Mold Remediation in Evanston, IL

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Sports

Bullpen Falters In 11-5 Loss At Maine South

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Evanston’s bullpen hasn’t offered much relief this season.

And that trend continued this week against Maine South with the start of postseason baseball play just a couple of weeks away for the Wildkits.

After allowing half of South’s run total in an 8-0 loss on Tuesday, the Wildkits surrendered a 5-1 lead in the series finale on Thursday in Park Ridge as the Hawks erupted for 10 runs in one inning in an 11-5 triumph.

Even more disturbing is the fact that, according to pairings for the Class 4A sectional tournament, the two teams could meet again for the regional championship hosted by Maine South the last week of May. On paper, at least, that’s not a matchup that seems likely to help the Kits catch fire in the postseason.

Just once, ETHS head coach Frank Consiglio would like to have confidence in a decision to change pitchers. But no one has emerged in the bullpen to back up a solid starting rotation that consists of sophomore Elliot Paul, senior Owen Vander Velde and junior Johnny Kellams.

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Consiglio knows he’s running out of time to find some answers on the mound. The Kits are in danger of suffering just their second losing season in Consiglio’s coaching tenure after falling to 12-16 on the season. They finished dead last in the Central Suburban League South division this spring at 4-11.

Kellams departed Thursday’s game with a 5-1 advantage after four innings. After that, it was all downhill for the Wildkits.

Maybe Consiglio can convince the Illinois High School Association to change the length of all future games from seven innings to five.

“I’m not concerned about beating Maine South if we get to play them again. It gets harder to beat any team every time you play them,” said the ETHS coach. “What’s a concern for me is our pitching in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings. We can play with anybody for five innings, but we’re not going to get any (good) results in the postseason if we keep this up.

“We just don’t have the pitching we need in the late innings. Our pitchers need to have more confidence in their stuff to get outs in the (strike) zone, instead of getting ahead of batters and then nibbling, nibbling, nibbling. When you have to depend on a hitter to get himself out, you’re not going to get the results you want in what I call those big boy innings.”

Kellams wasn’t exactly lights out in Thursday’s start, but he managed traffic on the basepaths without being scored on until the Hawks pushed across an unearned run with two outs in the fourth inning.

In the disastrous fifth --- which was interrupted by a lightning delay for 30 minutes, and then called off after five and a half innings because of rain --- the Hawks sent 14 batters to the plate against the ETHS mound trio of Sam Kalil, Zach Bachochin and Will Molitor. None of them could limit the damage as the carnage featured seven hits for the home team, including back-to-back home runs by Evan Adamczewski and Luka Stojakovic with a 30-mile-per-hour wind aiding those blasts.

After scoring only three total runs in the first 16 innings of the division series, the Wildkits began the finale with a bang when sophomore shortstop Tate Schroeder belted a home run on a 3-2 pitch leading off the game against South right-hander Cole Mutchler.

Senior Avan Teuer, who has struggled all season with runners in scoring position, contributed RBI singles in both the fourth and fifth to stake the visitors to a 5-1 advantage.

Evanston earned the No. 7 seed for the Loyola Academy Sectional, where the top four seeds are New Trier, Lane Tech, Maine South and Glenbrook North. The Wildkits are scheduled to open regional play on May 29th at 5 p.m. against No. 11 seed Chicago Von Steuben, with the winner advancing to play either Maine South or Elk Grove Village on May 31st.

EVANSTON, IL — Former Cincinnati Bengals scout Christian Sarkisian is joining Northwestern University's Department of Athletics and Recreation as its General manager, the university announced.

After seven years as a Bengals scout, Sarkisian is returning to Northwestern, where he attended school and earned his Master of Arts in Sports Administration. Sarkisian also worked as the Assistant Director of Player Personnel and Recruiting Assistant from 2015 to 2017.

"I am honored to return to Evanston as the GM of Northwestern Athletics," said Sarkisian. "After seven years learning from the greatest of football minds and leaders, I feel ready to help add to the legacy of Northwestern's athletic programs. From growing up never missing a Saturday at Ryan Field to helping build rosters that won bowl games and went to the Big Ten Championship, I've learned, and have been raised by, the Northwestern standard of excellence, and I look forward to doing my part to elevate our athletic programs."

As General Manager, Sarkisian will oversee the operational functions related to the NCAA House settlement and its impact on all the university's intercollegiate athletics programs. He will also oversee all aspects of salary cap management for Northwestern Athletics, with a primary emphasis on football.

In this position, Sarkisian will also lead student-athlete evaluations, contract negotiations and will be accountable for the Name, Image and Likeness clearinghouse.

