Even with as much success as Hononegah has had over the past three years, this could be the boys bowling program’s best season yet if it ends the way the Indians want it to.
Hononegah — which earned its first state title in 2015 and followed it up with back-to-back runner-up finishes — has been on a roll most of the season. The Indians took first in the NIC-10 for the third straight season, sharing the conference crown this time with defending state champ Harlem. Saturday is the start of what could be another big postseason run for the Indians and Huskies. Hononegah will host a regional at Viking Lanes in South Beloit.
“This is definitely the exciting part of the year,” Hononegah coach Brad Sommer said.
What’s been most impressive about the Indians this season is how much they’ve won. Not only did they win their first eight conference matches before falling to Harlem on Wednesday, they’ve also won nine consecutive tournaments. The only tournament they didn’t win was their first one of the season in Lake Park.
But as hot as Hononegah has been, Sommer knows that doesn’t guarantee them much of anything in the postseason.
“Everything that’s happened so far is in the past,” Sommer said. “We just look forward to the next frame and the next ball. If something does go array, you have to have a real short memory. I believe the teams that do the best job of truly forgetting a past mistake are going to be the ones that excel.”
The Indians have excelled wherever they’ve bowled, and they’ll enjoy the comfort of competing in their home house for regionals. They’ll have to battle with rival Harlem, however. The Huskies beat Hononegah on Wednesday to tie for the conference title, and they might be hitting their stride at the right time.
“We are putting some good numbers up as of late,” coach Nick Whitmire said, “and I am excited about how we are coming together as we head into the postseason. We are good enough to do big things. We just need to put it all out there and let good things happen.”
The other top NIC-10 teams are competing at the Sycamore Regional in DeKalb. The top four teams advance to sectionals. Auburn, East and Freeport all have a chance for a top four finish at Mardi Gras Lanes, which is also the site of sectionals. All three advanced through regionals last year. Freeport was the only NIC-10 team besides state champ Harlem and runner-up Hononegah to advance to the second day of the state tournament, with the Pretzels placing sixth.
“When you look at this particular sectional, there’s a lot of good, quality teams,” Freeport coach John Kreeger said. “It’s going to be a fight. Our regional is no cakewalk either. You can’t start looking toward sectionals because you may never get there.”
Adam Kradle: 815-987-1388; akradle@rrstar.com; @AdamJKradle