'All-around good' Bedgood leads
St. Rita on October run
4-year starter a top producer, leads Mustangs to 1st regional title in 29 years
By Dave Owen
CHICAGO -- One of the greatest careers in St. Rita soccer history is fittingly ending with flair.
Langston Bedgood’s four years on varsity have produced 54 goals, capped by what is so far a 21-goal, five-assist performance in 2019.
“He’s been a four-year starter for us, and he’s a great, great kid,” St. Rita coach Bob Kellam said. “Very motivated, he loves the game. He’s so easy to coach, and he’s a good teammate.
“He’s just a good kid all-around. His parents did a great job raising him, and it shows on the field and in the classroom. It shows everywhere.”
The recently crown Chicago Catholic League Green Division Player of the Year certainly showed his skills in a clutch game Friday.
With the Mustangs seeking their first regional championship since 1990, Bedgood’s two extra-effort goals made that long-sought dream a reality in a 2-1 win over Brother Rice in the Class AA Brother Rice Regional final.
Both scores were vintage Bedgood: hustle, smarts, great instincts for the game, and a scorers’ mentality.
The first half goal came after a shanked clearing attempt from a Brother Rice defender. Near the top of the box, Connor Mottl’s header redirect off a St. Rita send from the right sideline turned into a big opportunity.
Bedgood used his speed to win a race to the loose ball right of the net and chip home a 6-yard shot.
The second half, insurance goal that turned out to be the game-winner was even more impressive.
Racing in on a St. Rita through-ball send from 45 yards out, Bedgood’s great speed helped him narrowly win the race for the loose ball with the Brother Rice defender and charging Crusaders goalkeeper.
Bedgood’s deflected shot from 20 yards rolled into the empty net and provided the finishing touch on St. Rita’s regional crown.
“It was a gritty performance,” said Kellam, who was a junior on the school’s last regional championship soccer team. “He was fouled around 10-11 times.”
Nothing apparently could slow Bedgood down Friday, which was no surprise considering his emotions two days earlier preparing for the regional final battle with St. Rita’s main rival.
The Mustangs had to deal with postponements of their regional semifinal match against Rich Central on both Tuesday (officials failed to show up due to a scheduling miscue) and Wednesday (Rich Central could not field enough players, resulting in a forfeit).
But all that drama and confusion did nothing to knock the Mustangs or their top scorer off track.
“We have one job, whatever else happens, happens,” Bedgood said. “The goal is Friday night and getting the job done.
“There’s no game that I’ve played that is like a playoff game. The atmosphere, everything.”
Whether the stakes were a win-or-go-home playoff match or a nonconference game in September, Bedgood could be counted on to be a factor in many ways.
“He’s got explosive, dynamic speed,” said Kellam, who was named the Lawless Award winner as the top coach in the CCL Green this season. “Not only is he fast, but he can get up in the air. He’s got great ability in the air for a shorter guy. And we can move him around to different spots. He can do a lot. He’s just all-around good.”
Bedgood has exploded as a scoring force this fall but his versatility and soccer smarts are nothing new.
“As a younger guy we played him on the outside, and slowly brought him into the middle of the field,” Kellam said. “He’s primarily a striker now, but we can drop him back into the attacking mid role if we need him to do that. And we can even bring him out wide.
“He’s gone all the way from outside midfield up to forward (in his St. Rita career). But for the last two and a half or three years he’s been our main forward.”
A resident of Evergreen Park, Bedgood started playing competitive soccer in fifth or sixth grade.
Just a few years later, he stepped onto the field as a freshman on the St. Rita varsity. The rest is history. As in making school history.
“It’s been great,” Bedgood said of his time at St. Rita. “Coming in as a freshman you never really know what to expect.
“I’ve gotten faster; I’m better at finishing, smarter and tactically just playing better throughout the game.
“As you progress through the years,” Bedgood added, “you learn more, you get better, and you get to see the team mature. You see younger guys coming in, and it’s been great to see them come in and help.”
Junior Chuy Flores has been one of those later arrivals making a big impact. A two-time all-Chicago Catholic League team selection along with Bedgood, Floreshas had his own strong 2019 season (eight goals, 18 assists) and high school career (18 goals, 34 assists).
