Rockford athlete of the week | Girls bring back medals from state | Tennis, track stars qualify
As the 2021-22 high school year winds down, the final spring sports teams look to finish strong as well. And as a subscriber to our newsletter, you will know everything that happens.
The best way to keep up with the big finishes around the area is to subscribe to the Rockford Register Star High School Sports Newsletter. Each edition includes the athlete of the week story with the poll attached, as well as the most recent top stories, features, lists of top players and teams to watch, and big-game and postseason coverage.
This week's Rockford Register Star High School Sports Newsletter will include the athlete of the week, as well as: who stood out at the IHSA girls state track and field meet last weekend; who should you watch at next week's boys state track and field meet; who will be the ones to watch as the boys tennis season hits state; and how the top locals are doing so far in the baseball and softball postseasons.
Now here you go, enjoy, and let everybody else know where you got all your great information!
Vote for a spring athlete of the week!
The spring seasons are off and running and there are plenty of Rockford-area athletes stepping up.
Here is your chance to vote for who you believe deserves the Rockford Register Star's high school sports athlete of the week.
IHSA track titles pour in for Rockford girls
It was a big day at the Illinois High School Association girls state track finals for Rockford-area throwers, and for anyone wearing a Winnebago uniform.
Throwers from the area hauled in five medals all together, including a pair of shot putters who rolled all the way to state titles Saturday in Charleston.
The Winnebago girls hauled in eight state medals, including one state championship and another runner-up finish. Winnebago wound up finishing third in the 1A team standings at Eastern Illinois University.
"If push came to shove, I think we could've gone even faster in a couple of those," Winnebago coach Joe Erb said. "The girls just pulled through and really showed how strong they were.
"What a special day this was for Winnebago."
Rockford's 16 boys tennis state qualifiers
Auburn squeaked out another sectional tennis title — it’s eighth in five years, counting both boys and girls — while Rockford Christian cruised to only its second title in school history Saturday. No Rockford-area players reached state from the Rochelle Sectional.
Find out how area players reached state, their reactions and a breakdown on the six singles players and five doubles teams to qualify for the Class 1A and 2A Illinois High School Association boys tennis state finals next weekend in Chicagoland.
Hit in the toe? Wild ending gives Lena-Winslow baseball a regional title
A toe got in the way of an extra-inning pitcher’s duel and lifted the area’s hottest baseball team to its first regional title in eight years.
Ethan Fye threw 9 ⅔ innings, but in the end, the Lena-Winslow pitcher's foot proved as pivotal as his arm. Fye drove in the winning run in a 3-2 11-inning win over Galena on Friday in the Class 1A Freeport Aquin Regional when he was hit in the foot by a pitch with the bases loaded. It was on a 1-2 count with one out. The game was moved up from Saturday because of forecasts for rain.
“It was crazy,” Le-Win coach Nick Werhane said. “I didn’t know how to react. You are looking around. It’s a deadball play. It took a couple of seconds to sink it. That’s it. It’s over. There’s nowhere for anyone else to go except home. It was surreal.”
Who's going to state? Rockford-area throwers lead the way in boys track and field
It was a big day at the Illinois High School Association girls state track finals for Rockford-area throwers, and for anyone wearing a Winnebago uniform.
Throwers from the area hauled in five medals all together, including a pair of shot putters who rolled all the way to state titles Saturday in Charleston.
The Winnebago girls hauled in eight state medals, including one state championship and another runner-up finish. Winnebago wound up finishing third in the 1A team standings at Eastern Illinois University.
How 3 conference champs hope to stay hot for the IHSA softball playoffs
Last week, it all unfolded: Hononegah became a lock for this year's NIC-10 title, while North Boone claimed its first Big Northern Conference championship and Forreston took charge late as well, earning its second straight divisional title in the NUIC.
Now, those teams and the rest of the area standouts on the softball diamond are either diving right in or getting set to embark on the Illinois High School Association postseason, where any game could be the last of the year.
"Like all the teams around, we want to go out with a bang, and now's the time to do it," Hononegah pitcher Sierra Armstrong said. "I'd take this team I'm on right now against any team out there. We're ready for the challenge."
Jay Taft is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter. Email him at jtaft@rrstar.com and follow him on Twitter at @JayTaft. Sign up for the Rockford High School newsletter at rrstar.com.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Rockford athlete of the week | Girls bring back medals from state | Tennis, track stars qualify
