It was nothing New Trier senior Ellie Bornhoeft hadn’t seen before.

In fact, she had seen it over and over again. So when Bornhoeft had an open-turf view from eight meters in overtime of the state championship, she was ready.

Even if she started from her non-preferred hash mark.

“It’s a mental battle, and I’ve come across it many times,” she said. “We’ve been doing free-position game situations in practice for the past month. It was not the hash I wanted, but I didn’t care. I had to score the goal and I had confidence in myself in that moment.”

Hearing the whistle, Bornhoeft took off and for a split second thought of looking for one of her teammates, but the moment was in front of her and she took advantage.

Bornhoeft sprinted to goal, raised her stick high and then released the ball backside, low and into the net to give the Trevians an 8-7 victory against Loyola Academy on Saturday, June 7, at Hinsdale Central. It was New Trier’s third IHSA title and seventh state championship overall.

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“She just attacked it,” New Trier coach Pete Collins said. “She knew what she had to do and she’s had that shot in other games.”

It was the first meeting between New Trier and Loyola — the state’s most elite programs — since IHSA began hosting the state series in 2018. The past four seasons the two powers met in the sectional championship, and the last two meetings went to the Ramblers, who eventually won the state title each year.

A reworked postseason schematic this year placed the teams on opposite ends of the playoff bracket, and they didn’t disappoint. The Ramblers brought a 24-2 record (with no in-state losses) into the grand finale, and the Trevians a 23-3 record (with its only in-state loss to Loyola, 12-8, on April 8).

Collins called it a storyline that “you can’t make up.”

“We just said (to our team) you have a chance to do something special, to leave a legacy,” he said. “This game is a celebration and you have a chance to become one of the best teams in the history of our school so embrace it.”

New Trier did just that from the opening whistle, grabbing a lead with a Riley Nolan goal only 90 seconds into the contest.

The Trevians and Ramblers traded punches for a while. Loyola’s Molly Dwyer scored three times, and Bornhoeft twice as New Trier took a 5-4 lead into the fourth quarter.

Goals from Sonja Keneally and Meghan Riley gave the Trevians a 7-4 lead, the first real separation of the evening, with under 7 minutes to play.

But Bornhoeft knew the game was far from over.

Sure enough the Ramblers found the net three times (Grace Dwyer twice, Annie Devine once) in four minutes to knot the score and force overtime.

“In our circle, I told the team they are going to score,” she said of Loyola’s comeback. “It is a game of runs, and honestly I knew we were going to get it back.

“It was probably going to overtime; we have seen it so many times. But we were ready to face it head on, and I had confidence with our coaches that we’d be able to pull it out.”

With around 2 minutes to play in the extra stanza, the Ramblers fouled to give the Trevians a man-up opportunity.

Not long after, Bornhoeft took a skip pass, attacked and drew a shooting-space violation to set up a free-position attempt.

She buried it to send the Trevians into a frenzy.

Both Bornhoeft and Collins credited assistant coach Charlotte McGuire for setting the team’s mantra all season as “thrive, not survive,” especially under pressure.

The Trevians had to accomplish that just a day earlier, overcoming a 5-1 deficit against state host Hinsdale Central to advance to the title bout.

During the epic championship clash, they were ready for anything.

“This team just knew what it took, earlier in the season they didn’t know,” Collins said. “Winning early games is not the same as winning late. (At state) we knew what we were going to do and we knew what Loyola was going to do. We were ready.”

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Loyola Academy softball knows a thing or two about turnarounds, and the Ramblers found themselves on the wrong side of a big one Monday evening.

Within a strike of heading home multiple times, Oak Park-River Forest tied the game in the seventh inning and exploded for seven runs in the extra eighth inning to fell Loyola Academy 10-3 in an IHSA Class 4A supersectional June 9 at the University of Illinois-Chicago.

Ramblers senior Emilia Bartholomew said the Huskies’ seventh-inning rally was a gut punch.

“For me, my heart was racing. It was a lot of pressure,” she said. “I think we fell apart, maybe. For me, I was jittery. I was in the moment and then it slipped away, and I feel like our momentum went downhill from there. That’s how softball works.”

Facing an 0-2 count with two outs in the top of the seventh, OPRF’s Sofia Ayala roped a single into center field to tie the game at 3-3.

Loyola was retired quietly in their half of the seventh, and in the top of the eighth, the Huskies strung together four hits and two walks to plate seven and blow the game open.

The Huskies’ second hit of the inning struck Ramblers star pitcher Hunter Lewis in the leg, forcing her removal from the game.

