Wheaton stops Panthers at two

There's a belief that the third time something is attempted it is more likely to result in success than in the initial two attempts.

That's what Glenbard North was hoping for during Friday's DuPage Valley Conference boys gymnastics meet at Glenbard East. Unfortunately for the Panthers, Wheaton co-op rebuked the belief of a third time being a charm as it bested Glenbard North for the second time this spring.

Wheaton, which tied the Panthers in mid-March and edged them in last Saturday's Dave Donaldson Invite, won the DVC with a season-high total of 154.7 points. The Panthers finished in second place with 151.450 points.

"The last couple of years it's been really close, so it's a real good feeling for these guys to feel that they've accomplished something," Wheaton coach Chad Downie said. "We think that winning the DVC is a big deal. It's always competitive and it's a matter of pride to bring it back to Wheaton."

Contributions throughout the lineup boosted the winners. Tim Krueger stood out the most, winning floor exercise and parallel bars and finishing second on still rings and high bar. Wheaton also received third-place finishes from senior Clark Kessery on still rings, Darren Fill on vault and Mike Brackman on high bar.

"We hadn't won conference since freshman year so it's pretty sweet for me to bring it back," Kessery said. "We really came out with confidence in our routines and we were hitting them all week in practice so we came in expecting to do well."

Runner-up Glenbard North battled through ankle, wrist, shoulder and knee sprains to four gymnasts but came up short. Ryan Vandenack led the way for the Panthers, winning the high bar and finishing third in the all-around.

"Vandenack really stepped up and I couldn't be any happier on that end," Glenbard North coach Edsel Clark said. "Overall I'm pleased with tonight. Just coming in and doing what we did without a 100 percent team was fine."

Naperville Central's Keith Lage edged Krueger 55.4 to 55.35 for the all-around title. Although he didn't realize it at the time his career-best 9.9 vault arguably made the difference.

"When I looked back and saw a 9.9 I couldn't believe it," Lage said. "I was really surprised when I landed because I've never done that good before."

Glenbard East's Kirk Jackson finished in third in floor exercise to lead the hosts.