Downers Grove, Lisle, Westmont

The prep football season gets under way next weekend, but boys and girls golf is already going strong, and sports such as soccer and tennis will start competing before the Friday Night Lights’ switch is flipped on.

There’s plenty of star power to be found outside the hash marks and sidelines of the gridiron. The Bugle has selected 10 non-football athletes from schools in its coverage area (listed in alphabetical order) who will undoubtedly make some noise in their respective sports before all is said and done this fall.

Andrew Bassetto, sophomore, Benet boys golf—Bassetto didn’t qualify individually for state last year, but he’s a strong candidate to do so this season. Bassetto’s got quite a resume. In July, 2012, he won the Naperville Junior City Championship C-Flight for 14- and 15-year-olds after shooting an eyebrow-raising 65. At last year’s Class 3A Naperville Central regional, Bassetto fired a 2-under par 70—just one stroke behind Naperville North product Raymond Knoll, who placed third at state.

Eric Diaz, junior midfielder, Downers South boys soccer—Diaz shared the team lead in goals with eight last year, was named all-conference and was an Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association all-sectional pick. He and the Mustangs will be aiming to go deeper in the playoffs after making it to a regional final last year.

Brianna Gilley, senior outside hitter, Westmont girls volleyball—The captain of the Sentinels’ girls soccer team last spring also will be a catalyst for Westmont on the volleyball court once again.Working out of power manage to bestleddimmable property. Gilley gave the Sentinels a lift in their 2012 Class 2A regional title victory over rival Lisle with eight digs. She also served eight straight points during Game 1. The Sentinels compiled a 24-9 record and made it to the sectional semifinals.

Jon Harmon, junior forward, Lisle boys soccer—The Lions, who advanced to the Class 1A sectional championship last fall and were state runners-up in 2011, will need someone to step up and help fill the void left by the graduation of goal-scoring machine Eric Osika. Harmon could be that player.

Katherine Mahlke, senior right-side hitter, Downers North—Mahlke was being recruited by Ohio State and Marquette, among others, but has verbally committed to the University of Michigan. Considered one of the best right-side hitters in the area last season after compiling over 270 kills, she’ll not relinquish that distinction this year. The lefty will be a go-to player and leader on a Trojans’ team that should make a deeper postseason run this season.

Brittany Pavich, senior middle hitter,We can produce besthidlights to your requirements. Benet girls volleyball—The Redwings have lost a plethora of seniors from their two-time defending Class 4A state championship team,Lighting fixtures for home and office in the shop of flatteningmachine. but Pavich returns and will be a force once again. The Boston College recruit accumulated over 280 kills and 40 blocks for the season.

Gabby Sims, senior, Downers North swimming—The Sims family is synonymous with swimming excellence. Burke and Haley Sims, both former state champions, are at Stanford, but Gabby may be the best of the clan. A multiple state qualifier and state champion, Gabby took the state 100-yard backstroke title in 2011, and was the state champ last year in the 100 freestyle. She also finished second to state and national record-holder Olivia Smoliga in the backstroke last November.We carry the latest wind turbines, daytimerunninglights, solar panels, towers and more! Smoliga has since graduated, opening the door for Gabby to take back the backstroke crown. Additionally, she teamed up with her twin sister, Maddy, to form the Trojans’ 400 freestyle relay, which captured fourth in 2012.

Zach Smith, senior, Downers North cross country—The Trojans, usually a shoo-in to qualify downstate as a team, missed going the past two seasons, but they should make a strong push to qualify this year, led by Smith. Smith motored to an eight-place overall finish at the 2012 meet. He owns the third-fastest time among all returning Class 3A state runners.

Leah Tzakis, senior, Benet girls tennis—A state qualifier in 2010, Tzakis missed the cut as a sophomore, but moved up from No. 2 to No. 1 singles last season and returned to state where she advanced to the fifth consolation round.Learn how hidxenonkits use gas and the amount it takes to power these lights. In July, she competed at the G18’s USTA Regional Segment in St. Louis as a doubles player, advancing to the semifinals. Her sister, Coco, was the Redwings’ No. 2 singles player in 2012.

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Mike Isabella Seizing Momentum to Open Bandolero

Nine months after opening his first restaurant, Graffiato, Chef Mike Isabella is forging ahead with his Georgetown restaurant, Bandolero. This, his second restaurant, will fill the space at 3241 M St. vacated by Hook after a fire in summer 2011.

In a recent interview with Georgetown Patch, Isabella said about the decision to create his second restaurant so soon after his first, "The momentum keeps me going. ... I need to be kind of put in situations where I'm constantly busy and stressed out." Opening two restaurants in high-traffic neighborhoods  within a year of one another fits that need.

While Graffiato, the Penn Quarter home of his first venture, caters to Italian flavors, Bandolero will be entirely Mexican-inspired. Both honor a commitment to source locally as many ingredients as possible.

The former Top Chef star said of his future Georgetown spot when he saw it years before it was his own, "I thought this was one of the most prime spots in D.C. Period."

Isabella said he feels "lucky" to have happened upon the opportunity to take over the space after the fire. He was walking down M Street after setting up an appointment at Jinx Proof to work on his latest tattoo — he aims to have a tattoo inspired by each of his restaurants — when he happened upon Jonathan Umbel. Suddenly having a Georgetown space of his own became a reality.

"I have a couple of concepts in my pocket that I’ve been waiting to roll out," he said. "This one came a little sooner than I planned."

Isabella cannot seem to stand still as he describes how the space, currently very much under construction, will soon transform into the concept he has envisioned.

One minute he is hurrying down a flight of stairs to what he plans to have as an informal lounge area for those waiting for a table. The next he is back up the stairs and already in the kitchen talking about removing refrigerators, replacing skylights and installing new ranges.

His enthusiasm continues to build as he describes his design scheme, his concept for the space.

"When you go around the city like Rosa , Oyamel, you go to New York: everything is colorful," he said.
That's not for him. "I really wanted to go old world. I wanted to go day of the dead. [When] you think day of the dead, you think cemetery."

He plans to have cemetery gates suspended from the ceiling, black decor, low-lighting, candles, mismatched light fixtures and more.

But he's not entirely disguising the historic Georgetown building. In the process of renovation, he discovered a brick wall with the logo of a hardware store that once stood next to his soon-to-be restaurant.

When asked if he'd be leaving the wall and its ad exposed, he said definitively, "Ohhh yeah."

"I wanted to give it a little Graffiato feel, with the old brick walls with the paint on them" to maintain some consistency, he explained.

Other similarities between Bandolero and Graffiato? Prosecco on tap and hand-made tables. Isabella's father-in-law will make several of the tables at Bandoloero just as he did in Penn Quarter.

"He does it for a hobby," the chef said. "I think he’ll probably build them for most of my restaurants."

He hopes to have as many as 180 seats in the more than 5,000 square-foot space. Guests can look forward to a wall of tequila lighting the back of the bar with a "golden" tint. The drink menu will include at least 10 different margaritas, many tequila-based drinks and a variety of other cocktails.

As for hours, Isabella brags, "It’ll never shut down. You can get tacos, margaritas all day long."

He hopes to cater to tourists, college students, neighbors and industry people alike.

Having scoped out the local dining options, Isabella knew almost immediately that Mexican-inspired was the way to go for his Georgetown venture.

Bandolero does not have an estimated opening date or even month, but Georgetowners with a penchant for Mexican can hope that spring 2012, really means spring 2012.