RBHS volleyball keeps winning, earns share of UEC East title

Senior Jack Schejbal and his Riverside Brookfield High School boys volleyball teammates felt good about winning their Upstate Eight Conference East Division finale over Glenbard South 25-21, 25-19 May 13. 

The feeling got a whole lot better shortly afterward.

The Bulldogs learned that night that first-place Glenbard East had just lost to West Chicago 25-19, 25-14. 

As a result the Bulldogs share the conference title with those two teams, all with 5-1 records.

“It’s great that we are earning a conference title, even though it is shared,” Schejbal responded. “A couple of teammates sent the box score of (Glenbard East-West Chicago) right after it ended so everyone found out.”

The Bulldogs (21-12) are hoping to carry the momentum into the Hinsdale Central Sectional as the No. 10 seed. Lyons Township is No. 5. 

RBHS is 9-2 in its last 11 matches even with Monday’s 19-25, 25-23, 25-23 loss to South Elgin in the UEC crossover. RBHS was awarded the East’s No. 1 seed on a tiebreaker.

“We are very excited to have won the UEC East title in our first year in our conference,” responded RBHS coach Dan Bonarigo. “We knew we had a chance because we knew West Chicago was very good so we kept playing hard and and won a few three-set victories to stay a one-loss team.”

The 2023 Bulldogs won the program’s first conference title by taking a Metro Suburban Conference winner-take-all showdown at St. Francis in the final round. Last year’s team also won the MSC in 2024, which reduced to five teams.

“I remember the 2023 conference title very well. It was the first conference championship our program had and I am very happy to be part of the continued success of the program,” Schejbal said.

In UEC volleyball, opponents play each other once. RBHS beat West Chicago 25-21, 25-18 April 21 but lost at Glenbard East 22-25, 25-16, 25-20 April 29. The Bulldogs’ other UEC victories included one three-setter against Fenton. 

“We, as a team, believe we shouldn’t have lost against Glenbard East,” Schejbal responded. “We never want to lose and we want to win every conference matchup, no matter who we play against.”

Category leaders this season include Cole Rubio (124 kills), Schejbal (123 kills) and Alec Oltrogge (120 kills), TJ Austin (26 aces, 154 digs), Nick Rivera (74 blocks) and Liam Keohane (331 assists).

The Bulldogs open the Sandburg Regionals Monday against No. 22 Bogan with the winner probably playing No. 7 Argo in Tuesday’s semifinals. 

The Lions are at the Walther Christian Regional against No. 28 Solorio Monday and would play No. 12 St. Laurence or No. 23 Walther Christian Tuesday.

Boys track and field

RBHS senior Matthew Torrens cleared 12 feet in pole vault for the first time this past summer and cleared 13 feet for the second time this season and first time outdoors May 9.

“It felt really good because that’s also a big barrier,” Torrens said. “A 13-0 is kind of the range for state qualifying.”

Now he’s going after a state berth and the school record.

The Bulldogs and Lyons Township compete at the 3A Lyons Township Sectional Thursday. Top-two finishers qualify for state as well as entries that achieve state-qualifying standards at the meet.

At the Upstate Eight Conference Meet Thursday, Torrens was second with 13-5 3/4/5.96 meters, improving upon his 13-1 3/4 the previous meet. 

Torrens could automatically reach state by clearing 13-8 and challenge the 14-0 school record set at state last year by graduated Will Kallas, who on May 8 became the NJCAA Division III national champion for team champion College of DuPage (4.50m/14-9).

Senior Brady Norman, third in the 3,200-meter run (9:38.70) and 1,600 (4:31.67), and the fourth-place 4×400 relay with seniors Henry Walker and Asa Kahle and juniors Quinn Hendricks and Emmitt Olson (3:41.84) also were All-UEC with their top-four finishes. Senior De’Marcus Robateau was sixth in high jump (1.80m/5-10 3/4). The Bulldogs were ninth (32 points).

