The Huntley boys bowling team finished 17th place on the first day of IHSA State Bowling Meet at St. Clair Lanes in O'Fallon Jan. 27 and did not advance to the second day. The Red Raiders concluded the first session with 5,707 pins.

Tenglin's first day score and finish in 28th place in individual standings moved him to the second day of competition Jan.

Though a sophomore, DeBello is the Red Raiders most experienced bowler. She is also the team's leader in several ways, head coach Asheley Boudreau said.

"DeBello drives her team," Boudreau said. "She gets along with her teammates and starts the cheers when her fellow bowlers are up to bowl.

The trend continued as sophomore Ava McFadden was up to the task in roles of more playing time in recent Fox Valley Conference contests.

Such games included a 12-point effort from McFadden in a 55-31 win over Prairie Ridge Jan. 20. She helped as starters Anna Campanelli and Morgan McCaughn were out with injuries but have since returned to the lineup. Junior Cassidy Serpe also is a key substitute.

“This is the last senior class to wrestle before COVID-19,” Huntley coach BJ Bertelsman told the crowd.  “They have been through a lot but all stuck with it. It says a lot about them.

Crystal Lake Central’s contingents won both divisions in the meet held Jan. 16.

The Red Raiders will compete at the IHSA Competitive Cheer sectional coed division Jan. 28 at Belvidere North.

HHS head cheerleading coach Payton Cariato commented on the season.

“The JV has had a phenomenal season,” Cariato said. “Their routine is challenging but they performed it so well.

Alex Johnson will not have one big decision to make this indoor season and when outdoors begins as she has made her D-1 college selection as Arizona State University. She recently held a national letter of intent signing ceremony at HHS. The championships in 2022 state meet were in addition to the Long Jump title in 2021.

The Red Raiders executed at both ends of the court to improve to 7-1 Fox Valley Conference.

Huntley trailed by four points, 50-46, with 45 seconds left, Ian Ravagnie, who scored 11 of his 14 points in the fourth stanza, made a three-pointer from a corner for a one-point deficit.

Ozzauto scored 27 points and Sammi Campanelli contributed 25 as Huntley downed Lincoln Way East, 67-54, Jan. 14 at the DeKalb MLK Shootout. Both seniors will be playing basketball in college next season as Ozzauto is committed to Leigh University and Sammi Campanelli opted for Lewis University.

Senior HHS bowlers Caleb Vergona and Joshua Waters and Austin Tenglin all finished in the top 10 as Vergona achieved runners-up honors and Waters concluded in sixth and Tenglin tied for 10th place.

Describe your start in bowling, what age and youth leagues.

Matt Fishman: “I started bowling mainly at the age of 10 because my grandpa and dad have bowled for their whole lives. I wasn’t good, I just mainly did it with friends to have fun.

Seniors Josh Waters, Caleb Vergona, Jackson Swanson and Trenton Regaldo were thanked for their commitment before the match. HHS, 11-3 in duals, prevailed over the North Stars, 3,561 to 2,959 pins.

“It was weird, bowling here for the last time,” Waters said. “We hope to bowl well at regional, sectional and qualify for state.

Offensive linemen Luke Griskey opted for D-I San Jose State, after de-committing to Air Force Academy. Eric Bower selected Butler University in Indianapolis, a D-II school.

“Griskey and Bower had anything but an easy football career at Huntley,” HHS coach Mike Naymola said.

The Red Raiders finished with a score of 82.97 in the varsity competition, second to champ Jacobs' 84 points.

HHS head coach Alex Reyes-Smith said the season has been a success. "We finished second at two events and fifth at our own invite,” she said.

The Red Raiders' 2,153 pin total at Sycamore led by sophomore Erica DeBello at the Jan. 7 Sycamore Invitational as she finished in the top 11 with a 482 total. Close behind was sophomore Grace Lehmann's 480 and sophomore Prianca Waters also topped 400 with a 429 series. Freshman MacKenzie Miller contributed a 384 and senior Taylor Dulson a 368.

Tenglin, a bowler since his toddler years, answered survey questions for My Huntley News.

Describe your start in bowling, age and youth leagues.

Austin Tenglin: "I started bowling around age 5 and my dad was the one who got me into bowling. I started bowling at Glo-Bowl in Marengo as my first youth league.

For the girls team, Erica DeBello and Prianca Waters are 10th graders. Bowling against Burlington Central, DeBello has a 288 game to her credit and she won the individual title at Grayslake North Invite Dec. 28 as the team ended second.

"DeBello bowled great against BC and at Lockport; she is so consistent," HHS coach Asheleigh Bourdeau said.

The boys squad has Landon Conforti, Matthew Fishman, Austin Tenglin and Joey Humphrey contributing.

Prior to the four-game tourney, he discussed his love of basketball, his as well as his and other teammates' abilities to shoot three-pointers and why he admires Steph Curry, in a series of questions for My Huntley News.

HHS downed Rockford Guilford, 50-46, for third place and a final 3-1 tournament record. Senior Noah Only was selected as all-tournament. Only led the effort in the Dec. 30 third-place game with 19 points and also had six rebounds and three assists.

“We played pretty solid,” Red Raiders coach Will Benson said of the tournament.

The HHS season resumes with an FVC battle at Burlington Central on Jan. 10.

Victories at Dundee-Crown were over Buffalo Grove, 46-30 and Lake Forest, 52-48.

This may seem to be a given, but that was not the case for the Red Raiders squad, which has grown from a handful of girls wrestlers last season.

"The support we get from teammates is great because we've been through the same thing,” HHS grappler Taylor Casey said. “Just in the past year the sport has grown so much.

Markos Mihalopoulos, a 285-pounder, was 25-6 following the Red Schmitt Invite at Granite City, which concluded Dec. 29. Alex Napientak at 152 was 18-11 and Ben Wiley at 220 gained a 18-10 mark.

The Red Raiders finished in the top half of 27 teams as they were 11th of 27 squads at Granite City.