Remembrances: Chris Redding's Legacy at Lake Zurich Continues with Lake County Asthma Van
St. Viator Hall of Fame Soccer Coach Taylor Takes Over Providence Programs; Lions Induct Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2022
Chris Redding was one of those kids who was going to make a big impact. He was a star who shined brightly in every athletic arena and outside of it at Lake Zurich High School.
Redding was instrumental in helping Lake Zurich build the foundation in 2002 to become one of the state’s premier football programs. He went to Drake University, but while he was home during Thanksgiving break his freshman year, the 18-year-old Redding went out for a run and suffered a fatal exercise-induced asthma attack.
Redding’s legacy has lived on through the Christopher D. Redding Youth Asthma Foundation that was started 10 years ago by his parents Helen and Michael Redding Sr. The mission of the foundation is to help families and youths suffering from asthma and focus on lessening the potentially adverse health effects on asthmatic youths and young adults in athletics in underserved areas.
There is some big news as a collaboration between the Reddings and Mobile Care Chicago will result in The Lake County Asthma Van being launched in February. It will be Mobile Care Chicago’s first full-time mobile clinic, which provides asthma and allergy care to children, outside of the Chicago area, according to a release from Mobile Care Chicago Executive Director Matt Siemer.
“I was blessed to meet Helen and Mike Redding in 2014, when they were also looking to launch an Asthma Van,” Siemer said in the release. “Since that time, we’ve worked together on many education and awareness projects. Neither of our two organizations could sustain a Lake County Asthma Van on our own, but together we have been fortunate enough to secure funding for the new mobile unit, as well as the first year of expenses.
“It would take too long in this message to introduce Helen and Mike in a way that would do justice to their incredible passion for this project, as well as the years of effort they’ve put into making this dream a reality. The achievement of launching this mobile unit carries greater meaning for having brought it to fruition together.”
The only time I saw Chris Redding compete for Lake Zurich was in a 2002 Class 7A semifinal football loss as Prospect was on its way to repeating as state champions. Redding, an all-state and Daily Herald all-area running back who rushed for 1,509 yards, helped fuel the rise of a program that had only won one playoff game before that season.
Joe Aguilar, the excellent prep sportswriter and columnist for years at the Herald, captured Redding’s impact perfectly in his column after the semifinal.
Aguilar wrote, “Super-back Redding said he’s going to remember - get this - the hard work. He and his teammates made it all pay off.”
“It was a ton of work that we put in,” Redding told Aguilar. “We always stuck together.”
Since then, the Bears have missed the postseason only once (not counting the COVID-shortened spring 2021 season). They won a state title in 2007, finished second three times and this past season reached the state semifinals.
Redding was also a standout in wrestling and track and field, the school’s Homecoming King, a member of the National Honor Society and a participant in Lake Zurich’s peer mentoring program. He was redshirted his freshman year at Drake but was on track to play tailback the following season.
“He was as fine a person as you can get,” then-Lake Zurich football coach Mike DiMatteo said after Redding’s passing to the Herald. “I wish my sons could grow up to be (like) Chris Redding.”
DiMatteo, who was also a head coach or assistant at Leyden, Hinsdale Central, Buffalo Grove and Cary-Grove, dedicated a chapter of his book, “Confessions of a High School Football Coach,” to Redding. One half of all the proceeds from the book sales are dedicated to the Christopher D. Redding Youth Asthma Foundation.
The Lake County Asthma Van will help families on Medicaid or uninsured and don’t have access to pediatric asthma specialists. Siemer said repeated attempts to launch a Lake County Asthma Van were thwarted because of funding, as a full-time mobile unit costs $400,000 a year to operate, and infrastructure issues.
“We do not want to enroll someone in medical care for a chronic condition if we are not confident that we will be able to sustain their good health year-over-year for the length of their childhood,” Siemer said.
Mobile Care Chicago is contacting Lake County school districts so they are aware free, high-quality asthma and allergy care will soon be available. Siemer said the initial focus will be in the Waukegan, North Chicago and Zion communities but “I recognize that the need is much greater than that and I look forward to speaking with schools, hospital systems and primary care offices who may be looking for a place to make referrals.”
A few weeks after Redding’s passing, in a column chronicling the top prep stories of 2003 in Lake County, Aguilar said more than 2,200 people signed the guest book at Redding’s wake and waited hours to get into the funeral home.
“It reiterated what we already knew,” Aguilar wrote. “Chris Redding touched so many lives and was loved by so many people.”
Chris Redding’s impact will continue in such an important way.
St. Viator Hall of Famer Taylor Will Pitch In at Providence
Mike Taylor finished an incredible 34 years of coaching soccer at St. Viator with a third-place finish in the 2021 girls Class 2A state tournament. But Taylor also didn’t slam the door shut on a possible return to the sideline on that sunny June Saturday at Fremd.
“I’ve had a great run, and who knows, if something else comes my way, maybe I’ll be back,” Taylor told Daily Herald prep soccer guru Mike Garofola. “I’ll have to wait and see what is out there.”
