Huntley cross country poised
 to win first Fox Valley title

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Huntley’s girls cross country team has not won a Fox Valley Conference championship since the school came into the league in 2003.

That could change Saturday at Veteran Acres Park in Crystal Lake, where the Red Raiders will be one of the top contenders for the title. Huntley, which finished second to Woodstock last season, Crystal Lake South and Crystal Lake Central figure to make it a close race for the team title.

Cary-Grove’s boys, led by defending champion Phil Fairleigh, will be trying to win their fourth consecutive title.

Woodstock’s Kayla and Elise Beattie will be the favorites in the girls race, but Woodstock North started varsity sports this season, which took depth away from the Blue Streaks team.

Huntley has not won any big meets this season, but the Raiders ran their early meets without Amy Kahl, who underwent an appendectomy before the season. Kahl is back, and while she is not at 100 percent, she gives the team a solid fifth score behind Haley Loprieno, Sara Scarbro, Delanie Dineen and Emily Kahl (Amy’s twin).

The boys race starts at 10 a.m. The girls race is set for 10:45.

Other area schools also will be competing in their conference cross country meets Saturday.

The Big Northern Conference Meet will be hosted by Winnebago at 10 a.m. at Fuller Forest Preserve.

Richmond-Burton’s boys team is the defending champion, led by Ian Sanchez and Matt Lytle. Marengo freshman Katie Adams will be one of the top girls runners.

Marian Central is the lone area school competing in the Suburban Christian Conference Meet at Oakhurst Community Association in Aurora.

Aurora Central Catholic is the host school for that meet, which starts at 9:30 a.m.

Lacrosse is in: The IHSA Board of Directors approved a recommendation Tuesday to adopt a state series for boys and girls lacrosse, beginning in the 2010-11 school year. Both the boys and girls season will take place in the spring semester.

“The goal of the IHSA is to provide quality interscholastic opportunities for students in the state and the board recognized that the addition of boys and girls lacrosse helps support that mission,” IHSA Executive Director Marty Hickman said.

The board created a contingency that 65 boys and 40 girls teams must participate for there to be a state series.

According to the IHSA Emerging Sports List, those numbers of teams currently exist. If those numbers are not met, it would result in the delay of the start of the state series.

Many area schools have been playing boys lacrosse, and some of those schools have started girls teams, on the club level for a few years.

Four-time champ: Prairie Ridge senior Carrie Keahl completed a rare career accomplishment Monday when she teamed with Haley Ljunggren to win No. 2 doubles at the FVC Tournament. It was Keahl’s fourth FVC championship.

As a freshman and sophomore, Keahl won at No. 4 doubles, and as a junior she won at No. 3 doubles.

Wolves coach Jessica Fetzner thought Keahl was only the third Prairie Ridge player to win four titles.

Volley for the Cure: McHenry will host its Volley for the Cure night Tuesday when the Warriors host Jacobs.

There will be several pink items to buy to help with cancer awareness, as well as many items that will be raffled.

Also, T-shirts will be sold for $10 and the cost of a shirt will include admission to that match.

All proceeds from the match will go to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation.

Woodstock night: Woodstock will host Woodstock North at 6:30 p.m. today in volleyball matches that have been tabbed “Woodstock Volleyball Crosstown Classic.”

This is North’s first year of varsity sports, so the coaches wanted to make the night special.

Teams from Creekside and Northwood middle schools will play at 4:15, the sophomore and freshman A teams will play at 5:30 and the varsity and freshman B teams will meet at 6:30.

There will be a 50/50 raffle during the varsity match with proceeds donated to the Hope Fuller Medical Fund.

Hope is a 12-year-old seventh grader at Creekside who has an inoperable brain tumor.

Her brother, J.D., runs cross country and track at Woodstock High School and her parents, Jay and Deb, both work in District 200.

• Joe Stevenson covers high school sports for the Northwest Herald. He can be reached at 815-526-4513. He also can be reached by fax at 815-459-5640 or by e-mail at jstevenson@nwherald.com.