2007-08 HIGHLIGHTS

 

Season Summary

Hoffman Estates finished with a 21-19 record on the year, good for a 0.525 winning percentage.  The Hawks 5-5 record in the MSL West earned them a 2nd place finish, tied with Palatine, behind champion Fremd.  Sam Cho and Meghana Joshi competed on the MSL West all-star team.  Susan Liu was unanimously voted by the sectional coaches to the IHSA all-sectional team.  Liu’s 4.58 hit/match average on the season ranked her fourth on Hoffman’s all-time scoring list behind legends Randall Laurence (2004-05), Evan Jones (2006-07), and record-holder David Abram (2003-04).  Hoffman will sorely miss seniors Suey, Sanette, Meghana, and Sam.  Waiting to reload are junior standouts Moid and Sami Khan, Christina Oda, and Will Creedon, along with a talented sophomore cast led by Aakash Bavishi.

The frosh/soph team finished with a 19-13 record, with Bavishi compiling a monstrous 6.45 hit/match average.  Daven Patel finished second on the team with a 2.25 hit/match average.  The team finished its MSL tour with a 5-5 record, good for 3rd place in the West during coach Matthew Dowd’s first year.

For bragging rights, it should be noted that the varsity B team finished with the highest winning percentage of all three teams for the 2007-08 season, tallying a record of 11-4, good for a 0.733 winning percentage.  In both B-team tournaments, the New Trier Invite and the Fremd Invite, the Hawk B-team finished with identical 4-1 records, earning second place finishes in each tourney.

Coach Joe Kulesza concludes his coaching career at Hoffman, leaving for Wheaton Academy.  Kulesza’s teams compiled a 217-107 record over a six year span, including two MSL West division championships, one MSL conference championship, and two IHSA regional championships.  His 2003-04 team advanced furthest into post-season play, finishing 2-1 in the IHSA sectional tourney and narrowly missing an entry into the 2003-04 state championships held in Peoria.

For future players who want to aim high, here are Hoffman’s Top 10 players over the past six years:

Rank

Player

Average*

Year

1

David Abram

5.34

2003-04

2

Evan Jones

4.74

2006-07

3

Randall Laurence

4.59

2004-05

4

Susan Liu

4.58

2007-08

5

Neeraj Joshi

4.35

2004-05

6

Ed Wagner

3.77

2005-06

7

Eric Uskali

2.70

2003-04

8

A.J. Jones

2.68

2004-05

9

Rahim Mohammadali

2.55

2003-04

10

Dan Schwent

2.43

2004-05

* The average is based on total number of hits per thirty questions for their senior season.

Good luck to Hoffman teams of the future, and may a state championship find its way into Hoffman history some day!

March 4, 2008

Hoffman began its post-season journey by facing off against Rolling Meadows.  The Hawks and Mustangs did not meet during the regular season.  Five first half toss-ups from Susan Liu, two from Moid Khan, and one from Sanette Tanaka staked the Hawks out to a comfortable 178-88 half-time lead.  The second half started with four unanswered Mustang hits to close the gap to 183-146.  Over the next nine toss-ups, Rolling Meadows out slugged Hoffman six hits to two, closing the score to a mere 2-point differential, in favor of the Hawks.  With two questions remaining, Liu connected on her third fine arts hit of the match, and Sam Cho sealed the deal with a knock in science to secure the first round victory, 264-242.

In the regional semi-final, the Hawks managed just six hits—two from Liu, two from Meghana Joshi, and one apiece from Tanaka and Cho.  The small output could not match up against Carmel’s 14-hit attack, as the Corsairs advanced to the regional championship by topping the Hawks 248-131.

March 1, 2008

At the IHSA-formatted Homewood Flossmoor tourney, Hoffman finished 2-3, posting victories over Carmel B and Lincoln Way Central, a drubbing from host Homewood Flossmoor, and near wins vs. Fenwick and Crete-Monee.

Meghana Joshi’s 3 first-half toss-ups paved the way for Hoffman’s 283-171 win over Carmel B.  Sanette Tanaka and Moid Khan tallied 3 hits apiece to lead the Hawks past the Knights of Lincoln Way, 228-205.  Susan Liu’s late second-half hit brought Hoffman within 7 points of perennial state power Fenwick, but the Hawks couldn’t close the deal, losing 203-233.  Sam Cho nailed an amazing four second-half toss-ups against the Warriors from Crete-Monee, but poor bonus play doomed Hoffman as the Warriors escaped with a 2-point victory.

