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Girls soccer gains regional win

HUNTLEY — A diverse attack on offense led Huntley's girls soccer team to post-season success.

Five different Red Raiders scored goals over Grant for a 5-0 victory May 15 at the Machesney Park Harlem regional. With the win, Huntley improved to 14-4-4 overall.

Brooke Maxedon, Alex Szydlowski, Kylie Lucas and Brooke Grabs each scored goals. Ava Trudeau scored one goal and assisted on two others. Maddie Cummings, Gabi Farraj and Bella Fusco had assists.

Maddie Lackovic and Ashlyn Grabs shared duties in goal.

Huntley lacrosse players start early

HUNTLEY — The future of Huntley boys lacrosse came ready to take center stage at youth night May 10 at Huntley's Red Raider Stadium.

The youngest of them played had a scrimmage while waiting for the junior varsity and varsity battles with Cary-Grove to reach halftime. Then the signal came for the approximately 20 players to take the field.

“We have seen a lot of good growth in recent years,” Dan Pupich, president of Huntley Youth Lacrosse League, said. “We used to not have enough girls for separate teams, but we combined with Crystal Lake and Hampshire.”

Boys lacrosse finishes perfect in FVC

HUNTLEY — It's becoming a good habit at a May boys lacrosse match at Huntley High School.

The varsity team gathers around, near the football goal post, after gaining its seventh Fox Valley Conference win and the league title. For four straight years, the FVC trophy has stayed at HHS. Huntley increased its reign with a 17-7 win over Cary-Grove May 10. The Red Raiders ended FVC play perfect at 9-0, 14-5 overall with a 24-2 victory at Dundee-Crown May 14.

The Tale of Two Dresses

My daughter’s high school prom fell on a gorgeous spring day. The air was fresh and damp with the scent of lilacs and new life springing from the ground. While posing for photos, the breeze made the skirts of the girls’ gowns sway, a hint at the dancing that would happen later.

My daughter, tall and slender, stands at the apex of most of the group pictures. She is taller than the other girls, so she tips her head slightly, not out of shyness, but in deference to the height difference.

Eulogy for a good old tree

HUNTLEY — It’s hard to say if a hummingbird is mourning just by the look on its face, but I think the hummers in my yard this spring are sad about the changes in their neighborhood.

That’s because their favorite resting spot, the old purple cherry plum tree in my yard, is gone. It blew down on one of those blustery days in late April, just before the hummers got back in town.

That tree was my favorite of all the trees in my yard.

Huntley High School participates in international exchange program for ninth year

HUNTLEY — Twenty-six students from the Philippines, adult leaders, and Northern Illinois University staff embarked on a unique journey, arriving by bus on April 19 to shadow students at Huntley High School.

Huntley High School social studies teacher and traveling program group leader Anne Sharkey said, "This is one of our favorite days at HHS. Our program begins at HHS with a big group meeting at about 9 a.m., and then the students tour the building and shadow classes for the rest of the day."

McHenry County embraces sustainability: Food Shed Co-op officially opens access to fresh, sustainable produce

WOODSTOCK — In a celebration of community, sustainability, and healthy living, McHenry County’s newest addition, Food Shed Co-op, officially opened its doors on May 15. Nestled in southwest Woodstock near McHenry County College and a few minutes north of Crystal Lake, Food Shed Co-op promises to revolutionize the way residents shop for groceries while championing local farmers and producers.

The grand opening ceremony drew crowds of eager shoppers, local officials, and sustainability advocates, all eager to witness the fruition of 11 years of planning and hard work.

Girls soccer squad gears up for regional

HUNTLEY — Huntley girls soccer team is turning its focus to post-season goals.

The Red Raiders concluded the regular season with a 0-0 draw against Taft on May 11. They faced Grant in the first round of the Machesney Park Harlem Class 3A regional May 15.

“We had a successful season ending 13-4-4, second place in the FVC,” Huntley coach Matt Lewandowski said.

The head coach praised the play of leading scorers, Gabi Farraj and Maddie Cummings, who both scored eight goals.

Baseball squad has bounce back wins, seniors lauded

HUNTLEY — Griffin Goldstein took the route many players who sought to hit home runs.

"It felt good. It was a curveball and I couldn't resist," Goldstein said.

