IHSA state chess: Sterling wins three matches and closes first day ranked 17th

PEORIA — Sterling High School’s chess team was ranked 17th after the first day of competition at the Illinois High School Association state championships at the Peoria Civic Center.

The move to 17th was an improvement from its initial No. 24 seeding.

Through four rounds on Friday, Sterling had three wins and a loss. Its final match of the day was a resounding 59 to 9 victory over Washington.

Isaiah Phillips, Elias Jensen, Jacob Brown, Christian Garza, Ethan Howell, Dayton Fisher and August Kuehl all posted individual victories against Washington.

Sterling’s win sets up a fifth-round match for 9 a.m. Saturday against Downers Grove South.

DG South advanced with wins over Bartonville Limestone, Maple Park Kaneland, and Frankford Lincoln-Way East while suffering a loss to Chicago Lane.

It was the third-round match that proved crucial to Sterling’s chances. Palatine Fremd — then sitting second in the standings — defeated Sterling 53 to 15.

Sterling’s only individual winners against Fremd were Jacob Brown and Fisher.

Sterling had won its opening two matches on Friday and had climbed to 15th at that point.

Sterling defeated Kankakee McNamara 55 to 11 in the opener and then beat Orland Park Sandburg 56 to 12 in the second round.

Phillips, Sterling’s No. 1 seated-player, had a win and a draw. He scored an opening victory over McNamara’s Braedyn Mulcahy and played Sandburg’s Ved Shah to a draw.

Jensen, in the No. 2 spot, started out 2-0, defeating McNamara’s Kolton Hunt and Sandburg’s Naveen Koshy.

Other Sterling players with two victories were Ryan Austin, Garza, Howell and Fisher.

The seventh and final round matches are scheduled to start sometime after 2:45 p.m. on Saturday.

The top five schools after four rounds were Chicago Payton, Chicago Whitney Young, defending champ and No. 1 seed Lincolnshire Stevenson, Evanston and Glenview Glenbrook South.

The next five spots were held by Aurora Waubonsie Valley, Northbrook Glenbrook North, Fremd, Hinsdale Central and Naperville Neuqua Valley.