Parker Jr High baseball 2018 Provided_web
Local News

Hart, Parker to face off in playoff game Monday

It will be Flossmoor facing Homewood when Parker Junior High comes up against undefeated James Hart School. The baseball teams will each try to win a game Monday to advance to the Illinois Elementary School Association’s state championship. The game will be played at 4 p.m. at Lions Field, 1041 Ridge Road in Homewood. The winner gets the regional title and advances to sectional play on Sept. 22.

It will be Flossmoor facing Homewood when Parker Junior High comes up against undefeated James Hart School. The baseball teams will each try to win a game Monday to advance to the Illinois Elementary School Association’s state championship.
 

  Parker Junior High’s Falcons
  won their semi-regional game
  7-1 on Saturday. They will play
  for the Illinois Elementary School
  Association regional title on
  Monday.
(Provided photos)
 

The game will be played at 4 p.m. at Lions Field, 1041 Ridge Road in Homewood. The winner gets the regional title and advances to sectional play on Sept. 22. The winner of the sectional advances to the state championship round Sept. 28 and 29.
 

The James Hart Panthers took the opening game on Saturday, defeating Washington School from Chicago Heights 14-4. The game was called after five innings because the Homewood team was 10 runs ahead.
 
  Homewood’s James Hart School
  baseball team remains
  undefeated after a 14-4
  victory over Washington
  School in Chicago Heights.
  The team advances to
  regional play Monday in
  Illinois Elementary School
  Association competition.

 

“We hit the ball well today,” Hart coach Grant Sikkema said after the game. “We had some base running errors that we have to work on cleaning up.”
 

He was proud of the work of David Anderson, Kaiden Wesley and Andrew Labno, the team’s pitchers, and recognized Korey Mulling for his strong hitting. 
 
The second game ended with a 7-1 victory for the Parker Junior High Falcons. They beat Memorial Junior High from Lansing.
 
Parker coach Ron Wright said he’s encouraging his players to do their best and “make the plays I know they can and we’ll be successful” on Monday.
 
Wright said if the Parker run comes to an end, it will be bittersweet for him. He has coached his son Matthew from tee-ball through eighth grade “and it will be the last time I can coach him.”
 
“It’s been an honor to coach them,” he said of the team. “I’ve watched many of them grow up. It’s been special.”
 
Parker’s roster includes one girl, Anne Rechsteiner. He said the team filed papers with IESA in Springfield to make that happen. He called Anne, the third base player, “a core member of the team.”
 
Hart team members are seventh graders Alex Fox, Christopher Miller and Kaiden Stine playing with eighth graders David Anderson, Jason Ballard, Dylan Barnas, Jack Barry, Breyan Brooks, Kamin Cox, Anthony Fanelli, Dillon Head, Peyton Henry, Andrew Labno, Korey Mulling, Logan Quaderer, Alijah Rainey, Ethan Tucker and Kaiden Wesley.
 
James Hart is coached by Sikkema and fellow teacher Rick Druse.
 
The roster for the Parker Falcons includes Vince Waterman, Matthew Wright, Bennett Reich, Robert Tate, Dane Ivancevic, Michael Hardy, Niko Bilgi, Evan Nieter, Ayinde Kidd, Josh Moore, Larsen Prokop, Luke Griggs, Anne Rechsteiner, Lloyd Mills, Preston Lund, Declan Hughes, Arie Watson.
 
Parker coaches are Wright and Darryl Thompson.
 

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