When browsing through the rosters of varsity Glenbrook South sports teams, you would expect to find teams composed of juniors and seniors. However, some of Glenbrook South’s best teams have several freshmen and sophomores playing regularly on varsity.

Sophomore Evan Ling starts at linebacker for the ranked football team. Sophomore Allie Zimmerman is the number two singles player on the girls’ tennis team. And sophomore Chad Hughes has been a key contributor for the ranked varsity boys’ golf team.

Evan Ling is in his first year on the varsity squad. He is the only underclassmen playing on the football team this year. To make the transition from playing JV to playing varsity, Ling was in the weight room everyday with the team and hired a speed trainer to work on his quickness and movement on the field. Ling predicts that next year the team should be an even stronger contender for the state title than they are this year.

“If I keep up with my current work ethic and work as hard as I did in the off-season, our team should live up to its potential next season,” Ling states.

Sophomore Allie Zimmerman is in her second season on the varsity tennis team. She is already playing as the number two or three singles player regularly. To move up this high in the lineup, Zimmerman has played great competition in several USTA tournaments in Utah, Ohio, and Michigan. Zimmerman also started playing competitive tennis at an early age.

“Traveling to all different parts of the country for USTA tournaments, there are always very competitive players. These competitions are great for gaining experience and have helped me to do well in the IHSA season,” says Zimmerman.

Sophomore golfer Chad Hughes has played many matches this season for the Titan golf team. To play in some varsity tournaments this year, Hughes practiced more than he ever had before last summer. Hughes frequented the Glenview Park Golf Club and the Sunset Ridge Country Club’s practice range to improve his game. He also played in several IJGA (Illinois Junior Golf Association) tournaments to get used to the competitive spirit of IHSA boys’ golf. Hughes also plans on playing lacrosse this spring and would like to continue with both sports for all four years of high school.

“By my senior season I see myself being the captain of the team, and if the team doesn’t qualify for state, I hope to qualify individually. I doubt we’ll be the number two team in Illinois like this year, but hopefully we’ll be right up there at the top of the conference,” Hughes explains.

Ling, Zimmerman, and Hughes are only a few of the underclassmen athletes that offer tremendous amounts of hope for the next few years of fall sports. GBS has seen much improvement in its sports programs recently and these young guns prove that it will continue. Coaches hope these athletes will keep learning this year and will be much improved for their next two years on varsity.

Chris Anderson, assistant sports editor