2022-23 Preps Year in Review: Fantastic freshmen, head/assistant coaches of the year

Jul. 16—Fantastic freshmen

➜ Emily Anand and Riley Hogan, St. Thomas More. Anand fueled Sabers distance running as an All-Area honorable-mention choice in girls' cross-country and track and field, while Hogan placed eighth in the Class 1A boys' pole vault state event.

➜ Jerrius Atkinson, Schlarman. Started his high school career by making the All-Area football honorable-mention list, then medaled in both the 110- and 300-meter hurdles in the Class 1A boys' state meet.

➜ Garren Barker, Caroline Blount, Macy Cappa, Caleb Mathias and Izzy Roundtree, Champaign Central. Barker thrived in the pool as an All-Area boys' swimming and diving first-teamer; Blount and Cappa notched All-Area second-team bids in girls' soccer and girls' swimming and diving, respectively; Mathias was an all-state boys' cross-country runner and qualified for the Class 2A boys' track and field state meet; and Roundtree led off two state-medalist Class 2A girls' sprint relays.

➜ Tim Blackburn-Kelley, Timera Blackburn-Kelley and Lance Retz, St. Joseph-Ogden. The Blackburn-Kelley siblings were All-Area honorable-mention choices in their respective sports — Tim in boys' track and field, Timera in softball. Retz pulled the same feat in both cross-country and track and field.

➜ Cali Cooper, Kruthi Ramanath and Ella Ylagan, Uni High. Cooper emerged as Illineks girls' soccer's top threat amid an injury to Mikayla Blanke, Ramanath advanced to the Class 1A girls' tennis singles state quarterfinals and Ylagan was All-Area honorable mention in both cross-country and track and field.

➜ Clara Dempsey, Clinton. Maroons were pretty young in girls' basketball in 2022-23 but saw some good results, and Dempsey — an All-Area special-mention pick — is a big reason why.

➜ Addison Finet, Monticello. Fared well on the golf course en route to All-Area honorable-mention recognition, then ramped things up in girls' soccer and received an All-Area first-team nod with the Sages.

➜ Easton Friedman, Prairie Central. Cracked the All-Area boys' golf team as an honorable-mention pick and also played baseball for the Hawks, following older brother Carson in both ventures.

➜ Kate Foltz, Tuscola. Foltz is a distance-running star, placing 24th in the Class 1A girls' cross-country state meet and ranking second in the Class 1A girls' 3,200-meter run, plus 10th in the 1,600 run.

➜ Will Fuson, Cerro Gordo/Bement. Broncos always seem to have at least one solid distance runner. Fuson will fit the bill for a while. He was All-Area honorable mention in both cross-country and track and field.

➜ Brooke Hartman, Kelton Hennesy, Madalyn Marx, Talynn O'Donnell and Paislee Welge, Mahomet-Seymour. Hartman and Hennesy were All-Area golfers — Hartman second-team girls, Hennesy honorable-mention boys; Marx took second in the Class 2A girls' 400-meter dash state race; and O'Donnell and Welge were All-Area first-teamers in girls' swimming and diving and girls' soccer, respectively.

➜ Tre Hoggard and Mackenzie Pound, Unity. Hoggard appears a baseball mainstay already for the Rockets, making All-Area honorable mention. Pound helped Unity girls' cross-country to a team state title, winning All-Area first-team status in that sport and a second-team nod in track and field.

➜ Anna Houpt, Danville. Amid a Vikings girls' tennis roster flush with senior talent, she still was an All-Area first-teamer as she and senior Lexi Ellis ranked fifth in the Class 1A doubles state draw.

➜ Tyler Huchel, Oakwood. Another young gun on an Oakwood/Salt Fork wrestling roster full of them, he advanced to boys' individual state and helped the Comets to a fourth-place Class 1A dual-team showing.

➜ Johnathan Iacobazzi, Sullivan. His lungs have to stay busy when competing for Sullivan, as Iacobazzi is both a distance runner and swimmer. He made All-Area honorable mention in cross-country and swimming and diving.