On the day, OPRF batters walked nine times, and six of those baserunners came around to score.

That was just one facet of Monday’s game that coach Leah Herlocker felt was out of character for her Ramblers.

“I think we came out a little bit different today,” Herlocker said. “It is disappointing because I think we looked like a different team today; that’s not the way we have been playing. We started out wavering and the turn of events (in the seventh) hit morale and without Hunter in the circle, we knew it would be hard for us. It just wasn’t our day today.”

Early in the game, Lewis continued her two-way onslaught that has powered Loyola’s brilliant postseason run. Her first-inning home run — her third in three games — staked her team a two-run lead.

OPRF fired back in the second, scoring two runs after a pair of walks, three total stolen bases and two wild pitches.

It was clear early that the Huskies wanted to put runners on base and then be aggressive on the basepaths — a strategy that was effective for two innings until Loyola’s sophomore catcher Chloe Takacs settled in.

Takacs threw out three straight baserunners — one at third in the third and sixth innings, and at second in the seventh — to help keep the game 2-2.

“She’s really stepped up all year,” Herlocker said of her catcher. “She’s a leader on the field and today was no exception. They challenged her and she stepped up and met that challenge and started gunning them down. That was awesome.”

At the plate, Loyola was putting the bat on the ball, recording no strikeouts through seven innings, but it rarely strung hits together.

That changed in the seventh.

Moira Divane smacked a singled and OPRF intentionally walked Lewis to bring Bartholomew, a UIC recruit, to the dish. She promptly ripped a single into left field to score Divane and give her team a late lead.

“That really fired me up,” Bartholomew said of OPRF walking Lewis. “The first time they did it (in the third inning), I was like ‘Come on, let’s go’ and didn’t get the result (a line out to third base). The next time I knew if they are going to do that I’m going to make them pay for that. My competitiveness came out.”

The Ramblers advantage didn’t hold, though, and the Huskies are off to the state’s final four June 13-14 at Illinois State University.

The loss ends Loyola’s 12-game winning streak that saw them win regional and sectional trophies for the first time since 2009 and just the third time in program history.

Prior to the season turnaround in early May, the Ramblers were 6-16, but Herlocker said the Ramblers knew something more was lying in wait and remained close all the while.

“They’ve seen the highs of highs and the lows of lows and through it all they are best buddies and have these incredible friendships and these incredible memories that they are always going to have to look back on,” she said. “… Those down moments bonded them and they really got to be friends. If you’re not friends, you start to turn on each other and they never once did that. They stayed together through thick and thin.”

The Ramblers will lose starters Bartholomew, four-year center fielder Gwen Coleman and third baseman Claire Tipshrany to graduation, but are slated to bring back several other starters: Divane (freshman, second base), Takacs (sophomore, catcher), Maggie Herbert (sophomore, outfield), Abby Murphy (junior, outfield) JuJu Miller (junior, shortstop), and of course, Lewis, a junior pitcher and Northwestern commit whom Bartholomew took time to praise in her postgame interview.

“Hunter is a huge part of who our team was this year,” she said. “It’s amazing I got to play with her. She made this season so special for our final year. She’s a dog, she’s a beast, she’s one of the biggest reasons we are here. Her pitching, her hitting, she’s insane. On the field, off the field, she’s just amazing.”

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If you don’t get to good pitching early, you might not get to it at all.

That age-old baseball adage proved true Saturday afternoon as a pair of Maine South righthanders delivered a dominant pitching performance to bring New Trier baseball’s season to an end.

The Hawks outlasted the Trevians 4-1 in 11 innings June 7 in Glenview, claiming a sectional title and advancing to the final eight of the IHSA Class 4A postseason.

After the Trevs scored a run in the bottom of the first, Hawks hurlers held them scoreless over the next 10 innings to pitch their way to a sectional championship.

A couple of timely, two-out hits in the top of the 11th led to a trio of Maine South runs that proved to be the difference.

“We had opportunities really throughout the whole game,” New Trier head coach Dusty Napoleon said. “We had runners in scoring position … but I give Maine South credit. Those guys threw really well and we knew that they were talented and they just beat us today.”

Game action

New Trier capitalized on a Hawks’ error in the bottom of the first to push the game’s opening run across. Two batters after Zach Perchik smacked a line-drive single up the middle, Ben Toft hit a ground ball that snuck through the infield to score Perchik.

The Trevian loaded the bases in the inning, but Hawks starter Jack Gianikos worked his way out of danger to limit the damage.

