Boys Gymnastics: Hinsdale South enjoys small gains

With two seniors already away for spring break, Hinsdale South coach Jarrod Amolsch tempered his expectations Friday night.

After all, the Hornets only have four seniors in the program this season. After losing at least four competitors from last season, Amolsch has already used the world “rebuilding” to describe this season.

For Amolsch, one of the highlights of the 10-team Krupke Invitational at Lake Park in Medinah was watching new varsity performer Lane Tong, a junior, score a 5.0 on the still rings in his first major meet of his career.

Tong appeared in only one other varsity meet earlier in the season. He competed in a dual meet at Willowbrook March 20 leading up to Lake Park.

Because of his performance and with an expected short-handed lineup at Lake Park, Amolsch promoted Tong to the varsity for the Hornets’ first major meet of the season.

Hinsdale South has taken the week off from competition during spring break and will not compete again until the Hinsdale Central Invitational April 5.

“My first expectations (about Lake Park) was that there was going to be a lot of good competition here,” Tong said. “I was thinking that I was going to be impressed by everyone else.”

State title contender Wheaton Co-op easily won the Krupke Invitational with two all-arounders (Ethan Samsoni, third place and Danny Heller) in the top six.

Hinsdale South (110.580 points) finished 10th as all-arounders Ryan Alsip (37.25) and Keneen Freeman (33.20) were 15th and 17th.

Tong would have had a hard time anticipating a varsity appearance as early as this season when he began competing as a freshman. Tong did not participate in gymnastics during middle school.

“I made a big jump this year,” Tong said. “I worked out a lot over the summer. It was making me get better.”

He competed in only the high bar and rings at Lake Park. On rings, he tied for 30th, but tied for 37th on high bar (3.80) out of 42 competitors on that event.

Hinsdale South’s top competitor in the meet was Eddie Murphy, who placed ninth (8.60) on vault while teammate Andre Williams (8.43) placed 12th.

Alsip finished 15th on pommel horse (6.95) to lead all Hornets on that event and he finished a team-best 22nd on high bar (5.10). Alsip also led the Hornets by placing 25th (6.10) on parallel bars.

George Valcour was Hinsdale’s top competitor on rings (5.20), taking 26th.

The biggest logjam of Hornets competitors was on floor exercise with Williams (28th, 7.60), Riley Maher (30th, 7.50), Freeman (32nd, 7.30) and Alsip (34th, 7.20).

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