In a game with 11 players on each side, it has taken more than just two stars for St. Rita to produce consecutive 16-win seasons and this season’s regional title.
“Langston, Chuy Flores, (junior defender) Julio Walton – there’s a handful (of top players),” Kellam said. “Tyler Padilla our sweeper, Brendan Breslin, (Brendan) Gleeson. But really everybody has contributed. Kenya Sumpter is another one. He came back from an ACL tear last year.”
“We just have a good core group of guys that have really put the effort in,” Kellam added. “You have to go out and earn it, and these guys are really hungry. They’re looking for it. They want it and you can tell. They’re champing at the bit.”
While Bedgood’s offensive talents decided the game Friday, Walton was the defensive star of the regional final win for his outstanding work on Brother Rice star Jack Finnegan.
“Julio Walton man-marked him and limited him to two shots,” Kellam said.
“Finnegan scores almost 95 percent of their goals. He’s a great individual player, three-time all-state maybe. He’s a one-man show.”
Many opposing coaches have no doubt said similar things about Bedgood, who is part of a nucleus of 10 St. Rita seniors that also includes captains Breslin, Padilla and Sumpter.
“It’s been great,” Bedgood said. “Every senior we have hasn’t played on varsity (for four years), but I would say they played early enough to where we have a real connection as a team and with our coaches.”
As for Bedgood’s own connection to soccer, he has a cerebral answer as to what he most likes about the game.
“That there’s a mental aspect to it too,” Bedgood said. “Physically you can do everything fine and work on that, but there’s a mental aspect that comes with playing the game of soccer.”
That appreciation of soccer has come with some help.
“My parents motivated me a lot, my coaches motivated me a lot,” he said. “They pushed me to be a better soccer player.”
As St. Rita has progressed from 9-12-2 team in Bedgood’s sophomore year to this year’s regional title breakthrough, Brother Rice has been front and center as a measuring stick of the Mustangs’ improvement.
A 3-1 loss to Brother Rice early in 2018 was a prelude to St. Rita’s stretch of 11 wins in 13 games to end the season.
Then this season, a 2-1 win Aug. 31 at Brother Rice has been a springboard to even bigger things.
“For me personally and the team as well,” Bedgood said. “Rice was the third game this year, and I remember the first game against Richards I was getting opportunities, but I wasn’t finishing.
“I get that you don’t score every game, but there were opportunities vs. Richards (a 3-2 St. Rita win in the August 26 season-opener) that I should have finished. Rice was a game that brought my confidence back coming into the season.”
Bedgood built on that game to enter elite form this season. And even more importantly with Friday’s two-goal effort, this postseason.
“I think there was a little bit of being snakebit by them last year (after a 2-1 loss Sept. 1),” Kellam said of Brother Rice. “But it shows the maturity of the team that they were able to grow from it. When the seedings came out, they were really excited about going and playing them again. That just shows the type of guys we have as a team.”
How the Mustangs respond to losing has shown that as well. A 5-1 home defeat to St. Ignatius on Sept. 16 gave St. Rita a three-game losing streak. Since then, the Mustangs are 11-0-2.
“We’re a really resilient team,” Kellam said. “We’ve come back multiple times and gotten multiple good results.
“The one thing we’d been trying to do is get over that hump, to win a regional. The hiccup here (the cancellations vs. Rich Central) kind of threw everything off track. It’s easy to get distracted, but we adapt and overcome. One other thing we had to do.”
As for Bedgood, he plans to major in finance or business in college while playing soccer. Dayton and Howard are among the schools on his list of potential destinations.
“He has several schools interested in him,” Kellam said. “He will be playing somewhere, it’s just a matter of where.”
That is the future. The present for Bedgood and his teammates is the Kankakee Sectional semifinals. Third-seeded St. Rita opens Tuesday vs. second-seeded Oak Forest. Top-ranked St. Laurence is the likely challenger in the final on Saturday morning.
Bedgood hopes the magical final chapter to his great St. Rita career can continue
“Play with confidence: I would say that’s our biggest key,” Bedgood said. “We know what we can do, but we have to go out there and execute.”
