All three departments will have teams in the SOILL Polar Plunge Saturday, March 4. The site is at Carpentersville's Public Works facility, 1075 Tamarac Drive, from 10 a.m. to noon.

"We have participated in Polar Plunge for many years," Algonquin Police Chief Dennis Walker said. "In addition to the Polar Plunge, they have raffles and games.

The Red Raiders fought back from an 11-point deficit to one point on a three-pointer by senior Morgan McCaughn for a 41-40 game in the closing seconds. But the Vikings made clutch free throws and shocked the HHS squad. Huntley, with eight seniors leading the way, ended at 28-5 and many accomplishments along the way.

HHS head coach Will Benson gave a scouting report on the Huskies (13-18. Harlem downed Hononegah in the regional quarterfinal to advance.

“Harlem has nice depth and are very athletic and play hard,” Benson said. “They have 10 seniors and a lot of them play.

The girls basketball regional final game with Rockford Guilford was postponed until 7 p.m. Feb. 17 at the east gym of HHS.

The boys varsity game against Burlington Central will take place at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 17 at HHS's central gym. Senior cheerleader and dance team members will be recognized at halftime of the varsity game.

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It’s so far, so good in that regard as HHS turned back a gritty effort by DeKalb, 59-38, in the Class 4A regional clash Feb. 14. The Red Raiders move on to their regional final, scheduled for Feb. 16 against a tough Rockford Guilford (23-9) squad. The winner moves on to the Hampshire sectional semifinal Feb. 21.

“It feels good to come away with a win and we’re excited to get to play in the regional final game,” HHS coach Steve Raethz said.

Pena ended fourth at sectional. He improved his season to a 32-14 record. The IHSA Class 4A State Individual Meet is Feb. 16-18 at the University of Illinois' State Farm Center in Champaign.

"His focused has changed 180 degrees," HHS coach BJ Bertelsman said. "I think COVID-19 delay may have helped him in wrestling. He is much more focused in the wrestling room and the classroom.

Earlier, the Red Raiders received good news from the IHSA that they are the top seed at the Rockton Hononegah regional.

The win at CLC gave the Red Raiders a 20-win season and regained momentum for the regular season's final week. HHS stood at 20-8, 12-4 FVC.

The Red Raiders who qualified to advance to the Feb. 24-25 at Bloomington event are: second-place won by freshman Janiah Slaughter at 100 pounds; returning state qualifier Taylor Casey clinched second at 110 and Aubrie Rohrbacher, who was third at 125.

"I've been wrestling for four years," Slaughter said.

That's what Huntley senior Jessie Ozzauto accomplished in a 30-point effort as Huntley's girls basketball team topped Dundee-Crown, 51-38, on Feb. 8. On Feb. 6, Ozzauto reached 1,000 career points with  a  29-point game in a 68-39 win over Burlington Central. The win over the BC clinched a share of the Fox Valley Conference championship and then the victory over the Chargers clinched the trophy with a 17-0 record, 26-4 overall.

"Jessie would be out playing basketball in the driveway in the ice and snow," dad Joe said.

Joe Ozzauto was speaking 1,000 Huntley points later on another winter's day. Ozzauto, a senior, joined the school's 1,000-point club, exactly, on a three-pointer from the top of the key.

HHS ended with a third place team finish at 160 points at regional.

Earning top three finishes and advancing to sectional are: Aiden Lira, first at 120 pounds; Adam Pena, first at 126 pounds and Markos Mihalouplos was the champion at 285 pounds. Finishing second were Rafael Sobprena at 138; Wyatt Theobald at 195 while Shane McGuine, third at 145 and Zach Hornickel, third at 113.

The Red Raiders concluded with 4,683 pins, 20 pins ahead of the final qualifier, Woodstock. Fox Lake Grant won the regional championship and Marengo was second at Glo-Lo Lanes.

"We were pretty focused and just wanted to have fun," DeBello said.

HHS head coach Asheley Boudreau was thrilled with the team's achievement.

Football players reported about 6 a.m. ready to pump iron on the weight lifting industry's latest equipment. A huge sign "Huntley Strength" seems to over look the proceedings.

Successes in the weight room are posted on one wall, including lifts of hundreds of pounds. HHS alum Justin Herbert has one of the top records of 1,300 pounds.

“So far this off-season our off-season lifting has been tremendous with our numbers around 70 players for the workouts at 6 a.m.,”

HHS senior Ty Goodrich is one of the many reasons the Red Raiders shine on the defensive end. HHS will clash with long-time friend and rival CLS led Cooper LePage Feb. 3 at CLS.

Red Raiders coach Will Benson has been pleased with the squad’s defense so far.

Wiley, son of Tom and Dana Wiley, is a several sport athlete at HHS, with letters earned in track-and-field, lacrosse, football and wrestling. He will play football at University of D-III Wisconsin-Platteville.

Wiley helped the Red Raiders earn the school's first boys lacrosse championship last spring. After a few weeks off, it was time to prepare for the football season. He was part of a senior group as the Red Raiders reached the Class 8A football playoffs and finished with an 8-2 record.

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.