St. Charles swim teams feature new look
For some cities, losing athletes like Chris Peterson and Jake Grosser would be devastating. And make no mistake about it, the pair were massive influences to the St. Charles North and St. Charles East boys swim teams in 2006-07.
But the reality of high school athletics is that seniors graduate and head to college -- and Grosser is now at Southern Cal while Peterson plies his trade at Minnesota.
And would you believe it -- things are just fine at both St. Charles high schools. Both will certainly be missed, but the pool, to coin a bad phrase, is hardly empty for either the North Stars or the Saints as they prepare for their 2007-08 campaigns.
In the case of St. Charles North, the program appears to be in fine shape. And using the word "program" is something coach Rob Rooney has aimed for since taking charge of the program in 2000.
"It's been a building process," Rooney said. "(Peterson) was one part of the equation along with a number of other boys we've had. It wasn't just him. We had three seniors graduate last year who were all state finalists. We're looking for the same kind of stuff from the seniors we have now."
St. Charles North finished fifth last year in a glitch-filled state meet. Rooney had to request changes to placings from officials throughout the meet. While fifth place represents the best team finish by the North Stars boys swim team, the squad left New Trier wishing for more.
"I know we've got a number of boys who feel like they have unfinished business after last year," Rooney said. "Their focus got elevated when I had some meetings with some of the boys. Last year was a great year but we're looking forward."
Seniors Jimmy Brooks and John Higgins head the North Stars challenge this winter, but expect a number of names to make headlines. Some of those swimmers will be most familiar to those who followed the junior-varsity portion of meets in past years.
"We have more than people think," Rooney said. "We have a lot of hungry boys. A lot of these boys have been waiting in the wings for a couple of years. Some of them are chomping at the bit to get their opportunities. These guys have been watching the older guys succeed and now they want to make it their team."
Overall, Rooney said, "Honestly, I think we are better than last year."
St. Charles East had an extremely successful 2006-07 season, buoyed by Grosser's exploits. But he wasn't alone at the state meet, and the returnees -- such as junior Adam Carnell and senior B.J. Roth, will look to help form a new statebound core.
"We've got half of our relays back and we're looking for some people to step up," St. Charles East coach Joe Cabel said. "We look like we're ready to go."
Roth, in his final season with the Saints, looks ready to soar in many ways.
"He's doing well both in and out of the pool," Cabel said. "He works hard in the pool but his leadership on deck is a real bonus for us. You've got to have it."
Carnell had a strong off-season as well, said Cabel.
"He seems to be hungry," Cabel said. "He had a great summer. He's been very dedicated. That experience last year really wet his whistle."
Of swimmers who could make an impact this year, Cabel pointed out junior Ken Tiltges, who "had a great summer too."
Tradition cannot be discounted either. St. Charles East is one of the storied programs in Illinois history and Cabel, back for the second year as head coach in his second stint with the team expects the Saints to return to that level.
"Now I've got Dave Bart with me and he's got five of them (state titles)," Cabel said. "We look up there on the wall at our accomplishments and our titles and we say that's the only way we coach. That's the way you're going to get it."
But as always, patience is often needed. One factor facing both St. Charles teams is that they swim in a highly competitive area. Neuqua Valley may win not only the Upstate Eight Conference title but will contend for the state title as well. Waubonsie Valley is another strong area team.
"It's wide open too," Cabel said. "We've got a great conference and the title is wide open. We may be in the wings but we'll test ourselves within the conference that's for sure."
But the team's focus is firmly on the state meet in Evanston.
"Once you've been there it's hard to hot think about going back," Cabel said.
Marmion is another program which feels it is on the upswing. A full year of off-season training by the Cadets core -- and even fringe -- swimmers should help the team improve on last season's results.
"We feel pretty confident heading into the season," Marmion coach Bill Schalz said. "We're good enough to be in the Top 10."
That feeling is backed up by a huge number of near-misses in last year's state meet. The Cadets finished 17th, but had many swimmers who were in the "nearly-scored" category. Those swimmers are almost all back, and the desire to remove the "nearly" from that categorical title fueled the team's off-season.
"Most of those guys have been in the water all year," Schalz said. "We had a good spring and a good summer and we're in good shape to start the season."
Luke Martinez qualifies as one of the best swimmers to have never scored in the state meet. Two years ago, he finished 13th in the 500-yard freestyle. Last year, he dropped 2 full seconds off that time and still finished 13th in the state prelims, one spot from scoring in the meet.
"He's worked really hard," Schalz said. "He qualified for junior nationals this summer and you're talking about the top high school boys who make that meet. He's in great shape right now."
Schalz reemphasized that overall conditioning is going to help his team as it enters the grueling weeks heading toward the February state meet at Evanston.
"Last year, and in some past years, I didn't think we trained as well as we could have," Schalz said. "We were mostly sophomores and juniors last year. We had a group of seniors who qualified for the state meet but never got over the hump of scoring at the state meet. The guys on this year's team want to make that happen and get those Saturday swims."
In addition to the core athletes who are returning with state meet experience, Matt Lifka and Austin Cox are among the athletes who could have breakout years for Marmion this winter.
"We have five freshmen swimming with the varsity," Schalz said. "They could be good but we haven't seen them in a varsity meet yet."
Boys swimming at a glance
Top area teams: St. Charles North, Marmion.
Top area athletes: Marmion junior Tyler Capen; Marmion sophomore Matt Pircon; Marmion junior Thomas Delves; Marmion senior Luke Martinez; St. Charles East junior Adam Carnell; St. Charles East senior B.J. Roth; St. Charles North senior Matt Baumann; St. Charles North senior Jimmy Brooks; St. Charles North senior John Higgins; St. Charles North junior Nick Smith.
Scouting report: Two of the best swimmers in St. Charles history graduated last year. But despite the loss of Jake Grosser at St. Charles East and Chris Peterson at St. Charles North, there is plenty of talent left this winter. Still, replacing a pair of athletes who helped propel their respective teams is one challenge both teams must face. St. Charles North narrowly missed a state trophy last year and will hope to reach the top three for the first time in school history. Led by the likes of B.J. Roth, St. Charles East won't slip tremendously either. Expect both to find some previously unseen talent at the high school level to impress. Marmion has one of the state's best in Luke Martinez. He is surrounded by a core of sophomores and juniors who could take the Cadets into the Top 10 and possibly into trophy contention.
Key dates: Dec. 4: St. Charles North at Neuqua Valley; Dec. 11: Neuqua Valley at St. Charles East; Dec. 15: Marmion Cadet Relays; Dec. 17: Marmion at Fenwick; Dec. 18: St. Charles East at St. Charles North; Jan. 5: Evanston Invitational (Marmion and St. Charles North in field); Jan. 10: Marmion at Loyola; Jan. 12: St. Charles East College Events Meet; Jan. 19: St. Charles North Invitational; Feb. 2: Conference meets; Feb. 16: Sectional meets; Feb. 22-23: State meet at Evanston.
Predicted state champ: Neuqua Valley, with Glenbrook South or New Trier in contention.