This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Sports

Niles North Sports Roundup: April 8

After a long winter the tennis team looks forward to a successful season while the softball team is off to a solid start.

Boys Tennis: Coach Rich Jaffe knows that every season is an uphill battle for Niles North High School within the conference. Playing in the Central Suburban League (CSL) North, the Vikings will face top tennis programs from such high schools as Deerfield, Glenbrook North and Highland Park.

“Three of the top teams in the state--if not the country--in high school tennis,” Jaffe said.

But that doesn’t deter Jaffe from expecting a successful season. Niles North returns seven players from last year’s varsity roster and the Vikings will feature a strong top of the lineup with Dave Bacalla leading the way as the No. 1 singles player.

Find out what's happening in Skokiewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“He’s a state qualifier and a top 10 guy in the state,” Jaffe said. “We expect big things from him again.”

After months of practice, the Vikings finally started their season this week. After a tough loss to Lake Forest Academy (5-2), Niles North rebounded to beat Notre Dame 5-0.

Find out what's happening in Skokiewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Bacalla cruised to a 6-2, 6-0 victory in his match against Lake Forest.

During the early part of the season, Jaffe will be tinkering with the team’s doubles combinations to try and figure out the right mix of players. Sophomores Ian Crane and Eddie Reinfrank, who were both brought up halfway through last season to the varsity level, and junior Jacob Cohn are expected to fill some of those spots in the doubles lineup.

Girls Softball: After a tough 7-1 loss to Glenbrook South on Tuesday, Niles North (5-2) bounced back for a tight 6-5 victory against Lakes on Wednesday.

Sophomore Rachel Matthies went 2-for-4 at the plate with a double and scored the game-winning run on a hit by senior Rebecca Gilbert in the bottom of the sixth inning. Gilbert was also 2-for-4 with two doubles.

Sophomore Kristin Reichert went 2-for-2 in a 6-3 Niles North victory over St. Viator on Monday.

Boys Volleyball: The Vikings lost a tough three-set match to Niles West in the annual rivalry game, 14-25, 25-19, 25-23. Andre Shaw, the sixth man on Niles North’s record-setting basketball team, had four kills as an outside hitter and Hershel Patt chipped in with six kills for the Vikings.

Girls Track: The Vikings just completed the indoor season in the CSL North division, finishing third overall. They are now preparing for the outdoor season.

“We have our work cut out for us for the upcoming outdoor conference meet,” coach Andy Swedberg said. “Hopefully the girls will rise to the occasion and we can close the gap on Highland Park and Deerfield.”

Boys Basketball: Abdel Nader was named to the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association's All-State 2nd Team. Nader, who led the Vikings to their first sectional title in school history, was one of 12 CSL basketball players honored.  

SCOREBOARD WATCHING:

Baseball:

Rolling Meadows 12, Niles North 2 in six innings on April 6.

Niles North 7, Ridgewood, NJ, 6 on April 2.

Girls Soccer:

Nazareth 4, Niles North 0 on April 5.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Skokie