Yorkville wins its first regional title in 21 years

When the IHSA released the sectional seeds and regional matchups a couple of weeks ago, Yorkville was enjoying a team dinner.

After a few minutes of dissecting things, Yorkville coach John Holakovsky saw his team brimming with some confidence.

“We saw that bracket during our team dinner and our kids saw a path,” Holakovsky said of the regional matchups. “They saw it and were fired up.”

What the Foxes initially saw was a regional bracket that avoided having to play what Holakovsky referred to as the sectional’s “Big Three” of Benet, Neuqua Valley and Bolingbrook.

The sixth-year coach was also intrigued about not having to play other conference foes like Oswego, Oswego East and Plainfield East in the regional.

“I was excited to play new teams, to be honest,” Holakovsky said. “Super excited to play schools we don’t have any connections to. We went in with a lot of confidence.”

Holakovsky and the Foxes believed they were “much better” than a No. 13 seed. And they certainly were, both in what they had shown in the regular season and by how they proved it this past week.

With talented sophomore Joey Jakstys leading the way, the Foxes upset No. 4 seed Naperville North in the regional semifinals. The 6-7 Jakstys knocked down a trio of three-pointers en route to 21 a game-high points and provided a game-changing moment late in the game. Jakstys drove the lane, dunked over a defender, drew a foul and completed the three-point play.

While promising talent like Jakstys, one of the better young prospects in the state, and fellow sophomore Braydon Porter, who leads the team in scoring, are recognizable names, it was Gabe Sanders and Alonn Flint who led the way in the championship game win over fifth-seeded Downers Grove South.

Sanders, the senior guard who led the team in scoring a year ago, scored 18 points, while the little-known Flint added 14.

After playing very little off the bench in the win over Naperville North, Holakovsky told Flint he would play a bigger role in what was a better matchup against DGS. Flint, who averages three points a game, responded.

As the final seconds ticked down in the convincing 57-40 title game win, Holakovsky said he looked down and saw Yorkville athletic director Luke Engelhardt in front of the student section with an ear-to-ear smile on his face. It was Engelhardt who hired Holakovsky back in 2020 and who was also one of the star players on Yorkville’s last regional championship team in 2005.

“To see him with that big smile … it was pretty cool and satisfying,” Holakovsky said.

The Foxes, who improved to 16-12 on the season, claimed their first regional championship in 21 years as the lowest seeded team to advance to a sectional since West Aurora did so as a No. 14 seed in 2021.

“This is a huge win for the program,” Holakovsky said. “We are trying to grow basketball in our community. This allows those kids who were in the gym for the regional to dream. Having success builds momentum.”

Now it’s back to reality for the upstart Foxes. The regional title game reward? It’s a sectional semifinal date with Benet, the defending state champs and the No. 1 ranked team in the state.

“We know what and who Benet is,” Holakovsky said. “I have so much respect for Gene [Heidkamp] and how he does it. I know their staff very well and have a ton of respect for them. We know we have our hands full. But we’re playing with house money now and playing with confidence.”