Scott Davidson|South Bend Tribune
There were many memorable moments on the area high school sporting scene over the last year.
Here is a brief look at some of those top achievements by both teams and individuals that stood out.
South Bend Washington girls basketball
The Panthers earned a trip to the State Finals for the first time since 2009.
Washington finished with a Class 3A runner-up finish after a 54-48 loss to Silver Creek in the season finale.
The Panthers beat a strong Marian team 51-42in the sectional final at Saint Joseph. Marian had won the last three sectional titles under coach Steve Scott.
Coach Steve Reynolds' team then defeated Kankakee Valley 70-33 and Lakeland 64-50 in the Jimtown Regional before rolling past Norwell 61-40in the LaPorte semistate.
► More: Washington fights to the end but can't overcome rough 2nd quarter state final loss
Junior Mila Reynolds, a Maryland commit, led the Panthers in the title game with 18 points. Sophom*ore Rashunda Jones, who plans to play at Purdue, had 13 points as Washington finished its season 22-6.
South Bend Saint Joseph girls tennis
The Indians marched all the way to Indianapolis last Spring to earn a state runner-up finish after a 4-1 loss to Carmel.
Coach Bill Mountford's team went 18-2 with just a pair of losses to Carmel.
Senior Kate Bellia (No. 2 singles) earned the Mental Attitude Award to cap off the stellar season by the Indians, whose lineup included undefeated freshman Molly Bellia at No. 1 singles.
► More: Freshman phenom Molly Bellia caps a perfect season with a state tennis title
Northridge football
The Raiders overcame a mid-season slump to hit their stride in time to make quite thepostseason run this fall.
Northridge was just 5-4at one point before overcoming key injuries to win fivein a row to advance to the State Finals for the first time in program history.
The Raiders upset No. 2 Leo 27-26 in the sectional final at home. Northridge then topped Mississinewa 25-7 at home in the regional before winning 20-14 at New Prairie in the North Semistate game.
The Raiders lost 45-14 to Mount Vernon (Fortville) in the Class 4A season finale in November to finish at 10-5.
Former Wawasee High School player Chad Eppley guided the Raiders to their historic season in his first season as head coach.
► Frommer: Northridge runs out of answers in 4A title game, but loss doesn't diminish magical run
Saint Joseph boys tennis
Seniors Daniel Pries and Kyle Fernandez led the way as the Indians advanced to the semistate before losing to eventual state champion Carmel.
Pries, the No. 1 singles player for the Indians the past three seasons, finished with 102 wins and was a three-time All-State selection and three-time NIC MVP.
Fernandez, the No. 2 singles player for the Indians, went 96-4 in his prep career. He was a second team All-State selection.
Coach Steve Bender's squad finished with a 5-0 loss to Carmel, which went on to win its sixth straight state championship.
Penn volleyball
The Kingsmen, led by seniors Emma Hickey and Janet Moala, put together a fabulous campaign this past fall.
► 4A Volleyball semistate: Penn's dream season ends in loss to McCutcheon in five-set classic
Coach Lisa Pawlik's squad, which was ranked No. 1 in Class 4A during the season, lost 3-2 to McCutcheon in a thrilling semistate match.
The Kingsmen finished the season at 36-2 with losses to just McCutcheon and Munster. Penn avenged the regular-season loss to Munsterby topping them 3-1 in the regional finale at LaPorte.
SaintJosephboys basketball
The Indians put together quite the postseason run in coach Mark Johnson's final season.
Saint Joseph won the program's first regional title since 1993 before losing a 61-59 heartbreaker to Leo in the Class 3A North Semistate contest.
The Indians, led by Indiana All-Star J.R. Konieczny and fellow seniors Will Terry and Jack Futa, finished 21-5.
► Reversal of fortune: Leo erases 16-point deficit to eliminate Saint Joseph in semistate
Niles volleyball
The Vikings tied a program mark with 47 wins during the 2021 campaign.
Coach Jenny Nate's team, led by Marika Ruppart and Jillian Bruckner,finished 47-9. The Vikings won the Wolverine Conference title and also claimed district and regional championships for just the second time in program history.