Goldstein's home run came in the third inning shot to left field that gave Huntley a 6-4 lead on Brother Rice, which held up for the final score. The other key hit was a three-run homer by AJ Putty.

"It was his first home run of the season, he was pumped," Huntley coach Andy Jakubowski said of Goldstein.

MCC baseball squad wins Region; moves on to district

MCHENRY COUNTY — McHenry County College's baseball team is moving on to the NJCAA District tournament.

The Scots improved to 43-11 and celebrated earning its third win in NJCAA Division I Region IV tournament, a 12-3 decision over Triton College May 11. They head to the next round with a nine game win streak and ended 23-2 for home games. District play is at Wabash Valley College, in Mount Carmel, IL, May 15-17.

“Mark DeCicco (starting pitcher) completely and did a great job,” MCC coach Jared Wacker said.

Red Raiders rule FVC to win track title

HUNTLEY — Youth and experience were both on display for Huntley boys track and field team this season.

On the experience side, the team effort to the Fox Valley Conference meet title was led by double winners Zach Ryssvy in the long and triple jumps and Tommy Nitz in the 1,600 and 3,200-meter runs.

Huntley head coach Chris Maxedon credited the up-and-coming freshmen and sophomores as well as better known Red Raiders as keys.

“It's a good feeling to have won it for the second straight year because we did some really, really good things on the track and on the field.

Girls track takes momentum to state meet

HUNTLEY — From the early-meet field events to the final sectional meet relay, host Huntley's girls track and field team secured many bids to the IHSA Girls Track and Field Meet.

The defending Class 3A State Champions Red Raiders won their sectional by a whopping 148 points to Rockford Guilford's 77 and the rest of the 17-team field May 8. The State Finals will be May 16-18 at Eastern Illinois University.

Huntley head girls track and field coach Jason Monson was happy with the results.

Baseball squad clinches 6th FVC title in a row

HUNTLEY — Huntley's baseball squad had just improved to 14-2 and in first place in the Fox Valley Conference with a 17-1 win over Dundee-Crown May 6.

The Red Raiders received more good news on the way back from Carpentersville. Burlington Central downed Hampshire 4-1, handing Huntley its sixth straight league championship.

Huntley finished the FVC games by hosting Burlington Central May 10.

“This means that seven graduating classes at Huntley have experienced a Fox Valley Conference championship, which is incredible,” head baseball Andy Jakubowski said.

Girls soccer secures 2nd in FVC

HUNTLEY — Two Huntley girls soccer juniors led the way to a win on senior night.

Junior Kate Sandora scored a goal, with an assist from classmate Maddie Cummings, in the first overtime for a 1-0 win over Burlington Central. The Red Raiders, 13-4-3, gained a second place 7-1-1 record in the FVC, behind unbeaten league champs Crystal Lake Central.

“It was more of a cross that ended up as a shot,” Sandora said.

The shot ended as Sandora's first career goal.

Restoring history: Group embarks on mission to build legendary B-17 bomber plane

MARENGO — Inside a pole barn, a dedicated group of aviation enthusiasts has undertaken a monumental endeavor to resurrect a piece of history. The rare B-17E, fondly known as Desert Rat after the name found painted on the side of the plane’s fuselage, was initially built as a bomber aircraft delivered to the Army Air Forces on April 14, 1942, before being converted into a cargo plane.

The restoration project is led by Desert Rat’s owner, Mike Kellner, who first found the plane chopped up into pieces back in 1984 in an overgrown field near Bangor, Maine, according to Desert Rat restoration volunteer, Bill Stanczak.

April Showers Bring May Flowers . . . for Mom!

HUNTLEY — However Mother’s Day looks for you this year, hopefully these ideas inspire you to spoil your mom. Or, moms send this to your kids to give them hints! Let’s get a head start to celebrate our moms!

Visit the Chicago Botanic Gardens

Pictured below, the Chicago Botanic Gardens have so much to offer, including “Rose and Butterfly Gardens.” Give mom the gift of a great experience this year! They even offer “Botanic Arts, Photography, Nature & Birding classes” and much more for Moms to enjoy!

Ferrara, Stone gain career milestones

HUNTLEY — Two Huntley girls lacrosse players gained memorable achievements in 24 hours and the Red Raiders picked up two more victories.

The dynamic duo consists of juniors Katie Ferrara and Savannah Stone. Ferrara gained her 200th career goal against Mundelein Carmel in a 13-3 HHS triumph May 4. Stone secured her 200th career save May 3 in an 18-2 Red Raiders victory over Hampshire co-op.