➜ Addison Lucht, Cissna Park. Had one of the best freshman years imaginable, making All-Area first teams in girls' basketball, softball and girls' track and field plus the All-Area second team in volleyball.

➜ Aleah Potter, Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin. Distance running suits Potter well, as the Blue Devils found out in her first prep season when she was named All-Area honorable mention in girls' cross-country and track and field.

➜ Chloe Sikora, Urbana. She possesses power and finesse with the soccer ball at her foot, giving the Tigers some young talent in the midfield and being recognized as an All-Area girls' soccer first-teamer.

➜ Ema Simpson, Arcola. Established school records in the girls' 400-meter dash and long jump while also playing softball in the spring, and was rewarded as an All-Area honorable-mention selection in both sports.

➜ Maddax Stine, Salt Fork. Working alongside multi-time Class 1A state throwing champion Garrett Taylor, Stine found a way to step into the limelight when he nearly medaled in state discus as a freshman.

Coaches of the Year

➜ Justin Bozarth, Tuscola. His boys' basketball team put together the best season in program history, culminating in an appearance and third-place finish in the Class 1A state tournament.

➜ Emily Crossman, Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond. Her volleyball club reached the 30-win plateau and finished undefeated in Lincoln Prairie Conference play, also securing a regional championship.

➜ Scott Davis, Champaign Central. Longtime coach of multiple Maroons sports had the boys' tennis team clicking this spring, as it soared to the Class 1A third-place trophy at the state tournament.

➜ Nic Difilippo, Mahomet-Seymour. Collected his 300th career victory on the baseball diamond amid the best season in Bulldogs history, which churned out 31 wins overall plus a Class 3A regional plaque.

➜ Troy Gagne, Mahomet-Seymour. He guided Bulldogs girls' golf to the area's only regional team championship in that sport, also aiding girls' Golfer of the Year Ainsley Winters to a strong Class 2A state finish.

➜ Neal Garrison, Tuscola. Moving on from Mahomet-Seymour to Tuscola didn't dilute Garrison's coaching abilities, as he keyed Warriors boys' cross-country to its first-ever team state meet berth plus a 12th-place finish.

➜ Mike Glosser, Oakwood/Salt Fork. Laid-back Glosser gets the most out of his athletes, and that was true of a fairly young O/SF wrestling crew that ranked fourth in the Class 1A dual-team state tournament.

➜ Doug Hageman, Le Roy. His ninth season at the helm of Panthers softball was the best in program history, as Le Roy made the Class 1A state tournament for the first time and left Peoria with a third-place trophy.

➜ Scott Hamilton, Unity. A frequent presence on this list, the Rockets' football coach and athletic director propelled his gridiron gang to the Class 3A state semifinals with a run that included just two losses all season.

➜ Kathy Houpt, Danville. The Houpt family long has been a part of Vikings athletics, and Kathy's impact on the girls' tennis team was felt in the form of her leading the 2022-23 outfit to a third-place Class 1A team state trophy.

➜ Miki Kowalski, Urbana. Coaching both Tigers soccer teams, Kowalski pushed the boys to a regional championship after losing much of their starting lineup and guided the girls to the first .500-plus record in more than a decade.

➜ Kara Leaman, Unity. One of the top girls' cross-country coaches in the state at this point, the Rockets won yet another Class 1A team championship under her watch — making the total four since 2015.

➜ David McDaniel, Monticello. Sages girls' soccer had its best-ever season with McDaniel in charge this spring, winning 14 matches and advancing to a Class 1A regional championship.

➜ Erin Quarnstrom, St. Thomas More. Though she's since moved on because of her full-time job, Quarnstrom helped deliver Sabers girls' basketball a Class 1A fourth-place state trophy before stepping away.

➜ Drew Sterkel, Tuscola. Sterkel lost key athlete Alyssa Williams to graduation but still had Warriors girls' track and field contending for a Class 1A team state trophy, in this case the third-place award.