New Trier maintained its advantage until the top of the fifth when the Hawks made the most of a leadoff walk, which was just their second player to reach base to that point.

Pinch runner Jack Guercio made a great play on the bases, advancing from first to third on a sacrifice bunt. Hawks senior Joe Mule then drove in Guercio with a sacrifice fly to even the score.

The fifth inning was the only blemish on the book for New Trier starter Greg Campitelli, who turned in a superb effort, allowing just four hits across his 5 1/3 innings of work. He walked one and struck out two and also retired the first 11 batters he faced before surrendering a hit.

But matching Campitelli pitch for pitch was Gianikos. The junior pitcher got better as the game went on, striking out eight Trevians while allowing only two hits over 6 1/3 innings.

The stellar pitching performances continued after the starters left the game. New Trier junior Nick Bailey relieved Campitelli and delivered a dominant showing to keep the game tied.

Bailey retired 12 straight Maine South batters after entering the game. Early in his appearance, he struck out four straight Hawks hitters. He struck out seven batters across his 5 1/3 innings in relief.

Maine South found life in the top of the 11th though after a leadoff walk. The Hawks once again got their baserunner into scoring position with a sac bunt.

Catcher Luka Stojakovic then got the timely hit the Hawks needed, knocking a single in between shortstop and third base. New Trier shortstop Caiden Carpenter showcased great range to get to the ball, but it kicked off his glove just far enough to allow the Hawks to score.

The Hawks then broke the game open with a double into the right-center gap that plated two more runs.

“Good things happen when you put the ball in play with runners on base and they did that in that inning,” Napoleon said. “And when we had our chances, we didn’t do a good enough job.”

After Gianikos exited the game in the seventh, New Trier could not find better luck against Maine South’s Jake Zabratanski. The senior pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings to keep the Trevians at bay and ultimately close out the game.

“Their pitchers were getting ahead and really just challenging our guys,” Napoleon said. “They were throwing their fastball for a strike, and when you have good stuff, and an upper 80s fastball, you have to be ready to go and those guys did a good job of working ahead. When your stuff is good and you’re ahead in the count, you’re hard to hit.”

Season in summary

Although the extra-inning defeat brings an end to New Trier’s season, the Trevians have plenty to hang their hats on.

New Trier advanced to the state’s final 16 teams for the third time in five seasons, won the Central Suburban League South conference title again and eclipsed the 28-win mark for the third consecutive season.

“I’m proud of the guys,” Napoleon said. “It was a great year. Today was a really clean ballgame with good pitching and clean defense — and they got a timely hit and we didn’t.”

“Just as a team in general, we got better as the year went on,” Napoleon later added. “Today was not the outcome anybody wanted or expected, but looking back on the year, I’m just really proud of the guys for how hard they played.”

The Trevs bid farewell to a superb senior class that included Indiana recruit Trey Meyers, Perchik, Carpenter, Iowa-bound Toft, CJ Donnelly and Jake Bentivenga as well Henrik Conniff, one of their top pitchers.

But several key contributors, including Bailey, Campitelli, Luke Mastros, Mason Bloom, Henry Rasis and Keenan Donaldson are slated to return.

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New Trier lacrosse playing in the state championship is far from unheard of.

But for the Trevians the journey to get to Saturday at Hinsdale Central was a long one.

New Trier played in 21 state championships in 26 seasons from 1994-2019, never missing more than two consecutive state finals in that time.

Since then, a span of four seasons, the Trevians have missed out on the grand finale, and head coach Adam Dickson praised his team for overcoming major obstacles, including Loyola Academy and continually improving in-state competition.

“It meant a lot for us to get back here, knowing how hard it is, having to go through very good teams, beating our rival for the second time this season,” Dickson said. “I’m so proud of this group for making the most of that opportunity. It’s hard to beat Loyola and then go back out and (win) three more times. And they gave us an opportunity to have this moment. It’s special.”

New Trier fell short of its 14th state championship, falling 8-5 to Lake Forest (24-2) on Saturday, June 7, in Hinsdale. The Scouts became the first back-to-back state winners in the IHSA era (six seasons). Loyola also has two IHSA titles (2018, ’22), while Wheaton Academy and New Trier have the others.

Dickson said Lake Forest’s defense shined in the championship, particularly goalie Thomas Walsh.

“Their defense is exceptional. I thought their goalie had a great game today too,” Dickson said. “… We had our opportunities and I think our guys worked hard, even at the end there.