The Lions finished fifth (56 points) at the West Suburban Conference Silver Division Meet Thursday at OPRF. 

Seniors Ethan Wuggazer, Mason Burda and Ray Waliewski and junior Gustavo Mojarro won the 4×400 (3:23.80). 

Wuggazer, seniors Charlie Ciesla and Tate Pavelka and junior Tyler Gantt (4×800 in 8:03.35) and senior Trevor Devries (7.21m/23-8 in long jump) were second. John O’Halloran was third in the 3,200 (9:46.74) and Burda (400 in 50.32), Pavelka (800 in 1:58.46), senior David Eterno (3.86m/12-8 in pole vault) and sophomore Joey Bockwell (14.96m/49-1 in shot put) were fourth. Gantt’s sixth-place 4:19.34 in the 1,600 is under the 4:21.89 state cut.

Baseball

Nazareth Academy (26-6), Lyons Township (20-9) and Riverside Brookfield (18-12) are the No. 2, 3 and 7 seeds in the 4A Reavis Sectional. 

The Bulldogs and Roadrunners could meet in the Nazareth Regional final May 31. In the semifinals, Nazareth plays No. 15 Argo Tuesday and the Bulldogs meet No. 10 Oak Lawn May 29. 

At the Mt. Carmel Regional, the Lions play No. 14 Morton Tuesday and would meet No. 6 Mt. Carmel or No. 11 Young in the May 31 final.

Softball

Riverside Brookfield (21-9) and Lyons Township (10-16) are the No. 4 and 5 seeds in the 4A Hinsdale Central Sectional and together in the Hinsdale Central Regional.

In Tuesday’s semifinals, RBHS plays No. 14 Hinsdale Central at LTHS meets No. 5 Downers Grove South. The final is at 4 p.m. May 30.

Boys tennis

Riverside Brookfield and Lyons Township compete at the 2A Hinsdale Central Sectional. Top-four singles and doubles finishers advance to state. 

The Lions finished fourth at the West Suburban Conference Silver Division Meet after a 3-3 dual record.

Shay Sweigard was second at No. 1 singles, losing a 10-8 third-set tiebreaker in the final against Hinsdale Central’s Barry Zhu. Manny Gonzalez was third at No. 2 singles. 

The Bulldogs were third at the UEC Tournament and had a 3-2 dual record. Mathias Kubon and Charlie DeButch won No. 2 doubles and Linden Leander and Humza Ahmad were second at No. 1 doubles. 

Boys gymnastics

Senior Sean McCabe and his Lyons Township boys gymnastics teammates achieved their group goal at the IHSGCA state meet Saturday.

The Lions finished ninth of 10 qualifying teams (131.05 points) after posting the 11th highest sectional score. They joined the state field when Geneva withdrew after no regular-season participation.

“Our score was kind of what we thought we were going to do. Our goal was just not to be last,” McCabe said.

Among indivudal state qualifiers, senior Devon Mackenzie tied for 11th on floor exercise (9.0), 0.2 from a top-10 medal. 

Junior Ryan Renderman tied for 14th on floor (8.95) and junior TJ Carr was 17th on pommel horse (8.1) and still rings (7.9) and 19th in all-around (46.05).

Seniors Maks Kasprzak and Jack Michaelson also were individual state qualifiers. Senior Drake Levreau, freshman Evan Ries and sophomore Igancio Rodriguez also competed for the team.

“That’s right about where we are (score-wise),” said LTHS coach Sam Zeman, encouraged by several young returnees. “We were foturnate to be here.”

State was the Lions’ third-highest season score and an improvement from 130.75 at the Niles West Sectional.

Other than vault, McCabe had several personal triumphs in his high-school finale.

“My personal goal was just do the best I could,” McCabe said.

“I stuck my rings dismount so I think that was the best I could have done. Stood up my dismount on (parallel bars), but vault I fell. I took off on the wrong foot. But I still made my other routines.” 

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