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"We are thrilled to welcome Christian back to Northwestern and into a role that is vital to the future of our athletics program," said Combe Family Vice President for Athletics and Recreation Mark Jackson. "Christian brings a wealth of experience from his time in the NFL and his previous work here in Evanston, particularly in areas such as student-athlete evaluation, recruitment and strategic resources. His perspective and leadership will be instrumental as we navigate a rapidly changing college athletics environment and continue to support our student-athletes at the highest level."

During his time with the Bengals, Sarkisian was a member of the personnel department that contributed to two AFC Championship appearances. He was responsible for college and pro scouting, evaluating prospects, managing pre-NFL Draft visits and contributing to roster and salary cap management.

"Christian has been an invaluable member of the Bengals organization since he joined the team seven years ago," said Bengals President Mike Brown. "He is bright and hard-working but most importantly, he is a good person. He deserves this opportunity. Northwestern made a smart move in hiring him."

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Sports

Evanston Repeats As Water Polo Champs

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Chloe Lundervold had never scored three goals in a varsity water polo game before.

But the Evanston junior rose to the occasion when the Wildkits needed her most.

Lundervold poured in three goals in the first eight minutes of the Central Suburban League South division tournament championship game Saturday morning at Glenbrook North and paced the Kit girls to a second straight tournament title.

Dominating just like they did during the regular season, the Wildkits overpowered nemesis New Trier 9-2 and improved to 20-4-1. It marked Evanston’s third win in four tries this spring against the Trevians, with the other game resulting in a 5-5 tie.

Evanston’s fast start behind Lundervold left no doubt to the outcome. The Kits were able to find the energy they needed despite the fact that a half dozen seniors attended the school prom the night before and could have been expected to feel some fatigue.

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But just like last year’s state runner-up team, this group refuses to lose.

“Winning this tournament is one of the goals we talked about before the season started,” pointed out ETHS second-year head coach Maggie Hatcher, “We wanted to make sure they all had fun at prom --- and that they also knew their responsibilities to the team. They understand that they have to keep themselves accountable.

“And when no one was late for the bus, that felt like a good sign to me.”

Lundervold’s three goals, plus goals from Alice Lemmon, Maya Vincent and Tacy Jamison, sparked ETHS to a 6-0 halftime advantage and the Kits were never threated despite suffering through an offensive lull when they were outscored 2-1 in the third period.

Also contributing goals in the second half were Lemmon, Teagan Kenney and Vincent again.

During the regular conference season, the Wildkits went undefeated and scored in double figures in half of those games. But Hatcher and Co. didn’t take a tournament title for granted.

“Even if something is SUPPOSED to happen, you still have to do it,” Hatcher said. “Our main goal today was to take control early and stay in control, just play our game. It was great to have the energy we had.”

Evanston defeated New Trier for the tourney title in 2024, and the two teams are seeded 1-2 for next week’s Glenbrook South Sectional tournament. Hatcher, a former standout player for the Kits herself, knows that New Trier had the pre-eminent program in the conference for years and just two years ago the Wildkits won the regular season matchups, only to lose to New Trier in the postseason.

But the vibe between the two programs is trending in Evanston’s favor now.

“They’re always in the back of our minds (in the postseason), and I wouldn’t say that’s gone,” Hatcher added. “I think now we’ve figured out some things about how to play to our strengths and how to show up for any big game, regardless of who the opponent is.

“At the sectional, it will be about just taking one step at a time. We can’t look past the Wednesday game (against Glenbrook North) or a possible Friday game. The best thing they can do is just stay in the present.”

Lundervold’s unexpected scoring outburst came from a player who netted just 14 goals during the regular season, but still was chosen to the all-conference team along with goalie Ella Feeney, Vincent, and Tacy Jamison. Feeney, a senior, was also recognized as the winner of the Richard Dux “Goalie of the Year Award” named in honor of the former Niles West coach. She finished with eight saves to deny the Trevs on Saturday.

Lundervold’s all-around play left an impression on CSL South coaches and she might be one of the most improved players in the state of Illinois considering that she rarely got off the bench for last year’s talent-laden squad.

“We set our goal to come out hard and play our best water polo today, so I had a lot of energy at the start,” said the Evanston junior. “I’ve never had three goals in a varsity game before. I just kept working hard for the next possession and the next possession after that.

“I didn’t play much last year but I played club in the summer and the winter and the coaches really pushed me to do better. I think I’m just more confident all around this year. We all put in a lot of work on this team. We push each other and we trust each other. It’s all about effort and hard work for us.”

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This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Sports

Senior Standout Scores Wins In 6 Of 7 Events

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After not competing in club gymnastics for the first time last summer, Erik Van Leer wasn’t in peak form for the first half of the high school season.

