Pat Gorniak named to all-starteam By Chris Juzwik 7 - : . • • • • • • SECTION 2 • PAGE 16 - PLAI1NDEALERHERA1J). WEDNESDAY. JUNE 19,1985 Pat Gorniak Once more When Pat Gorniak was forced out of McHenry High School's football game against Woodstock last October with an injury, he thought his high school grid career was over. After all, he reasoned, there was only one regular season game remaining, and the Warriors weren't heading for the state playoffs. This was it, he thought as he watched from the sidelines. It's over. . Pat Gorniak was wrong. The recently-graduated Warrior was chosen to participate in the Second Annual North-South Suburban All-Star Game, to be held Saturday at Harper Junior College in Palatine. "Yeah, I was real sur prised when Mr. Schlender (McHenry coach Joe) told me I made it," said Gor niak. "I knew I was up for it, but I was real excited and happy about it. "I felt bad after I hyperextended my elbow against Woodstock and couldn't play against Cary. But now I've got the chance to play one more high school game. I feel pretty Gorniak, who is listed on the North roster at 6-2 and 247 pounds, will man the offensive guard position for the North. He played both strong offensive guard and defensive tackle for McHenry, where he was a co-captain for Schlender's team in 1965. "Everybody would like to have the big, strong, tough offensive lineman mat Pat was," complimented Schlender. "When you need that tough yard or two yards, you give the ball to your best back to run behind your best lineman. Ours was to run behind Pat Gorniak. "I think that down the road, Pat's going to be more valuable to a team as an offensive player, a guard or a center/' Schlender said. Gorniak agrees. "I've played both ways, and I find the offensive line to be much more challenging," Gorniak said. Gorniak was an all-Fox Valley Conference selection in 1984, and Schlender thinks that is as great an honor as any Gorniak has received. "That' a real tribute to him," said the Warrior coadi. "He did, after all, sustain an injury in a con ference game, and missed a game and a half in the Fox Valley. But the other coaches in the conference recognized his talent, and that's saying something". Gorniak and the other North all-stars are currently in the midst of their second week of practice at Harper. pretty tough, but it's been a lot of fun. We haven't been worked real hard, but it's been tough because of all the contact. I never realized how hard some of these guys hit," Gorniak said. "I'd been running for about a month before practice started, so the workouts aren't anything major. But the players are * tough. A lot tougher than I thought they'd be." Among the other area players on the North squad for Saturday evening's battle are Crystal Lake South back Greg Schultz, defensive end John Broadhead and defensive tackle Dean Barchard, and Crystal Lake Central fullback Jared Sasser. Dundee-Crown coach Bob Carlson is one of the North i mentors. "I knew most of the guys before, I remember hitting them on the field once or twice, and now here we are on the same team. They're nice guys. I've been im pressed with Schultz from South. I knew he was fast, and that he ran back a couple kickoffs, but he's a lot faster than I thought," Gorniak said. The speedy Schultz will be in the backfield for Nor thwestern University this fall. "We're pretty loose, just doing a lot of hitting," Gorniak said of the North squad. "But from what we've heard, the South guys are going a little crazy. We heard they've got guys with stitches who can't play Saturday. But we're pretty loose. You can't play at half- speed, though. We want to win." Gorniak is practicing at a place that will become very familiar to him - he plans to enroll at Harper and play football this fall. "Harper will be a good place for Pat," Schlender said. "He didn't quite reach his high school potential. At Harper, he'll have the chance to work on his speed and agility for two years and then move on. He has some fine years ahead of him. "Tnis all-star game isn't your typical all-star game," Schlender continued. "Sometimes all-star games are pretty shabby, but this game last year was really a good one. The Fox Valley has had a great showing, and has been represented well." Gorniak is the first McHenry player to par ticipate in the game. "I've really eqjoyed it," Gorniak said. "It's been a really nice experience." It's also given Pat Gor niak the chance to write the final chapter on a fine high school football career. And he'll do that with the help of itefeiii&aMi cnmp cnnpf McHenry Travelers tip CL, tie Cary The McHenry Travelers and the 1965 season have met with mixed success thus far. After three scheduled games, the 1 local entry in the Tri- County Fast Pitch Girls' Softball League has been rained out once, won another game, and tied the third time. Monday night, McHenry and Cary battled to a 5-5 tie after eight innings before the game was called due to darkness. The contest, played at Cary, will be completed July 11. The Travelers and Sycamore were rained out in both teams' scheduled season opener, but McHenry came back to top the Crystal Lakers, 17-11 last Thursday. Monday, night, Cary jumped ahead with a two-tun first, and a solo run in the second. But McHenry rallied with single runs in the third and fourth. In the third, the Travelers scored without benefit of a hit, as Cary hurler Jenny Pytlarc had control problems. Cindy Kinsala walked and stole second. Jean Westman walked, and Andee Norton was hit by a " h to load the bases. Cindy was then credited with an RBI when she received a free In the fourth, Monique Betancourt singled, went to second on a wild pitch, and scored on a throwing error to cut the gap to 3-2. McHenry took a5-3 lead in the fifth when Tom Fruscella led off with a walk, Norton singled and Gaines walked to load tne bases Tri-County Softball with none out. Gretchen Fuiava then boomed a triple to clear the bases. Fuiava was stranded, however, when the next three Traveler hitters popped out. Cary scored one in the sixth on a single and three walks, and tied the game in the seventh on an RBI single by Pytlarz. The two teams then dueled into the darkness, still tied at 5-all. McHenry 17,- Crystal Lake 11 The Travelers jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the first on four walks, two sacrifice flies, and. a run-scoring single by Kinsala.v ' / • f Crystal Lake tied the contest with four second-inning runs, and then scored six in the third to take a 10-4 edge. But Gaines knocked in two with a triple, scored on a wild pitch, ana Norton drove in one with a single, to make it 10-8, CL. The Travelers took the lead for good with a three-run fifth, and then blew the game open with six in the seventh, run- scoring hits by Westman, Fuiava and Betancourt keying the rally. Sheri Knaack was the winning pitcher. The 1-0-1 Travelers were scheduled to play at Genoa Tuesday night, ana then take a week off before traveling to Marengo next Tuesday, June 25. Plalndealer-Heraki News Service photo by Phil English Cindy Gaines watches as her ground single rolls Into left Add during Monday's 5-5 tie against Cary. McHenry is i-0-1 on the young season, including a win over Crystal Lake. Learning tennis Tennis lessons. A chance to get out in the sun, get a little exercise and . learn about what can be a frustrating game. The City of McHenry Department of Parks & Recreation is sponsoring youth tennis lessons, and the participants met with varied success Monday morning. Some were at the height of form, while others just need ed time to think about a muff ed shot. But all, no matter the age or skill level, had tunta on their minds. Plalndealer-Heraki photos by Chris Juzvrlk