St. Charles North North Stars

Garrett Johnson called Ball State football assistant coach Justin Lustig on Friday afternoon under the pretense of discussing a camp that he would be unable to attend.

Ashling Davern, who will be a junior guard with the St. Charles North girls basketball team next season, was among a handful of underclassmen that got substantial varsity experience during an up-and-down season last year for North. Davern and her teammates are spending June acclimating to new coach Sean Masoncup, who took over after former coach Colleen Backer stepped down in the spring. Davern, who also will play AAU basketball this summer with Illinois Hoop Dreams, spoke with Kane County Chronicle sports editor Jay Schwab for this week’s Weekend Chit-chat about the coaching transition, North’s up-and-coming roster and her take on summer. The following is an edited transcript:

Baseball fans who followed the area high school scene this spring should have plenty of familiarity with St. Charles Post 342’s personnel this summer.

A look at the 2013 Kane County Chronicle Baseball All-Area Team

GENEVA – The Geneva summer boys basketball league has expanded its game once more.

Sabrina Rabin wins plenty of plaudits for her stone-faced focus as St. Charles North's fleet leadoff hitter and pitching ace.

A look at the 2013 Kane County Chronicle Softball All-Area Team

Since standardized testing is weighing on St. Charles North tight end Garrett Johnson’s mind these days, here’s a warm-up question.

Contrary to appearances, Kelly Manski does feel fatigue during soccer matches.

The Kane County Chronicle selects its All-Area Boys Tennis Team

FIRST TEAM

FIRST TEAM

St. Charles North track and field standout Grant Loess was presented with a check for $500 for St. Charles North High School by Steven Alf of St. Charles Toyota after winning voting for the April Athlete of the Month contest. The Athlete of the Month is a partnership between St. Charles Toyota and the Kane County Chronicle. Voting for the competition takes place each month at KCChronicle.com and stcharlestoyota.net.

HOFFMAN ESTATES – St. Charles North closed a banner boys volleyball season on Saturday, securing a third-place finish at the state tournament with a 25-20, 25-20 sweep of Glenbrook South.

HOFFMAN ESTATES – Coming into Friday’s IHSA state quarterfinal with Oak Park-River Forest, the St. Charles North boys volleyball team had a favorable 5-3 record in three-game matches.

ST. CHARLES – Click and count. Click and count. As St. Charles North boys volleyball players perused the online rosters of this weekend’s IHSA state quarterfinalists, they fell into an enjoyable sequence and heartening discovery.

BARRINGTON – Nothing was going to stand in Barrington's way at Wednesday night's Class 3A girls soccer supersectional championship.

One more shot.

BARRINGTON – A supersectional match isn’t an ideal setting to learn a lesson the hard way, but that’s how matters played out for the St. Charles North girls soccer team Tuesday night.

Alex Gage said she used to be picked on when she was a little girl, part of the reason she became deeply intrigued by taekwondo as she grew up.

ST. CHARLES – There was a slight delay before the postgame handshakes that followed Saturday’s regional championship game between St. Charles North and South Elgin.  

HOFFMAN ESTATES – The St. Charles North girls soccer team failed to score in the flow of play in either of its IHSA Class 3A Hoffman Estates Sectional matches.

BARTLETT – St. Charles North boys volleyball coach Todd Weimer does not have a mohawk or a tattoo, but that could soon change.

BARTLETT – Ankur Shah deserved a better fate.

St. Charles North sprinters Jack Feeney, Connor Larson and Zach Kirby endured a lengthy rain delay at one of their first big, boys track meets together.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS – St. Charles East junior Jasper Koenen stormed to a 3-0 start as the IHSA Boys Tennis State Tournament opened Thursday.

Jake Ruddy succinctly recounts the moment that transformed his above-the-rim attitude about PE basketball and threatened his senior track season at Marmion.

GENEVA – It didn’t seem that the St. Charles North boys volleyball team could get any louder than it was before Wednesday night’s Geneva Regional championship match began.

HOFFMAN ESTATES – Some of that familiar postseason imagery is returning for the St. Charles North girls soccer team.

ST. CHARLES – Paced by Sabrina Rabin’s season-high 12 strikeouts, the St. Charles North softball team blanked West Chicago, 9-0, in an IHSA 4A St. Charles North Regional semifinal on Tuesday.

GENEVA – Missed serves, hitting errors and inefficient blocking threatened to derail the Geneva boys volleyball team and its home-court advantage.

St. Charles North outscored opponents, 28-3, in winning four of its five home matches during the girls soccer regular season.