News
Chess Wins 1A State Championship
By Head Coach Matt McCaw
The Parker Chess team had a stellar season, finishing 9-1 in conference play and taking first place in the Chicago Chess Conference Tournament, beating conference powerhouse St. Ignatius on Saturday, January 25. The team was defeated by St. Ignatius during regular season play, but that prompted us to take some time to dig in and improve our performance, and the team that played during our post-season was vastly improved. The team qualified for State with a strong finish at Sectionals in Evanston on Saturday, February 1.
Things went well for us as Parker won in round two against perennial powerhouse Palatine High School by a decisive score of 45.5 to 25.5, an upset that got the team a lot of attention. Next, Parker beat Crete-Monee High School 50.5 to 17.5 in round four. Our team finished 36th overall, a result that placed them first in the state in the 1A class; 1A schools are those with fewer than 600 students.
Sophomore William McCloskey took home a silver medal for his individual performance, and freshman Isaiah Jakobe scored five wins on board two. Board one and junior Darius Cleaver, team anchor, scored major wins against some of the state’s top competitors.
Francis W. Parker School educates students to think and act with empathy, courage and clarity as responsible citizens and leaders in a diverse democratic society and global community.