181 points. Woodstock (79) was third and Woodstock North (23) took eighth.

Hannah Nalugemwa was first in the 100 hurdles (16.50), Hailey Wilson won the 300 hurdles (48.87), Reese Long won the 400 (1:00.35), Alyssa Garcia won the 800 (2:20.98) and Hailey Homola won the shot put (11.18m).

Hampshire’s J’myra McRoy, Helena Mosher, Carolyn Petriw and Malaya Ligon took first in the 4x200 (1:45.67), and Ava Garcia, Miya Moraga, Hailey Wilson and Alyssa Garcia won the 4x400 (4:04.62).

Mia Foss won the triple jump (10.71m) for Woodstock.

Lauren Bieszczad won the high jump (1.52m) for Woodstock North.

Marengo 11, Warren 5: At Marengo, Gabby Christopher smacked her eighth and ninth home runs of the season to become the school’s all-time leader, surpassing 2017 graduate Mariah Dionne (40 home runs). Christopher (2 for 4, seven RBIs), now has 42 homers in her career.

Abby Balmes tallied a double and two RBIs for Marengo. Ellie White allowed three earned runs over seven innings for the win. She struck out eight and walked two.

Riverdale 10, Marengo 1: At Marengo, Emma Anderson had a double and RBI in the loss for the Indians (5-7) at the Marengo Invite.

Oswego East 15, Harvard 0 (4 inn.): At Marengo, the Hornets were held to three hits in the loss. Kara Knop hit a double.

Beecher 9, Harvard 0: At Marengo, the Hornets (3-3) lost their second game at the Marengo Invite. Leona Eichholz allowed three earned runs on seven hits over four innings. She struck out six and walked none.

Woodstock North 5, Burlington Central 1: At Marengo, Kylee Nicholson struck out eight over seven innings, allowing a run on five hits, for the Thunder in their win at the Marengo Invite. Makayla Nordahl had a triple and two RBIs and Madde Nordahl went 3 for 4. Allyson Schaid added a double and RBI.

Alexis Skarda hit a solo homer for Central.

Riverdale 10, Burlington Central 7: At Marengo, Skarda was 3 for 4 with a home run and three RBIs, and Mei Shirokawa collected three hits and an RBI in the loss for the Rockets (4-5-1).

Woodstock North 5, Sterling 3: At Marengo, the Thunder (4-2) won their second game at the Marengo Invite, with Schaid and Kylee Jordan collecting three hits each. Makayla Nordahl earned the win, giving up three runs on six hits in eight innings. She struck out six and walked five.

Huntley 9, East Peoria 6: At Metamora, Piper Heimbrodt blasted a two-run homer as part of a four-run top of the eighth inning, and the Raiders held on for the win. East Peoria tied the game 5-5 with two runs in the seventh.

Avery Collatz (2 for 3) had a home run and five RBIs for Huntley, and Grace Benson had a double, two runs scored and an RBI. Layla Olson allowed three earned runs in eight innings. She gave up 10 hits with a walk and five strikeouts.

Huntley 7, Metamora 6: At Metamora, Keely Fewell had a double and two RBIs, and Alyssa Weniger also drove in two runs for the Raiders (10-4). Heimbrodt, Lyla Ginczycki (two steals) and Lana Hobday scored two runs each. Makayla Rasmussen allowed two runs on five hits in five innings for the win.

Dundee-Crown 10, Grant 3: At Carpentersville, Jordyn Jeffs blasted two home runs, finishing 2 for 2 with four runs scored and four RBIs in the Chargers’ (3-8) victory. Josie Sheldon was 3 for 4 with two RBIs. Chloe Morrison earned the win, allowing three runs on nine hits in seven innings. She struck out six and walked four.

Prairie Ridge 12-9, Lakes 6-7: At Lake Villa, Bella Moore (3 for 4, three RBIs) and Emma Dallas (2 for 3, two runs, three RBIs) each hit a homer for the Wolves (6-2) in a Game 1 victory. Kylie Carroll was 3 for 5 with a double, two runs and an RBI, Parker Frey went 3 for 4 with a double, two runs and two RBIs, and Mary Kate Center drove in two. Emma Dallas got the win, striking out 12 and walking four in seven innings. She allowed five earned runs on 10 hits.

