Zack Gilbert leads Stevenson to sectional championship

LINCOLNSHIRE — There wasn’t much drama at the boys gymnastics Stevenson Sectional meet Thursday night.

The host Patriots took control after the second event of the night, scoring 25.05 points in the pommel horse. Stevenson swept the next four events, and with a score of 153.60, won the sectional for the second year in a row to gain an automatic team berth at next weekend’s state meet at Hinsdale Central.

“Overall we had a strong meet,” Patriots senior Zack Gilbert said. “There were some mistakes; we have to clean that up. But our aim was to qualify, and we did that.”

At sectionals, the top five individuals in all six events earn automatic berths into the state meet.

Gilbert was the story of the meet, winning the all-around with a score of 52.65. He won three individual events: pommel horse (9.10), still rings (8.95) and vault (9.10). Stevenson junior Arie Feltman-Frank was the other Patriots champion, taking first in the high bar (8.75). Feltman-Frank earned the last state-qualifying spot in the pommel horse, finishing fifth with a score of 8.15. Senior Jacob Guth (all-around, parallel bars) and freshman Matt Krames (floor, vault) also qualified individually.

Deerfield was runner-up to Stevenson in the team competition (142.45 points), with one Warriors gymnast taking home the other two individual first-place trophies. Senior Brian Spinello won the parallel bars (8.90) and floor exercise (9.55). His third-place finish in the high bar (7.40) was also a state-qualifying mark. Spinello’s twin brother, Jeff, earned a repeat trip to the state meet with a second-place finish in the vault (8.95) and third on the floor (9.15).

“We were here to get individuals in, and we got plenty in,” Deerfield coach Doug Foerch said.

Buffalo Grove finished third overall (138.90), earning two individual automatic berths. Senior Jake Gilbert’s score of 8.15 in the still rings was good for fourth place. Junior Tyler Cho nabbed a state berth with a fourth-place showing on the vault (8.90). Highland Park, which came in fourth in the team competition (138.40), nabbed two spots on the parallel bars (senior Greg Biagi and junior Jeff Brewer) and in the pommel horse (senior Dylan Abbott and Biagi).

Glenbrook North junior Corey Snyder finished fourth in the all-around (48.35) and Glenbrook South junior Jeremy Fine was fifth (47.40), earning the last state automatic berth.

Rounding out the other team finishes were Glenbrook North (fifth, 133.50), Glenbrook South (sixth, 130.50), Prospect (seventh, 129.00), Hersey (eighth, 127.95) and Elk Grove (ninth, 118.05).