Sports aren?t like the other major forms of entertainment. Movies, TV, music, plays, books, they are all scripted. We can watch ?It?s A Wonderful Life? 100 times and know in the end George will always find Zuzu?s petals again and Clarence will get his wings. But sports stories can change at any minute.
When the narrative changes most dramatically, it can make for the biggest stories of all. That?s what happened last year. The Rockford Register Star?s top three local sports stories of 2010 were Brad Benjamin becoming the first Rockford native to play in the Masters, Willie Veasley starting for a Butler team that came within two points of winning the NCAA men?s basketball title and Boylan winning its first state football title.
But the ever-changing world of sports means staying on top can also be a big story. Rockford?s sports world was dominated in 2011 by repeat excellence ? and by a retirement that ended the longest-running domination in local sports history.
Here are the top 10 Rock River Valley sports stories for 2011, as voted on by reporters Matt Trowbridge, Emily Tropp, Brenda Young and Jay Taft:
No. 1: Same as the old boss
Brad Benjamin became our first repeat top sports story. He won last year for playing in the Masters. The 2005 Guilford graduate won this year for becoming the first Rockford native to make the cut at the U.S. Open.
Benjamin shot 8-under-par in two rounds and then birdied the first playoff hole in a qualifier just to reach the U.S. Open. Once there, he had to come back at 7:30 a.m. on the third day to make the cut after his second round was halted by darkness with one hole to play.
Benjamin also reached the semifinals of the 111th North & South Amateur, turned pro in September and became the first Rockford golfer to reach the third and final stage of PGA Tour Qualifying School in LaQuinta, Calif.
No. 2: Dakota?s twin champs
Dakota made a statewide name for itself by winning recent state football and wrestling titles. Dakota?s girls joined that success this fall.
The Indians won their first girls state title when they knocked off state power Mount Pulaski 25-16, 25-20 to win the Class 1A volleyball crown.
Two weeks later, Dakota beat Tuscola 41-27 for its third state football title in seven years. Dakota started the season 1-2, but beat defending state champ Lena-Winslow twice in three weeks, including a second-round playoff win, and were the only team to beat Le-Win this year.
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Jake Apple ran for 377 yards in the state championship game.
No. 3: Two-time Titan champs
While Brad Benjamin repeated as the No. 1 story, Boylan repeated at No. 3. One year after becoming the NIC-10?s first state football champion in 16 years, Boylan joined the 1993-94 Belvidere teams as the NIC-10?s only repeat state football champions.
Boylan stretched its overall winning streak to 28 games and its conference streak to 56 games by winning its sixth consecutive NIC-10 title. Tyreis Thomas, Lamont Toney, Dean Lowry and Peter Cimino led the way as Boylan won more easily in Class 7A than they had the year before in 6A, trailing only once all season, against Harlem.
Thomas ran for 1,606 yards and 24 touchdowns and his two-year total of 3,204 made him the No. 2 rusher in NIC-10 history. Toney set school records with 1,541 yards and 21 TDs passing, plus 2,185 yards and 31 TDs combined rushing and receiving. Lowry signed with Northwestern as a game-changing defensive lineman, and Cimino had four playoff interceptions.
No. 4: Huskies are top dogs
Twice in the previous six years, NIU had come within seconds of winning a MAC title. The Huskies finally broke through this year and won their first MAC title since 1983. They did it with Chandler Harnish throwing for 2,942 yards and running for 1,382. They also did it by breaking a 20-year history of losing close games. NIU had been 21-34 in games decided by five points or fewer since 1990 before winning its last six games this year by 1, 3, 31, 3, 6 and 3 points.
When the Huskies lost the MAC title game in 2005 and 2010, they combined for one victory by five points or fewer. They had four times that many this year alone, including rallying from 20 points down at halftime to edge Ohio 23-20 on the last play for the title.
?We?ve shown we?ve been able to fight and battle through the hardships,? senior linebacker Pat Schiller said. ?That?s what really makes a great team.?
