on the next move in their
matches Saturday, Jan. 24.
(Photo by Eric Crump/The
Chronicle)
Homewood-Flossmoor High School chess players wrapped up their regular season Saturday, Jan. 24, by hosting and taking second place in the Southwest Suburban Conference chess tournament.
Carl Sandburg High School took first place in the tournament.
H-F players Jacob Rothchild and Troi Bowie won medals for being in the top 10 of their division. Rothchild took fourth place and Bowie took ninth, according to Coach Dwight Morton.
The Vikings ended the season with a 7-3 record for the season, the first time in a decade the team has topped the .500 mark. And Morton said the team has set its sights on ranking in the top 25 percent of schools in the state next year.
Morton, who is also co-chairman of the 16-team conference, said the goal is to build on this year’s success and get H-F chess players to the top of the conference, to state and eventually to the championship.
The location of the conference tournament rotates each year, and Morton believes Saturday was the first time H-F has hosted the end-of-the-season event. A smaller tournament was held at H-F a few years ago, he said.
“I was excited to volunteer H-F as the host school this year to show off our great campus, but also our great community,” he said. “I appreciate so many parents and students who gave their time to make this event successful.”
He offered special thanks to Erika Holliday, who helped coordinate the event. He also thanks his wife, Raquel, for supporting him and their family while he’s away for practices or competitions.
Dwight Morton has big plans
for his team’s future. (Photo
by Eric Crump/The Chronicle)
“I expect to host more tournaments in the coming years to help my team and conference strength increase,” he said. “Our team consists mostly of underclassmen that have never competed in tournaments prior to this season, so I’m very proud of how much they’ve grown in a such a short period of time.”
Morton also thanked school officials for supporting the team and the event, including District 233 Board President Rick Lites, Superintendent Von Mansfield and H-F Principal Ryan Pitcock.
“As a second year head coach, I’m excited about our program’s future, and I expect more great things to come,” he said.
Next up for the team is the state tournament Feb. 13 and 14 in Peoria, possibily one of the largest chess tournaments in the country.
“It’s my goal to move us to the top 25 percent this year,” Morton said.
H-F varsity players this year were Brian Davis, Rasheed Taylor, Jacob Rothchild, Matthew Scholefield, Troi Bowie, Aaron Holliday, William Wooldridge, Kenneth Dames, Teddy Komorowski, Joe Mason, Jalen Kidd, Santiago Carpio, Michael Colton, Kaleb Monroe and Alex Garcia.
More information:
Southwest Suburban Conference Chess
Contact Eric Crump at [email protected]