In Game 2, Carroll went 2 for 4 with a home run, double, two runs and two RBIs, and Moore had two hits and an RBI. Dallas had a triple and three RBIs, and Karsyn Ledgerwood had two doubles while picking up the win. Ledgerwood allowed seven runs (six earned) on nine hits in 6⅓ innings, striking out three and walking four.

Winnebago 10, Richmond-Burton (5 inn.): At Winnebago, Rebecca Lanz posted a double for the Rockets (5-9).

Barrington 18-10, Jacobs 0-1: At Barrington, Talia Di Silvio and Emily Popilek had the Golden Eagles’ (6-9) only two hits in the Game 1 loss. Di Silvio drove in a run in Game 2.

Genoa-Kingston 9, Woodstock 6: At Woodstock, Kenzie Bowles (two runs, triple) and Ellie Norton (two runs, double) had three hits each for the Blue Streaks (2-4) in a loss to the Cogs. Tipper Axelson went 2 for 4 with two doubles and an RBI.

St. Charles North 9, Crystal Lake Central 5: At Antioch, Ella Arana was 3 for 3 with a homer, three runs and one RBI in the Tigers’ loss to the North Stars. Oli Victorine and Harper Wright (double) drove in two runs apiece. Lily Perocho stuck out nine in six innings, allowing three earned runs in six innings.

Antioch 4, Crystal Lake Central 0: At Antioch, Victorine took the loss for the Tigers, who fell to 4-3. Victorine allowed three earned runs in six innings. She struck out seven and walked one.

Johnsburg 7-16, Marian Central 4-9: At Woodstock, the Skyhawks (4-5) scored two runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings to beat the Hurricanes (7-3) in Game 1. Carlie Majercik had three RBIs and two doubles for Johnsburg, and Casie Majercik added two doubles. Sarah Nethaway had a triple and one RBI. Brooke Wilkinson allowed two earned runs in seven innings for the win.

Marian’s Natalia Lara had three hits in the Game 1 loss. Christine Chmiel had two hits and one RBI and took the loss despite striking out 17 in seven innings. She allowed five earned runs on 10 hits.

Kimmy Whitlock was 3 for 5 with a home run, double, three runs and four RBIs in Game 2 for Johnsburg. Kayla Riener was 5 for 5 with two doubles, four runs and three RBIs and Nethaway had two runs and three RBIs. Evelyn Mercurio (3 for 5) and Brooke Wilkinson (3 for 4, triple, three runs) both drove in two.

Marian’s Kaylie Kowalsky drove in two runs and Lara had two hits, including a double, and three runs scored.

Sycamore 15-15, Cary-Grove 0-3: At Cary, the Trojans (1-5) dropped both games of their nonconference doubleheader. Lyla Murray had an RBI Game 2.

Huntley 2, Benet 1: At Lisle, Brady Klepfer (4 IP, 1 H, 1R, 1 BB, 3 K) and Travis Dudycha (3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K) combined to hold Benet to one run, and Joey Lengle and Kyle Ziebell each had an RBI in the win for the Raiders (10-1). Klepfer was 2 for 3 at the plate.

Marmion 7-1, Burlington Central 0-3: At Burlington, the Rockets (6-5-2) managed just two hits in a Game 1 loss but bounced back to win Game 2. Ashton Binz, Reece Beemer, Evan Larson, Nolan Mulready and Jonathan Andrinopoulos combined to allow one unearned run on two hits with 13 strikeouts and a walk. Daniel Koertgen hit a solo homer and Gavin Stumbaugh was 2 for 2 with an RBI.

Crystal Lake Central 5, Grayslake North 3: At Crystal Lake, Max Geske drove in two runs and Konner Altergott was 2 for 3 with a double and two runs for the Tigers (4-7). Reese Hamric struck out seven in four innings of work. He allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits and a walk.

Wauconda 10, Cary-Grove 5: At Cary, Dylan Dumele was 3 for 3 with a double, and Mason Klimek, Andrew Paduch and Lance Moore each tallied an RBI for the Trojans (3-7) in a loss to the Bulldogs. Paduch allowed four runs (two earned) in 3⅔ innings with five strikeouts.

