With Fenwick’s 4-2 victory over Waterloo in the IHSA Class 3A third-place softball game, June 8, the 2023-24 high school sports season has come to a close.
In the spirit of the ESPY Awards as well as our old Night of Champions ceremony, I present my choices for this year’s sports awards:
Boys Team of the Year: Oak Park and River Forest boys track and field. Under the guidance of veteran head coach Tim Hasso, the Huskies broke through after recent close calls and claimed the IHSA Class 3A championship for the first time since 1987, on May 25, sharing it with Edwardsville. It’s OPRF’s 18th team state title.
“Finally!” Hasso exclaimed to Bill Stone. “For a great group of kids who work hard all the time and believe in our vision, they came out on top and deserve this.”
OPRF had three individual winners. Senior Kaden Garland won the shot put; junior Caleb Schulz won the 100-meter dash; and junior Kwabena Osei-Yeboah won the long jump.
“It’s fantastic. This team knew what we could do. We just had to put it out there this meet and we did it,” Osei-Yeboah told Stone.
Girls Team of the Year: Fenwick softball. In head coach Valerie Jisa’s debut season, the Friars went on an unexpected and remarkable run to the Class 3A state semifinals. It was the program’s second Downstate trip and the first since 1998, where it placed fourth.
This year’s team did one better. After getting shutout 10-0 in the semifinals against eventual 3A champion Pontiac, Fenwick bounced back with the aforementioned victory in the third-place game, which marks the best-ever state finish for the Friars.
“I am proud of getting [to Peoria] and bringing home some hardware,” Jisa said. “I’m proud of the way they finished.”
Fenwick was led by seniors Madelyn Entler and Sophie Stone. The two were part of a team their freshman season that had just two victories, so ending their careers with a state trophy is especially sweet.
“We went into the state finals as the underdogs, and coming out as third-place finishers truly proved to ourselves and others that we did deserve to be there,” Entler said.
Boys Team Coach of the Year: Tim Hasso, OPRF boys track and field. Since taking over in 2005, Hasso has led the Huskies to a pair of third-place finishes (2012, 2019) and established himself as one of the area’s best coaches. Sharing this year’s 3A championship further validates his career.
Girls Team Coach of the Year: Valerie Jisa, Fenwick softball. Jisa took over a good team that was coming off back-to-back regional championships. But she took the program to new heights this year, winning the sectional for the first time in 11 years and securing the Friars’ second trip to the state finals.
Boys Athlete of the Year: Caleb Schulz, OPRF track and field. Not only did Schulz become the first Huskie to win the state 100 title since 1947, he became the second in program history to earn four All-State medals in one state meet. He was sixth in the 200, and was part of two relay teams (4 x 100, 4 x 200) that placed sixth.
“I knew I’d have a ton of events, but I just had to push, really just push for it,” Schulz said at the meet.
Girls Athlete of the Year: Lauren Miller, Trinity basketball. Miller, a University of Chicago signee, totaled 1,812 points and 984 rebounds in her four varsity seasons with the Blazers. She was voted to the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association All-State First Team and was also named Trinity’s Scholar Athlete of the Year. This season, Miller helped lead the Blazers to 20 wins and a sectional final appearance for the third consecutive year.
Game of the Year: OPRF boys basketball vs. Niles North, OPRF regional semifinal. This was by far the most exciting game/event I covered this season. On Feb. 21, OPRF, a decided underdog against Niles North, turned in its best game of the season with an 85-80 upset victory in overtime.
“We played an amazing game — probably our best of the year — against Niles North,” said OPRF coach Phil Gary.
OPRF’s Alex Vincent hit a short jumper with 3.3 seconds remaining in regulation, tying the game at 72-72 and forcing overtime. The Huskies then seized control with a 9-2 run to start overtime.
Max Johnson had 27 points, Alex Gossett 25, and Justin Bowen 15, including five in overtime.