EHS kicked off its spring sports season this month looking toward a strong year. Track and Field, Baseball, Softball, Girls Soccer and Boys Volleyball have been preparing in the winter months with high aspirations.
The Track and Field team got off to an early start with their indoor season. Since February, the boys team has been competing in indoor meets including the Normal West Invitational, the Charger Indoor Invitational, Tiger Indoor Invitational and the Eastern Illinois Invitational, and kicked off their regular season on Tuesday in the Belleville West Dual.
The girls season started on March 10 at the Eastern Illinois Indoor Invite. On Wednesday the girls traveled toAltonfor their outdoor season kickoff with O’Fallon Township High School,Granite CityHigh SchoolandAltonHigh School.
Both the boys and girls competed in the Southwestern Illinois Relays on Saturday. Senior star able to compete due to a pulled hamstring, but that did not slow down the team. The sprinter Cameron James was not boys won four total events, earning 112.75 points and a SWIL title. The girls scored 91.5 points which put them in third place behind first placeRock Islandand second place Belleville West.
Baseball swung into their season with a 2-0 win overGreenvilleHigh School, led by the bats of junior Jordan Heckler and senior Jevon Boyd. Heckler’s third-inning single with two men on put the Tigers ahead 1-0 and then Boyd’s solo shot homerun in the fifth put EHS up by two. The Tigers playedSacredHeart-GriffinHigh Schoolin their home opener Thursday and won with a final score of 5-2. The Tigers blew past Parkway North on Saturday with a seven-run fourth inning and finished the game 13-3. Edwardsville opens up Southwestern Conference action today in Jerseyville againstAltonHigh School.
The softball team is off to strong start with a 4-0 record. In the team’s 4-0 win over Herrin on Wednesday, Coach Lori Blade became the first softball coach inIllinoishigh school history to win 500 games. The girls have been dominant so far, outscoring opponents 38-6 in their four games, including a five-inning short game win over Gillespie. On Saturday, EHS defeated Mater Dei with a 9-1 win.
The Lady Tigers Soccer team opened up their season by hosting the Second Annual Tiger Invite. The Tigers went undefeated through the tournament, but still did not win the tournament title. Edwardsville defeatedWaterloo4-2 in the tournament opener and defeated Minooka 3-1 in the semi-finals. The finals game against Francis Howell Central was called off with 16:09 remaining in the second half due to weather conditions, and the Spartans were deemed champs because of their tournament goal differential. The Lady Tigers went on to defeatColumbia4-0 on Tuesday bumping them to a (3-0-1) overall record. On Saturday the girls kept a zero in the loss column when they defeated the division rival Collinsville Kahoks.
The Boys Volleyball team started their season against Fort Zumwalt East on Thursday. The Tigers won 25-16, 25-20. The EHS program is in its fourth season and hopes to continue their success from last year. The Tigers lost star right hitter Eric Fitterer from last season who led the team to state and the programs first ever playoff appearance.
The five teams look to continue their successes through the rest of the 2012 season. With early wins, it looks like spring will be a strong season for EHS athletics.