H-BR will be a regional underdog

Updated: April 28, 2011 11:24PM

For Hinckley-Big Rock to pull a three-peat when it comes to regional plaques, it’s going to take at least a couple upsets.

All three of The Beacon-News area’s Class 1A programs are assigned to the Mendota Regional and none are projected as finalists.

As the No. 4 seed, Hinckley-Big Rock gets to host No. 5 Indian Creek in a May 10 preliminary contest while the area’s other program, Plano, is the No. 6 seed taking on No. 3 Rock Island Alleman on the same day.

The Royals-Timberwolves winner gets a May 13 semifinal date with top-seeded Princeton. If the Reapers can surprise Alleman, their semifinal foe should be No. 2 seed and host Mendota, which opens against No. 7 Spring Valley Hall.

Area leaders

Whether it’s point production or goal scoring, The Beacon-News area features a fearsome foursome at the top of both categories.

Kaneland senior Emily Heimerdinger is the leader with 44 points off 18 goals and is followed by IMSA’s Alex Smick (35 pts. — 16g/3a), Oswego’s Cathy Tram (22 pts. — 10g/2a) and Oswego East’s Brittany Brewer (20 pts. — 8g/4a).

Geneva’s Catherine Allon (19 pts. — 6g/7a) and Kaneland’s Sophia Blank (19 pts. — 7g/5a) round out the top for points while West Aurora’s Jessica Saffell ties Blank for fifth in goals.

IMSA’s Rae Hohle is a true “Titan” when it comes to assists with 10 set-ups to rank ahead of Heimerdinger (eight), who is followed by a trio with six assists: Indian Creek’s Christina Somerfeld, Kaneland’s Jessica Coia and Oswego’s Lisa Bajkowski.

Oswego East freshman Hannah Gargrave has 4œ shutouts, as does Geneva’s Victoria Fortney, who boasts three solo efforts and a trio of shared shutouts.

The next level

Even though most of the area’s top seniors have their futures mapped out, all of them agree their last high school season is flying by much too quickly. Here’s a look to the future for some of the area’s best:

Aurora Central Catholic: Alexia Goblet (MacMurray); Batavia: Breanna Choffin (St. Ambrose), Tara Rush (North Central); Hinckley-Big Rock: Sarah Paver (Aurora); Indian Creek: Gretchen Tyler (Waubonsee);

Naperville Central: Krissy Many (Wisconsin), Ashley Tegge (Illinois Wesleyan); Neuqua Valley: Noelle Leary (Illinois), Lauren Noonan (Northern Illinois), Megan Oyster (UCLA), Alexa Wilde (Baylor), Allie McBride and Shannon Pimmel (Undecided); Oswego: Cathy Tram (Benedictine-Springfield), Lisa Bajkowski (Aurora); Oswego East: Katie Ross (Evansville), Jill Hall (Bemidji State);

Waubonsie Valley: Megan Green (Illinois), Hannah Klancic and Kerri Skotnicki (Augustana); Jillian Staton (Wittenberg), Jordan Myers (Wisconsin-Whitewater), Mary Wright (Saint Louis).

© 2012 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be copied or distributed without permission. For more information about reprints and permissions, visit www.suntimesreprints.com. To order a reprint of this article, click here.