Category Archives: high schools

Crystal Lake Central rolls to first playoff win since 2012

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By Michael Wojtychiw

CHICAGO – When you get to the state playoffs, big time players make big time plays in big time moments.

Enter Crystal Lake Central’s Jason Penza.

The sophomore got things going right out of the gate for the Tigers in their Class 6A first-round playoff game with Amundsen, bringing back the opening kickoff 95 yards en route to helping his squad take down the host and fifth-seeded Vikings 55-28 Saturday afternoon at Winnemac Stadium in Chicago.

Crystal Lake Central’s Brent Blitek (26) gets tackled by an Amundsen defender Saturday, Oct. 30, at Winnemac Stadium in Chicago. Photos by Michael Wojtychiw

From there, it was all Tigers (7-3) as they scored on each of their seven possessions of the first half.

“It set the tone and the rest of the game,” Crystal Lake Central quarterback Colton Madura said. “We really wanted to capitalize on every opportunity we had.

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Johnson’s Notre Dame ‘prayer’ answered, Dons oust Fenwick

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By Michael Wojtychiw

CHICAGO — It was a case of deja vu for Notre Dame.

In 2019, the last season the IHSA held a state playoff series in boys soccer, the Dons made school history by winning the Speer Sectional.

Fast forward two years and the Dons (23-1-2) were back at the same spot, hoping to make it two in a row at Speer’s stadium. But in their way stood Fenwick, who made its first appearance in a sectional final since 2016.

Well the Friars, and a crazy, steady rain that had been falling all day.

What the crowd got was a fantastic one-goal game that was won on a shot from Notre Dame senior Trevor Johnson with a minute, 24 seconds remaining on a ball that even he didn’t think would cross the line.

“I wanted to put it on goal, but it didn’t look like it had a chance to go in,” Johnson said after Notre Dame’s 4-3 win. “Once it started to curl, you could see it was going to look in and luckily snuck past the keeper.

“It’s the last minute. It was a prayer.”

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Seniors power Fenwick past Fenton

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By Michael Wojtychiw

CHICAGO — Putting the ball into the back of the net has been a tricky part of the game for Fenwick this season. The Friars came into the postseason having let up five more goals than they’d scored and had been shutout in three of the team’s last four games of the regular season.

That trend, however, seems to have reversed itself in the state playoffs. In the squad’s first two playoff games, it outscored opponents 12-1.

Fenwick’s Ryan Bero (10) battles Fenton’s Christian Bailon for the ball. Photo by Michael Wojtychiw

“These one-off games are challenging and if you can get the lead, calm your nerves down, that’s a really good first step,” Fenwick manager Craig Blazer said. “We were starting to focus on doing that, and it calmed us down.

“We’ve played a little more in the attacking half and not had defenders that have to make all the plays in the back. But anytime you score a goal, it gives you a boost. It just took us a while to get everyone on the same page and now that we are, we’ve got some good momentum.”

The third-seeded Friars continued to put the ball in the net in their Class AA Speer Sectional semifinal against second-seeded Fenton.

The Friars finished enough for a 2-1 win that earned the sectional final against top-seeded Notre Dame.

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New-look Loyola grinds out win at Young

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By Michael Wojtychiw

CHICAGO – The first day of competition marked a number of firsts for Loyola. Manager Justin Dunn, who took over the reins as leader of the Ramblers program, was making his head coaching debut, and the team was looking to establish a new core after key varsity players like Tommy Zipprich, Michael Sullivan, Dylan Gripman and Oscar Blazer graduated to the college game.

There might be new faces, but the same Loyola stepped out onto the field in the season opener against Young at the Michelle Obama Athletic Complex.

The Ramblers did just what they did in their abbreviated spring season — walk away with a win, this time defeating the host Dolphins 2-0.

Loyola’s John Phillips looks for a teammate upfield. Photos by Michael Wojtychiw

“It’s been a bit of a whirlwind the past couple weeks,” Dunn said. “Having to deal with everything in a running a program, especially as a 24 year-old that’s also a teacher at a different school, it’s tough.

“But I knew a lot of the guys returning and that’s been really helpful, especially the senior leaders who have been helpful in creating the environment and the rhetoric that we want to have. We knew the guys from last year were leaving, but we’re really confident in who we have. It’s all about building that chemistry, team environment.

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Experienced Kanellos leads New Trier past Loyola

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By Michael Wojtychiw

NORTHFIELD – The Northside College Showcase is routinely one of the best in-season tournaments in the boys season. With half the teams ranked from no. 3 to no. 9 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, the tournament offers a good early test for all eight teams as they search for their identities.

Two of the ranked squads, no. 6 Loyola and no. 9 New Trier met in a neighborhood rivalry match Tuesday in Northfield. Both teams were 1-0-0 in the tournament after the opening day of competition Saturday: the Trevians defeated Grayslake Central; the Ramblers defeated no. 7 Libertyville.

Junior midfielder/forward Evan Kanellos made sure that only New Trier remained undefeated in the pool after the Tuesday night game. 

New Trier keeper Aidan Crawford gets ready to send the ball downfield against Loyola. Photos by Michael Wojtychiw

Kanellos, the lone sophomore on the 2021’s spring season team, assisted on the Trevians’ first goal and scored the game-winner off of a free kick seven minutes into the second half en route to the praise of his mates and Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors.

“That (free kick) is something he’s been working on in training,” New Trier manager Matt Ravenscraft said. “Early on in the season, we want the ball on frame and force the goalie have to make a play. We actually haven’t been really dangerous off our set pieces in the first two games, so it’s something we’ve worked on and executed well tonight.”