“They made that extra play, that extra effort, that countered us.”

New Trier put together the resurgent season on the backs of its 16 seniors.

Seniors like Hans Huber (162 goals) and Trevor Martay (143) led the attack and Ian Schnizlein the defense, but Dickson said all 16 made the state-run happen.

“A lot of them started, a lot of them made huge strides from last year, and the guys who maybe weren’t necessarily contributing on the field were such great leaders for us, they showed the way, they were mentors for the younger group,” Dickson said. “They really, really wanted it. They did all the work in the offseason. They were the ones who found that belief and brought us back to a point we hadn’t been in a while.”

Schnizlein has been a varsity Trevian since his freshman year. With his fellow seniors, he accomplished a series of firsts in his final year.

“This is the first year we beat Loyola, so to do it twice and go on a playoff run is something special,” he said. “This group of seniors, the leadership has been something we haven’t seen in a while. Everyone wanted it so much. … Everyone wants it so much for each other, not just for themselves, and I think that’s what pushed everyone to do better. This is definitely a special, special year.”

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How dramatically things change in the spring.

All of a sudden, new life emerges — a truth Loyola Academy softball opponents found out for the 12th straight time on Saturday.

The Ramblers’ revived season became a historic one on June 7, when their 2-0 win against Mundelein gave them a sectional championship for just the third time in program history (2009, 1997).

The postgame moment was a powerful one for Loyola players, fans and coaches. Head coach Leah Herlocker said it was the season’s challenges — including an eight-game losing streak in which Loyola was outscored 96-16 — that prepared them for Saturday’s heroics.

“I just love this group of kids so much,” Herlocker said. “We love spending time with them; they love spending time with each other. That’s the best part of it.

“But beyond that, their hard work is paying off. Low moments are paying off — early mornings in the gym, late nights at the field, sleepless nights when things didn’t go our way, when we’re getting (mercy-ruled). This is the moment keeping us motivated. To see it come to fruition is really special.”

The Ramblers once sported a 4-13 record this season and wound up with the No. 11 seed in the IHSA Class 4A Stevenson Sectional.

On their way to the title, Loyola topped No. 7 New Trier, No. 2 Warren and No. 6 Hersey before meeting No. 5 Mundelein in the sectional finale. The Ramblers star junior Hunter Lewis smacked a solo home run in the sixth and pitched a two-hit shutout, striking out 11, in the circle to spearhead the victory.

Lewis struck out in the third inning, with a teammate in scoring position, a rare occurrence that motivated the Northwestern commit going into her next at-bat.

“I was a little bit frustrated,” Lewis said of her strikeout. “… So I went up to the plate (in the sixth) and was like, ‘She’s not beating me.’ I wasn’t trying to hit a home run. I was just trying to make solid contact and it went.”

The Ramblers added an insurance run in their half of the seventh when senior Gwen Coleman doubled to the right-center field gap to drive home Maggie Herbert.

Coleman, along with fellow senior Emilia Bartholomew, was part of the Ramblers 2022 squad that lost a heartbreaker in the sectional finale. While enjoying the full-circle moment, Coleman said her team’s turnaround was about trust.

“Just keeping our heads down,” she said. “We bond through our ebbs and flows. We’ve had some losing streaks but just keeping steady and true to our game and trusting each other.”

From the circle, Lewis has posted some prolific strikeout numbers (16 in both regional wins). Mustangs hitter put the bat on the ball more often, putting more pressure on Loyola’s defense. And the Ramblers stepped up.

Loyola played an errorless game with shortstop Juju Miller and left fielder Herbert making multiple strong plays each behind their hurler.

Herlocker said the team’s defensive success is also a product of the early-season struggles.

“The days things weren’t going so well we were getting lots of balls on defense,” she said. “They want to win so bad and their focus on defense is high. They are ready for the ball. That is something we’ve really grown into; we don’t fall asleep on defense.”

Lewis was matched for much of the day by Mustangs ace Sophia Zepeda, who also struck out 11 and allowed just five hits.

Loyola threatened in the second, loading the bases with a Bartholomew single and two walks (Abby Murphy, Miller). Moira Divane also advanced to scoring position in the third inning following her single, and Murphy singled in the fourth.

But nothing came across the plate until Lewis’ sixth-inning homer.

Loyola advances to the IHSA 4A final eight and has a supersectional date with Oak Park-River Forest (28-8) — No. 1 seed and winners in their own sectional — at 4:30 p.m. Monday, June 9, at the University of Illinois-Chicago.

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