CLC's Servant to wrestle at UW-Parkside
By JOE STEVENSON – jstevenson@nwherald.com
Crystal Lake Central senior Taylor Servant might want to consider a line of work in which he can negotiate. It’s something at which he appears to excel.
Servant recently was about to commit to NCAA Division III Elmhurst College to wrestle, but Wisconsin-Parkside coach Jim Koch increased his school’s offer at the 11th hour, and Servant committed to the D-II Rangers.
Servant said his scholarship, a combination of athletic and academic money, will cover his four years at the school. Servant was 39-4 this season at 140 pounds and was an IHSA Class 2A state runner-up for the Tigers. Central also was a state runner-up in the IHSA Class 2A Dual Team State Tournament.
“I really started thinking about wrestling in college this last year,” Servant said. “I wasn’t too sure before, but I made such a big jump this year.”
Servant said working out at Overtime Wrestling Academy in Crystal Lake and Naperville made a huge difference for him. That, along with his sparring partner, 145-pound state champion Joey Kielbasa.
Servant looked into the Naval and Air Force academies, and also was interested in Maryland, but he thought the D-I commitment might be a bit much. He found a nice mix at Parkside, which was one of the top D-II teams in the nation last season.
“At Parkside they seemed kind of mellow, but half their schedule they’re wrestling D-I schools,” Servant said.
Servant committed Saturday and soon will sign his NCAA letter of intent.
Tigers’ Bogle heads south: Central defensive end Dallas Bogle committed this spring to continue his football career at D-III Mississippi College in Clinton, Miss. Bogle’s sister, Brooke, was a freshman at Mississippi College this year, so he knows a lot about the school and the program.
Bogle is 5-foot-10 and played last season at 190 pounds for the Tigers, who won their first playoff game in 31 years. He has lifted hard since the season finished and weighs 205 pounds now. Mississippi will use him at linebacker.
“We’re originally from the South and my sister goes there, so I sent the coach (Norman Joseph) my film,” Bogle said. “I knew this was where I wanted to go.”
Bogle was a two-year varsity starter for Central and a Northwest Herald All-Area second-team selection last season. Mississippi College won the American Southwest Conference last season and advanced to the second round of the NCAA D-III playoffs.
D-C’s 2010 Hall class: Dundee-Crown will induct six members into the D-C Athletic Hall of Fame on Sept. 11 at the Golf Club of Illinois. The inductees will be Scott Benton, Hank Faulkner, Jeff Lange, Colon Kelly, Art Melahn and Stephanie Miller-Nickerson.
Benton (1995) was the Northwest Herald Football Player of the Year and was a three-year letterwinner at Yale. His senior year he won the prestigious Chester J. Laroche Award, which is given to the senior whose character and academic talents offered the most to Yale.
Faulkner (1984) competed in baseball, basketball, football and cross country at D-C. When he graduated, he held 13 D-C records in baseball. He played at Judson University and has been assistant varsity baseball coach for almost 20 years.
Lange (1967) graduated from Dundee High School and played basketball and golf. He played both sports at Elgin Community College and was conference golf champion in 1968. He also was a first-team all-conference player in basketball. He finished his college golf career at Columbus (Ga.) College and later set course records at Randall Oaks and Bonnie Dundee.
Kelly (1983) graduated from Dundee High School and was a two-time all-conference baseball player and led the Fox Valley Conference in batting average as a junior and a senior. He played college baseball at Missouri Southern and was a four-year all-conference player. He is in Missouri Southern’s Hall of Fame.
Melahn (1938) was a member of coach Eugene deLacey’s 1938 state championship basketball team from Dundee and was selected to the state all-tournament team. He was the fifth-leading scorer in the tournament.
Miller-Nickerson (1984) was a four-year, three-sport athlete. Her best sport was basketball, where she led the Chargers to the Class AA Elite Eight in 1984. She also was an All-FVC softball player and played No. 1 singles in tennis. She played basketball at Northern Iowa.
• Joe Stevenson covers high school sports for the Northwest Herald. He can be reached by e-mail at jstevenson@nwherald.com.