“That (first goal) was huge for us,” Kanellos said. “It got the crowd going, gave us momentum.

“We gave up some momentum (after their goal) but knew we could get it back.”

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Glenbrook South celebrates Mundelein win in style

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GLENVIEW — Club Dub has become a fixture for the Chicago Bears since coach Matt Nagy was hired four years ago. It’s a club-like locker celebration for the team after it picks up a win during the season and has become quite the social media sensation.

What’s that have to do with the Glenbrook South-Mundelein soccer match, you ask?

Well, Club Dub has made its way north to Glenview this fall. A building just off of the back of one of the end zones in the Titans’ stadium serves as the “club” location, where team members go in and celebrate a win with music blaring inside the building.

Glenbrook South’s Teddy Sturiale throws the ball in in a game against Mundelein. Photos by Michael Wojtychiw

“It’s something our athletic department and administrators thought of as an awesome way to build team spirit, especially after big wins,” Glenbrook South manager Reggie Lara said. “We hope to continue that momentum, and it was an opportunity for our guys to celebrate together.

“It’s special for the kids. Knowing how much effort we put in on a daily basis, it’s an awesome way to celebrate as a team and celebrate each other. It was moreso celebrating their teammates than them as individuals.”

“It’s definitely a new experience for me,” junior defender Jimmy Aglikin said. “It’s our second win of the season, and something I definitely want to experience again.”

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Prospect finds just enough offense to get pas Glenbard West

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By Michael Wojtychiw

GLENVIEW — Like many teams early in the season, both Prospect and Glenbard West are looking for players to step up and put the ball into the back of the net. Each team had one game in the Jim Wolter/Titan Invitational where it exploded for four or more goals, but in the other four games, the two combined to score a single goal.

When the teams met in the fifth place game Saturday morning, they continued their search for consistency and someone to take the scoring lead. The Knights (3-2-0) got a candidate when forward Owen Walsh put in a ball with about 15 minutes remaining to seal take a 1-0 win in the fifth place game.

Prospect’s Shea Morris gets past a Glenbard West defender. Photos by Michael Wojtychiw

“Shutting out a team like Glenbard West shows that we were able to keep our defense organized and tight, which is what we were struggling with in the early games,” Prospect manager Michael Andrews said. “In the early games of the tournament, we were struggling with marking, giving guys too much space and kind of losing our overall shape.

“We worked hard to remedy that and made certain personnel changes, and the guys really stepped it up today.”

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Young’s offense breaks through in win over Steinmetz

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By Michael Wojtychiw

CHICAGO — Scoring goals hasn’t been something that’s easy to come by for Young’s this fall. In three of the team’s six contests, the Dolphins scored one goal or less.

So coming into the conference game against Steinmetz on Monday afternoon, the squad hoped to find more offensive output as it ramps up conference play over the next couple weeks.

That happened it a big way. 

The Dolphins (2-5-0, 2-1-0) went on a scoring rampage in an 8-0 win over the Silver Streaks at the Michelle Obama Athletic Complex.

Young forward Jared Ramirez looks to get past a Steinmetz defender. Photos by Michael Wojtychiw

“Lately, we’ve been focusing on being super dangerous on set pieces, because every time there’s a dead ball, you’ve got a decent opportunity to score,” said Young assistant Nick Maksa, who handled a good portion of the coaching reins Monday. “I think today, athletically, that allowed us to take over a little bit.

“But Steinmetz played hard the whole game. We know what it’s like to have a tough season, but those kids are grinding and grinding and never gave up.”

“We felt like it was important to us for us to come out strong because we haven’t had this type of day before,” Young junior defender Benjamin Lopez Scala said. “It was important for us to get back on track, get a confidence boost and know we can go in Wednesday at Lane hyper-focused and get the win.”

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Notre Dame keeps bragging rights, takes down St. Patrick

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CHICAGO – The Irish Cup is staying in Niles.

For the second time in just under six months, Notre Dame and St. Patrick faced off in their annual rivalry match. Just like their March 24 match, the Dons came home victorious.

That game, a 3-1 Notre Dame win, had quite a different feel than Thursday evening’s matchup at Read-Dunning Field.

Notre Dame’s Andres Barrezueta (6) tries to hold off an oncoming St. Patrick defender Sept. 16 in Chicago. Photos by Michael Wojtychiw

The Dons, listed in Chicagoland Soccer’s honorable mention section of the most recent rankings, came into the match enjoying the best start in school history. They have outscored their opponents 48-4 through 10 games.

That best start continued as Notre Dame (10-1-0, 3-0-0 East Suburban Catholic) came away with a hard-fought 1-0 win.

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Glenbrook South Stays Undefeated With Rally Over Barrington

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Glenbrook South Nie Swanson rolls out of the pocket in a game against Barrington. Photos by Michael Wojtychiw

By Michael Wojtychiw

BARRINGTON, IL – Glenbrook South came into Friday’s MSL/CSL crossover looking to do something they hadn’t since the 2014 season: start the year 4-0.

Standing in its way, however, was Barrington, a program the Titans hadn’t beaten since the opening round of the 2010 state playoffs.

The Titans took every punch the Broncos threw at them, but held off the home team by intercepting the Barrington quarterback on the last two possessions of the game to secure a 15-14 win Friday evening, Sept. 17, in Barrington.

“I thought our kids played really hard,” Glenbrook South coach Dave Schoenwetter said. “In the second half, they got their second wind.

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