Chad Lucas, Jerry Missel, Drew Sabol, J.J. Cravatta, 2 teams joining Streator Athletic Hall of Fame

On Saturday at Streator High School, four individuals and two teams will be officially inducted into the Streator High Athletic Sports Hall of Fame in a night of celebration honoring their accomplishments wearing the Bulldogs colors. This banquet – delayed because of efforts to contain COVID-19 – will induct hall of famers voted in since the last induction banquet, but not athletes selected in 2022, who will be honored at a future induction banquet.

Joining the Streator High Athletic Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday are:

J.J. Cravatta

A 2012 graduate, Cravatta became and still is the Bulldogs basketball program’s all-time leading scorer with 1,960 points. He was an all-state performer during his four-year varsity career, in 2011-12 leading the Streator boys basketball program to its first regional championship since 1969 and winning The Times Boys Basketball Player of the Year award. He also was a member of the first SHS conference champion golf team since 1981.

Jerry Missel

A 1959 graduate, Missel was a captain and standout on the football field during the Bulldogs’ undefeated 1959 season and qualified for the IHSA Golf State Meet, where he placed eighth of 183 qualifiers during the 1958-59 school year. He already has been inducted into the Streator High School Worthy Hall of Fame for his accomplishments off the field of competition.

Drew Sabol

A 2010 graduate also being inducted as a member of the regional and NCIC champion 2010 Bulldogs baseball team, Sabol was a multisport athlete who lettered in basketball and golf but made his biggest impact on the baseball diamond. A three-time All-NCIC performer and The Times 2010 Co-Baseball Player of the Year, Sabol is to this day the Streator baseball program’s winningest pitcher and capped his high school career with a dominating senior season that included a 12-0 pitching record with a 1.73 ERA and 132 strikeouts over 72 2/3 innings pitched as well as a .405 batting average with six home runs and 30 RBIs.

Chad Lucas

A 2009 graduate, Lucas was an intimidating force on the basketball court, but even more so on the football field, where he was an IHSFCA All-State first-team honoree as well as a unanimous choice to The Times All-Area first team after recording 84 total tackles and helping lead the Bulldogs to their first – and still only – playoff victory in 2008.

2005-06 girls bowling team

After an undefeated regular season in match play, the 2005-06 Streator girls bowling team – Kayla Tyne, Lynette Sullivan, Sara Rakoczy, Samantha McMullen, Jessica Leskanich and Jackie Leonard, coached by Ron Ramza, Nancy Longnecker and Tom Rice – accomplished something no Streator bowling team had done before or since.

Only two teams advanced to the IHSA State Finals out of the United Township Sectional in East Moline in Februrary 2006. One of those was Streator, which finished second behind the sectional champion hosts with a five-girl score of 5,364 pins led by matching 1,110s from Rakoczy and Sullivan.

One of 24 teams at the IHSA State Finals, Streator secured a ninth-place finish after the first day’s six games led by Tyne’s 1,211, making them one of only 12 teams to survive the cut for the next day’s finals. The Bowlin’ Lady Bulldogs on that final day were led by Tyne’s 2,213 to finish 11th in the state in a one-class system.

To this day, it is still the only Streator bowling team to advance to the IHSA State Finals.

2010 baseball team

The Streator baseball program has a long and accomplished history … and the 2010 Bulldogs are right there among the best of them.

The team – led by all-conference picks Tom Segovich, Dylan Grabowski, Drew Sabol, Gunthar Libby, Zach Gayon, Blake Baker, Tyler Wargo, Josh Eplin and Connor Armstrong along with Jesse Spraggon, Tyler Sabol, Reese Nicklin, Brennon Martin, Zach Garrison, Ryan Nagle and Mo Fraga, coached by Nick McGurk, Mike Nagle and Ryan Bemont – started the 2010 season 9-0 and finished 29-7, including a 12-0 run through the NCIC, sweeping L-P and Ottawa, and a Class 3A regional championship in which the Bulldogs outscored its two opponents 22-2.

Streator advanced to the sectional, winning its opener 8-7 over Rock Island before falling 10-8 to Galesburg in a repeatedly weather-delayed championship game that was played only a few hours before the tornado of 2010 struck Streatorland.

Leaders on the team included Baker’s .490 batting average and 47 RBI’s, Drew Sabol and Armstrong’s 35 runs scored apiece, Baker and Sabol’s six home runs each, Gayon with 25 RBIs and Nagle with 24 more, Drew Sabol’s 12-0 pitching record with a 1.73 ERA and Libby’s 7-1 record with a 2.85 ERA.

Until the 2021 postseason, it was the last Bulldogs baseball team to win a regional title.