Crystal Lake South, Richmond-Burton look to make history at state

Richmond-Burton began its 2026 journey at Illinois State for a summer tournament. Fittingly, the Rockets will end the season there.“We got down there and the girls go, ‘Why are we coming all the way to Illinois State?’ And I told them, ‘It makes sense to start the season where we plan to finish it,’ ” R-B coach Eric Schulze said of the summer road trip. “That was the moment they said let’s go after this. The gas pedal’s been down ever since.”Richmond-Burton (Class 2A) and Crystal Lake South (3A) will both go for school history this weekend at the state tournament at Illinois State’s CEFCU Arena in Normal.The Rockets (38-2) and Gators (28-11) have never won a state title. The last McHenry County team to win a state championship was Laura Watling’s Marian Central Hurricanes in 2015 (3A).South, which tied for second place in the 10-team Fox Valley Conference, ended the season with four losses in their last seven matches. The Gators have quickly turned things around since then.The Gators b