Well, Taylor is back. What was out there for him is the chance to run the boys and girls programs at Providence Catholic, which the school in south suburban New Lenox officially announced Friday, starting in the fall of 2023.
Taylor has won 701 career games, two boys state titles and 13 state (top-four finish) boys and girls trophies at Viator. He is within striking distance of becoming the winningest boys coach in IHSA history.
“Mike is an exceptional coach with a great history of success … and we look forward to the expertise he will bring to the soccer programs,” says Providence athletic director Doug Ternik in a news release from the school.
“Soccer is my life, but it’s about more than soccer,” Taylor said in the release. “It’s an avenue to teach kids, to uplift people. Everyone needs to pay it forward just a little bit.”
Taylor, a native of Zimbabwe, was a head coach at Glenbard South (1981-82) and Fenton (1983-87) before coming to Viator in 1988. His boys teams won titles in 2003 in Class A and 2009 in 2A, finished second once, third four times and fourth twice. Based on reporting by Garofola, Taylor would have 570 boys victories, one shy of the state record by Larry Peppers of Hinckley-Big Rock. Taylor took over the Viator girls program in 2010 and finished second twice and third twice.
Jarrett Payton, the son of Bears great Walter Payton, was an all-state soccer player for Taylor before switching to football after his sophomore year and going on to an NFL career. Payton, who is currently a sports anchor at WGN-TV, teamed with Nino DaSilva to lead Viator to its first state soccer trophy with a third-place finish in 1996.
“Providence Catholic is fortunate to have coach Taylor,” Payton said in the release. “His influence was instrumental in my development on and off the soccer field.”
Taylor, a graduate of now-shuttered MacMurray College in central Illinois Jacksonville, is a member of the Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association, East Suburban Catholic Conference and St. Viator halls of fame. After leaving Viator he worked as an assistant with the St. Francis boys in Wheaton and Willowbrook JV girls and this spring he will be mentoring a first-year coach at Lake Park.
Taylor has also led efforts to help local women’s and children’s shelters, made major equipment donations to Chicago Public Schools programs and directed drives to collect uniforms and shoes that former students delivered on mission trips to Africa. He’s also led student trips to Europe 11 times, giving them the opportunity to see the world while playing soccer.
“I’ve tried to raise my own kids like that, and to give to others,” Taylor said.
Providence, best known for its football, baseball and wrestling success with a combined 25 state titles, took second in boys soccer in 2002. Brad Guzan, who led that team, went on to play nine years in the Premier League, was on two US World Cup teams and is currently the starting goalkeeper for Atlanta in Major League Soccer.
“As an alum of Providence, it’s exciting to know that Mike is going to rebuild the pride and success in the soccer program. I loved my four years at Providence and have so many lifelong memories.” Guzan said. “Mike has a proven track record of producing championship teams on the field and using the sport to prepare kids for life after high school and soccer. That’s really what it’s all about.”
St. Viator Hall of Fame Class of 2022
Six individuals and the 1967 football team and two other award recipients were honored Friday as St. Viator celebrated its Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2022.
Jonathan Spector (Class of 2004) led St. Viator to a fourth-place Class A finish in boys soccer as a sophomore and was all-state and all-East Suburban Catholic Conference before going on to a 16-year pro career in Europe and in Major League Soccer (MLS). Spector also played for the US National Team and is currently in charge of International Player Recruitment and Development for Atlanta United FC in MLS.
Brett Kay (2009) was a two-time Daily Herald All-Area shortstop and all-ESCC pick and a three-year starter. He hit .465 with 7 triples and 20 stolen bases as a senior and .398 with 23 steals as a junior. Kay played for three years at Illinois State and spent two years in the San Francisco Giants system after being drafted in the 20th round.
Cory Kay (2011) was a two-time Daily Herald All-Area catcher and all-ESCC pick and a three-year starter. Kay led Viator to two Class 4A regional titles as he hit .454 with 7 homers and 32 RBI as a senior and .402 with 8 HR and 43 RBI as a junior. Played collegiately at Houston, Harper and Missouri State.
Mariann Leahy (1988) played basketball and softball at Viator and Sacred Heart of Mary. She received the Lion Award as a Viator senior, was Daily Herald honorable mention All-Area in basketball and she was the varsity softball MVP as a junior at Sacred Heart.
Scott Malouf (1977) finished second twice in ESCC wrestling at 105 and 112 pounds and was a district tournament champion as a junior. Malouf also wrestled at Harper.
1967 St. Viator Football Team went 7-2 to set the school record for victories at the time under Joe Gliwa. Quarterback Danny Palubicki, linemen Rich Loner and John Browning and running back Dan Klingberg were Chicagoland Prep all-conference picks. Center Marty Wendell and running back Mark Walinski were honorable mention all-conference. John Wendell, who went on to a successful career as Buffalo Grove’s baseball coach, also played running back.
Charlie Curtin received the Pat Mahoney Dedication to Coaching Award. Curtin took over the girls volleyball program in 2007 and has a 325-254 record with 7 regional and 3 sectional titles and a fourth-place state finish in Class 3A in 2017. Curtin’s sectional championship teams the last two years have 33-6 and 30-10 records. He also coached the boys program.
