Don't force athletes to specialize. Encourage the school's best athletes to play as many sports as possible. The Trojans' theory – better athletes plus more sports equals better results.

"At [C-G] we encourage our athletes to compete in as many sports as possible. We're not going to say to a football player, 'You can't join the basketball team,' " Trojans baseball coach Don Sutherland said. "Coaches are not fighting for athletes. We're sharing athletes. I think that's why our school was so successful this season."

C-G was very successful in 2005-06, capturing five Fox Valley Conference championships en route to its fifth Northwest Herald All-Sports Award in school history. The award is given to the FVC school with the best combined boys and girls sports teams for the year.

Points are awarded based on FVC finishes in the 16 sports in which all 10 schools compete – 10 for first place, nine for second, etc. – then totalled. C-G's total of 123 easily outdistanced the field.

The Trojans five FVC championships (football, girls cross country, girls basketball, softball and girls track), were the conference's most. C-G's teams also garnered a pair of seconds (boys cross country and girls soccer) and two thirds (volleyball, girls tennis).

Both of C-G's cross-country teams qualified for the IHSA state meet, with the girls placing 13th and the boys 19th. The Trojans' girls basketball team captured a Class AA regional title. The Trojans' football team advanced to the Class 6A quarterfinals.

Many of C-G's standout athletes, including Amy Heredia (soccer, basketball), Tricia Mitz (basketball, softball), Cory Krupp (football, baseball), and Kevin Passaglia (football, wrestling), played on two or more of those teams.

"A lot of our coaches played more than one sport when they were in high school. [Athletic director and football coach] Bruce Kay was a three-sport athlete. [Boys basketball coach] Ralph Schuetzle was a three-sport athlete. I played three sports," Sutherland said. "Because we were well-rounded, we like our kids to be well-rounded.

Note: Schools are awarded points based on their Fox Valley Conference finish in every sport in which all 10 conference teams participate. Teams earn 10 points for a first-place finish, nine points for second, etc.

CARY-GROVE – The Trojans win five Fox Valley Conference titles (football, girls cross country, girls basketball, softball and girls track), place second twice (boys cross country, girls soccer) and third twice (volleyball, girls tennis) ... Both the boys (19th) and girls (13th) cross country teams finish top 20 at the IHSA Class AA State Meet ... Kate Aherne wins two medals at the IHSA Girls Swimming and Diving Meet, the fourth and fifth of her career ... Despite entering the postseason with a 17-14-1 record, C-G's baseball team wins the Class AA Dundee-Crown regional, the Class AA Larkin Sectional, and nearly garners a state berth ... Senior running back/safety Alex Kube leads the Trojans' football team to the Class 6A quarterfinals ... Bud Lachel's girls tennis team posts its best record in 27 years ... Three C-G athletes are named the Northwest Herald's Player of the Year in their respective sports – Kube, Aherne and Jake Pahr (boys soccer).

CRYSTAL LAKE CENTRAL – Haley Staples caps off her freshman season in style, winning the 1,600-meter run at the IHSA Girls Track and Field Meet ... Central's boys golf team goes undefeated for the first time in school history, then blows away the field at the conference meet. Keenan Murphy collects the FVC championship ... Cross country runners Justin Fuhs and Derek Ericson finish 3-4 at the Class AA Woodstock Regional, helping Central to its sixth consecutive regional title.

CRYSTAL LAKE SOUTH – The Gators' football team (11-2) , behind a solid running game and a stifling defense, advances to the Class 6A semifinals. Running back Ryan Lowmiller (2,141 yards, 27 touchdowns) and tackle Jon Niemic are all-state selections ... Sara Siewerth and Abbie Bates guide the Gators' girls basketball team to the top of the FVC ... Junior midfielder Laura Knutson helps South's girls soccer team to its first conference championship in school history ... Ryan King is named second-team all-state after winning five matches at the IHSA Boys Tennis state meet.

DUNDEE-CROWN – Roger Pasek wins pommel horse, finishes second in the all-around at the IHSA Boys Gymnastics state meet ... Juliet Alrich takes second in the 400 meters at the IHSA Girls State Track and Field Meet ... Boys basketball, boys soccer, wrestling and baseball teams each win FVC titles.

GRAYSLAKE – After finishing third in the FVC, the Rams' baseball team wins first regional title in 36 years, first sectional title in school history, and misses the Class AA State Tournament by one game ... Boys soccer team shares FVC crown with Dundee-Crown and McHenry, wins regional title ... Boys basketball, cross country teams also capture regional championships.

HUNTLEY – Sophomore Coryn Marzejon wins two medals at the IHSA Class AA Girls State Track and Field Meet, placing third in the 400 and seventh in the 200 ... Softball team wins second regional title in school history, first in Class AA ... Longtime volleyball coach Larry Kahl retires after amassing 12 regional titles, six sectional titles, six supersectional titles and a record of 432-150.

JACOBS – Evan Jager (state champion in 1,600-meter run; third in Class AA state cross country meet) has one of the best individual seasons, running-wise, in area history ... The junior also helps the Golden Eagles' 4x800 relay team to a state title ... Boys track, after winning conference and sectional titles, places seventh at state ... Softball team shares FVC title with Cary-Grove ... Nick Floyd becomes first swimmer in area history to win three state medals in one season ... Girls tennis wins its third consecutive sectional title ... Matt Phillips finishes second on pommel horse, third on parallel bars at IHSA Boys Gymnastics state meet ... Michael Strumberger (conference-leading 57 points) leads hockey team to the Chicago Metro Central Conference Scholastic Cup championship.

McHENRY – Football team (6-4) makes playoffs for 18th consecutive season ... Softball team upsets top-seeded Cary-Grove in the Class AA Cary-Grove Regional championship game, eventually falls, 1-0, to Mundelein in the Warren Sectional final ... Boys soccer team (15-6-1, 7-2) wins share of FVC title.

PRAIRIE RIDGE – Junior setter Hillary Haen leads the Wolves' volleyball team (42-1) to conference, regional, sectional and supersectional crowns. For the second straight season, however, Prairie Ridge falls in the Class AA state title game ... Baseball team captures a Class AA regional title for the seventh consecutive season ... Lynette Koller (uneven bars) earns a fifth-place medal at the IHSA State Gymnastics meet, guides her team to its sixth consecutive regional crown ... Freshman Julie Schwartz helps the Wolves' girls tennis team win conference and sectional championships; Prairie Ridge's boys tennis team, led by senior Sam Sweeney, also grabs conference and sectional titles.

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