Defending track champs set for solid season

HUNTLEY — It is on to the outdoor Fox Valley Conference portion of the track and field season as Huntley's boys squad. The initial FVC outdoor triangular meet is April 8 at Jacobs.

At the Illinois Top Times meet on March 23, junior long distance runner Tommy Nitz ended second as he recorded the best HHS finish, in the 3,200-meter run, with a time of 9:14.12. Nitz qualified for the IHSA Class 3A State Meet in the event last season.

Vinny Costa, also a junior, was fourth in the 60-meter dash, 7.01 seconds; senior Jeff Cruickshank was fourth in the high jump, 1.93 meters; senior Talon Sargent ended eighth in the 200-meter run, 22.78 seconds.

WOODSTOCK — On March 29, at approximately 7 a.m., law enforcement from the Woodstock Police Department and the McHenry County Multi-Jurisdictional SWAT Team responded to the 600 block of Brink Street to serve a resident with a felony arrest warrant.

According to a press release statement, the male subject, who was identified as 39-year-old Brandon M. Smith, had previously made threatening statements to Woodstock officials and hinted at the possibility of possessing at least one firearm. This led to safety precautions needing to be put in place before serving Smith with the arrest warrant.

HUNTLEY — The Huntley Community School District 158 Special Olympics team has enjoyed its first season, with an area event, a Huntley fun run as well as area Special Olympics Illinois track and field meet.

Head coach Carly Smith said the Hurricanes are comprised of eight athletes in grades six through eight with various disabilities.

The group will be at the Huntley Don't Be Fooled - By a Disability Special Olympics Illinois event fundraiser hosted by Huntley Police Department April 6.

HUNTLEY — Huntley's baseball squad has had solid outings from the pitching staff in a 4-0 beginning.

Victories have been 1-0 over Hope Academy; 10-0 over Belvidere North and a close 7-4 comeback win over St. Charles East and a 4-1 victory over Maine South.

Senior Malachi Paplanus has two victories already, over Hope and Maine South.

“Our pitchers have done a really nice job so far,” Red Raiders head coach Andy Jakubowski said. “We need to get better with our first pitch strike ratio but to give up four runs in three games – they have done a tremendous job.”

HUNTLEY — Huntley's girls soccer team is optimistic for another successful season.

Huntley is coming off a regional title, a 17-4-3 record and 5-1-3 (third) in the Fox Valley Conference.

Junior Midfielder Gabi Farraj is back after a seven goals, two assist season. Other potential goal scorers include: sophomore forward Maizie Nickle, eight goals, one assist; senior forward Alex Szydlowski, who had seven goals and three assists; sophomore midfielder Maddie Cummings had three goals. Another player returning is junior defender Jaci Laramie.

Thankfully, in the office where I work as a communications specialist for a public library, I am surrounded by people who love the written word as much as I do. As our team creates copy for newsletters, brochures, and even social media, we get to ponder and discuss the placement of commas, apostrophes, and semicolons. We debate, and sometimes we argue. When all else fails, we go to the ultimate source: the Associated Press Stylebook.

The AP Stylebook is a substantial volume for journalists, students, and writers that, to me at least, deserves its own podium, open to the page about nonessential clauses, marked with a rich leather bookmark, a single light trained on its text.

WOODSTOCK — McHenry County’s first community-owned grocery store, Food Shed Co-op (2390 Lake Shore Drive), will finally celebrate its “Opening Day” in a ribbon-cutting ceremony to be held on May 15, at 9 a.m.

As previously reported, the idea for the co-op was first conceived in 2014 by an organized collective of McHenry County residents that calls itself the McHenry County Food Cooperative. A groundbreaking ceremony was held last July to celebrate the initial construction phase of the grocery store.

Members of the public are invited by the Food Shed Co-op Board of Directors to celebrate the opening of the grocery store, which will feature brief remarks by co-op and community leaders, a symbolic ribbon-cutting, giveaways, and door-buster deals, according to a press release statement.

HUNTLEY — Graduating seniors attending Huntley High School can now accelerate their medical careers by earning a medical assisting certification thanks to an exclusive partnership the school has entered into.

According to Huntley Community School District 158’s Director of Communications and Public Engagement, Denise Barr, the partnership is with First Institute of Crystal Lake, and the program is being offered to students interested in fast-tracking their medical careers.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics states that medical assisting is one of the fastest-growing careers in the country.

While riding my bike this morning, I passed a construction site where a new house is being built. At the entrance to the project was a line of orange barricades marked “Acme Barricades.”

And I thought, “Acme Barricades? Wile E. Coyote must be building this house.” Because if you’re a kid like me who grew up in the 1950s and 60s, Acme could mean only one thing: the Acme Catalog from which Coyote ordered every gadget imaginable to outwit Roadrunner — gadgets that failed spectacularly every time.

HUNTLEY  — The Huntley boys track and field team dominated the Fox Valley Conference meet as the Red Raiders won the title at the HHS field house March 12.

“The kids were nothing short of amazing,” Huntley head coach Chris Maxedon said. “We took first in nine of 15 events. Our team score was 146 points, and second place scored 48 points.”

Junior Zach Rysavy had an outstanding meet in the jumps as he won the triple jump with a new FVC Meet and field house record 13.72 meters effort.

HUNTLEY — The influences of beloved former track and field coach Joel Popenfoose could be felt by many at the final indoor track and field meet this season.

Area teams – Kaneland, Jacobs, Hampshire, Burlington Central and Lake Zurich, gathered to compete at Huntley's Field House one more time before heading outside, but more importantly, saluted a legendary coach.

Popenfoose, aka “Coach Pop” and the great memories was evident through the classic rock songs playing, the t-shirt with his picture and one of his favorite characters – big foot.