HT Sports Caps Great Fall Season:

It's been a few years since Holy Trinity fall sports could boast the overall successes achieved by the 2017 teams -- cross country, boys soccer and girls volleyball. Yes there have been individual teams or players stepping to forefront in the last year of so. But this year is was an ALL HT Fall season -- kudos!

What began as your typical season of games scheduled and contests prepared for, turned into individual and team successes as girls volleyball won a conference title; BOTH girls volleyball and boys soccer captured regional title and HT cross country's individual runner gained personal success.

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY -- Mellanie Barnes: NOTE: pics above from IHSA Lisle 1A regional.
Let's start with the Lady Tiger cross country person.
Yes, cross country is an individual sports where an athlete competes for herself against the clock, against other runners and the elements.
To that end, HT had the luxury of featuring a four-year runner, senior Mellanie Barnes.
Barnes moved thru practice meets, gaining strength and confidence and improving her own personal times to set herself up for a solid end of season run -- success not only at conference meet but in the state regional and sectional action as well.
For her committment and dedicated effort, Barnes captured the following: She won the Chicago Prep conference meet and was named CPC runner of the year. She then lowered her time in the IHSA regional meet at Lisle which allowed her to advance to the sectional level versus the elite runners of 1A state cross country.
And even though she missed out on advancing to the state finals, finishing 30th overall at Lisle meet on a cold and windy day October 28, she still finished with a strong effort in her FINAL HT cross country race, much to the satisfication of Tiger mentor Stephen Gladden and small following of faithful fans.
"As I always say," commented Gladden on Barnes effort not only at Lisle in the sectional final but thru her overall four-year career. "All I need is one dedicated runner to commit to the practice plan and work toward the individual goal of excellence."
And Mellanie Barnes certainly is a tribute to that Lady Tiger work ethic.

(enclosed is the Lisle Sectional stat sheet).

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HT BOYS SOCCER: Finishes 2017 season as regional champion.
Tiger boys soccer had and up-and-down regular season going only 2-5-1 in Chicago Prep league play.
But just when you might think they were done for the year, the squad put things together, winning five of their last seven games en route to a strong season finish.

They defeated a tough Lisle squad 4-3 (see box score below) on September 30 after trailing 3-2 at the half and then beat Hope Academy 1-0 on October 3 for a third-place finish in the Chicago Prep league tourney (see box score below).
LISLE BOX SCORE: The Tigers came back from a 3-2 halftime deficit to edge out Lisle 4-3 on Saturday September 30.

"It was a nice comeback win for us spurred on by some of our younger players," commented head coach Ray Kang afterwards.
Featured in the win were: Norberto Lopez who had two goals on the day. Teammates Hafeez Soberu and Alex Martinez also scored. Assists went to Juan Campos, Edgar Godinez, Andres Saucedo and Norberto Lopez.

CPC 3rd PLACE: HT captured the 3rd place title in the Chicago Prep conference tourney turning back the Eagles of Hope Academy 1-0. Scoring for the Tigers (7-9-2 overall) was Paul Sedan ( unassisted). Tiger goalkeeper Damion Garcia had eight saves to preserve the shutout win.

HT BOYS SOCCER -- REGIONAL CHAMPS 2017!

This moved the squad to the opening round of the Illinois High School Association 1A state playoffs where HT shutout Noble Rauner 5-0 on October 11 to set-up a rematch with Hope Academy in the regional final (on October 13).
In the title contest versus the Eagles, HT fell behind early 1-0 but recovered with a game-tying second half goal by Paul Sefah to force overtime.
In the OT, Fernando Hernandez and Nilberto Lopez each scored and Tiger keeper Damien Garcia shutdown the Eagles to allow the Tigers to win their second regional title in the last four years for the program. Garcia made 11 important saves in the contest.

Unfortunately, this win was the last on the season for HT squad who, in their next game lost to a bigger and stronger Acero Garcia 6-1 in the sectional semifinals.
SOCCER FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT:
Even with the loss, the cupboard is not bear for head coach Ray Kang.
"We graduate six seniors commented the Tiger mentor. Moving on will be Juan Ruiz, Christian Trejo, Lavelle Brown, Hafeez Soberu, Nolberto Lopez, Eder Gonzalez and Juan Campos.
Returning for the fall of 2018 are current juniors Julio Antunez, Joshua Giron, Edgar Godinez, Francisco Hernandez and Andres Saucedo.
Sophomores moving up are Kevin perez, Andrew Casteneda nd Paul Sefah.
Freshmen scheduled to return include Damien Garcia, Alex Martinez, Kofi Boakye and Elias Lopez.

video from title game below:

HT Boys Soccer 2017 schedule with results

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HT GIRLS VOLLEYBALL:

HT SENIOR NIGHT -- Sakayah Garity and Cece Gardner.