The Hawks finished regular season play with a 20-18 record.  Next up: IHSA regional quarterfinal vs. Rolling Meadows.

February 21, 2008

Conant High School hosted MSL Round 5, and it turned out to be one of the most exciting contests of the year.  After edging Conant by a score of 115-105, Hoffman was poised for an upset of nemesis Fremd.  Stunning first half play by the Hawk team combined with a barrage of mathematically brilliant hits by Susan Liu paced Hoffman to a 75-50 half-time lead.  After an exchange of toss-ups and bonuses, Fremd found itself with a meager 19 point lead going into question 18.  Unfortunately for the Hawks, the eventual MSL West Division Champion Vikings found a way to flex their muscle, connecting on three consecutive toss-ups to put the match out of reach.

In Frosh/Soph action, the Hoffman beat Conant for its third time this season against zero losses.  In the nightcap though, the Hawks couldn’t find a way to handle Fremd.  Tied 60-60 at question 8, the Vikings went on a rampage—scoring 7 unanswered toss-ups.  Three hits by Hoffman’s Aa’s—Aakash Bavishi and Aaron Vera—weren’t enough to sidetrack the Green and Gold as the Vikings sailed to a 220-125 victory.

Both teams—varsity and frosh/soph—finished with 5-5 records in Mid Suburban League West division play.

February 14, 2008

MSL Round 4 was an infamous day, as Hoffman players were glued to the BHS televisions, watching the sad events at NIU unfold.  The Hawks were clearly distracted, as Hoffman was able to muster up a mere 2 hits against Barrington, both from Meghana Joshi.  After suffering a 65-145 loss, Hoffman turned its sights onto Schaumburg, but could barely get moving throughout the entire first half.  In the second half, solid team play and Sanette Tanaka’s social studies hit on toss-up 20 brought the Hawks to within 15 points, but Hoffman managed only 10 points on the bonus, and the Hawks fell to the Saxons by a 165-170 score.  Sami Khan again provided stellar bench play, averaging 6.00 hits/match.

The F/S team lost to Barrington 150-225, but topped Schaumburg 145-130 to keep its conference record at 0.500.

MSL Conference Standings: Varsity 4-4, F/S 4-4.

February 7, 2008

For MSL Round 3, the Hawks flew to SHS to battle both Schaumburg and Palatine.  Susan Liu’s 9 hit, 6.75 hit/match performance fueled two victories for Hoffman.  Five other players joined in on the scoring, including Sanette Tanaka (2), Will Creedon (2), Sami Khan (2), Meghana Joshi (1), and Sam Cho (1).

Aakash Bavishi matched Liu’s performance, except on the Frosh/Soph level, where his 9 hit, 6.75 hit/match performance resulted in one win, but could not put down Schaumburg, with the Hoffman reeling 145-170.  Aaron Vera hit at a nice clip for the Hawks, averaging 3.43 hits/match.

MSL Conference Standings: Varsity 4-2, F/S 3-3.

January 31, 2008

In MSL Round 2 (@ PHS), Sami Khan continued his bench heroics by delivering an instant hit en route to achieving a 6.00 hit/match average.  Susan Liu’s 7 hits were enough to pace Hoffman to a 175-125 victory over Conant, but Fremd’s multi-dimensional attack could not be contained as Hoffman fell to the Vikings, 85-215.

The Frosh/Soph team’s results mirrored that of the varsity team, as a victory over Conant and a loss to Fremd evened the Hawk conference standing to 2-2.  Aakash Bavishi scored 5.  Both Molin Ray and Daven Patel had an outstanding day, as each contributed 4 toss-ups.

MSL Conference Standings: Varsity 2-2, F/S 2-2.

January 26, 2008

The Frosh/Soph team entered the Wheaton North Invite short-handed, as the Hawks were able to field a team of only 4 players.  Despite the disadvantage, Hoffman compiled a 3-2 record, posting victories over Ottawa, St. Viator, and Fremd C.  Against Ottawa, Mason Jenkins and Daven Patel led the Hawk scoring with 2 toss-ups apiece.  Hoffman’s losses came at the hands of Rockford Auburn and Fenwick.

