SHS postseason review

Sophomore+Madison+Austin+raced+in+the+100+free+at+a+home+meet.+Austin+went+on+to+race+in+52.35+seconds+to+miss+on+advancing+to+day+2+by+just+0.17+seconds.

Sophomore Madison Austin raced in the 100 free at a home meet. Austin went on to race in 52.35 seconds to miss on advancing to day 2 by just 0.17 seconds.

 Postseason is a big opportunity for many teams and individuals in their sports. Many of Sterling High School athletes have competed quite successfully in their post season sports. 

  Starting off with boys cross country, junior Dale Johnson qualified for state by placing first in his sectionals race for the second year in a row. Johnson placed seventh in the 2021 state race; this year he placed second in the 2022 state race which took place in Peoria.

  Moving over to girls cross country, Freshman Delia Block qualified for state. She placed tenth in her sectional race which took place in and earned a qualifying spot for the IHSA State Finals. She placed 124th in the 2022 state race which took place in Peoria, which was a big accomplishment for her as she is only a freshman.

  S.H.S. swimmer Madison Austin made some big accomplishments this year. At the WB6 sectional meet, she won the 100 free with a new school record and a state qualifying time. Austin placed 18th at this year’s state meet.

 Sophomore Madison Austin says, “My goal for the season was to make it to state as well as break a record. My team pushed me to get these goals and I accomplished this because of the support.”

  S.H.S. boy’s soccer had a good run this season. The boys won the first round of regionals against Rock Island, with a score of 4-3. Going into the second round of regionals they took a tough 5-0 loss to Geneseo. 

  Sophomore Ellie Aitken was the only qualifier for state in girls tennis this season. Aitken worked hard for her spot in and out of practice. This was a big accomplishment for her and her coaches, as this is only her second year of her high school career. 

  S.H.S. football made an amazing run this season in their playoff games. First round they faced off against St. Viator, Sterling won 34-17. Second round they faced off against Chicago Goode and won, 50-8.  

  In the last round, third round the boys faced off against Sycamore and lost, 28-0. Making it that far into the playoffs was a big accomplishment for the coaching staff and players. 

 Senior Christian Beasley says, “I’d say the season went pretty well because of how far we made it. We went through some ups and downs, we had some tough losses and some pretty big wins. It felt good to be able to play with the same people I’ve played with since I started back in 4th grade. But I’d do anything to play with them again.” 

 There were many athletes from S.H.S. that accomplished many goals and improved tremendously this year. This just proves that anything is possible and if you keep working you will accomplish more than what you expect.