Reavis reaps benefits of hitting the road
By Steve Millar
In 2014, Bob Morack – then the Reavis boys soccer coach and now the school’s athletic director – was trying to plan a trip for his team that centered around visiting Morack’s grandmother, a big supporter of the Rams, at her home in Pennsylvania.
“I reached out to probably 50 schools from Indiana and Ohio, looking for somewhere that was kind of a halfway point where we could stop and play,” Morack said.
Tim Concannon, the soccer coach at Bowling Green High School in Ohio, responded with an invitation to play, and a new tradition was born.
Reavis and Bowling Green have played every year since, alternating home games. The Rams travelled to Ohio for the third time and won the fifth game in the series 5-1 on Sept. 29.
As usual, this year’s trip served as a big bonding opportunity for Reavis’ players.
“It was great to spend time with each other,” junior defender Juan Cedillo said. “Just sitting around the hotel together, everybody getting along, was great.
“There’s been times during the season where we all yelled at each other or didn’t get along because of what was happening on the soccer field, but the trip really brought us together.”
Reavis departed Burbank the day before the game and made stops at Notre Dame and Cedar Point amusement park.
“We had a lot of fun,” senior midfielder Fernando Barragan said. “It’s great to get our minds off soccer for a bit and have fun with our friends.”
Reavis coach Mark Gniadek, in his first season after taking over for Morack, said he was at first a bit hesitant to go on a long trip while he was a rookie head coach.
Gniadek, though, was confident his team would benefit from the experience.
“I went on a couple of the trips in the past with Bob, and I saw how they bring people together, which we needed, Gniadek said.
“The great thing is a lot of these kids don’t get to leave Burbank too often. A lot of them had never been on a rollercoaster before we went to Cedar Point. So, it’s a great experience for them and it’s definitely a benefit for the team as a whole.”
After Reavis’ victory, the team attended a college soccer game between Bowling Green and Valparaiso.
“I really liked watching the Division I players play,” Cedillo said. “They played quick and really aggressive all the time. It was a good experience watching them.”
It also gave the Rams a chance to mingle with some of the Bowling Green High School players who attended the game.
“It’s cool that our guys get to see some of the same kids from Bowling Green every year,” Gnaidek said. “We try to get them to interact a little more before and after the games but everyone is a little shy.
“At the (college game) later that night, though, they were able to hang out and talk to each other, and that was cool.”
Barragan appreciates the relationship Reavis and Bowling Green have built.
“We’ve been close with those guys for a couple years now,” he said. “They help us a lot, honestly. We go over there, and they give us a tough game, we give them a tough game, it helps both teams.
“The coaches have become so close that we’re all like a family. They’re welcome over here; we’re welcome over there. It’s always a good experience for us.”
In his new role as athletic director, Morack said the relationship may expand beyond soccer.
“We’re trying to start games with them in other sports, like basketball and baseball,” he said. “It’s just become such a great tradition and our schools are so much alike that we’d love to keep increasing our relationship with them any way we can.”
Reavis (8-10-0) has hit some bumps in the road late in the season, including back-to-back losses to T.F. United on Oct. 2 and Argo on Oct. 4.
Barragan, though, remains confident his team can turn things around.
Reavis wraps up the regular season this week with games against Eisenhower and Oak Forest and opens the postseason Friday against Kenwood in the Reavis Regional quarterfinals.
“We’re going to try to get our chemistry up over these next couple games,” Barragan said. “In the playoffs, you never know what can happen. We can still do well and make a run.”
Morack believes the trip could help the Rams in the postseason.
“It’s been a blessing for us to have these trips,” he said. “I think it gives us a chance to get away, get to know more about each other, and then come back and get ready for the playoffs.
“Since we’ve been taking these trips, we’ve been much more successful in the postseason. Hopefully, we can say that again this year.”
By Steve Millar
In 2014, Bob Morack – then the Reavis boys soccer coach and now the school’s athletic director – was trying to plan a trip for his team that centered around visiting Morack’s grandmother, a big supporter of the Rams, at her home in Pennsylvania.
“I reached out to probably 50 schools from Indiana and Ohio, looking for somewhere that was kind of a halfway point where we could stop and play,” Morack said.
Tim Concannon, the soccer coach at Bowling Green High School in Ohio, responded with an invitation to play, and a new tradition was born.
Reavis and Bowling Green have played every year since, alternating home games. The Rams travelled to Ohio for the third time and won the fifth game in the series 5-1 on Sept. 29.
As usual, this year’s trip served as a big bonding opportunity for Reavis’ players.
“It was great to spend time with each other,” junior defender Juan Cedillo said. “Just sitting around the hotel together, everybody getting along, was great.
“There’s been times during the season where we all yelled at each other or didn’t get along because of what was happening on the soccer field, but the trip really brought us together.”
Reavis departed Burbank the day before the game and made stops at Notre Dame and Cedar Point amusement park.
“We had a lot of fun,” senior midfielder Fernando Barragan said. “It’s great to get our minds off soccer for a bit and have fun with our friends.”
Reavis coach Mark Gniadek, in his first season after taking over for Morack, said he was at first a bit hesitant to go on a long trip while he was a rookie head coach.
Gniadek, though, was confident his team would benefit from the experience.
“I went on a couple of the trips in the past with Bob, and I saw how they bring people together, which we needed, Gniadek said.
“The great thing is a lot of these kids don’t get to leave Burbank too often. A lot of them had never been on a rollercoaster before we went to Cedar Point. So, it’s a great experience for them and it’s definitely a benefit for the team as a whole.”
After Reavis’ victory, the team attended a college soccer game between Bowling Green and Valparaiso.
“I really liked watching the Division I players play,” Cedillo said. “They played quick and really aggressive all the time. It was a good experience watching them.”
It also gave the Rams a chance to mingle with some of the Bowling Green High School players who attended the game.
“It’s cool that our guys get to see some of the same kids from Bowling Green every year,” Gnaidek said. “We try to get them to interact a little more before and after the games but everyone is a little shy.
“At the (college game) later that night, though, they were able to hang out and talk to each other, and that was cool.”
Barragan appreciates the relationship Reavis and Bowling Green have built.
“We’ve been close with those guys for a couple years now,” he said. “They help us a lot, honestly. We go over there, and they give us a tough game, we give them a tough game, it helps both teams.
“The coaches have become so close that we’re all like a family. They’re welcome over here; we’re welcome over there. It’s always a good experience for us.”
In his new role as athletic director, Morack said the relationship may expand beyond soccer.
“We’re trying to start games with them in other sports, like basketball and baseball,” he said. “It’s just become such a great tradition and our schools are so much alike that we’d love to keep increasing our relationship with them any way we can.”
Reavis (8-10-0) has hit some bumps in the road late in the season, including back-to-back losses to T.F. United on Oct. 2 and Argo on Oct. 4.
Barragan, though, remains confident his team can turn things around.
Reavis wraps up the regular season this week with games against Eisenhower and Oak Forest and opens the postseason Friday against Kenwood in the Reavis Regional quarterfinals.
“We’re going to try to get our chemistry up over these next couple games,” Barragan said. “In the playoffs, you never know what can happen. We can still do well and make a run.”
Morack believes the trip could help the Rams in the postseason.
“It’s been a blessing for us to have these trips,” he said. “I think it gives us a chance to get away, get to know more about each other, and then come back and get ready for the playoffs.
“Since we’ve been taking these trips, we’ve been much more successful in the postseason. Hopefully, we can say that again this year.”