Waukegan’s District 60 School Board voted unanimously on Tuesday night to hire Juan Anillo as varsity head football coach for the 2015 season.
For Anillo, it’s actually a rehire, as he coached the Bulldogs for the 2014 season when he was named coach on a one-year, interim basis.
Anillo’s team went 2-3 on the field, then forfeited its last four games due to a teachers strike in the district.
After the season, the school board posted the coaching opening for 2015, and Anillo again applied for the job.
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Anillo replaced Nick Browder last year after Browder stepped down in the spring of 2014. It took until early August for Waukegan to finally offer Anillo the job for the 2014 season, and he was hired just after fall football practice officially started.
Before coming to Waukegan last year, Anillo served as a high school scout in Illinois for North Central College in Naperville.
Before that, he coached on the high school level in Texas.
Waukegan last made the football playoffs in 2001 when John Neff was head coach, and no team in Lake County has gone longer since its last playoff appearance. Round Lake also last made the playoffs in 2001, Zion-Benton in 2003, and Mundelein in 2004.
Every other area school has been in the playoffs at least once since 2010.
Since Neff’s time as head coach ended, Waukegan has been led by Pat Jennings, Derek Dewitt, Browder and, since last year, Anillo.
Softball
Defending state champion Warren got its season off to a good start with a pair of victories in the Spring Fling tournament at Barrington. The Devils beat Hersey 12-2 in the quarterfinals and Lake Zurich 8-2 in the semifinals. They were scheduled to play for the tourney title against Barrington on Wednesday.
Zion-Benton started the Spring Fling with a 7-2 win over Glenbrook North and then got blanked 4-0 by Barrington. The Bees were scheduled to play North Suburban Conference Lake Division rival Lake Zurich for third place.
Deerfield was playing Hersey for fifth place, and Glenbrook North and Maine West were playing for seventh.
Boys lacrosse
Grayslake North opened its season with a 6-5 win over Glenbrook South on Tuesday, and the Knights will play at Warren on Thursday evening. Warren is a B Division team in the sport and North is an A Division team. Last year, Warren finished second in the B Division playoffs.
Girls soccer
Defending state champion Lake Forest opened with a 2-0 win over Hersey, as Sheridan Weiss and Kylie Murray scored.
Antioch started with a 2-0 loss to Deerfield and a 2-2 tie with Grayslake North.