St. Rita on October run
4-year starter a top producer, leads Mustangs to 1st regional title in 29 years
By Dave Owen
CHICAGO -- One of the greatest careers in St. Rita soccer history is fittingly ending with flair.
Langston Bedgood’s four years on varsity have produced 54 goals, capped by what is so far a 21-goal, five-assist performance in 2019.
“He’s been a four-year starter for us, and he’s a great, great kid,” St. Rita coach Bob Kellam said. “Very motivated, he loves the game. He’s so easy to coach, and he’s a good teammate.
“He’s just a good kid all-around. His parents did a great job raising him, and it shows on the field and in the classroom. It shows everywhere.”
The recently crown Chicago Catholic League Green Division Player of the Year certainly showed his skills in a clutch game Friday.
With the Mustangs seeking their first regional championship since 1990, Bedgood’s two extra-effort goals made that long-sought dream a reality in a 2-1 win over Brother Rice in the Class AA Brother Rice Regional final.
Both scores were vintage Bedgood: hustle, smarts, great instincts for the game, and a scorers’ mentality.
The first half goal came after a shanked clearing attempt from a Brother Rice defender. Near the top of the box, Connor Mottl’s header redirect off a St. Rita send from the right sideline turned into a big opportunity.
Bedgood used his speed to win a race to the loose ball right of the net and chip home a 6-yard shot.
The second half, insurance goal that turned out to be the game-winner was even more impressive.
Racing in on a St. Rita through-ball send from 45 yards out, Bedgood’s great speed helped him narrowly win the race for the loose ball with the Brother Rice defender and charging Crusaders goalkeeper.
Bedgood’s deflected shot from 20 yards rolled into the empty net and provided the finishing touch on St. Rita’s regional crown.
“It was a gritty performance,” said Kellam, who was a junior on the school’s last regional championship soccer team. “He was fouled around 10-11 times.”
Nothing apparently could slow Bedgood down Friday, which was no surprise considering his emotions two days earlier preparing for the regional final battle with St. Rita’s main rival.
The Mustangs had to deal with postponements of their regional semifinal match against Rich Central on both Tuesday (officials failed to show up due to a scheduling miscue) and Wednesday (Rich Central could not field enough players, resulting in a forfeit).
But all that drama and confusion did nothing to knock the Mustangs or their top scorer off track.
“We have one job, whatever else happens, happens,” Bedgood said. “The goal is Friday night and getting the job done.
“There’s no game that I’ve played that is like a playoff game. The atmosphere, everything.”
Whether the stakes were a win-or-go-home playoff match or a nonconference game in September, Bedgood could be counted on to be a factor in many ways.
“He’s got explosive, dynamic speed,” said Kellam, who was named the Lawless Award winner as the top coach in the CCL Green this season. “Not only is he fast, but he can get up in the air. He’s got great ability in the air for a shorter guy. And we can move him around to different spots. He can do a lot. He’s just all-around good.”
Bedgood has exploded as a scoring force this fall but his versatility and soccer smarts are nothing new.
“As a younger guy we played him on the outside, and slowly brought him into the middle of the field,” Kellam said. “He’s primarily a striker now, but we can drop him back into the attacking mid role if we need him to do that. And we can even bring him out wide.
“He’s gone all the way from outside midfield up to forward (in his St. Rita career). But for the last two and a half or three years he’s been our main forward.”
A resident of Evergreen Park, Bedgood started playing competitive soccer in fifth or sixth grade.
Just a few years later, he stepped onto the field as a freshman on the St. Rita varsity. The rest is history. As in making school history.
“It’s been great,” Bedgood said of his time at St. Rita. “Coming in as a freshman you never really know what to expect.
“I’ve gotten faster; I’m better at finishing, smarter and tactically just playing better throughout the game.
“As you progress through the years,” Bedgood added, “you learn more, you get better, and you get to see the team mature. You see younger guys coming in, and it’s been great to see them come in and help.”
Junior Chuy Flores has been one of those later arrivals making a big impact. A two-time all-Chicago Catholic League team selection along with Bedgood, Floreshas had his own strong 2019 season (eight goals, 18 assists) and high school career (18 goals, 34 assists).