January 24, 2008

After a 150-225 opening loss to Palatine in MSL Round 1 (@ HEHS), Meghana Joshi spewed out some Egyptian Mythology on question 20 to propel the Hawks to a 140-130 victory over Barrington.  Susan Liu led the Hawk scoring, with Sami Khan coming off the bench for an immediate hit in social studies and a 3.00 hit/match average.

The Frosh/Soph team started by cutting down Palatine 270-90 on the strength of Aakash Bavishi’s 8 hits.  In match 2, Daven Patel’s back-to-back scores brought Hoffman to within 30 points of Barrington, but an art history toss-up from Aaron Veras wasn’t quite enough to close the gap with the mighty Broncos as the Hawks fell, 130-185.

MSL Conference Standings: Varsity 1-1, F/S 1-1.

January 19, 2008

The Fremd Invite did not start off particularly well for the Hawks, as they dropped their first 3 matches to Evanston, Loyola, and Wheaton South.  Despite the rough start, 125-70 and 100-90 victories over St. Ignatius and St. Viator salvaged the day, drawing the Hawks close to 0.500 with a 2-3 finish.   Susan Liu and junior Moid Khan led the Hawk attack with a 3.00 hit/match average.

The story was different, though, for the B-team, which finished at 4-1 after a last second, come-from-behind victory over Wheaton North B.  Sophomore Aakash Bavishi connected for a math hit to bring the Hawks close before Will Creedon shot the Falcons down with his last question social studies heroics, leading the Hawks to a 90-85 victory.  For the day, Creedon and Sami Khan paced Hoffman with 9 and 7 hits, respectively.

January 11, 2008

The Hawks posted a 3-2 record at the MSL Pre-season meet.  In the morning’s opening match, Susan Liu pounded home 8 toss-ups, including the final 3, and Sam Cho piled on with 5 more as Hoffman trounced Schaumburg 345-130.  In match 2, Meghana Joshi’s T.V. bonus tied Elk Grove on question 20, setting the stage for rookie Will Creedon’s slam on the overtime buzzer for a thrilling 205-190 extra period victory.  One more victory and two defeats rounded out the day’s events.

In Frosh/Soph action, captain Aakash Bavishi posted an amazing 9.90 hit/match average, scoring the majority of his hits during Hoffman’s thumping of both Elk Grove and Schaumburg.  Losses to Buffalo Grove, Wheeling, and Barrington ended the F/S team’s day at 2-3.

December 15, 2007

The Hawks descended on New Trier High School for its annual varsity invite.  The A team compiled a 3-2 record, while the B-team rebounded from a route at the hands of Loyola B to finish 4-1.

The short-handed A-team was led by Susan Liu, who connected across all categories to finish with a 5.40 hit/match average.  The day's most exciting match came against Maine South B, with the Hawks from Hoffman trailing by 5 points going into question 20.  After a brief time-out, senior Sam Cho rose to the occasion by nailing a social studies hit to clinch the victory.  In addition to Liu's 18 hits, Cho added 9, Sanette Tanaka 4, and Stephen Reid 1.

The B-team was led by a three-prong attack from Suman Sanyal and the Khan brothers, Moid and Sami.  All three players notched 8 toss-ups for a 2.4 hit/match average.  Christina Oda tallied 4, while Will Creedon chipped in 2.

The Hawks next play at the MSL pre-season tourney to take place on January 12, 2008 at Buffalo Grove High School.

December 11, 2007

Suey Liu led Hoffman's varisty team to a 2-1 finish at the MSL Quad held at the Hawk nest.  Despite a discouraging, 95-115 loss to Wheeling, the Hawks soared through the clouds by topping Elk Grove, 171-116, and Conant, 155-80.  Liu finished with 9 hits for a 4.5 hit/match average.  Same Cho added 5, Sanette Tanaka 3, Stephen Reid 2, and Moid Khan 1.

The Frosh/Soph team continued its winning ways by notching 3 victories vs. 0 losses to up its season record to 9-3.  After storming out to commanding victories over Wheeling and Elk Grove, it took an extra Hawk effort as Conant overcame a 15-point deficit in the match's final question to take a 5 point lead, but Hoffman salvaged 5 bonus points to send the match into overtime.  Aakash Bavishi continued his overtime heroics from last Saturday by nailing a clutch math hit to send the Cougars packing.  Bavishi finished with 17 hits for an 8.5 hit/match average.  Daven Patel scored 6, Molin Ray 5, and Mason Jenkins 1.

The next Hawk action will take place at New Trier High School this coming Saturday, as Hoffman's varsity A and B teams compete at the Trevian Invitational.

