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Sports

Maine West's Top 10 Sports Moments for 2010 - 2011

Boys soccer had its best season in school history while a pair of swimmers earned all-state recognition.

Here are Patch's Top 10 picks for the best moments in Maine West athletics over the past school year.

10. Girls Volleyball Perseveres to Win on Senior Night: Through a tough season, Maine West left one of its better performances for Senior Night. The Warriors rallied for a 23-25, 25-18, 25-20 victory against Maine East, getting their seventh win of the season.

9. Football beats Maine East on their Homecoming: The Warriors got out a 20-0 lead against Maine East on their way to a 26-12 win on the road. Maine West exacted some revenge on its rival after the Blue Demons won on Maine Wet’s Homecoming game last year.

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8. Girls Soccer Gets Rare Playoff Victory: Junior forward Annaliese Walsten scored Maine West’s only goal in a 1-0 victory against Leyden in the Class 3A Loyola Regional. Maine West’s defense limited Leyden to only a few good scoring opportunities to make Walsten’s goal hold up.

7. Colin Gratz Wrestles Way to Sectionals: Junior Colin Gratz took third in the 125-pound weight class of the Class 3A York Regional to advance to sectionals. After losing in the semifinals, Gratz defeated Addison Trail's Alex Saucedo for third place.

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6. Garcia Comes From Behind to Win 800-meter run Conference Title: Junior Felipe Garcia edged a pair of Niles North runners at the finish to win the 800 at the CSL North championships in 2:00.49. He later anchored the Warriors’ 4x400 relay team to a victory as well.

5. Valles Throws No-Hitter Against Maine South: Only a sophomore, Ariel Valles proved early in the season that she was going to be Maine West’s ace for the next three seasons. She didn’t allow any hits against Maine South while striking out five and walking none in Maine West’s 3-0 victory.

4. Three badminton players Qualify for State: Singles player Cindy Wong and the doubles team of Sarah Gangl and Katrina Mira both took fourth in the sectional championships to advance to the state tournament. It was the first time any of the three Warriors had made it to state.

3. Swimmer, Diver Earn All-State Honors: After both Ailish O’Connell and Jen Rey finished in the top 25 at last year’s state meet, they set a goal to place in the top 12 in 2010. O’Connell took 11th in the 50-yard freestyle while finished in seventh in the diving competition, both earning all-state recognition.

2. Wasicak Wins 100-yard Breaststroke at Sectionals: Brian Wasicak may have broken the school record in the 500 free, but as a sophomore, he’ll take the trip to state in the 100 breaststroke. Wasicak became Maine West’s first qualifier for state since 2009.

1. Boys Soccer Advances to First Super-Sectional in School History: Maine West came within one game of the state semifinals, losing to Libertyville, 4-1. The Warriors defeated Mather for the first sectional championship in school history. Sophomore midfielder Jerry Espinosa scored Maine West’s only goal of the game against Libertyville.

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