In a game with 11 players on each side, it has taken more than just two stars for St. Rita to produce consecutive 16-win seasons and this season’s regional title.
“Langston, Chuy Flores, (junior defender) Julio Walton – there’s a handful (of top players),” Kellam said. “Tyler Padilla our sweeper, Brendan Breslin, (Brendan) Gleeson. But really everybody has contributed. Kenya Sumpter is another one. He came back from an ACL tear last year.”
“We just have a good core group of guys that have really put the effort in,” Kellam added. “You have to go out and earn it, and these guys are really hungry. They’re looking for it. They want it and you can tell. They’re champing at the bit.”
While Bedgood’s offensive talents decided the game Friday, Walton was the defensive star of the regional final win for his outstanding work on Brother Rice star Jack Finnegan.
“Julio Walton man-marked him and limited him to two shots,” Kellam said.
“Finnegan scores almost 95 percent of their goals. He’s a great individual player, three-time all-state maybe. He’s a one-man show.”
Many opposing coaches have no doubt said similar things about Bedgood, who is part of a nucleus of 10 St. Rita seniors that also includes captains Breslin, Padilla and Sumpter.
“It’s been great,” Bedgood said. “Every senior we have hasn’t played on varsity (for four years), but I would say they played early enough to where we have a real connection as a team and with our coaches.”
As for Bedgood’s own connection to soccer, he has a cerebral answer as to what he most likes about the game.
“That there’s a mental aspect to it too,” Bedgood said. “Physically you can do everything fine and work on that, but there’s a mental aspect that comes with playing the game of soccer.”
That appreciation of soccer has come with some help.
“My parents motivated me a lot, my coaches motivated me a lot,” he said. “They pushed me to be a better soccer player.”
As St. Rita has progressed from 9-12-2 team in Bedgood’s sophomore year to this year’s regional title breakthrough, Brother Rice has been front and center as a measuring stick of the Mustangs’ improvement.
A 3-1 loss to Brother Rice early in 2018 was a prelude to St. Rita’s stretch of 11 wins in 13 games to end the season.
Then this season, a 2-1 win Aug. 31 at Brother Rice has been a springboard to even bigger things.
“For me personally and the team as well,” Bedgood said. “Rice was the third game this year, and I remember the first game against Richards I was getting opportunities, but I wasn’t finishing.
“I get that you don’t score every game, but there were opportunities vs. Richards (a 3-2 St. Rita win in the August 26 season-opener) that I should have finished. Rice was a game that brought my confidence back coming into the season.”
Bedgood built on that game to enter elite form this season. And even more importantly with Friday’s two-goal effort, this postseason.
“I think there was a little bit of being snakebit by them last year (after a 2-1 loss Sept. 1),” Kellam said of Brother Rice. “But it shows the maturity of the team that they were able to grow from it. When the seedings came out, they were really excited about going and playing them again. That just shows the type of guys we have as a team.”
How the Mustangs respond to losing has shown that as well. A 5-1 home defeat to St. Ignatius on Sept. 16 gave St. Rita a three-game losing streak. Since then, the Mustangs are 11-0-2.
“We’re a really resilient team,” Kellam said. “We’ve come back multiple times and gotten multiple good results.
“The one thing we’d been trying to do is get over that hump, to win a regional. The hiccup here (the cancellations vs. Rich Central) kind of threw everything off track. It’s easy to get distracted, but we adapt and overcome. One other thing we had to do.”
As for Bedgood, he plans to major in finance or business in college while playing soccer. Dayton and Howard are among the schools on his list of potential destinations.
“He has several schools interested in him,” Kellam said. “He will be playing somewhere, it’s just a matter of where.”
That is the future. The present for Bedgood and his teammates is the Kankakee Sectional semifinals. Third-seeded St. Rita opens Tuesday vs. second-seeded Oak Forest. Top-ranked St. Laurence is the likely challenger in the final on Saturday morning.
Bedgood hopes the magical final chapter to his great St. Rita career can continue
“Play with confidence: I would say that’s our biggest key,” Bedgood said. “We know what we can do, but we have to go out there and execute.”