Oak Forest races to win against Herscher
Bengals use 2 early goals to set tone in 6-0 victory
By Curt Herron
OAK FOREST -- After seeing a successful regular-season come to an unexpectedly quick end in the playoffs a year ago, Oak Forest is determined to advance deeper into the IHSA postseason in 2022.
And with 13 seniors leading their 22-man roster, the hosts wanted to turn in a good effort when they kicked off the campaign with a match against Herscher on Heroes Night, which paid tribute to first responders.
The Bengals got what they wanted and then some. Two quick goals helped coach Kieran Byrne's squad establish control early, and Oak Forest cruised to a rewarding 6-0 nonconference victory over the Tigers.
Seven seniors held spots in the starting lineup in the season opener for the Bengals: Michael Speaker, Brayden Edge, Ian Plancarte, Diego Damian, Miguel Zavala, Jhan Ruiz and Marcos Sandoval Lucas.
The two juniors in the starting 11 were identical twins Alex and Brandan Stacy. The Class of 25 was represented by goalkeeper Adam Jedrzejczyk and Lennon Flores.
Plancarte connected just 23 seconds into the match to put the hosts in control. Oak Forest took a 2-0 advantage in the third minute when Flores got fouled and Alex Stacy responded by firing in a 26-yard free kick.
In the 20th minute, junior Mickey Kelly sent a pass to senior Jhan Ruiz, who connected from in front for a 3-0 lead that held up into halftime.
"This is my first year on varsity, and I'm excited," Ruiz said. "We've been working hard every day and learning. We started putting in work in the summer league and are working together. I'm new to the game, but I believe in these boys, I feel confident about them, and I put my trust in them.
"They're a real welcoming group and received me with open arms. We always put each other up, that's the point of the game. And our coach pushes us a lot. He has really high expectations, and we all have high expectations because we know we can push ourselves. We push each other. We've been running every day, and no one gives up."
The Stacy twins combined for a nice goal in the 48th minute when Alex sent a corner kick into the box, and Brandan headed the ball home for a 4-0 lead.
"For me to get an assist and him scoring feels pretty good since it's a different type of bond," Alex Stacy said. "We have really good chemistry and most of us have been playing since my freshman year. In practice we work hard and get used to each other.
"I really like the hard work that we put in, and when we listen to our coach, it makes us win games. The goal we scored in the first minute was exactly the set play that our coach taught us the day before. It was the same play, and we scored right off the bat.
"And another quality is that we push each other. If someone is not having a good day, you bring them up. You push them to help them out. We should be successful this year if we put in the hard work and trust each other and play hard all of the time. We should be fine."
The Bengals went up 5-0 in the 66th minute when junior Ian Evans was denied on a short attempt, but senior Jose Vega was there to put in the rebound. The winners closed out the scoring in the 75th minute when senior Giovanni Cabrera sent a nice pass to junior Mohammad Diefallah, who connected from close range.
Oak Forest's defense, led by seniors Damian, Speaker and captain Zavala, assured that the Tigers would only get a few good scoring attempts against Jedrzejczyk.
"It's good to be back," Zavala said. "We're coming off of a hard game last year that ended our season early. We weren't expecting that. So, being a senior, you want to bounce back and being a captain I want to lead the team. The goal is a regional championship this year, and we have high expectations.
"We have a good relationship with our juniors and younger kids and have all worked harder in practice. We're all doing what we’re supposed to do and doing the best to our ability. I love my boys. We have a great team, and we're all very skilled. Some of these kids, I've been playing with for years. They're like my brothers, I'm used to playing with them.
"We came out with a great start, and we brought the intensity and energy and just played that way throughout the game. It was a great outcome."
The Bengals program is prides itself in the fact that each of its eight home matches has a special theme. At their next game against Peotone on August 31, they’ll host a back-to-school night for elementary and middle schoolers.
Others include youth soccer night against Argo, a night to support cancer research when Oak Lawn comes to town, and Senior Night against Evergreen Park. In the regular-season home finale on October 11, it's teacher appreciation night against Eisenhower. The Bengals also host Lemont and Bremen.
One of the individuals recognized on Heroes Night was Illinois State Trooper Brian Frank. The 2007 Oak Forest graduate suffered serious injuries in February, 2021, when a vehicle hit his squad car as he responded to an accident on Interstate 55 in Will County.
Starting lineups
Herscher
G: Tucker White
D: Zach Schmidt
D: Jace Holt
D: Carter Hubert
D: Conner Buckley
M: Jaden Jaime
M: James Holohan
M: Joe Osborn
M: Keegen Elliot
F: Luis Parra
F: Kaden Parmley
Oak Forest
G: Adam Jedrzejczyk
D: Michael Speaker
D: Diego Damian
D: Miguel Zavala
M: Brayden Edge
M: Alex Stacy
M: Brandan Stacy
M: Lennon Flores
M: Marcos Sandoval Lucas
F: Ian Plancarte
F: Jhan Ruiz
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match:
Alex Stacy, jr., MF, Oak Forest
Scoring summary
First half
OF: Ian Plancarte, 1'
OF: Alex Stacy, 3'
OF: Jhan Ruiz (Mickey Kelly), 20'
Second half
OF: Brandan Stacy (Alex Stacy), 48'
OF: Jose Vega (Ian Evans), 66'
OF: Mohammad Diefallah (Giovanni Cabrera), 75'
Bengals use 2 early goals to set tone in 6-0 victory
By Curt Herron
OAK FOREST -- After seeing a successful regular-season come to an unexpectedly quick end in the playoffs a year ago, Oak Forest is determined to advance deeper into the IHSA postseason in 2022.