McHenry 1, St. Charles North 0 (12 inn.): At McHenry, Ian Boland hit a walk-off double to score Evan Gengler in the bottom of the 12th inning for the Warriors (9-2-1). Ryan Carzoli (6 IP, 5 H, 1 BB, 8 K), Bennet Baumann (3 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 2 K), Nathe Neidhardt (2 IP, 1 H, 2 K) and Carson White (1 IP, 0 H, 1 K) combined for the 12-inning shutout.

Prairie Ridge 15, Deerfield 0 (4 inn.): At Crystal Lake, Gavin Piekos had a homer and four RBIs and Beckett Breseman drove in four runs in the Wolves’ win. Also for Prairie Ridge (8-1), Gabe Winkelman had a double and four runs scored and Jack Spindler had a double and four RBIs. Jack Dahlem went all four innings, allowing three runs with seven strikeouts and a walk.

Dundee-Crown 11, Richmond-Burton 9: At Richmond, Kyle Pierce had two doubles and an RBI, and Ryan Pierce drove in two runs for the Chargers (6-6) in a win over the Rockets. Jacob Gillette added a double and two RBIs.

For R-B (6-7), Ryan Scholberg was 2 for 4 with three RBIs and Ray Hannemann was 2 for 5 and drove in two.

Jacobs 15, Harlem 0: At Algonquin, Ryan Tucker was 3 for 3 with six RBIs as the Golden Eagles improved to 8-1 on the season. Andrew Deegan (2 for 2) had four runs scored and one RBI and Andrew Robertson drove in two runs. Aaden Colon struck out eight over three scoreless innings, allowing one hit and walking four.

Crystal Lake South 7, Grayslake Central 1: At Crystal Lake, Coleton Bondi (2 for 3, two RBIs) and Jackson Lee (1 for 4, two RBIs) each hit a homer for the Gators (7-3). Nolan Dabrowski was 3 for 4 with two doubles, three runs and an RBI. Ryan Morgan, Tanner Maurer and Julian Redmond combined to allow one run on eight hits and five walks with five strikeouts.

Hampshire 6, Sycamore 4: At Hampshire, Shane Pfeiffer had a home run and three RBIs, and Gavin Weston had two hits, two runs and one RBI for the Whip-Purs (8-3-1) in a win over the Spartans. Henry Parks pitched four scoreless innings of relief, allowing two hits and striking out four.

Huntley 0, Cary-Grove 0 (2OT): At Cary, Ashlyn Grabs made four saves for the Red Raiders (3-0-2, 1-0-1) in a Fox Valley Conference draw with the Trojans (1-2-1, 0-0-1).

Crystal Lake South 3, Elgin 1: At Crystal Lake, Kylee Del Bosque, Delaney Ranum and Ellie Starnes each scored for the Gators (3-1) in win over the Maroons.

Marengo 3, Winnebago 0: At Marengo, Macy Noe made six saves in a shutout win, while Maggie Hanson, Myah Broughton and Kiley Brady each scored for the Indians (4-1). Hanson and London Herzog each had an assist.

Hononegah 4, Dundee-Crown 0: At Rockton, the Chargers (1-3-1) were shut out in a loss to the Indians. Karla Guillen made four saves for D-C.

Crystal Lake South 22, St. Francis 1: At Wheaton, Drake Lenckus had four goals and four assists, Braedon Muraski had three goals and five assists and Logan Driscol added four goals and three assists for the Gators, who improved to 7-0. Gavin Hastings had a goal and two assists and was a school-record 20 for 22 in face-offs.

Owen Hess scored three goals, and Renner Stavropolos and Tony Amici had two goals apiece. Derek Lenckus put in his first varsity goal.

Crystal Lake Central co-op 9, Lincoln-Way Central co-op 6: At Crystal Lake, Anna Starr had four goals, Makayla Simonic had two and Ella Trudeau, Sydney Cruz and Avery Younge each tallied one goal for the Tigers (5-0).

Arana drove in five from the leadoff spot, Wright (3 for 3) tallied four RBIs and Victorine had two. Victorine struck out three over three innings to earn the win.