HT @ CTK prior to the regional title match vs. Francis Parker 10.26.17.

HT in action vs. F. Parker -- Rachel Asante and Garity for the block.

HT Lady Tiger fan support -- HT vs. F. Parker regional title.

Lady Tigers -- the point scored vs. F. Parker.

HT Lady Tigers -- Gardner on the tip vs. F. Parker.

HT Lady Tigers -- capture first-ever regional title.

HT Lady Tigers with the plaque!!!

The REGIONAL TITLE TEAM & COACHES!!!!

And did we mention the successful 2017 Lady Tiger volleyball squad led by head coach Marcelina Tokarczyk and assistants Qiana Young and Tom Raehl.
Playing in the Chicago Prep conference for the first time since 1993, the squad never seemed to miss a beat in successfully navigating thru their conference and non-conference schedule this fall.
The team won their first eight matches on the season before dropping a two-game affair to Westmont in the Sentinels' four-team tourney September 16.
At Westmont, HT beat CPC foe Christ the King in 2 games, winning the second game after trailing 17-24 to post a 26-24 come-from-behind victory.
Then after the loss to Westmont, HT rebounded with a solid match versus St. Joseph Westchester winning in 2 by scores of 26-24, 25-23.
From that point thru the state sectional the team was on an 18-match winning streak, capturing the CPC league and tourney titles and then setting their sites for IHSA regional action.

In the opening match of the regional at Christ the King, HT defeated Collins in two games and then prepared for a challenge from Francis Parker in the title match October 26.
Playing one of their most focused matches on the campaign (see box score) HT defeated Francis Parker in 2 games to celebrate their first-ever regional title championship.

BOX SCORE: IHSA regional title match @ Christ the King Oct. 26:
vs. Francis Parker: HT captured their first-ever regional championship def. Francis Parker by scores of 26-24, 25-23 to improve to 26-1 on the campaign. HT was led by Sakayah Garity (8 kills, one block and 4 service points); Karol Gonzalez (five service points and 12 set assists); Viviana Quezada (5 digs and 10 service points); Rachel Asante (2 kills) and Cece Gardner (four kills and one block). HT SERVING: 50 serve attempts with 45 made for a 90% average with 2 ace serves.

Sectional play has never been kind to HT teams, and when the Lady Tigers went up against Walther Christian on Oct. 30, HT found that there's still more to be prepared for at this level of play. Walther Christian won in 2 games to end this successful season for HT. Ironically, the former Walther Lutheran
(now Christian) also was the program that derailed the 2006-07 HT girls basketball squad from advancing to their sectional final in that year. HT girls basketball was 25-0 going into the Walther Lutheran contest that year.
But no one can take away what the Lady Tigers have accompliahed this season (see new records set).

HT GIRLS VOLLEYBALL NEW RECORDS SET:
=Most wins by a girls team: 26. (old record 25 set by the 2006-07 Lady Tiger basketball team that went 25-1 on their season). The old volleyball record for an HT girls program was 20-12 set back in the 1997-98 season. And the old boys record for wins was 23 wins set by the 2000-01 squad who went 23-9 in that campaign.
=Consective matches won: 18. (old record was nine set by the boys Tiger squad from 2000-01).
=The 2017 squad went 11-0 in Chicago Prep league play capturing 8 conference matches and three playoff contests. The last Chicago Prep girls volleyball season title was won back in 1993. That squad went 9-3 that season.
=This year's squad captured the first-ever IHSA regional championship.
=Named to the Chicago Prep All-Conference squad were: Sakayah Garity, Karol Gonzalez and Viviana Quezada. Sui Lin was named CPC tourney player and Garity captured the CPC Player of the Year award. Rounding out the kudos: Lady Tiger head coach Marcelina Tokarczyk was
named the CPC coach of the year for her leadership of this year's Lady Tiger squad.

HT 2017 Varsity girls volleyball results/schedule

SOME OF THE LADY TIGER FUTURE VOLLEYBLL HOPEFULS!

HT Lady Tiger Jv 2017.

from HT Athletics posted at 2:40 PM 11/3/2017 and updated at 7:30am 11/5/17 by T. Poprawski with contributions from S. Gladden, M. Tokarczyk and R. Kang. Selected pictures by S. Clark.