Athletics
Like most larger schools, Kankakee Westview offered many different sports to its students. Boys competed
in baseball, basketball, football, swimming and track, while the girls were offered basketball, bowling, softball, swimming,
track, and volleyball. It is possible the boys competed in cross country, golf and wrestling, and the girls in cross
country and golf; however, this information is currently not available. The "Kayhawks" won a measure of state recognition
in most sports that they competed in.
One great story about the Westview High School athletic rivalry with Eastridge was
shared by a local fan:
"Kankakee Westview had a large "W" on top of the school which lit up when Westview won that
night in sports. One autumn night they beat Eastridge and when they got to school the following Monday, the "W" was laying
in pieces on the ground. About 2 weeks later, Eastridge won a game. Eastridge had a big "E" on top of their school
that lit up when they won in sports. When they got back to school that (following) Monday, the "E" was turned to where
it looked like the letter "W"."
Boys Baseball
The Kayhawks team records and coach's names are not currently available. If you have this information
on any of the better Westview High diamond teams please forward it to us.
Boys Basketball
A complete season summary is available for all 17 seasons the KWHS boys competed in basketball on
the IHSA website (www.ihsa.org). The teams won a total of three District titles, three Regional titles, and one Sectional title. The
better team records and coach's names are listed below.
1966-67 8-10 IHSA District Champions Coach
Bob Kemp
District Scores Needed
Kankakee
Regional Tourney
1st Rd lost to Rich East 81-79 (O/T)
1967-68
Kankakee Dist. Runner-Up Coach Carl Koch
Season
Record Needed
Kankakee District Scores
1st Rd Beat Momence 47-31
Semi-final Beat Peotone 49-48
Title
Game lost to Bishop McNamara 50-47 (O/T)
1968-69 15-11 Kankakee
District Champs Coach Carl Koch
1st Rd Beat Peotone 60-45
Semi-final Beat Beecher 71-56
Title Game Beat Grant Park 44-36
Crete-Monee
Regional Tourney
1st Rd lost to Maron Catholic 54-53
Marion
Catholic lost to Bloom in the semi-final
Bloom
beat Homewood-Flossmoor in title game
1969-70 20- 9 Kankakee District Champions Coach Denny
Lehnus
1st
Rd Beat Peotone 53-46
Semi-Final Beat Grant Park 58-46
Title Game Beat Kankakee Eastridge 40-32
Bloom
Regional Tournament
1st Rd Beat Bradley-Bourbonnais 62-53
Semi-final lost to Bloom 63-47
Bloom beat Homewood-Flossmoor in title game
1970-71 Kankakee District Tourney
Coach Denny Lehnus
Season Record Needed
District
Tourney Scores
1st Rd Beat Beecher 57-50
Semi-final lost to Eastridge 68-53
Eastridge beat McNamara in title game
1971-72 16- 8 Kankakee Class AA Regional Coach Denny
Lehnus
Semi-final
lost to Eastridge 60-41
Eastridge beat Bradley-Bourbonnais in title game
1972-73 18- 8 Postseason scores needed Coach
Denny Lehnus
1973-74 20- 8 IHSA
Regional Champions Coach Denny Lehnus
Regional Scores Needed
Kankakee Sectional Tourney
Semi-final
lost to Bloomington 78-71
Bloomington lost to Danville in title game
BLOOMINGTON (78): Pavlik 20, Rutledge 19, Bender 19, Jones 12, Jordan 8
KANKAKEE WESTVIEW (71): Groesbeck 22, Sykes 22, Brooks 15, Pa. Link 8, Tetwiler 2, Ph. Link 2.
1974-75 17- 7 Postseason scores needed Coach
Vern Sloan
1975-76 Postseason scores & record needed Coach Vern
Sloan
1976-77 13-13 Postseason scores needed Coach
Vern Sloan
1977-78 18-10 Postseason scores needed Coach
Vern Sloan
1978-79
25- 2 Postseason scores needed Coach Vern
Sloan
Great Record!
1979-80 13 - 12 IHSA Regional Runner-Up Coach Vern
Sloan
Kankakee Holiday Tourney Runner-Up
Mt. Vernon Holiday Tourney 4th Place
1980-81 25- 5 Sweet
16 Finalist Class AA Coach Vern Sloan
IHSA Regional Champs
Regional Scores Needed
Normal Sectional Champions
Semi-final Beat Danville 50-49
Title Game Beat Joliet Catholic 57-43
IHSA
Super-Sectional Finalist
Lost
to Quincy 72-44 in Super-Sectional
Quincy eventual State Champs!
1981-82 25- 3 Regional Champs Coach Vern
Sloan
IHSA Regional Champs
Regional Scores Needed
Normal Sectional Champions
Semi-final lost to Danville 73-61
Danville beat Lockport in title game
Danville lost tin Sweet 16 round
1982-83 School's Last
Season Coach Al
Brown
Postseason scores & record needed
Girls Basketball
The Lady Kayhawks won a Regional Championship of their own! The team records and
coach's name of this and other great KWHS girls basketball teams are not available
1979-80
11 - 12
Coach Dana Parker
Regional
Beat Eastridge in 1st Rd
Lost to Minooka in 2nd Rd
1980-81
Regional Champions Coach's Name Needed
Girls Bowling
The KWHS lady's bowling team won two district titles and qualified for the IHSA State
meet.
1973-74 District Champions
Coach Cheryl (Robertson) Vonch
1978-79 District Champions
Coach Cheryl (Robertson) Vonch
Cross Country
We currently have no information on the girls or boys cross country program at Kankakee Westview High. If
you have any information, please contact us via the means listed below.
Boys Football
The boys of the gridiron had a couple of nice seasons during their seventeen year run. One team even
quaified for the IHSA State football playoffs. We are told that on the last play of the State Playoff game, all-state
halfback Jimmy Smith was drug down after a long gain at the Rich South 11-yard line with no time left
on the clock.
J.R. Black and Bill Wendling were two of the more notable
coaches in Westview High gridiron history.
1966 7-2 First team
Coach Frank Duchon
First win in school history--13-7 over Kankakee Eastridge
1967 4-4-1
Coach Frank Duchon
1968 6-1-1 Coach
J.R. Black
1969 4-4
Coach J.R. Black
1970 5-4
Coach J.R. Black
1971 4-4-1
Coach J.R Black
1972 6-3
Coach J.R. Black
1975 5-4 2nd place SICA South
Coach J.R. Black
1976 5-4 2nd place (tie) SICA South
Coach J.R. Black
1978 7-3 QHSA Class 4A Playoffs
Coach Bill Wendling
Sweet
16 Qualifier
Lost
to Rich Central 40-34
Rich
Central lost in Elite 8 round to JCA
Joliet Catholic won state title
1979 4-5 Conference
Record 3-4
Coach Bill Wendling
Westview last fielded a team in 1982. The last win in school history was a 14-7 OT win over
Andrew on the final week of the 1981 season