December 7, 2007

The up-and-coming Frosh/Soph Hawks pounded out a 4-1 record at Loyola Academy's "Davey & Goliath Throwdown."  Hoffman posted victories over Maine South, Wheaton-Warrenville South B, Timothy Christian, and Fremd C before losing to the host team, which finished 3rd in the entire field.  Perhaps the most exciting match of the day was the opener, in which Hoffman trailed Maine South 145-150 going into the final question.  Captain Aakash Bavishi connected in social studies to put the Hawks up by 5, and after flubbing the bonus, the Hawks from Maine South eeked-out 5 bonus points to send the match into overtime.  This time, Bavishi dealt a death blow, pouncing on the sudden death toss-up.

Bavishi earned all-tourney honors, tallying 21 toss-ups to finish 5th on the all-tournament team, averaging an astounding 7.87 hits per match.  First-year player Molin Ray helped the Hawk cause by adding 7, Daven Patel finished with 6, and Mason Jenkins rounded out the scoring with a hit in literature.

November 17, 2007

The varsity teams made their debut at the annual Illinois High School Scholastic Bowl Coaches Association's Kick-off tourney at Wheaton North.  Both the A and the B teams finished with winning 3-2 records!

The A-team posted victories over Maine South B, Romeoville, and Buffalo Grove B, but suffered an opening round drubbing at the hands of Oak Park River Forest.  Hoffman's most exciting match came against Fenwick.  Suey Liu, Meghana Joshi, Aakash Bavishi, and Sanette Tanaka locked up 5 of the match's first 6 toss-ups, sending the Hawks out to a 115-35 lead.  But another hit by Liu and two more by Sam Cho were not enough to quench the Friar comeback effort as Hoffman fell short 160-170 on the final toss-up and bonus.

After getting squashed by 3-time state champion Wheaton North, the B-team rebounded with two straight wins, scoring victories over Reed Custer and Crete Monee.  The next match was surrendered to Chicago Latin, but the Hawks finished their work with a 115-65 thrashing of North Boone.  The teams' highlights came as junior Moid Khan answered Wheaton North's string of 5 consecutive toss-ups with 3 of his own.  Khan continued his hot streak by notching the first two toss-ups vs. Latin, but another by Christina Oda and two in a row by sophomore Mason Jenkins couldn't spell the Romans' 5 straight hits to finish the game.

Liu topped all Hawk scorers by recording 10 toss-ups for a 3.75 hit/match average.  Cho added 8, Joshi 7, Tanaka 6, and Bavishi 3.  As for the B-team, Khan led the way with 8 tallies, while Jenkins recorded a team-high 3.76 hit/match average.  Also contributing with 3 hits apiece were Oda, Sami Khan, Will Creedon, and sophomore Daven Patel.

The varsity A-team next competes at the MSL Varsity Quad hosted by Hoffman on Tuesday, December 11.

November 10, 2007

The Frosh/Soph team got the year going for the Hawks by scoring two victories against two losses at the Moline Invitiational.  The losses came in the form of a 60 point loss to perennial state power Rockford Auburn, as well as a 34 point loss to LaSalle Peru, who placed 3rd in an 18-team tourney held a week prior at Sterling High School.  The victories, though, were exciting, as both turned out to be come-from-behind wins.  In round 3, the Hawks trailed Peoria Notre Dame up until the last question, when captain Aakash Bavishi pounced on a toss-up for ten points to control the bonus and notch the Hawks their first win of the 2007-08 campaign.  In round 4, it was Rockford Boylan who had Hoffman on the ropes for most of the match, but the final quarter saw the Hawks soar to a 2-point lead going into the final question.  Second-year player Mason Jenkins rose to the occasion, smacked the buzzer, and sealed the win for Hoffman.  The victory put the Hawks into a 3-way tie for second place in their pool, but the tie-breaker went to Rockford Boylan, who ended up with a second-place finish in the 40-team field.  The Knights from Rockford Auburn went home with the top prize.

Bavishi led all Hawk scorers with 13 hits, compiling an outstanding 4.88 hit per match average.  Jenkins and sophomore Daven Patel each contributed 6.  First-year player Aaron Vera rounded out the scoring by connecting on a science toss-up.  The frosh/soph team next competes at the Loyola Academy "Davey & Goliath Throwdown" on December 8th.

Updated on 05/21/2008

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Created by J. Kulesza