Zach Pekol was very close to becoming Joliet Catholic’s valedictorian this year.
He settled for being the school’s salutatorian — no small feat — but he holds no animosity toward the guy who beat him out. That would be his twin brother, Luke.
“We’ve always been competitive our entire lives,” Zach said. “It came down to a really, really close race at the end. But I was happy it was us to at the top and it was cool to celebrate that with my twin brother.
“I think it’s important to celebrate someone else’s success. It’s not always about you. As long as we’re both happy, that’s what matters.”
The 6-foot-9 seniors are making Hilltopper fans happy. Joliet Catholic (17-6) is having one of its best seasons in program history, and the Lewis-bound Pekol twins are a big reason why.
Luke is an outside hitter and Zach is a middle. And the two are always on the go.
Last week was particularly busy. They started it off Monday with a win over Niles Notre Dame, then joined teammates Carter Holbrook, Preston Buss and Jason Koenings in racing to a dinner hosted by the Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce honoring the top 25 students from each Joliet school.
The next night featured a win over St. Viator in Arlington Heights. The following day, they were a part of a signing ceremony. Thursday was prom.
“The coach buses got us back at 3 a.m.,” Luke said.
Friday and Saturday was filled with volleyball as the Hilltoppers took seventh in the 24-team Lincoln-Way East Invitational, including wins over Lincoln-Way West and Downers Grove South.
Busy is normal for these two.
“Last year, we played varsity basketball and club volleyball at the same time,” Luke said. “That was busy, but this was definitely one of the most exciting weeks of my life.”
Luke pointed out that he and his brother are involved in 17 clubs at the school. Zach is the president of eight and Luke is the vice president of eight.
Luke also noted that the JCA Key Club won a state championship thanks in part to Zach writing a 25-page report on a service project the club participated in.
Oh, and they squeezed in 500 service hours as well.
“We manage our time well,” Luke said. “We work well together, and as twins, our brains connect.”
All in the family: Back in 1994, the third year of boys volleyball under the Illinois High School Association, Oak Lawn won the state championship and freshman Steve Jaral was a freshman on the team.
Jaral’s son, Connor, is a junior outside hitter this season for Lincoln-Way West, a team with the firepower to make a deep run in the postseason.
“I’m always trying to one-up what he did,” Connor said of his father. “I want to set a new standard.”
The two have a friendly disagreement on talent level.
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“He thinks he was better than me when I was 17,” Connor said. “I tell him, ‘No, I’m better now.’ We go back and forth.”
Volleyball is in Connor’s blood. Jaral’s mother, Jenell (Murray), also played volleyball at Oak Lawn and in college at Carthage.
Not second best: North Central College finished second Sunday in the NCAA Division III Tournament, and the team has three local ties.
On the court, senior Ben Pluskota became a defensive specialist at NCC. The Lincoln-Way West product played in 29 matches and totaled 171 digs for the Cardinals.
Kyle Exline, NCC’s head coach, graduated from Oak Lawn and coached at Argo.
One of his assistants is former Sandburg standout Colin Ensalaco, who helped the Eagles finish fourth in the state in 2015 and third in 2016.
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
