Friday Focus
Announcements
Mundelein After School Coalition (MASC) Turkey Drive
Every year the Mundelein After School Coalition (MASC), in partnership with the Mundelein Police Department, works with the community to provide Thanksgiving dinners to local families in need. We are asking members of our community to come together and assist with donations so that we can continue to make these dinners successful. Every little bit helps and any remaining food donations are provided to the Fremont Food Pantry.
For more information contact Office Sexton (jsexton@mundelein.org). All donations can be dropped off at the Mundelein Police Department lower level lobby. Please have donations in by November 19.
Recognition
Thank you to all who came out to celebrate Frank Giannamore’s induction into the Lake County Hall of Fame. Also receiving recognition was Chuck Burgoon, who was with the Minnesota Vikings for a short time and also holds the oldest Track & Field record at MHS. This record in the Shot Put goes all the way back to 1965.
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| Frank Giannamore and wife Judy celebrate his induction to the Lake Country Hall of Fame |
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| Chuck Burgoon and family, celebrate his recognition for the oldest track and field record at MHS. This record in the Shot Put goes all the way back to 1965 |
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| Frank and Chuck |
Marching Mustangs
Saturday was the first time in school history that the Mundelein High School Marching Mustangs performed at the University of Illinois Marching Championships. It was awesome to hear and see our band perform inside Memorial Stadium. The performance did not disappoint! Here is a Video FROM SATURDAY’S PERFORMANCE taken from the top of the press box. Congratulations to this year’s Marching Mustangs who were named Grand Champion of the Chicagoland Marching Band Festival hosted by Wheeling High School back in September and for placing 2nd in Class 5A at the University of Illinois Marching Championships this weekend. Band Directors Andy Sturgeon and Jerry Shelato are alums from the University of Illinois and former members of the Marching Illini. It was extra special to have our students get to experience marching on that field and hear the performance by the Marching Illini later in the evening.
The Marching Mustangs also had a chance to see several former Mundelein High School grads performing in the Marching Illini. The grads currently in the Marching Illini include Mira Guiritan (’21), Michal Gryga (’18), Diya Joshy (’20), Jennifer Morales (’19), Jake Nakagi (’18), & Molly Podraza (’19). We didn’t get them all in one picture… but here’s a shot of Mira, Jenny and Molly with our current Drum Majors (Evan Brown, Ella Kasamis, Neil Martin, and Addison Salski) at the end of the evening.
Click HERE to watch the video of the band perform!
Activities
Art
Thursday, October 21 MHS Sophomore Talia Zavialov and senior Ashley Marcos competed in the first ART THROWDOWN of the school year. The Art Throwdown is a live art making challenge where students across the state compete to illustrate a prompt given to them just before the live event. Real time creativity and problem solving is on full display for all to see.
The live stream can be viewed HERE
Please vote for them HERE
Athletics
Boys Soccer
Coaches Corner: Sebastian Falinski
Congratulations to the Boys’ Varsity Soccer team for their Regional Championship WIN over the weekend. The team defeated Lake Zurich (Tuesday - 2 OT - PK’s 4-2) and Warren (Saturday - regulation time 1-0) to claim their Regional Title! First year starting goalkeeper Nathan Espinosa’s 8 saves solidified the win for the Mustangs. The boys are working extremely hard, and your praise and encouraging words would be greatly received.
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| Nathan Espinosa comes up with another save (8 saves in all) to beat Warren 1-0 for the Regional Title |
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| Boys Soccer beats Warren to win Regional Title |
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| Regional Soccer Plaque |
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| Head Coach Falinski with Coach Dayton & Coach Crawford |
Football
Your Mundelein Mustangs Football team capped off their season with a tremendous 45-7 win over Zion-Benton. This marked the first time in 7 Years that MHS Beat Zion-Benton. It was a terrific game full of exciting plays. The football program would like to thank all of our supporters. Your support has truly made this season one to remember! We look forward to seeing all of you next fall! Until then, our program will be hard at work as we begin off-season strength & conditioning starting November 29th. Please see Coach DeFrancesco with any questions!
Click HERE to watch the highlights from the final 2021 Football game.
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| Varsity football celebrates 45-7 win over Zion-Benton |
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| Football Captains |
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| Final football score vs Zion Benton |
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| Matthew Kisselburg shot a 152 over two days in Bloomington to tie for 34th place at IHSA Boys Golf State Tourney |
Girls Cross Country
Coaches Corner: Carsyn Rodriguez
So proud of all of our girls for their strong races in a tough Regional at Adler today! All of them ran an avg of 1 minute faster than they ran this course in Sept. BIG CONGRATULATIONS to our 2 Sectional Qualifiers Praise (17th) & Jocelyn (20th)! Can’t wait for Busse next week!
