Eye on Libertyville High School Sports

Here's what bowler Max Schmidt's scorecard looked like last Thursday at Lakeside Lanes.

Strike, spare, strike, strike, strike, strike, strike, strike, strike, strike, strike, strike.

And by the time the eighth and ninth consecutive strikes went up on the board, Schmidt's legs began to shake. That's because everyone in the building was watching his every move.

Schmidt's 280 game is a school record and he is convinced that the one strike he missed should have been a gone down as well.

“It came in the pocket a little too heavy,'' Schmidt said. “But it should have been a strike.”

It's not like Schmidt has been setting the world of bowling on its ear. He's still fairly new to the sport.

“I really started bowling with my dad in the seventh grade,'' he said. “I didn't get my first ball until the eighth grade. I was self-taught and then got some coaching.”

And of course there was a big celebration after this impressive match. Well, maybe not.

“My cousin gave me a rice krispie treat,'' Schmidt said. “And then I got some Skittles in a bag.”

Imagine what he would have received if that one pin had fallen in the second round.

The senior is looking at colleges with bowling in mind.

Of course, Schmidt was an easy choice for athlete of the week for .

Last Saturday, the Wildcats took part in the Cougar Classic at Vernon Hills. Schmidt finished in 26th place (1,168). His day was highlighted by games of 220, 219 and 203.

Libertyville was led by junior Jake Thompson (1,272). He finished in 12th place aided by games of 239, 233, 232 and 229.

Sophomore Jack Baumruk finished with a 1,129 series. He had a high game of 222.

This bowling team rolls again Tuesday at home against Lake Zurich.

Wrestling: The rivalry match went to Libertyville. Last Thursday, the Wildcats beat Stevenson 38-19. Last Saturday, the Wildcats took a trip to Joliet West and managed to pick up a few wins.

Libertyville beat Joliet West 46-13 and Yorkville 35-18. Only the state's sixth-ranked team from Minooka tripped up the Wildcats 36-18. Pat Fitzgerald had a strong weekend wrestling at two weights. He won four straight matches, including an overtime win over a sectional qualifier from a year ago.

Steve Polakowski also was the school's athlete of the week and he went unbeaten at 113. Winning three matches in Joliet were Kyle May (120/126), Charlie Meyer (132), Austin Pettinato (145), Sal Ayala (160), Kevin Barbian (195/220), and Chris McDermand (285).

The wrestling team travels to Hoffman Estates for a 12-team tournament on Saturday. The teams to watch include Lincoln-Way Central and Notre Dame.

Ice Hockey: This club team continues to promote its program. Student pizza night is at 8:30 Friday at Glacier Ice Arena in Vernon Hills. Fremd is the opponent and between the second and third periods, free pizza will be available.

Those guests who bring in three or more used children's books for Bernie's Book Bank will receive a raffle ticket for a $200 gift certificate to Park Grill in Chicago and free parking as well.

Boys Hoops: These Wildcats moved to 6-0 last week with wins over Crystal Lake South and Zion-Benton. Ellis Matthews claimed an athlete of the week award as he averaged 19 points a game in a recent tournament.

Libertyville has a rare 5:30 p.m. start Saturday. Lake Zurich is the guest.

Girls Hoops: Rivalry night is Friday in Lincolnshire. The Wildcats battle Stevenson at 7:30 p.m. Libertyville will try to shake off losses to both Zion-Benton and Lake Zurich.

Gymnastics: These girls have an invitational on Saturday at Glenbrook North (11 am).

Swimming: The swimmers get going Saturday at the Barrington Invite at 1:30 p.m.