Ferrara, who scored four goals against Carmel, has tallied 75 goals on the season. She was ranked sixth in Illinois last week and totaled 201 goals for her career.

Boys lacrosse remains in charge of FVC

HUNTLEY — The Huntley boys lacrosse squad responded to an overtime loss with three victories and kept its lead in the Fox Valley Conference.

Their latest win was on the road, at rival Hampshire, 18-9, May 2. The Whip-Purs and Cary-Grove were tied for second in the league at 5-1 behind the Red Raiders (10-4, 6-0 FVC). Lopsided wins came against Prairie Ridge, 24-1 and Burlington Central, 20-1 following a 10-9 overtime loss to Hinsdale Central.

One highlight was leading scorer Bobby Pupich's six goal night against Prairie Ridge.

Girls track gains 3rd straight FVC title

HUNTLEY — The Huntley girls track and field squad turned in multiple first-place efforts as the Red Raiders continued their dominance of the Fox Valley Conference May 2 at Jacobs.

The FVC championship was the third straight for Huntley, giving it momentum leading to the May 8 IHSA Class 3A Sectional meet at Red Raider Stadium. The Red Raiders are defending sectional and IHSA Class State Champs. Qualifiers go on to the IHSA State Meet May 17-18 at Eastern Illinois University.

McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office concerned over Senate bill task force for pregnant persons with substance use disorders

MCHENRY COUNTY — On May 2, McHenry County State’s Attorney Patrick Kenneally expressed his concerns over Senate Bill (SB) 3136 which cleared the Illinois Senate in April and has been sent to the Illinois House for consideration.

Kenneally further elaborated that his concerns stemmed from the 2019 murder of five-year-old Andrew “AJ” Freund, who was beaten to death by his “opioid-addicted mother.”

“One of the only reasons he made it to five years old is because of the law requiring DCFS (Department of Children and Family Services) to inform the state’s attorney’s office (“SAO”) when children are born drug positive,” Kenneally said in a press release statement.

Baseball coaches with 1,000 combined wins live here

HUNTLEY — Huntley is now home to two 500-win club of head baseball coaches.

The number doubled when McHenry County College baseball head coach Jared Wacker's team secured his milestone victory over Elgin. Wacker joins Huntley High School head baseball coach Andy Jakubowski, who had 535 career wins as of May 3, with 506 triumphs.

Wacker, in his 13th year as head coach of the Scots, discussed his 500th win achievement and team strengths prior to the final regular season home game.

Red Raiders, Trojans battle to soccer tie

HUNTLEY — After a hard-fought Fox Valley Conference match ended in a 1-1 tie, the Red Raiders were determined to gain a win at Dundee-Crown.

Three goals in the first half was the difference in a 3-2 HHS win over the Chargers May 2. Maddie Cummings scored two goals and Maddie Rumachik had one while Ava Trudeau had two assists and Alex Szydlowski one.

Huntley's record stood at 11-4-3, 6-1-1 FVC for third place. They face second-place Burlington Central May 7 for senior night.

A Friendly Exchange of Strangers

Two high school students from Italy, Ilaria and Giulia, have been guests in our home for the past ten days. This completes an exchange student experience my daughter enjoyed at one of their homes earlier this month.

It is wild to me that over a week ago, we picked up two strangers from the airport. Ten days later, tears rolled down my cheeks as I said goodbye as they left for their flights home. I will miss them, my new Italian daughters.

The need to make a difference — for better or worse

OK, I’ll admit it — my guilty pleasure is that I enjoy watching “American Idol.” Oh, it’s not my only guilty pleasure, but it’s the only one I’m willing to admit for now. Stay tuned.
For the record, the show today is way better than it was at the beginning, 22 years ago. Back then, the main focus was on delusional dreamers who had no idea how bad they were, and the only reason to watch the early episodes was to find someone to laugh about at the water cooler the next day.

Foster opens Congressional office here

Huntley is now home to a satellite office for Congressman Bill Foster (D-District 11). A ribbon cutting ceremony took place at the office, at Huntley Tech Center, on April 27. Huntley Area Chamber of Commerce coordinated the event along with area Chamber offices.

THE DOORWAY TO OUR COMMUNITY