Santucci returns as CL South girls soccer coach

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When Anne Santucci stepped down as Crystal Lake South’s girls soccer coach in 2008, she hoped to have a chance to return.

Having two young daughters and teaching social studies at South, she was not sure if or when that occasion might present itself.

It did this fall, and Santucci jumped at it. She will return as the Gators’ varsity coach this spring, taking over for Brian Allen, who resigned and will concentrate on coaching the boys in the fall season.

“I knew I always wanted to come back,” Santucci said. “It’s an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.”

The Gators were 56-20-2 under Santucci from 2005-08, with four winning seasons. Santucci, formerly Anne Beard, graduated from Cary-Grove in 1997 and was the 1996 Northwest Herald Player of the Year. She went on to play NCAA Division I soccer at Drury University in Springfield, Mo.

She was the boys sophomore coach from 2002-05 and coached the girls freshman team for two seasons before taking the varsity job.

Santucci and her husband, Nick, have two daughters: Ellie, 4, and Ava, 3.

“I can do this because I have a lot of support from my family,” she said. “My family really wants me to do this. I’m a little nervous [about leaving the girls], but my husband’s job allows him to work evenings and he is off two days a week, so they won’t have to be at the sitter’s that long.”

South was 35-16-2 in the past two seasons and won an IHSA Class 3A regional championship last year.

“I’m excited,” Santucci said. “South has a good chance to compete. The program is well-organized. The girls have expectations. It will not be hard to step in and continue with them.”

Well done, C-G: IHSA assistant executive director Matt Troha has seen plenty of Cary-Grove’s athletic fans at state events in the past three years. C-G won the Class 4A state volleyball title in 2009 and was runner-up each of the past two years. The Trojans also won the Class 6A football state championship in 2009.

Troha was so moved by the Trojans’ fans sportsmanship that he wrote a letter to District 155 to laud C-G’s efforts.

Here are some excerpts:

“Some of the student bodies who occupied that space prior to Cary-Grove [during the state volleyball tournament] exhibited crude/vulgar language and actions directed at opposing teams. … The Cary-Grove student section was the exact opposite of the aforementioned, remaining positive, spirited and showing a good understanding of the game as well as sportsmanship in general.

“As you know, Cary-Grove came up on the short end of the state championship match, but that still resulted in one of the neatest moments I have seen in my time with the IHSA. I leave Redbird Arena via the team bus exit three times a year following the state final and a large group of fans is always there waiting for their team to exit or celebrating with them. When I exited this year, probably 45 minutes after the match, a contingent of Benet fans was assembled as expected, but there was an equally large group of Cary-Grove students and parents who were positioned immediately outside the exit, ready to congratulate their team. That was a moment that will stick with me as a reminder of why I feel so lucky to be involved with events involving young people.

“I can say that your student fanbase is one of the most supportive and enthusiastic that I have seen.”

Juvenile charged: A 17-year-old Barrington High School student was charged with disorderly conduct from an incident Dec. 7 during which a smoke bomb was set off at the Barrington Ice Arena.

Barrington was playing Crystal Lake South in a Metro Central Division hockey game that was suspended with 3:27 remaining in the third period. Barrington leads the game, 7-3.

The male student, a resident of Lake Barrington, was brought to the Lake County Criminal Investigations Division on Wednesday night. The juvenile was released into the custody of his parent and will be assigned a juvenile court date in the near future.

Two players from South, both of whom have asthma, suffered from smoke inhalation and were transported by ambulance to Advocate Good Shepherd, where they were treated and released.

“This incident could have been much worse,” Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran said. “I’m pleased with the cooperation of the Village of Lake Barrington and Barrington school officials in this matter, and that the person responsible for this reckless act is being held accountable for his behavior.”

• Joe Stevenson is senior sports writer for the Northwest Herald. He can be reached by email at joestevenson@shawmedia.com. You also can follow him on twitter@nwh_JoePrepZone.