Jordyn Jeffs had two of D-C’s four hits in the loss.

Hampshire 2, Prairie Ridge 1: At Hampshire, Mia Perez hit a walk-off single with one out in the bottom of the seventh to score Sadie Van Horn and lead the Whip-Purs (3-3, 2-1) to an FVC win over the Wolves (4-2, 2-1).

Julissa Akins gave up a run on six hits in seven innings, striking out six and walking none. Jiselle Lopez had two hits and Ali LeBlanc drove in a run.

Reese Mosolino allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits in 6⅓ innings. She struck out six and walked two. Bella Moore had a solo homer for Prairie Ridge.

Cary-Grove 5, McHenry 4 (8 inn.): At Cary, Avery Mattran collected a walk-off double to score Paityn Ahlquist in the bottom of the eighth and give the Trojans (1-3, 1-2 FVC) their first victory of the season.

Lyla Murray (3 for 4) had a triple and two runs, Addy Green (3 for 3) had a double and one RBI, and Olivia Osadzinski knocked in two runs. Ahlquist pitched three innings of relief, allowing no hits, walking one and striking out eight.

Natalie Bender (2 for 2, two runs) hit a solo homer for McHenry (5-2, 1-2). Caitlyn Carlisle had a double and drove in one while throwing seven-plus innings. She allowed five runs (three earned) with three strikeouts and three walks.

Burlington Central 5, Jacobs 3: At Burlington, Zoe Hornsby (2 for 4) blasted two home runs and drove in three for the Rockets (3-4, 2-1) in their FVC win over the Golden Eagles (6-7, 0-3).

Kelsey Covey added two hits and an RBI. Isabelle Reed earned the win, allowing three runs on seven hits in seven innings. She struck out eight and walked two.

Molly Hoch had two hits and two RBIs for Jacobs. Skylee Ferrante allowed a pair of runs in 3⅔ innings, striking out four.

Huntley 4, Illini Bluffs 1: At Metamora, Layla Olson struck out eight and walked two, allowing a run on four hits in a complete game for the Red Raiders. Lyla Ginczycki smacked a solo homer and Aubrina Adamik was 2 for 3 with an RBI.

Normal U-High 6, Huntley 3: At Metamora, Piper Heimbrodt was 3 for 4 with an RBI, and Adalyn Olson had a double and drove in one run for the Raiders (8-4) in a nonconference loss. Olson gave up six runs over four innings, striking out a pair of batters.

Burlington Central 3, Cary-Grove 0: At Burlington, Aidric Arndt tossed a shutout, allowing two hits and striking out seven to lead the Rockers (5-4-2, 2-1) past the Trojans (3-6, 0-3) in FVC action. Thomas Koertgen went 2 for 3 with a solo homer, and Jaxton Bovee had a double and two RBIs.

Braedan Mendro took the loss, allowing three runs on six hits in four innings. Brady Bauer had a triple for C-G.

Huntley 12, Dundee-Crown 6: At Huntley, Leo Bianchin was 3 for 4 with a double and six RBIs for the Red Raiders (9-1, 2-1) in an FVC win over the Chargers (5-6, 0-3).

Drew Borkowski hit a solo homer, Gavin Rettberg had a double and two RBIs and Kyle Ziebell (2 for 2) had a double, three runs and drove in one. Rowan Parker struck out five in 3⅓ innings of relief, allowing two runs on a hit and a walk.

Ikey Grzynkowicz hit a home run, scored three runs and drove in two runs for D-C.

Marengo 7, Marian Central 1: At Marengo, Mitchell Aukes earned the win and went 2 for 3 with three RBIs for the Indians (6-4) in a nonconference win against the Hurricanes (0-7). Aukes gave up a run in four innings, striking out four.

Brady Kentgen had a double and two RBIs and Max Broughton was 3 for 3 with three steals, two runs and an RBI.

Harrison Graf drove in Marian’s lone run.

Genoa-Kingston 8, Richmond-Burton 4: At Genoa, the Rockets (6-6) dropped the nonconference contest to the Cogs. Jace Nelson gave up eight runs, but only one was earned. He struck out seven and walked six in five innings.