Lauren Garcia (2004) was also inducted into the Hall of Fame and Brian Gallagher Jr. (2007) received the Robert C. Artman Award named after the school’s longtime athletic director.
Shinhoster Pins Down Century Mark
Barrington’s Jarritt Shinhoster earned his 100th career wrestling victory at Wisconsin-Whitewater in emphatic fashion Friday night against Wisconsin-Stevens Point. The defending Division III national champion at 184 pounds achieved the milestone with a pin in 4:16.
Shinhoster also finished second in the prestigious Ken Kraft Midlands Championships in late December. He will be gearing up for the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships on Feb. 11, the NCAA regionals Feb. 24-25 and the NCAA Division III Championships on March 10-11 in Roanoke, Va.
Triton Basketball Tests Perennial Power Indian Hills
The Triton College men’s basketball team, which is 17th in the latest NJCAA Division I rankings, got a big test when it faced perennial power and seventh-ranked Indian Hills (Iowa) on Wednesday in River Grove.
Triton (14-5) opened a 14-point first-half lead but Indian Hills (18-2) took over in the second half of a 98-88 victory.
"We're not far away," Triton coach and Buffalo Grove grad John Clancy told George Castle of his team’s readiness to play ranked teams. "But right now we're not good enough and at the end of the day, that's on me. There are no moral victories at Triton College."
Triton, which has never beaten Indian Hills in six meetings, led 32-18, 44-38 at halftime and 58-54 when Indian Hills went on a 7-point run to go ahead to stay with about 12 minutes to play. Indian Hills led by as many as 11 points and Triton got within 92-88 with a minute left.
"We didn't take care of the basketball when we needed to," Clancy told Castle. "We probably played 25 complete minutes. There were some good things we did, but did not do enough of the right things against a ranked team."
Point guard Kimahri Wilson (North Chicago), averaging 6.8 assists a game, had 13 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals. Scoring leader Devon Barnes (16.3 ppg) had 20 points and four 3-pointers, Keyondre Young (10.8 ppg, 5 rpg) had 19 points and Ethan Pickett added 13 points and 4 steals.
Triton rebounded Saturday to beat Sauk Valley 76-58 as Western Michigan recruit Brandon Muntu (14.2 ppg) scored 38 points. Triton has another big test Friday when No. 18 Southeastern Iowa visits Friday.
Burlington Central’s Scharnowski Wins “Pork Power” Honor
Drew Scharnowski has been tearing it up all season for Fox Valley Conference boys basketball power Burlington Central. The 6-foot-9 Scharnowski, who has signed with Missouri Valley Conference co-leader Belmont, was the Illinois Pork Producers “Pork Power” boys basketball player of the week for Jan. 9-16 after producing double-doubles and coming close to a pair of triple-doubles.
The Illinois Pork Producers have been recognizing top boys and girls players throughout Illinois all season. The “Holiday Tournament Stars Edition” included Trinity Jones (Naperville Central) and Sidney Rogers (Glenbrook South) from the girls and Cameron Christie (Rolling Meadows) and Teddi Wetu (Antioch) from the boys. Winners the week of Dec. 11-17 were Peyton Gerdes (Grayslake North) for the girls and Camden Cerese (Lake Park) for the boys.
Fricke Reaches 300-Win Milestone at New Trier
New Trier has had a tremendous coaching history in basketball with Wilfred “Duke” Childs, Mel Sheets and Rick Malnati on the boys side, John Schneiter with the boys and girls and Teri Rodgers on the girls side.
Scott Fricke, who was an assistant to Sheets and Malnati, has continued that tradition of success with the New Trier boys for the last 15 years. On Jan. 13, Fricke won the 300th game of his career with a 55-25 victory at Maine South.
Longtime Illinois Football Power Cancels 2023 Varsity Season
Rock Island Alleman announced it will not field a varsity football team in the 2023 season because of projected low numbers and a lack of experience with 10 of 30 players from a 1-8 team graduating. The graduates include offensive lineman Charles Jagusah (6-6, 300 pounds), the top-rated Illinois prospect in the Class of 2023 by ESPN and 247Sports, who signed in December to play at Notre Dame.
Alleman plans to field a JV team next season and hopes to return to varsity competition in 2024. The program has made the postseason 24 times, with three consecutive trips in 2018-20, and the most recent of its five second-place state finishes came in 2012.
Herm Miskowicz, the father of longtime Fremd assistant coach Lew Miskowicz, was a head coach at Alleman and had a 19-20-3 record from 1961-65.
Mt. Vernon Wins No. 2,000
Mt. Vernon became the 10th high school boys basketball program in the country to win 2,000 games when it beat Carbondale 50-40 on Friday. Mt. Vernon has won four state titles.
Five of the 10 programs with 2,000 wins are from Illinois. Centralia, Collinsville, Quincy and Pinckneyville have also reached the milestone.
Thank you, Marty. This was wonderful.