SVM SportShorts for Saturday, July 8, 2023

Rock Falls grad to coach at Texas

Rock Falls High School graduate KJ Conklin, a former assistant basketball coach at Sterling High School, has been named director of player development for the University of Texas men’s basketball program.

Conklin was also on the basketball support staff during the Longhorns’ run to the Elite Eight last season, and before that served as an assistant coach at Independence (Kansas) Community College and Olney Central College.

Conklin was a graduate assistant at Louisiana Tech from 2018-2020, and served as a student assistant at Illinois State from 2012-2017. He graduated from ISU in May 2017 with a degree in Social Science Education, and taught at Rock Falls Middle School in the 2017-18 school year, when he was an assistant at Sterling.

Junis bounces back to start July

Rock Falls native Jakob Junis has had a pair of strong outings to open the month of July, after a tough end to June.

Junis gave up two runs and four hits with two strikeouts in 1 2/3 innings on June 19 against the Padres, then allowed four runs and seven hits with three strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings against the Padres on June 22.

He got a week off and came back strong, pitching two perfect innings against the Mets on July 1 and throwing 15 of his 17 pitches for strikes. He then gave up two runs and three hits in three innings against the Mariners on July 4, with five strikeouts and a hit batsman.

For the season, Junis is 3-3 with a hold and a save, with a 4.71 ERA in 49 2/3 innings pitched over 23 appearances, all out of the bullpen. He has 58 strikeouts, 16 walks and three hit batsmen, while allowing 27 runs (26 earned) and 56 hits. He has allowed 1.45 walks and hits per inning pitched, and opposing batters are hitting .287 against him.

Petunia Fest tennis tournament comes to a close

The 38th annual KSB Tennis Classic had youth and adult divisions take to the Emma Hubbs Tennis Courts in Dixon’s Page Park over the weekend and during the week.

Play started July 1 with the women’s doubles division. Leah Kuehl and Grace Ferguson won 17 games to take the title, while Chloe Coil and Jamie Brigl took second with 12 games won; Jill Kohlert and Jeanne Schulze also won 12 games, but Coil and Brigl won the head-to-head matchup 4-2. Robin Keene and Crete LeFevre won 11 games, and Leah Stees and Brooklyn Arjes won eight games.

The men’s doubles division was also played on July 1. Brecken Peterson and Lucas Healy won 38 games to take the top spot, while Kaiser Khawaja and Carlos Alcolá took second with 33 games won. Monther Elbzour and Arnold Chattic tied for third with Joel Rhodes and John Rhodes, as each duo won 25 games; they tied 2-2 in their head-to-head match. Erik Gillespie and Dawson Newendyke won 24 games for fifth, while Mark Eriks and Mike McNamara won 23 games.

Isaiah Chattic and Sawyer Zuithoff won 22 games, as did John Michael Loggins and David Wanner; Chattic and Zuithoff won 3-1 in their head-to-head match to earn seventh place. Michael Gale and Jacob Fane won 21 games, Leith Elbzour and Bashar Elbzour won 15 games, Skyler F. and Matt Downing won 10 games, and Jacob Rhodes and James Rhodes won six games.

The adult mixed doubles division was played July 2. Rachel Lance and Carlos Alcolá won the title with 20 games won, while Jamie Brigl and Kaiser Khawaja won a super tiebreaker 10-2 over Grace Ferguson and Owen Winters for second place after both teams won 17 games and tied 2-2 in their head-to-head matchup. Crete LeFevre and Lance LeFevre won 11 games, Emily Joines and Gus Lamesch won eight games, Kyarra McGlown and Tim Wittenauer won seven games, and Emily Beattie and Justin Cheever won four games.

The 16-&-under girls doubles division opened play Wednesday. Rachel Lance and Brooklyn Arjes won a super tiebreaker 7-4 to take the title after they tied with Siena Kemmeren and Arielle Tefiku with 21 games won; they also tied 4-4 in their head-to-head match. Cali Mickley and Grace Pecchio won 18 games to take third, Leah Stees and Meerna Elbzour won 14 games, and Jenna Mustapha and Julia Rhodes won six games.

Meerna Elbzour and Micah Peterson defeated Jenna Mustapha and Braden Brigl 8-2 to win the 14-&-under mixed doubles title.

In the 18-&-under mixed doubles division, Leah Stees and Kaiser Khawaja won 22 games to take the title; Grace Ferguson and Owen Winters also won 22 games, but Stees and Khawaja won the head-to-head match 5-3. Julia Rhodes and Joel Rhodes won 17 games, Leah Kuehl and Derek Miller won 16 games, and Emily Beattie and Brooks Knudson won three games.

On Thursday, five divisions took to the courts to finish off the tournament. Jenna Mustapha and Meerna Elbzour defeated Natalie Welty and Josie Rhodes 8-0 to win the 14-&-under girls doubles division to start the day.

In 14-&-under boys doubles, Joel Rhodes and Braden Brigl took the title after defeating Aaron Rivera and Micah Peterson 5-3; both teams won 10 games total. William Dang and Alexander Dang won four games.

In the 16-&-under mixed doubles division, Caroline Lee and Nevan Lipari won 18 games to take the title, while Grace Ferguson and Owen Winters won 14 games for second place, and Rachel Lance and Joel Rhodes won 13 games to take third. Jenna Mustapha and Gavin Staats won three games.

Rachel Lance and Grace Ferguson teamed up to win 13 games and take the 18-&-under girls doubles title, while Emily Beattie and Julia Rhodes won eight games, and Siena Kemmeren and Arielle Tefiku won three games.

Dylan Peterson and Brecken Peterson defeated Micah Peterson and Aaron Rivera 6-0, 6-0 to win the 18-&-under boys doubles title.

Senior bowlers compete in June

The Sauk Valley Senior Bowlers hit the lanes all through the month of June, meeting every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 9 a.m. at Plum Hollow Lanes in Dixon.

Individual high scores for the month were: Bill Bontz 164 game, 449 series; Connie Bontz 167, 435; David Bucher 175, 443; Steve Byars 235, 482; Chico Contreras 186, 478; Anita Dunphy 169, 436; Dan Dunphy 235, 586; Ron Erickson 257, 689; Larry Huyett 187, 462; Mike Imel 192, 508; Barb Jacobs 204, 498; Dave Jacobs 200, 522; Dick Janssen 179, 494; Jan Kuepker 132, 350; Ron Meagher 223, 526; Doug Near 139, 391; Ron Odenthal 205, 542; Cruz Rivera 167, 452; Randy Scott Sr. 150, 402; Jim Shuman 175, 447; Dee Szymanski 146, 408; Ed Webb 187, 467; Shirley Webb 112, 324; Charlie Werner 155, 422; Jay Wolf 213, 552.