Willowbrook student-athletes represent Warrior Pride during fall sports season

Pictured is Willowbrook Athletic Director Brandon Murphy.

The Warrior athletes left their mark on the school and community this fall! They competed with pride and left a legacy of excellence. They continued to improve all season long and demonstrated what being a student-athlete at Willowbrook is all about.

Below is a recap with highlights.

Boys Cross-Country
The runners continued to improve all season and peaked for the most important races in October. The team was led by senior captains Matt Caron, Joseph Garner and William Stout. Caron achieved All-Conference honors by placing 9th overall. He also was a Sectional qualifier and led the team to a 4-2 record. The team not only worked hard on the course, but also in the classroom. The following seniors were named to the Academic All-Conference Team: Caron, Garner, Stout, Michael Danielson, Thomas Danielson, Gavin Hitzeman and Zayd Mujahid.

Girls Cross-Country
Senior Victoria Palma finished her career as one of the Willowbrook Girls Cross-Country all-time greats. She holds the fastest 3A state time in Willowbrook history and finished her career as a two-time Illinois High School Association (IHSA) State Qualifier. She will continue her academic and athletic career at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The girls finished in 7th place at the very competitive Lake Park Regional and had two Sectional qualifiers – Palma and sophomore Melissa Martinez. Palma, senior Kathleen Mitchell and senior Melissa Florey were named to the Academic All-Conference Team.

Football
The Football Team finished a historic season, with a perfect record of 9-0 during the regular season. The Warriors competed in the Quarterfinals of the IHSA Playoffs for the third consecutive year and finished with a record of 11-1 (tying the school record for most wins in a season). The Warriors showed true heart all season as they became back-to-back West Suburban Conference Gold Division Champions. Some of the outstanding honors earned by the players include:

  • All-Conference honors: Senior Scott Tumilty, junior Sam Tumilty, senior Matt Knudtson, senior Emmanuel Chavez, junior Deandre Holliday, senior Tyler Walenga, senior Nicholas Rushing, sophomore Mohammad Ayesh, junior Ryan Ranieri, senior CJ Harris and senior Franshun Jordan.
  • West Suburban Conference Gold Division Most Valuable Defensive Player: Senior Nicholas Rushing
  • West Suburban Conference Gold Division Most Valuable Players: Senior Scott Tumilty and junior Sam Tumilty
  • Academic All-Conference (seniors): Scott Tumilty, Zoe Ericson-Staton, Tyler Walenga, Anthony Devens, Matt Knudtson, James Michael and Tyler MacIntyre
  • IHSA Academic All-State: Senior Scott Tumilty, junior Sam Tumilty, senior Matt Knudtson and sophomore Mohammad Ayesh
  • IHSA All-State Honorable Mention: Senior Scott Tumilty
  • IHSA All-State: Junior Sam Tumilty

Boys Golf
The Boys Golf program continues to be on the upswing. The Warriors’ season record was 11-3, and the team finished 3rd in Conference. All-Conference honors were received by junior Logan Rattana, senior Taylor Sarovich and senior Jackson Hathaway. Seniors who were named to the Academic All-Conference Team are Hathaway, Sarovich, Joseph Guthrie Jr., Ennio Poggi, Lucas Fleege and Colin Topol. Sarovich also qualified for the IHSA Sectional for the second year in a row.

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 senior Anna Raue-Lease, junior Julianna Paulsen, sophomore Peyton Mitrick and freshman Emma Rattana. Academic All-Conference honors were received by seniors Maryellen Dziak and Katherine Pettinger. The Warriors also had their first IHSA Girls Golf State Qualifier since 1994 – and the first freshman on the Girls Golf Team to qualify for state – in Rattana.

Boys Soccer
The Boys Soccer Team was led by senior captains Mario Giase, David Rizzo and Jeff Wolski. The Warriors bonded on and off the field. As the season concluded, they grew as a team and progressed throughout, finishing with a 2-1 victory over Hinsdale South on Senior Night. All-Conference honors were awarded to Giase and Rizzo. Giase also was named to the All-Area Team. Rizzo was selected to the All-Sectional Honorable Mention Team. Seniors named to the Academic All-Conference Team are Giase, Rizzo, Wolski, Mohamed Aly, Kyle Denwood, Hugo Gutierrez, Thomas Marczewski, Jonathan Ramirez, Casey Rosas-Hernandez, Esteban Saenz and Thomas Waldorf.

Addison Trail-Willowbrook Girls Swimming
The team finished in 2nd place at Conference in the Freshmen/Sophomore and Varsity levels and had a stellar invite. This resulted in a season where the team in total dropped more than 300 seconds and had season best times in nearly all races at championship meets. The following seniors were named to the All-Academic Team: Gabriella Panegasser (Willowbrook), Melea Banaszak (Willowbrook), Elissa Haake (Willowbrook), Sabrina Edwards (Willowbrook), Anna Christiansen (Willowbrook), Margaret Kwak (Willowbrook), Natalie Obrzut, McKenna Gayon, Kaitlyn Fox (Willowbrook) and Cassidy Paul (Willowbrook). All-Conference honors went to: Senior Anna Christiansen (Willowbrook), freshman Carly Zaprzal, sophomore Nancy Obrzut, senior Natalie Obrzut, senior Elissa Haake (Willowbrook), freshman Delaney Gayon, freshman Suzzane Ramirez and sophomore Nell Pawlowski. All-Sectional honors went to: Senior Elissa Haake (Willowbrook), senior Natalie Obrzut, sophomore Nancy Obrzut and senior Anna Christiansen (Willowbrook). All-State honors went to Elissa Haake (Willowbrook) and Ellie Hassler (Willowbrook). Elissa Haake (Willowbrook) finished her career as a four-time IHSA State Qualifier in nine events. She will continue her athletic career with the Purdue University Women’s Swimming & Diving Team, where she will compete in freestyle.

Girls Tennis
The Girls Tennis Team was led by senior captains Grace Wachholz and Bianca Galicia. The Warriors finished 4-2 in Conference, 11-6 overall and were the Leyden Invitational Champions. The following seniors were named to the Academic All-Conference Team: Wachholz, Galicia, April Aquino, Cassandra Witt and Andrea Zulawski. The Warriors look to continue this success, with many of their Conference medalists returning next fall.

Girls Volleyball
The Girls Volleyball Team finished with a 3-3 Conference record and had a five-game win streak to end the season. The Warriors had a 2nd-place finish at the Leyden Invite and were led by captains senior Charlotte Dewyer, senior Katelyn McCann and junior Payton Ceh. All-Conference honors were received by Ceh and senior Kaitlyn Karcz. Seniors named to the Academic All-Conference Team are Dewyer, Karcz, McCann, Hanna Konrath, Jenna Krenzel, Isabella Pennebaker and Caileigh Tuma.

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

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