Bryce Kowall (RBI) and Ray Hannemann each had a double for R-B. Nelson, Cooper Nagel and Lucas Bynum each tallied an RBI.

Harlem 8, Johnsburg 0: At Johnsburg, Peyton Mesce had two of his team’s three hits as the Skyhawks (8-3) lost in a nonconference game against the Huskies. All eight runs were unearned against Johnsburg, which committed six errors.

Nate Frost started and allowed two unearned runs on two hits in five innings. He struck out six and walked four.

Marengo 5, Plano 3: At Plano, Maggie Hanson recorded a hat trick and added an assist as the Indians (4-1, 3-0) stayed perfect in the Kishwaukee River Conference with a win over the Reapers.

Myah Broughton and Kiley Brady also scored for Marengo. Regan Heimsoth had an assist.

Johnsburg 7, Woodstock North 0: At Johnsburg, Charlie Eastland had a hat trick and Lauren McQuiston scored two goals for the Skyhawks (4-0, 2-0) in a KRC win against the Thunder (0-6, 0-2). Liz Smith and Maura Oeffling also scored.

Eastland, McQuiston, Jacquelyn Douglas, Brooke Butler, Kayla Hiller, Dorothy Ruth and Julia Nicoline all had assists, while Lila Konrad made one save in the shutout.

Richmond-Burton 3, Woodstock 0: At Richmond, Maddie Seyller scored two goals and Ella Seyller had two assists as the Rockets (5-1, 2-1) beat the Blue Streaks (0-6, 0-2) in a KRC game. Nicole Mendlik had a goal and an assist, and Rylee Molczan made one save in the shutout.

Crystal Lake Central co-op 20, Hampshire co-op 4: At Crystal Lake, Anna Starr scored eight goals for the Tigers (4-0, 1-0) in their FVC win against the Whips (3-2, 1-1). Makayla Simonic had three goals, and Ella Mueller and Sydney Cruz added two apiece.

Trackin’ At McCracken Invite: At McHenry, Jacobs finished third in the eight-team meet with 82 points. Lakes won with 121. McHenry (51) was sixth and Crystal Lake South (40) was seventh.

Jacobs’ Gavin Glosson won the 3,200 meters (9:47.43) and Camron Sumling won the 200 (23.21).

McHenry’s Oliver Sznyterman won the 400 (51.40), and South’s Chad Wehby, Logan Aarseth, Dylan Bartenfelder and Joseph Gonzalez won the 4x800 relay (8:35.89).

Les Hodge Invite: At Batavia, Burlington Central’s Dave Walikonis, Brandon Pflug, Venkata dheeraj Anantha and John Wozniak placed first in the 4x800 relay with a time of 8:56.59. The Rockets’ Gavin Klingberg won the 300 hurdles in 41.16 seconds.

Trackin’ At McCracken Invite: At McHenry, the host Warriors came in second with 106 points, trailing only Lakes (128). Crystal Lake South (40) was sixth out of eight teams.

McHenry’s Lexi Danz won the 3,200 (11:28.56), Olivia Meyer won the 100 hurdles (16.29) and Kennedy Harding won the 1,600 (5:24.44).

South’s Lily Brooks, Carolina Lucas, Laynie Ripley and Emme Reall won the 4x800 (10:16.38).

Due to declining numbers in participation and an inability to field multiple teams at each school, the four District 155 schools are set to move to a co-op structure, pairing Crystal Lake Central with Prairie Ridge and Crystal Lake South with Cary-Grove.

Out of the four District 155 softball teams competing this season, only C-G is fielding both a varsity and JV team.

Prairie Ridge and Crystal Lake South will serve as the host schools where both practices and games will take place for the 2027 season.

The decision to establish two District 155 co-ops for the 2026-27 school year will go before the District 155 Board of Education in May.

District 155 schools shared the decision in a letter to families Thursday. On Friday, the district released the following statement about the decision to form two co-op teams, which will decrease the number of FVC softball teams from 10 to eight:

“While our programs continue to be supported by dedicated coaches and committed student-athletes, the declining participation trends have made it increasingly challenging to consistently offer multiple levels of play. The decision to explore a co-op structure was made with a focus on ensuring that our student-athletes have consistent access to meaningful opportunities to compete, develop and be part of a stable, thriving program. As a district, we remain focused and committed to maintaining the softball program for our students, and restructuring it will better support its long-term success.”

