Sports
High School Playoffs Roundup: Wolves and Vikings Finish Fall Seasons
Both volleyball teams lost in the regional finals, but Niles West's boys cross country team advanced to the state championships in Peoria.
Girls Volleyball: Both Niles North and Niles West fell in the regionals finals of the Class 4A playoffs. The Vikings fell 25-11, 25-17 to No. 1 seed New Trier while Niles West couldn’t get over the hump against Loyola falling 25-22, 25-22 in two close games.
The Wolves’ early playoff exit comes one season after Niles West advanced all the way to the sectional final. Last season they set the school record for wins and came up one short of equaling that mark in 2011 with a 23-12 record.
Even with the loss to top-seeded New Trier, Niles North did set a school record with 23 wins during the season. The Vikings carried only two seniors on the varsity team this season so they will look to 2012 with high expectations.
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Boys Cross Country: With five runners placing in the top 60, Niles West placed fourth at the Class 3A Skokie Sectional and qualified as a team for the state championships. It is the first time in school history that Niles West will compete as a team in the state finals.
Five seniors led the way for Niles West (162 team points). Marc-Daniel Julien finished in ninth place with a time of 15 minutes, 21 seconds on the three-mile course. Neal Omar (21st, 15:38) and Masafumi Hoshi (24th, 15:45) also finished in the top 25. Seniors Blake Helton (54th, 16:12) and David Iverson (56th, 16:15) ran together and also scored for the Wolves.
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After a stellar regular season, Niles North (226) finished a disappointing eighth at the sectional and didn’t qualify any individuals for the state championships next weekend in Peoria.
Junior Micah Beller was the top Viking runner, finishing in 15:47 and taking 27th place. Justin Suh (39th, 15:58) and senior Aron Sebhat (41st, 16:00) also finished in the top 50. Junior Dan Noboa (59th, 16:16) and senior Carlitos Rangel (60th, 16:18) finished out the scoring for Niles North.
Football: While neither Niles West nor Niles North made the playoffs,
Niles West had a one-win improvement over last year, finishing at 2-7 while Niles North came in at 3-6, the same mark it had in 2010.
Boys Soccer: Niles West defeated Niles North 1-0 in the regional semifinals, but the Wolves fell 4-3 to Glenbrook South in the final, ending their season.