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| Girls Cross Country Sectional Qualifiers Praise (17th & Jocelyn (20th) |
Congratulations to our Runner of the Week: Captain Abby Ford! Abby has been a leader in both her hard work and growth as well as her guidance and support of younger runners. She gave it her all today in her last race for Mundelein! We will miss you next year, Abby!
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| Runner of the Week: Captain Abby Ford! |
Boys Cross Country
Coaches Corner: Kurt Rutz
Saturday, October 23rd was a great day to be a Mustang! Why? One reason was that the MHS Boys cross country team advanced out of Regionals to the Sectional Meet achieving a goal these young men set at the beginning of the season! This happened despite being the youngest, least experienced squad in recent years. They also defied internet previews and race models that had us finishing anywhere from 8th to 10th. Through hard work that started in the summer and sheer grit our young men beat the odds taking 6th place.
Tom Russ again led us, taking 14th, and beating the Zion-Benton #1 runner for the first time this year. Jake Hall had the Race of the Day, and of his career so far, taking 26th. Alberto Diaz stepped up as 3rd man today, taking 42nd. Marco Delacruz was 53rd, and Jonny Gray, continuing his late season surge, took 58th. Logan Green was 62nd, and Finn Keegan took 66th.
Sectionals are at Busse Woods next Saturday and we love to have you join us!
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| Boys Cross Country |
Girls Volleyball
Coaches Corner: George Dressen
Congratulations to junior libero Bella Feijoo for being selected as the 2021 NSC Girls Volleyball Sportsmanship winner. Also, congratulations to our entire girls volleyball program on the completion of their fall 2021 season. We are so proud of your hard work and determination. To our seniors, it has been an honor and privilege to work with you this year. Thank you for your dedication to our volleyball program. You will be missed! And finally, thank you to all who supported our Cancer Awareness Night! We were able to raise a little over $4,000 last week in our annual Breast Cancer Fundraiser for the Lynn Sage Cancer Research Foundation. Thank you for your support and showing love and comfort to the Meister family.
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| Volleyball celebrating Senior Night |
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| Great group of Seniors - Volleyball |
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| Girls Volleyball player Bella Feijoo displays her NSC Sportsmanship medal. |
Girls Diving
Coaches Corner: Tracy Carlson
Fremd relay meet. Sophomores Lucy Moran and Gia Feather took 3rd in the synchronized dive. Senior Lauren Oliver and sophomore Charlotte Oliver took 3rd in dive relay.
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| Sophomores Lucy Moran and Gia Feather took 3rd in the synchronized dive |
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| Senior Lauren Oliver and sophomore Charlotte Oliver took 3rd in dive relay |
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| 3rd place divers in relay and syncro meet |
Alumni News
(Please send any Alumni news regarding Athletics that MHS participates sfrew@d120.org)
Cross Country
Soccer
GRINNELL, Iowa – After a successful week, the Grinnell College's men's soccer team has been recognized with awards from the Midwest Conference. Pioneer players swept MWC Performer of the Week honors, with Zak Serby, from Mundelein, Ill. (Mundelein H.S.), showed his defensive prowess as the Pioneers posted key MWC wins. Grinnell limited Monmouth to eight shots, and then toppled Lawrence University from the ranks of league unbeatens while holding the Vikings to just seven shots. Equally impressive was Grinnell's defensive effort against 17th-ranked St. Olaf College Sunday. The Pioneers all but neutralized the Oles' potent offensive attack before the visitors escaped with a 1-0 overtime victory.
Administration
Congratulations to MHS Alum Matthew Crowley (2006) on his promotion to Assistant Athletic Director at Waukegan High School.
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| Crowley |
Photos from the Week
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| During the "Meet the Mustangs" event on Monday, Oct. 25, Caitlyn Ekstrom '23 and Diana Nanos '23 take an eighth grade family on tour around the Media Center.- Ashley Wolverton ‘23 |
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| The varsity Academic Team works together to pull through with a win at their meet against Zion Benton on Wednesday, Oct 20.- Addison Klein ‘24 |
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| On Monday Oct. 25, Brock Paulch '22, Andrew Wellington '22, and Zachary Frenzel '22 dissect a snake in Zoology class. -Adrianna Nuzzo ‘22 |
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| In a sectionals win for MHS, the varsity boys soccer team celebrates its 1-0 victory over Warren High School on Oct. 23.- Brianna Richards ‘22 |
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| After school, students Seleste Orellana '24, Miranda Ramos 24' and Allison Bellecomo '24 go to Stand Up club and show support for the club's first meeting. - Ivana Rosillo ‘24 |
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| Anthony Kroll, Mike Pope & Larry Calhoun make pancakes for the staff before Parent/Teacher Conferences |