Athletes put pen to paper

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Big news came in November when Johnsburg’s C.J. Fiedorowicz switched from one Big Ten Conference school to its rival.

On Wednesday, it became official –
Fiedorowicz is an Iowa Hawkeye.

Fiedorowicz and teammate Thomas
Kinney arrived for school Wednesday morning and signed their NCAA national letters of intent, then faxed them to their respective colleges. Wednesday was the first day of the NCAA signing period for athletes in football, cross country, soccer and track and field.

“It feels great,” Fiedorowicz said. “The recruiting got to the point [in the fall] where I was missing some school and it was pretty stressful. When it came down to it, I made the right decision. Look at all the Iowa tight ends in the NFL.”

Fiedorowicz committed to Illinois in June, but during the football season he said he was reconsidering. He visited Illinois and Iowa during their college seasons and said Iowa assistant Lester Erb was one of the most persistent coaches in his recruitment, visiting Johnsburg almost every other week, even though Fiedorowicz had committed to Illinois.

Chris Leathers, who trains Fiedorowicz in speed and agility at Davis Speed Center in Crystal Lake, hosted a ceremony for the 6-foot-6, 250-pound tight end Wednesday at the facility.

Fiedorowicz’s parents, Gary and LeeAnn, and his brother, Kyle, attended, along with Johnsburg athletic director Bruce Harbecke, football coach Barry Creviston and several friends.

Fiedorowicz, rated by recruiting services in the nation’s top 100 players, was one of the most sought-after football players in McHenry County history. He was the 2009 Northwest Herald Football Player of the Year and was an All-Area first-team selection three times.

“[The Iowa coaches] think I could start as a freshman and get a decent amount of playing time,” Fiedorowicz said.

LeeAnn Fiedorowicz said her son vowed to move in and take the tight end job.

“He told me, ‘I’m starting freshman year,’ ” she said. “I said, ‘See what happens,’ and he said, ‘I’m doing whatever I have to to start.’ ”

Other area football players who signed Wednesday were McHenry fullback-tight end Jake Howe (Illinois) and quarterback Thomas Rose (Winona State, Division II), Crystal Lake Central center Travis Cheesbro (Northern Michigan, D-II) and Kinney (Winona State).

Kinney was a four-year varsity kicker with excellent range and accuracy. He made 9 of 15 field goals last season.

Woodstock wide receiver Mike Kremske, who led the area with 67 receptions, will play at Drake, a school in the D-I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA) in the Pioneer Football League, a conference that does not award scholarships. Also, Woodstock defensive end-running back Mike Liedtke completed his graduation requirements early and enrolled at Western Michigan, so he does not have to sign a letter of intent.

One of the area’s other top athletes to sign Wednesday was Huntley’s Marcus Popenfoose, the Class 3A state runner-up in the discus and shot put last year. Popenfoose signed with Auburn.

“For me, once I verballed [to Auburn] I knew that’s where I was going, but this is the final step in the process,” Popenfoose said. “[Recruitment] was exciting, but I tried to make it as simple as possible because I still have my senior year. I still have some unfinished business.”

Popenfoose has four state medals, but does not have a state title. He will be a favorite to win the Class 3A discus and shot put this season.

Three area athletes signed with D-I schools to run cross country and track – Crystal Lake South’s Kristina Aubert (Arkansas State), Woodstock’s Elise Beattie (New Hampshire) and Cary-Grove’s Phil Fairleigh (Duke).

Huntley’s Amy Fanella signed with D-I Indiana State for track and field, and eight area girls signed with D-I or D-II schools for soccer. Huntley’s Taylor Henning-Fletter (Western Illinois, D-I), Lauren Gaitsch (Lake Erie College, D-II) and Cori Wronski (Upper Iowa, D-II), Crystal Lake South’s Ashley Ross (Toledo, D-I), Karly Mecko (Wisconsin-Parkside, D-II) and Kelsey Taldone (Upper Iowa), and Prairie Ridge’s Maggie Olsen (Loyola, D-I) and Kyli Humm (Tennessee-Martin, D-I).

• Joe Stevenson covers high school sports for the Northwest Herald. He can be reached at 815-526-4513. He also can be reached by fax at 815-459-5640 or by e-mail at jstevenson@nwherald.com.