➜ Phil Surprenant, Salt Fork. Somewhat like Unity's Leaman, Surprenant has carved out a niche as one of the state's best boys' track and field coaches. The Storm won the Class 1A team state title for the third time under him.

➜ Andrew Turner, Monticello. Sages boys' golf made a return trip as a team to the Class 1A state tournament and bumped up its final position by one spot, going from eighth in 2021 to seventh in 2022.

➜ Katie VanHootegem-Dunn, Champaign Central. Maroons girls' swimming and diving collected the local sectional team championship under VanHootegem-Dunn's watch, sending seven entries to the state meet.

➜ Dave Young, Champaign Central. Maroons boys' swimming and diving has shone brightly in recent years with Young leading. Central won another sectional team title and sent seven entries to the state meet.

Assistant Coaches of the Year

➜ Brian Bajer, Mahomet-Seymour. Bulldogs baseball's pitching has thrived amid Bajer's promotion to pitching coach a year ago. This year's crew posted five no-hitter and a 1.61 earned run average.

➜ James Barkley, Urbana. After moving on from his role as Tigers boys' soccer coach, Barkley has stuck around to assist Miki Kowalski on the girls' side, helping that team to one of its best seasons in recent history.

➜ Chris Bazzell, St. Thomas More. Stepped up to fill Sabers football's offensive coordinator position. Despite not having called plays in a decade, he helped STM advance to a postseason semifinal for the first time in team history.

➜ Neil Bielger, Mahomet-Seymour. Assisted coach Jeremy Davis with Bulldogs boys' and girls' soccer for the fourth consecutive year while also helping coach Champaign club teams and serving on the Illinois Futbol Club board.

➜ Jim Bogle, Greg Conn, Kelly Smith and Chip Warlow, Le Roy. Cited by both Panthers softball coach Doug Hageman and athletes as key reasons for the team making a run to the Class 1A state third-place trophy.

➜ Jeff Castor and Zach Stafford, Mahomet-Seymour. Accepted increased responsibilities with Bulldogs wrestling, as Castor led M-S's girls' group and Stafford oversaw the junior varsity outfit for coach Rob Ledin.

➜ Vince Chambliss and Brendan Watson, Oakwood/Salt Fork. Chambliss is a well-known youth wrestling coach in Vermilion County, and Watson is an Oakwood alumnus. Together, they helped O/SF to a dual-team state trophy.

➜ Alan Dunahee, Prairie Central. Oversaw Hawks football's defensive backs during an 11-1 season. His athletes racked up 25 interceptions, nearly keeping pace with Prairie Central's offensive passes caught (30).

➜ Dom Erlinger, Champaign Central. The 2017 Maroons alumnus showed steady guidance for Central baseball's pitching staff, which was a big reason why the team surged all the way to a Class 3A super-sectional.

➜ Michael Grant, Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin. Described as "the right-hand man" for Blue Devils football, boys' basketball and baseball, a trio of programs that posted a cumulative 54-18 record in 2022-23.

➜ Tracy Hornaday, Tuscola. Warriors girls' track and field continues to put up impressive statewide results with Hornaday assisting coach Drew Sterkel, including taking the Class 1A state third-place trophy this spring.

➜ Adam Reel, Arcola. Reel coaches Purple Riders football's offensive and defensive lines but also "goes above and beyond with running the weight room and helping student-athletes," per former coach Nick Lindsey.

➜ Chase Reedy, Tuscola. Previously Lovington High School's varsity boys' basketball coach, he aided Warriors boys' basketball to a Class 1A third-place state trophy, serving as the freshman coach and working often with guards.

➜ John Sellett, St. Thomas More. Pushed Sabers boys' soccer's junior varsity lineup to a single-season wins record in his first year leading the group, also providing film analysis and drill setup for the varsity club.

➜ Dike Stirrett and Hannah Stone, Unity. Stirrett is a legendary distance-running coach statewide, but both he and Stone helped Rockets girls' cross-country maintain its lofty standing atop the Class 1A state field.