No. 5: Steve Goers retires
Illinois basketball coaching legend Steve Goers hung up his whistle this year after 31 years leading Boylan. Goers announced his retirement in a May 6 news conference.
At the time of his retirement, Goers held the state record for most career coaching wins with 881. After beginning his career at Bardolph, Oswego, LaSalle-Peru and Harvard, Goers took over at Boylan in 1980 and turned the Titans into an area power. His coaching highlights include 26 conference, 28 regional and 17 sectional titles and a state-record 30 consecutive winning seasons. Twenty-six of his last 28 Boylan teams won at least 20 games and three of those teams finished fourth in the state.
Boylan hired former Oregon, Jefferson and Rock Falls coach Mike Winters to replace Goers.
No. 6: Star transfer can?t play
The local basketball community was abuzz this fall when Winnebago?s all-state point guard Marcus Posley started the school year at Auburn. Posley changed his legal guardianship to his grandfather and moved to the Auburn school district.
Most thought Posley transferred so he could play basketball for defending NIC-10 champion Auburn alongside his AAU teammates Fred Van Vleet and LaMark Foote. In truth, Posley needed to replace a class that Winnebago?s system would not allow him to replace in order to play basketball at Ball State University next year.
Because the rest of Pos-ley?s family did not move, the IHSA deemed Posley ineligible. He appealed, but the IHSA upheld its decision two weeks ago.
Despite not playing his senior year, Posley was still offered a scholarship by Ball State. The 6-foot-1 guard, who averaged 19.4 points and 4.5 assists as a junior at Winnebago, signed his Division I letter-of-intent with the Cardinals in November.
No. 7: Auburn 16-0 in NIC-10
Auburn went 16-0 in the conference to become the first of the NIC-10?s nine public school schools to go undefeated in the league in boys basketball in 30 years.
The Knights also won regional and sectional titles. It was the first sectional title for Auburn since 1979. Auburn?s season ended with a 63-51 loss to Glenbard East at the NIU Supersectional.
Auburn was led by junior all-state point guard Fred Van Vleet, who signed his letter-of-intent to play for Wichita State University in November and has led the Knights to a 9-2 start to this season.
No. 8: Three times a champ
Belvidere North became the fifth cross country team in state history to win three straight titles. The Blue Thunder won again despite graduating four runners who had started for both previous state champs.
North edged Glenbard South 110-128 for the Class 2A title at Detweiller Park in Peoria in November. Four of North?s seven runners all finished in the top 25 to earn all-state honors: Tyler Yunk, Paxson Menard, Will Crocker and Garrett Lee. Yunk finished second individually for the second consecutive year.
No. 9: Steve Vee exits on top
Steve Vee finished his 35th and last season as Rock Valley tennis coach by winning his fourth NJCAA Division III national championship. The RVC women, seeded third, dominated at nationals, clinching the title after the semifinal round and finishing with 33 points to 27 for runner-up Mercer (N.J.). The title was the fourth national championship for Vee, two each for RVC?s men?s and women?s teams.
?This has been some kind of ride. I must say, it?s hard to go out like this, but it?s nice to have something like this as your last one to look back on,? Vee said. ?The girls wanted to make this special, and they sure did that. It?s something I will remember forever.?
Five RVC women were named All-Americans after the national tourney: Katy Kurilla (first team and tournament MVP), Nicole Beck (first team), Brianna Todaro (first team), McKenzie McCray (second team) and Alice Swanson (second team).
No. 10: 2 state bowling champs
Harlem won its fifth state girls team bowling title and Guilford its first boys title. Local teams have now won 12 state bowling titles.
?This win means everything to us,? said Harlem?s Sammi Hagerman, who finished sixth individually.
Harlem had just missed a state berth the previous two years, finishing third at sectionals.
Guilford also knew about close calls. The Vikings finished fifth at state in 2010.
?We have been knocking on the door,? Guilford coach Brad Sommer said, ?but those big trophies have always eluded us.?
Not any more.
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