Prairie Ridge is coming off its best season in program history, where it took third in Class 3A. Crystal Lake Central lost to Prairie Ridge in the sectional finals last year.

Beginning in 2026-27, co-op teams must have enrollments under 3,500 combined in order to compete in the IHSA state series.

Leona, now a 5-foot-10 sophomore, and Tallulah, a freshman at Belmont, stay in touch all the time. This year, Leona took her sister’s old high school number – No. 10 – as a way to stay closer.

“Part of me went away to college with her,” Leona Eichholz said. “We call, we text. She’s very supportive, and she’s always there for me. She’s always rooting for me, I’m always rooting for her.”

Tallulah certainly would approve of her sister’s performance Thursday. Leona struck out 15 batters and drilled a go-ahead home run in the sixth inning as the visiting Hornets defeated Richmond-Burton 7-0 in the Kishwaukee River Conference game.

Eichholz had to work out of trouble early as small-ball minded R-B (5-8, 0-2 KRC) put a runner in scoring position in each of the first four innings. All four times, she ended the threat with a strikeout.

“Pressure kind of feeds into my energy,” said Eichholz, who was an All-State Class 3A second-teamer as a freshman, recording a 1.39 ERA and striking out 154 over 80⅔ innings. “And I know my teammates have my back.”

The things Eichholz can do with her arm and her bat aren’t a surprise to Harvard coach Becky Edinger.

“Wow ... I’m not quite sure what her ceiling is,” Edinger said of Eichholz, who pitched on the Team USA U-15 National Team. “She stays calm, and she’s able to read hitters very well. We just ask that she’s confident with each pitch she throws, and she really is. She’s just good at being in the moment. I very rarely see her get rattled because she does the work and knows what she needs to do.”

Eichholz, who scattered five hits and walked none, doesn’t lack in the power department, either.

With the game scoreless to start the top of the sixth, Eichholz drove a 2-1 pitch from Rockets senior Chase Cooper far over the centerfield fence. That was the only run needed for Eichholz, who allowed one baserunner – a leadoff double by Rebecca Lanz (2 for 3) in the sixth – in the final three innings.

R-B’s leadoff hitter – freshman Ruby Gregurich (1 for 3, steal) and junior Jocelyn Hird (1 for 3, two steals) – reached base in the first two innings on base hits, and the Rockets got a runner to third in three of the first four innings against Eichholz.

“When you face a pitcher with talent like she has, every run matters,” R-B coach Tylar Stanton said. “We talk about being a first-inning team. Of the five wins we have, we’ve scored in the first inning in all of them. That’s the philosophy. We’ve kind of shifted from being maybe a more power-centric offense to more of a small-ball, scrappy offense.

“[Eichholz] hits her spots and plays a very confident role in the circle. I think early on, we kind of shook her confidence a bit. We needed to execute those situations if she were to miss on a pitch, or she throws a change and we’re ready for it. We just didn’t handle the situation properly.”

Harvard (3-1, 2-0) had 10 hits against Cooper (7 IP, 6 ER, 10 K, 3 BB) and broke the game open with a five-run seventh. Kara Knop (2 for 4) provided a two-run single in the inning, and Ava Brennecka (2 for 4) and Kendra Cunningham had one RBI each. An inning earlier, Manhatyn Brincks had an RBI groundout following a triple by Grace Nellessen.

Knop, a junior first baseman, said the Hornets’ nice start has everyone excited.

“They’re killing it. I’m so proud of my team,” Knop said. “We’re together like a family, and we’re just really connected. We’re out there, talking to each other, picking each other up. When we get into the dugout, we’re giving and taking feedback. We’re just trying to put it all together on the field for each other.”

The Hornets’ No. 8 and 9 hitters – Nayeli Sanchez and Kimberly Morales – were a combined 3 for 5 with two walks, each scoring a run in the seventh.

“So proud of them. The last couple of years, we’ve really been focusing on our bats, and this year we’ve really been hitting it hard,” Edinger said. ”Just with our approach and being confident up there. Being able to step in there, clear our minds and just play the game. It’s a simple game, and they’re starting to see the ball. I’m excited to see them all continue to grow."