Now he’s back and ready for one last hurrah.

The Evanston senior swept to victories in all but one event, including the all-around title, and led the Wildkits to a second straight team championship Tuesday night at the Niles Co-op Sectional meet sponsored by the Illinois High School Gymnastics Coaches Association.

Evanston ruled the eight-team field with a winning point total of 144.75 to 140.10 for Niles and is assured of a trip to the state finals set for May 17 at Hoffman Estates High School. The top 10 scoring teams at the three sectionals will send full squads to battle for the team title, but the Wildkits will have to wait at least 24 hours to find out how many individual qualifiers will represent ETHS at State.

The Coaches Association took over running the State meet last year and changed the rules so that the top 50 scorers in each event at the sectionals will advance. Previously, a top five finish automatically kept your season alive.

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In the team competition, only three squads --- Glenbard West at 164.05, Wheaton Co-op at 161.60 and Geneva at 151.15 --- piled up more points than ETHS at Monday’s Glenbard West Sectional competition. And at the Lake Park Sectional that is scheduled for Wednesday night, only the Downers Grove Co-op has surpassed the 140-point mark this spring.

Van Leer, the defending state champion in the vault, led Evanston to a second place State finish as a team a year ago and seems primed for a big finish if his dominant performance at the sectional is any indication of the way the blonde senior standout is trending.

He captured the all-around crown with a score of 53.30 that was more than seven points higher than the next best finisher, T.J. Carr of Lyons Township at 45.95. That total included wins for Van Leer on horizontal bar (8.75), floor exercise (9.45), parallel bars (8.75), vault (9.45), and still rings (9.00). He also placed fifth on pommel horse at 7.90.

Backing him up with solid performances of their own were teammates Jacob Potter and Nathan Schlack, who finished third and sixth respectively all-around and should advance to State along with Van Leer.

“It’s great to repeat like this, and with a different team,” said ETHS head coach Frank Erwin, who noted that Van Leer and Potter were the only two returning regulars from last year’s squad. “All in all, it’s really been a pleasantly surprising year for us. I’ve been blessed coaching some really good kids here. We did much better this year than anyone expected --- including us.

“They did a good job tonight. It was a good performance. We were a little shaky in a couple of places, but we finished strong on high (horizontal) bar and that really helped. I still think we can do a little better, and I’d be thrilled if we can finish in the top six at State.

“I think tonight sets Erik up well for State. He can still clean a few things up, but he’s in a good position now.”

Van Leer has been a game-changer since the moment he stepped into Evanston’s practice gym as a freshman. Now that the end is in sight --- he won’t try to compete in college as fewer than 20 Division I universities field men’s gymnastics teams now --- he’s more relaxed and not as outcome-oriented as in the past.

In fact, he’s switched gears to another sport and has already won a state championship in competitive weight-lifting at a meet last weekend in Aurora.

Admittedly burned out on gymnastics, he quit his club team and lifted five or six times a week after the high school season ended last spring.

“I didn’t work on gymnastics at all,” Van Leer said. “I put on 10 or 12 pounds and I’ve had to adjust to my new body for gymnastics. I just needed a break from gymnastics, and it’s definitely been helpful for me to have something else to focus on.

“At State, I’ll just do what I can and the rest will take care of itself. Since I didn’t do much in the off-season I probably won’t finish as high up as I might have, but I’m just going to focus on trying to hit all six of my routines and not on my placement.”

Van Leer’s interest in lifting began in the ETHS weight room, where strength coach Mark Feldner guides all of the school’s athletes in sport-specific PE programs.

“Weight lifting isn’t super prevalent in the gymnastics culture. It’s uncommon for guys even at the elite level,” Van Leer said. “But I found that I really liked it. I did put some muscle on my legs and I’ve found that it’s helped me be more explosive with my landings on both floor and vault, too.”

He plans to pursue that sport further after winning a state championship at a meet sponsored by the USA Weight Lifting Association. His state title doesn’t come with an asterisk, although he’ll admit somewhat sheepishly that there were only two others in his age and weight category at the competition.

“It’s a numbers sport, just like gymnastics, but there’s no judging. It’s objective, and you either put that 100 kilos over your head, or you don’t,” noted the ETHS senior. “That’s one thing I like about it.”

At the sectional, medals were handed out to the top five placers in each event. Evanston’s medal haul included Potter and Schlack, who tied for fourth on vault at 8.65; and Potter, fourth on pommel horse at 7.95.

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Sophomore Stops Glenbrook South, 5-1

Evanston baseball fans can’t wait for an “ace” to emerge on a young and untested pitching staff.

