Prep sports

ST. CHARLES – St. Charles North linebacker Dom Imbordino had been taking extra reps with the North Stars defensive backs the last three weeks in practice after some trouble in pass coverage in a Week 8 loss to South Elgin.

WHEATON – At halftime of Friday night’s second-round Class 7A playoff game at Red Grange Field, host Wheaton Warrenville South had a comfortable 23-0 lead over Geneva.

CRYSTAL LAKE – The fact that Marmion’s bus arrived 35 minutes later than scheduled probably had nothing to do with the Cadets’ performance in their IHSA Class 6A second-round playoff game.

ST. CHARLES – The St. Charles East girls volleyball team enters today’s supersectional determined, battle-hardened and ready for anything.

St. Charles North girls cross country runner Erica Bauerbach expects today’s IHSA Class 3A State Meet to pass as quickly as her junior season. A favorable forecast and a track that races fast regardless of conditions figures to be a good mix for her first state run. One of the reasons Bauerbach says her season has been so pleasant is her friendship with teammate Meghan Heuer, a Geneva transfer who took 12th at state last year to help the Vikings claim their second straight state title. Bauerbach caught up with Chronicle sports reporter Kevin Druley for the latest edition of the weekend chit-chat to talk about hanging with Heuer and the biggest afternoon of her running career to date.The following is an edited transcript:

St. Charles North 20, Elk Grove 14 (final)

WHEATON – The official IHSA brackets show it was for the Class 3A sectional championship.

Conflicted about losing a true home game and another chance to roll around in the mud, the Marmion football team agreed on the bottom line of last week's first-round victory against Huntley in the IHSA Class 6A playoffs.

The two-time defending state champion Geneva girls cross country program does not believe it has shown its true colors this season.

ST. CHARLES – St. Charles North junior boys cross country runner Ryan Senci interchanged "wake-up call" and "reality check" four times during a recent two-minute interview.

GENEVA – Game 1 was encouraging. Game 2 was alarming. And Game 3? Game 3 was exactly what has come to be expected of St. Charles East volleyball when the season is on the line.

St. Charles North football players still recite their preseason goals, even the ones other teams turned over on downs.

GENEVA – The player who seldom sees the bench talked about benchmarks this week, opportunities for the recently mighty Geneva football team to bring offense, defense, special teams and history together.

ST. CHARLES – Jake Bergren’s pursuit of the starting quarterback job for the St. Charles North football team went overtime.

East senior golfer maintains Saints' culture of clutch

FIRST TEAM

GENEVA – St. Charles East seniors Caroline Niski and Jacqui Seidel walked gingerly in step Tuesday night, each sporting a Cramer ice bag wound tightly around one ankle.

GENEVA – Sometimes it was the tandem of Claire Grabinski and Morgan Semmelhack challenging Geneva hitters. Others, Lauren Zerante and Glynis Albue took the job.

There Hayley Guyton was, duking it out with defending state champion Kris Yoo of Conant for the state title, the pressure so thick “by the end your hair was just falling out,” Guyton said.

Dave Dudzinski’s parents woke up Tuesday morning to quite a surprise.

BARRINGTON – The Marmion boys soccer team’s thrilling postseason has come to an end.

WHEATON – On a night when the Joliet Catholic volleyball team suddenly looked beatable, Kelsey Robinson appeared unstoppable.

ST. CHARLES – The Kelsey Smith era is finally over at St. Charles North, and that’s not all that has changed.

GENEVA – Geneva senior running back/safety Michael Santacaterina said he planned to devote “a good couple hours” Monday night to devouring film of the Vikings’ opponent in the second round of the IHSA Class 7A playoffs.

LAKE FOREST – The Bears turned their good side toward the cameras Monday.

The Kaneland defense naturally followed Hayes – who entered the game with nearly 1,400 rushing yards this season – while Dougherty ran away with the ball and the game before the Knights knew what hit them in the Spartans' emphatic 40-13 first-round playoff win Saturday night.

WHEATON – The Marmion boys soccer team won its first sectional in program history on Saturday, outdueling Suburban Christian Conference rival Wheaton Academy, 2-1, on Saturday in the 2A Hampshire Sectional championship match.

AURORA – Facing a quality opponent that was playing with plenty of emotion, the Rosary girls volleyball team still couldn’t be stopped.

ST. CHARLES – The tentative, cautious looks on the faces of the St. Charles North volleyball team before Saturday’s IHSA Class 4A St. Charles North Regional suggested the North Stars might struggle with the physical, aggressive Bartlett Hawks.

SCHAUMBURG – The St. Charles East girls volleyball team digested tape of a Willowbrook comeback from a 24-15 deficit in the regional semifinals to prepare for Saturday's IHSA Class 4A Schaumburg Regional title match against the Warriors.