Willowbrook student-athletes represent Warrior Pride during fall sports season

Pictured is Willowbrook Athletic Director Brandon Murphy.

Throughout the fall, Warrior athletes continued to improve all season long and demonstrated what being a student-athlete at Willowbrook is all about. They left their mark on the school and community as they competed with pride. Thank you to all of the programs for leaving a legacy of excellence for future seasons to follow.

Below is a recap with highlights.

Boys Cross-Country
Head Coach Terry Artman had the Willowbrook distance runners continuing to build all season long. At the Conference Championships, the entire squad stepped up to the challenge and had some of the team’s best races ever. The Warriors finished 4th as a team after a gutsy championship race. Junior Tyler King finished in 6th place and was named to the All-Conference Team. The team was led by senior Captain Brandon Heselton to a 4-2 record. The Warriors had three individuals qualify to Sectionals: King, Heselton and junior Ben Cunneen. The team not only worked hard on the course, but also in the classroom. All-Academic honors were earned by Heselton, senior Raymond Brisbois and senior Jake Jagiello. The seniors on this team guided the squad with strong leadership and a relentless work ethic. They were always ready to work and will be greatly missed next season.

Girls Cross-Country
The Warriors had an exciting cross-country season, with great individual performances at Conference, Regionals and Sectionals. The team finished in 2nd place at the Conference Championships and had three All-Conference athletes: Senior Madeleine Wilkie placed 12th, junior Melissa Martinez (Captain) placed 13th and junior Daylee Braden placed 16th. At Regionals, the Warriors qualified as a team to Sectionals. Seniors Wilkie, Isabel Willett-Templeton and Michelle Villalobos (Captain) also earned All-Academic honors.

Girls Tennis
New Head Coach Eddie DeLaCruz had the help of senior Captains Madeline Brown and Priscilla DelValle to lead the Willowbrook Girls Tennis Team to another successful season. The Warriors saw a surge in numbers, with a turnout of 45 girls in the tennis program this fall. With so many players, the team was able to incorporate a new level on its schedule to have varsity, junior varsity 1 and junior varsity 2. All the players had an opportunity to play some matches. The girls ended up with a dual-meet record of 9-6 on varsity and a record of 3-3 in Conference play, which placed the team 4th in Conference overall. One of the season highlights was winning the District 88 eight-team tournament in September. The team also finished in 2nd place at the Leyden Invitational. All-Conference players were 1st doubles Conference champions Ellie King (senior) and Brown and singles players Penelope DelValle (sophomore) and Ryley Goles (senior). All-Academic honors were earned by the following seniors: Brown, Goles, King, Priscilla DelValle, Emily Jarosz, Natalia Murgas and Ava Stratton.

Girls Volleyball
The Girls Volleyball Team had a great run this fall. Head Coach Irene Mason and her captains (senior Payton Ceh, junior Grace Reckamp and sophomore Katie Linnig) led the Warriors to a 20-win season. The Warriors finished in 1st place at the Leyden Invite and won an exciting match against West Chicago on Senior Night. All-Conference award winners were Ceh and Reckamp. All-Academic honors were earned by the following seniors: Ceh, Laine Degnan, Alondra Mendoza and Grace Placek. Ceh was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Autumn Knights Invite and to the Daily Herald DuPage County All-Area Honorable Mention Team.

Boys Golf
The Boys Golf program continues to be on the upswing. The Warriors’ season record was 9-3, and the team finished 3rd in Conference. The season was highlighted by senior Utah Keehner’s 8th-place finish at the Conference Championships and senior Logan Rattana shooting a 78 to medal at the Fenton Invite. Coach Gary Walker is very optimistic for the future, with the majority of the team returning next season. Keehner was named to the All-Conference Team, and he also received All-Academic honors, along with Rattana and senior Joseph Zopel.

Girls Golf
The Lady Warrior Golfers had an amazing year of growth. Each golfer set personal bests throughout the season. The team was led by Captains Julianna Paulsen (senior), Peyton Mitrick (junior) and Emma Rattana (sophomore). The Warriors had a very young team this year and finished in 7th out of 10 teams at the Conference Championships. One of the season highlights was a victory over Oak Park and River Forest High School by a score of 177-179. Paulsen and senior Alexis Masseo also were named to the All-Academic Team.