After taking third in the KRC last year, the Hornets believe they have the talent to win it.

“Our big goal is to win the KRC title,” Eichholz said. “That’s like our dangling carrot. And just celebrate the little wins. Little wins are the big things. We just want them to keep adding them up.”

You don’t have to look too hard to find it.

“I’ve seen a lot more smiles from her, which is great,” Buss said of the Warriors senior right-handed pitcher. “She’s really come into herself these past two years. Way more confident.”

Bender had plenty to smile about Wednesday against Crystal Lake South, striking out seven and blasting two home runs amid 20 mph winds. She also had a double and finished a perfect 3 for 3 with five RBIs as McHenry earned a 10-3 win in McHenry.

Both of the home runs for Bender, who also bats right-handed, went to right field. The first was a two-run shot that started out carrying to right-center field before the wind pushed it almost behind the right-field foul pole.

Batting fifth in the lineup, Bender is one of the Warriors’ biggest power bats.

“Honestly, I was just looking to make contact. That’s it,” said Bender, whose two-run homer in the fourth gave McHenry a 5-1 lead, and his three-run homer in the fifth made it 8-1. “I just go into the box and hope to hit something. Just make contact for the team.

“She does everything the right way,” Buss added. “I have a little more hands-on approach with the pitchers and catchers this year, so I think she’s let go of some of the pressure she’s felt from past years and just know to throw. That’s all she’s got to worry about.

“I think when we’re smiling on defense, it leads to what she’s doing at the plate with two bombs for us. That was not on our bingo card that we were going to hit any home runs today. She had two of them. That’s pretty incredible.”

McHenry (5-1, 1-1 FVC) was coming off a tough 7-6 loss to Dundee-Crown in its FVC opener Tuesday. Through two conference games, the Warriors have put up 16 runs on 18 hits.

“It was a quick turnaround. We were upset about the loss yesterday, but we took the night and we all came back,” said senior center fielder Lyla Oeffling, who scored twice and threw out a runner tagging up at second base. “We matched at school, we were ready to play, and we came here with the mentality to have fun and play and not think about yesterday.”

Oeffling said Bender’s poise in the circle rubs off on the rest of the team.

“She keeps us calm, for sure,” Oeffling said. “She’s, I guess you would say, nonchalant in the circle, which I think helps the rest of us. We’re here to back her up.”

South loaded the bases against Bender in the seventh inning with one out, but she fired her seventh strikeout and got a grounder to second baseman Danica McCarthy to end the game. For the game, Bender scattered four hits and walked two, throwing 72 of 103 pitches for strikes.

Charlee Cape (run, two steals) and Elyse Fullington (3 for 3, steal) had a double apiece for McHenry while McCarthy stole two bases and Oeffling scored a pair of runs. Elly Ernst and Izzie Townsend both had one RBI.

South catcher Georgi Austin ripped a two-run single in the sixth inning, and shortstop Riley Bard had an RBI single in the top of the first. The Gators (1-3, 0-2), who opened the year with a 15-3 win over Woodstock, have lost three in a row.

South coach Sara Markelonis believes the Gators aren’t far from turning the corner. On defense, they retired four McHenry players on the base paths, including a strong relay from left fielder Giada Cervantes to Barda at shortstop to Austin at catcher in the third inning, which kept the score 3-1 at the time.

“I think people aren’t going to be expecting what we’re bringing to the table,” said Markelonis, whose Gators went 2-24 last season. “We’re a strong-hitting team, and I think we’re just starting to figure it out and get it all together. We’re starting to produce, and I think others are starting to see it, as well.

“I’m kind of excited to face everybody, not only once, but twice, just to kind of show off what we got.”

Bender, who since the end of last year started to incorporate a rise ball to her pitch selection, believes a happy Warriors team can do it all.

“I think this is our happiest, most confident bunch we’ve had,” Bender said. “It makes it a really enjoyable time to come to practice, come to games every day and just be here with everyone. Everyone’s always laughing, no matter what. Even after yesterday’s loss. It’s just a really good environment to be around.”