Area roundup: Somonauk girls win
Somonauk 32, Earlville-Leland 23 -- The Bobcats (12-15) got balanced scoring from Lauren Brummel (seven points, six rebounds, four steals), Karrah KuyKendall (seven points, eight rebounds), Jordan Smith (seven points, eight rebounds) and Audrey Weismiller (six points) in their victory at the Serena Regional.

Saints, Storm reap rewards
St. Charles East got a lot accomplished at its own Class 3A wrestling regional on Saturday. The Saints crowned two regional champions -- Brandon Rubino at 112 pounds and Nick Scimeca at 145 -- and advanced seven wrestlers to next week's Glenbard North Sectional. East finished in second place with 157 points.

Area roundup: IMSA bowlers top Geneva
IMSA's Laura Leigh Heffner rolled a 537 series and Katie Kunstman contributed a 504 mark to lead the Titans to a victory at St. Charles Bowl.

Injuries catch up with Vikings
With St. Charles East squaring off against Geneva on an evening when three former Geneva athletes and coaches were being honored, it was supposed to be a magical evening for the hosts. Instead, the Saints used a 20-6 run to open the game and mixed in an array of defenses as they ran out 39-34 winners against the Vikings.

Saints edge Royals in overtime
All signs pointed to a competitive contest between St. Charles East and Larkin on Friday given the track records of both teams. Sure enough, the Saints needed overtime to come away with a 60-52 Upstate Eight Conference triumph.

Vikings defense overwhelms Foxes
The hallmark of Geneva's girls basketball team and its perfect start to the season is its pressure defense. After absorbing a 55-13 Western Sun Conference loss Friday, Yorkville coach Tim Peters put that defense into perspective.

Batavia wrestlers see positive in loss to SCE
Batavia wrestling coach Tom Arlis knew it would be an uphill battle Thursday, facing off against a formidable non-conference foe in St. Charles East and having to absorb a forfeit at 215 pounds. Despite the 34-27 loss, the Bulldogs did manage to win more matches on the mat (7-6) and feel good heading into next week's Class 3A regional.

Bulldogs survive close call
A few weeks ago, Batavia's girls basketball team stood at 5-8 and the team was at a crossroads. "We as a team have come together and said, 'All right, it's the second time around (in conference play), it's a new start, we're going to re-focus,'" senior Kelsey Stone said. That new attitude has manifested itself in the form of six wins in seven games since that point, including Wednesday's 36-35 double overtime, Western Sun Conference win over DeKalb.

IHSA: No positive tests for steroids
Apparently where there's smoke, there isn't always fire. The Illinois High School Association announced Tuesday that its Performance-Enhancing Drug Testing Program had produced no positive test results among the 141 athletes it tested this fall in three sports (girls swimming and diving, boys soccer and football).

Drug testing in regular season remains on hold
They're waiting. Mike Gaspari, athletic director and varsity football coach at Batavia High School, said he had read with interest the IHSA announcement that it had zero positive tests for performance-enhancing drugs Tuesday, but that he "had not heard anything" officially about the expanded testing as yet.

Saints ready to take next step
When the St. Charles East girls basketball team began to practice in early November, it knew it had the talent and experience for this to be a season to remember. And with three weeks left in the regular season, that notion hasn't changed.

IHSA drug tests find no violations
The Illinois High School Association has compiled the results of its Performance-Enhancing Drug Testing Program for the fall of 2009. There were zero positive test results among the 141 tests conducted by the IHSA during the fall sports seasons, which included girls swimming and diving, boys soccer, and football.

Area roundup: IMSA girl bowlers fall to DGN
Katie Kunstman rolled a team-high 600 series while teammates Siana Aspy and Laura Leigh Heffner contributed series of 498 and 458 respectively to lead IMSA in a match at Fox Bowl at Wheaton.

Mikes, North Stars topple rival Saints
St. Charles North continued its mastery over rival St. Charles East on Saturday. Behind a big second half from junior Josh Mikes, the visiting North Stars extended their winning streak against the Saints to four games with a 62-54 Upstate Eight Conference triumph.

Foxes upend Sycamore for title
Yorkville's wrestling team lost to Sycamore early in the season in a dual meet. So heading into Saturday's Western Sun Conference meet at Yorkville, it was clear that the Foxes and Spartans would once again be battling for supremacy. This time, Yorkville wound up on top.

St. Charles East handles Elgin
St. Charles East coach Lori Drumtra and players searched for some explanations why they came out sluggish in the early going Friday night before pulling away in the second quarter and going on to a 59-26 rout of Elgin in Upstate Eight Conference play.

St. Charles North pounds Larkin
With a big game against rival St.Charles East on the tap for Saturday it would have been easy for St. Charles North to overlook a struggling Larkin team on Friday night. However, the North Stars came out fully focused, jumping to a 37-4 lead in the first half on their way to a 54-13 Upstate Eight Conference win.

SC North adds to Larkin's misery

ELGIN -- Missed shots were few and far between for St. Charles North on Thursday.

Cougars player quitting baseball to become priest
Former Kane County Cougars star Grant Desme is retiring from baseball to enter the priesthood. Desme was recently selected the 2009 Arizona Fall League MVP and considered a top prospect in the Oakland farm system.

Howard among Saints Hall of Fame honorees
Jeff Howard says the occasion likely won't be an emotional one.

Bulldogs flip the switch
Trailing after one quarter against Kaneland's girls basketball team Tuesday, Batavia coach Tim DeBruycker scrapped his team's zone defense and decided to man up. That change flipped the switch for the Bulldogs in the second quarter, propelling them to a convincing 46-22 Western Sun Conference victory.

Area roundup: Indian Creek 40, Somonauk 38
Lauren Brummel scored eight points and had seven rebounds for the Lady Bobcats at the Little Ten Conference Tournament at Hinckley-Big Rock High School.

Vikings starting to click
Geneva senior guard Kat Yelle said that her team is finally starting to click now, really getting used to the new starters and where they are on the court.

Tomcats prove too much for North Stars
East Aurora boys basketball coach Wendell Jeffries hoped his Tomcats would not overlook Upstate Eight Conference opponent St. Charles North on Friday on the eve of his team facing its crosstown rival, West Aurora. The Tomcats did not disappoint Jeffries, as Ryan Boatright's 27 points led East Aurora to a 66-55 win.

Offseason grind paying off for Geneva's Ward
Sometimes a wrestler builds up such a reputation in the offseason that by the time the season rolls around, he is already near the top of the rankings. In the case of Geneva senior 189-pounder Ryan Ward, his ascent this season couldn't have been more different.