As the Winter weather slowly fades, students and staff at MCHS begin to ecstatically prepare for what’s next: Spring. Spring Break vacation planning is underway, coats are hung up for the foreseeable future and students gear up for the home stretch of the school year, consisting of stressful events like Final Exams or Prom.
However, student athletes at MCHS wait anxiously behind a screen, awaiting the moment in which they can register for one of the many Spring sports our school has to offer! Below is what you can expect from some of the most anticipated Spring sports amongst the McHenry community.
Baseball
The MCHS varsity baseball team heads into the 2026 season with an immense amount of pressure to deliver. Last year, the squad made it to the division 4A IHSA state championship game, coming up short to Libertyville 4-1. With a very similar roster to that of last season, McHenry looks to meet and exceed the expectation that they can be right back in the championship game this season.
At the helm for this Warriors team is Kaden Wasniewski. Wasniewski is a junior third-baseman and right-handed pitcher for McHenry who is committed to playing collegiate baseball at Louisiana State University. Alongside him are two other NCAA Division One prospects: Landon Clements, junior shortstop and second baseman committed to play at the University of Illinois-Chicago and Carver Cohn, who is an outfielder regarded as one of the top prospects in the 2028 class out of Illinois regardless of position.
“I think the ultimate goal for us is to get back to that state championship game,” Cohn says. “Everyone on the team knows that we’re a talented enough team to win it all. Now it’s all about everyone buying in to getting there.”
“I mean, it may sound a little arrogant, but I expect us to destroy every team that steps in our way,” Clements states. “We have a big chip on our shoulder this year and have a lot to prove. That excites us.”
Lacrosse
Over the past couple years, the MCHS lacrosse team has become more and more popular amongst student athletes. At this year’s tryouts, more students tried out than any other tryout throughout the existence of the program. With a pool of hungry players, this year’s squad is ready to prove to the rest of the conference that McHenry should be a team to look out for in the FVC moving forward.
“This year, we had roughly sixty people try out, which is obviously a lot more than the about 25 people we’ve had try out over the past couple years,” senior midfielder Gavin Larose explains. “We lost a couple of important guys, but I think fans should still expect McHenry to win a lot of games this year. We’re striving for the top of the conference.“
Girls Soccer
The MCHS girls varsity soccer team is a team many are underestimating going into this next season. Last year, the squad finished with a record of 3-6 in conference play and 9-12 overall. This season, they are motivated and determined to prove to the McHenry community that attention should be paid to these female athletes just like the rest of the spring sports.
“The fact that we may not be as recognized by students or people in general is definitely a motivator for us,” junior Matzally Vasquez says. “I’m confident that we’re gonna have a better season than last year.”
Whether you’re a student at MCHS, an alumni or someone whose connection to the school is strictly through you living in McHenry, if you’re reading this, don’t miss the opportunity to see some phenomenal athletes take their respective field this Spring!