Niles went 9-0 to win the Wolverine Conference title in its first season in the league.
► HS volleyball: End of the line for Niles' determined tournament run
Ruppart, a senior middle hitter, was a second team All-State choice. Bruckner, a junior middle hitter, was honorable mention All State.
Edwardsburg and Niles football
The Eddies advanced to the Division 4 state semifinals before their first loss.
Undefeated Hudsonville Unity Christian topped the No. 2 Eddies 58-8 to end their 2021 campaign.
Edwardsburg, making its sixth trip to the state semifinals in the last eight years under coach Kevin Bartz, finished at 12-1. The Eddies had outscored their first 12 foes 631-56.
► More:'The best team we've ever played.' Edwardsburg falls hard in Michigan football semifinals
Niles put together just its fifth winning season in the past 36 years under new coach Scot Shaw.
The Vikings went 5-4 and just missed making the playoffs.
Shaw, a former coach at Elkhart Memorial, did a terrific job after not being hired until the end of June to take over at Niles.
Marian and Saint Joseph girls soccer
The NIC was well represented in the state tournament series as both Marian and Saint Joseph enjoyed postseason success.
The Knights won sectional, regional and semistate championships under first-year coach Henry Vu before a 1-0 loss to Evansville Memorial in overtime in the Class 2A state championship match.
Marian beat Leo 1-0 in the semistate on a goal by freshman Daisy Moody with just 20 seconds to play in regulation time.
The Knights, who were led by seniors like Mia Garatoni and Grace Weaver, finished 20-4. The 20 wins was a program record, as was the 17 shutouts by the Knights.
Saint Joseph won the NIC title before claiming sectional and regional crowns in Class 3A.
► More: Saint Joseph soccer sees season end in heartbreaking fashion
► More: Memory-making season for Marian soccer
Coach Phil DePauw's team lost a heartbreaking semistate contest to Homestead 3-2 in a penalty kick shootout. Homestead went on to defeat Carmel 2-1 to win the state championship.
The Indians, who finished at 17-3-1, were led by senior Ella Scott and juniors Ella Frick and Peyton Hull.
Top players
Molly Bellia, Saint Joseph
Bellia was an instant force for the Indians in a remarkable freshman season last Spring.
The humble southpaw star put together an undefeated season in marching all the way to Indianapolis and an individual state championship.
Bellia, whose senior sister Kate played No.2 singles, finished the year with a 6-1, 4-6,7-5 win over Harrison freshman Emma Gu in the state title match under hot and humid conditions in Indianapolis.
Bellia, who helped lead her team to a state runner-up finish prior to her own state title, finished the season 26-0.
J.R. Konieczny, Saint Joseph
Konieczny capped an incredible high school basketball career by leaving his name all over the record books.
The Saint Joseph guard finished as the all-time leading scorer in St. Joseph County boys basketball history with 1,996 points.
Konieczny, a Notre Dame recruit, averaged 28.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per game his senior season as he led the Indians to Class 3A sectional and regional championships.
Konieczny was an Indiana All-Star and finished fifth in voting for Mr. Basketball in 2021.
Cybil Stillson, NorthWood
Stillson was a four-year force on the links for power NorthWood.
The sweet-swinging southpaw had the round to remember as she shot a 62 in the East NobleRegional at the Noble Hawk Golf Clubin Kendallville this past fall. That round was the lowest ever recorded in state tournament girls play.
Stillson went on to place in a tie for 11th placeindividually with a two-round total of 153 at the State Finals as her team finished 13th.She also earned the Mental Attitude Award following the State Finals.
Stillson has committed to play collegiately at Butler University in Indianapolis..
Blake Wesley, Riley
Wesley flourished big time in his final season on the hardwood on South Bend's south side.
The electric guard poured in 27.1 points per game and grabbed 6.6 rebounds per contest in earning a spot on the Indiana All-Star team.
Wesley finished his prep career with a program record 1,496 points. He led the Wildcats to an upset of Adams to win the Class 4A Michigan City Sectional title.
Wesley became the first South Bend public schools player to attend Notre Dame since Michael Smith of LaSalle in 1985.