It might not happen this spring --- and it might not really be that important.

But Elliot Paul took a big step toward assuming that role for the up-and-down Wildkits Monday afternoon in Glenview.

The sophomore right-hander hurled five scoreless innings and helped the Kits climb out of the Central Suburban League South division cellar in a 5-1 victory at Glenbrook South.

Paul, who was facing freshmen hitters a year ago at this time, tamed the Titans by yielding just two hits in his mound stint while striking out six. Evanston improved to 12-11 on the season and 4-6 in league play, one game ahead of GBS in the standings.

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The two teams resume the best-of-three series Tuesday at Evanston and will return to Glenview for the finale on Thursday.

In the past, with a Tuesday-Thursday conference schedule of games, most teams employed their No. 1 pitchers in the Tuesday contest. That pattern hasn’t necessarily followed under the new best-of-three format, but Paul has started Evanston’s Monday matchups in CSL South play against New Trier, Deerfield and Glenbrook North prior to the trip to Glenbrook South.

And he found a comfort zone on the mound Monday while making GBS hitters uncomfortable at the plate.

“Today I just really felt comfortable, and in my rhythm, out there,” Paul said. “And the whole team did a really good job of backing me up.

“I’ve thought a lot about how I have to attack hitters and how I have to trust my infield. With more (varsity) starts now I’ve been building up toward this. The first couple of games I pitched, I got a little nervous when I saw all these big guys (at the plate). But over time I’ve come to realize that I’m better than they are, that I can compete with anybody.

“My fastball was really there today. I was able to spot it up on the outside corner a lot.”

Paul earned his fifth victory of the spring, tops on the staff, by efficiently mowing down the Titans (9-17 overall, 3-7 CSL South). He only required 59 pitches through the first five frames and South’s only baserunners came on an infield hit by Evan Bonnell in the third inning and a walk to Anthony Nottage with one out in the fourth.

But when Paul hit Kevin Garden with a pitch on a 3-1 count leading off the sixth, and James Dooman reached on an error, Paul only lasted one more batter before ETHS head coach Frank Consiglio decided to turn to his bullpen.

Reliever Zach Bachochin pitched out of bases-loaded jams in the sixth and seventh to earn the save. He allowed three infield hits, two walks and hit a batter before nailing down the victory.

Consiglio’s not ready to describe Paul as his “ace” --- not yet, anyway.

“To be that, you have to be able to finish off a (seven inning) game,” pointed out the veteran coach. “That’s the next step for a young pitcher, to finish off a 90-pitch game and dominate the other team.

“That will just take time for Elliot. He was really tremendous for us today. That was his best outing of the year. He’s been good all year, but No. 1, we’ve tightened up our defense behind him, and that’s important because any young pitcher will struggle when you’re not making plays behind him.

“No. 2, he’s been consistently up in the strike zone and you can’t do that against varsity hitters. You can get away with it at the freshman level, but he had to make the adjustment to start pitching at the bottom of the zone. That’s the adjustment that has turned him from a good pitcher into a front-of-the-rotation pitcher. It wasn’t about the pitch count when I took him out. When you’re starting to lose your location late in the game, that can affect you.”

Consiglio has resisted ranking his starting pitchers in any kind of order in the past, even when it seems obvious to the casual fan. It might be a point of pride to be considered No. 1, but Paul already seems wise beyond his years while still remaining a competitor on the mound.

“I was a little surprised when Coach took me out, but I knew Zach or whoever would come after me would have my back,” Paul added. “I’m just a starter, not the No. 1 guy. Johnny Kellams and Owen Vander Velde are great pitchers, too. Ace is just a word, that’s all.”

On offense, the Wildkits scratched out runs in the third, fourth and fifth frames to pin the loss on South righty Roger Niedermaier, whose father Brad was a star pitcher at Niles West in the 1990s.

Every Evanston starter except Cole Vander Velde reached base at least once, and Vander Velde was robbed of an extra base hit because of a spectacular catch deep in right center by South’s Bonnell for the final out of the third inning. But the Kits still scored twice in that frame thanks to an RBI single by Ryan Rappoport and Aaron Shalin’s double down the left field line that plated Rappoport.

In the fourth, Tate Schroeder (2-for-3, RBI, run scored) drove in a run with a successful squeeze bunt. The visitors added some insurance in the fifth when Owen Vander Velde drew a leadoff walk that knocked starter Niedermaier out of the game.

Vander Velde stole second and third and came around to score on a throwing error. And Avan Teuer earned the final RBI by beating out a two-out grounder to shortstop that scored pinch-runner Dion Lane Jr.

Bachochin rapped a pair of singles as part of Evanston’s nine-hit attack.