Boys Soccer
The Warriors welcomed new Head Coach Dan Riskind to the program. The Boys Soccer Team made vast improvements as the season progressed. The team finished the season winning three of its last five games and won the Regional quarterfinal game. The Warriors were led by Captains Devin Guallpa (senior), Brian Fuentes (senior) and Kevin Kapica (junior). All-Conference honors were awarded to seniors Dorian Mahone and Norman Deci. Fuentes and seniors Eric Hoda and Isai Aparicio were named to the All-Academic Team.

Addison Trail-Willowbrook Girls Swimming
Head Coach Tara Murphy and assistant coach Amy Martello continue to develop state-level swimmers each season. This fall was another great year for the Addison Trail-Willowbrook Girls Swim Team. The freshmen/sophomore team and the varsity team had a Conference record of 4-1 and finished in 2nd place at the Conference meet. The following seniors were named to the All-Academic Team: Emy Hayes (Willowbrook), Kelsey Fitzgerald (Willowbrook), Margaret Hassler (Willowbrook), Anahy Tecuanhuehue (Addison Trail) and Andrea Villarreal (Addison Trail). All-Conference honors went to freshman Jessica Pociecha (Addison Trail), junior Nancy Obrzut (Addison Trail), sophomore Delaney Gayon (Addison Trail), sophomore Carly Zaprzal (Addison Trail), junior Deanna Tate (Willowbrook), junior Carolyn Burns (Willowbrook) and sophomore Mary “Ellie” Hassler (Willowbrook). At Sectionals, the following athletes medaled and finished in the top 6: Zaprzal, Gayon, Obrzut, Pociecha and Hassler. Hassler also qualified for the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Girls Swimming & Diving State Meet and competed in the 50-Yard Freestyle (6th place), the 100-Yard Freestyle (6th place) and the 100-Yard Breaststroke (5th place) for Athletes with Disabilities. The team had record participation this year, with 46 members!

Football
The Football Team finished a historic season with a record of 8-1 during the regular season. The Warriors advanced to the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) 7A Playoffs Semifinals for the first time since 1975 and finished with a record of 11-2 (tying the school record for most wins in a season.) The Warriors dropped their semifinal game to Mount Carmel High School. It marked the first time in school history that Willowbrook hosted a semifinal football game. The Warriors showed true heart all season as they became back-to-back-to-back Conference Champions. Below are some of the outstanding honors earned by the team.

All-Conference Team: Senior Sam Tumilty, senior Deandre Holliday, senior Everett Stubblefield III, senior Ryan Ranieri, senior Brian Dilger Jr., senior Travis Moore, junior Enrique Cruz, junior Elijah Brockie, junior Mohammad Ayesh, sophomore Nicholas Mabutas, sophomore Joshua Brown and sophomore Izabelle Manning
West Suburban Conference Gold Division (WSCG) Most Valuable Player: Tumilty
WSCG Most Valuable Offensive Players: Holliday and Stubblefield III
WSCG Most Valuable Lineman: Ranieri
WSCG Most Valuable Special Teams Player: Manning
All-Academic Team (seniors): Tumilty, Anthony Yannotti, Tyler Piehl-Haymes and Alessio Battaglia
Illinois High School Football Coaches Association (IHSFCA) Academic All-State: Tumilty, Brockie, Ayesh and Mabutas
IHSFCA All-State Honorable Mention: Stubblefield III
Daily Herald All-Area Team: Tumilty, Holliday, Stubblefield III and Ranieri
Daily Herald All-Area Honorable Mention Team: Brockie, Ayesh and Brown
Chicago Sun-Times All-Area Team: Tumilty
Suburban Life Friday Night Drive All-Area Team: Tumilty and Stubblefield III
Tumilty also earned the following awards: Red Grange Award for DuPage County’s Player of the Year; Suburban Life Friday Night Drive Player of the Year; and All-State Teams for IHSFCA, Edgy Tim and News Gazette

Thank you, Warriors, for a remarkable fall season. We look forward to the successes the winter and spring seasons will bring. Once a Warrior, Always a Warrior!

* Willowbrook is part of the West Suburban Conference Gold Division.