Manteno reaches uncharted territory in the Hosselton era after dominant win in Class 2A sectional semifinal

For fifth-year Manteno head coach Alexis Hosselton, Tuesday night’s dominant win over Victoria Soto in the IHSA Class 2A Chicago Christian Sectional semifinal, 25-6, 25-5, has been more than 11 years in the making. As a player, Hosselton was a part of multiple Panthers teams that won regional championships but ultimately lost in the sectional semifinal.“Always the bridesmaid, never the bride,” Hosselton joked. Not so much anymore.After Tuesday’s win, the Panthers have reached the Class 2A sectional championship for the first time with Hosselton at the helm.Hosselton, a 2015 Manteno graduate, understands the weight that comes with the Panthers purple, which has reached state four of the five times it’s gone to sectionals.So it’s understandable that Hosselton plans to take a moment to appreciate how far they’ve come. Especially if you zoom out and recognize the improvements the program has made every year since her second season as head coach, culminating in a 36-1 season, that continues