Forreston-Polo boys do quite well at Hawk Classic

Thus far, the big sports event of the spring was the 24-team Oregon Hawk Art Carlson Track Classic, considered the premier small-school track and field meet for northern Illinois.

At the top, it was Big Northern Conference powers Winnebago and Rockford Christian, who finished fourth and fifth downstate in 2022.

The Forreston-Polo boys presented themselves quite well at Landers-Loomis Field with a sixth-place finish and strong performances in the relays. Like ’Bago and RC, Forreston-Polo has made a name at the IHSA state meet, finishing in the top 10 in four straight years (2017-21).

Among 1A teams, F-P’s 400-meter relay and 1,600-relay is ranked No. 6 and No. 5. In the 800 relay and 3,200 relay, F-P also has a shot to advance downstate with times ranked 22nd.

For the other schools in Ogle County, it’s been a down year for boys track and field, although Stillman Valley has been improving in participation.

A year ago, random circumstances had me in Las Vegas, site of the 2022 NFL Draft. One side of me had a hard time reconciling the silly devotion to this event by rabid fans. However, the softer side of me was touched by the camaraderie shared by humans of all backgrounds. It didn’t matter one’s political party, economic standing, skin color or religion – everyone came together as one.

And make no mistake, the predominant religion was an obsession with pro football and the gods have become whoever your team drafts. Dressed in team garb, complete strangers embraced and high-fived their way through a three-day obsession with football.

This year’s draft at Kansas City was even bigger, with an attendance of 300,000 people and also good TV ratings. Who would have thought a non-sporting event would become so popular?

A handful of Ogle County high schoolers have seen playing time in the NFL.

From Polo, Dick Folk and Paul Shenefelt played in the 1930s. Rochelle’s Stan Campbell (1952-62) and Mike Wilson (1969) repped the Hubs. And, of course, Byron has Troy Drake (1995-98) and Sean Considine (20052012).

Among Illinois high schools, Evanston has the most NFLers by a long shot with 25. The next closest school has 18.

I ran into former Byron High School principal Gary Hassler last week and the conversation soon turned to the old Mid Northern conference. Talk about a geographically perfect league with Byron, Forreston, Mt. Morris, Oregon, Pecatonica, Polo, Stillman Valley and Winnebago.

In today’s age of schools forced to travel long distances, what a delight that had to be for bus rides of a half hour or less. Additionally, the rivalries were great because of the close proximity.

As the Mid-Northern morphed into the Big Northern as a football-only league in 1991 and eventually all sports in 1995, Hassler was involved as a president. It was sad to see the demise of the Mid Northern, but enrollment changes dictated that.

Did you know that Forreston was a member of the BNC before joining the NUIC in 1995? They were replaced by Huntley, a tiny school back then, but now with an enrollment of 3,000 today.

The five remaining charter schools in the BNC are old standbys Byron, Oregon, Stillman Valley and ’Bago, along with Genoa-Kingston. Like the Mid Northern, the BNC remains a good conference (39 state championships), but a lot more travel.

Last Saturday, Oregon’s baseball team was trailing Polo 9-2 in the bottom of the final inning. Not only was it cold and windy, but prom was later that day.

Rather than folding up to a 3-11 opponent, the Hawks pulled off an incredible rally, coming back to win 10-9 on a Logan Weems two-out single on a 3-2 count. That demonstrates heart for a squad that has struggled this season and relies heavily on freshmen and sophomores.

Finally, a bit of trivia from an old news clipping from a 1969 prep publication I happened upon from the internet. Good friend Larry Ebert of tiny Ashton was listed as the third top scorer in the entire state for football.

• Andy Colbert, an avid runner, has been a sports writer for Shaw Media and has covered high school sports in Ogle County for more than 30 years.