And with 13 seniors leading their 22-man roster, the hosts wanted to turn in a good effort when they kicked off the campaign with a match against Herscher on Heroes Night, which paid tribute to first responders.
The Bengals got what they wanted and then some. Two quick goals helped coach Kieran Byrne's squad establish control early, and Oak Forest cruised to a rewarding 6-0 nonconference victory over the Tigers.
Seven seniors held spots in the starting lineup in the season opener for the Bengals: Michael Speaker, Brayden Edge, Ian Plancarte, Diego Damian, Miguel Zavala, Jhan Ruiz and Marcos Sandoval Lucas.
The two juniors in the starting 11 were identical twins Alex and Brandan Stacy. The Class of 25 was represented by goalkeeper Adam Jedrzejczyk and Lennon Flores.
Plancarte connected just 23 seconds into the match to put the hosts in control. Oak Forest took a 2-0 advantage in the third minute when Flores got fouled and Alex Stacy responded by firing in a 26-yard free kick.
In the 20th minute, junior Mickey Kelly sent a pass to senior Jhan Ruiz, who connected from in front for a 3-0 lead that held up into halftime.
"This is my first year on varsity, and I'm excited," Ruiz said. "We've been working hard every day and learning. We started putting in work in the summer league and are working together. I'm new to the game, but I believe in these boys, I feel confident about them, and I put my trust in them.
"They're a real welcoming group and received me with open arms. We always put each other up, that's the point of the game. And our coach pushes us a lot. He has really high expectations, and we all have high expectations because we know we can push ourselves. We push each other. We've been running every day, and no one gives up."
The Stacy twins combined for a nice goal in the 48th minute when Alex sent a corner kick into the box, and Brandan headed the ball home for a 4-0 lead.
"For me to get an assist and him scoring feels pretty good since it's a different type of bond," Alex Stacy said. "We have really good chemistry and most of us have been playing since my freshman year. In practice we work hard and get used to each other.
"I really like the hard work that we put in, and when we listen to our coach, it makes us win games. The goal we scored in the first minute was exactly the set play that our coach taught us the day before. It was the same play, and we scored right off the bat.
"And another quality is that we push each other. If someone is not having a good day, you bring them up. You push them to help them out. We should be successful this year if we put in the hard work and trust each other and play hard all of the time. We should be fine."
The Bengals went up 5-0 in the 66th minute when junior Ian Evans was denied on a short attempt, but senior Jose Vega was there to put in the rebound. The winners closed out the scoring in the 75th minute when senior Giovanni Cabrera sent a nice pass to junior Mohammad Diefallah, who connected from close range.
Oak Forest's defense, led by seniors Damian, Speaker and captain Zavala, assured that the Tigers would only get a few good scoring attempts against Jedrzejczyk.
"It's good to be back," Zavala said. "We're coming off of a hard game last year that ended our season early. We weren't expecting that. So, being a senior, you want to bounce back and being a captain I want to lead the team. The goal is a regional championship this year, and we have high expectations.
"We have a good relationship with our juniors and younger kids and have all worked harder in practice. We're all doing what we’re supposed to do and doing the best to our ability. I love my boys. We have a great team, and we're all very skilled. Some of these kids, I've been playing with for years. They're like my brothers, I'm used to playing with them.
"We came out with a great start, and we brought the intensity and energy and just played that way throughout the game. It was a great outcome."
The Bengals program is prides itself in the fact that each of its eight home matches has a special theme. At their next game against Peotone on August 31, they’ll host a back-to-school night for elementary and middle schoolers.
Others include youth soccer night against Argo, a night to support cancer research when Oak Lawn comes to town, and Senior Night against Evergreen Park. In the regular-season home finale on October 11, it's teacher appreciation night against Eisenhower. The Bengals also host Lemont and Bremen.
One of the individuals recognized on Heroes Night was Illinois State Trooper Brian Frank. The 2007 Oak Forest graduate suffered serious injuries in February, 2021, when a vehicle hit his squad car as he responded to an accident on Interstate 55 in Will County.
Starting lineups
Herscher
G: Tucker White
D: Zach Schmidt
D: Jace Holt
D: Carter Hubert
D: Conner Buckley
M: Jaden Jaime
M: James Holohan
M: Joe Osborn
M: Keegen Elliot
F: Luis Parra
F: Kaden Parmley
Oak Forest
G: Adam Jedrzejczyk
D: Michael Speaker
D: Diego Damian
D: Miguel Zavala
M: Brayden Edge
M: Alex Stacy
M: Brandan Stacy
M: Lennon Flores
M: Marcos Sandoval Lucas
F: Ian Plancarte
F: Jhan Ruiz
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match:
Alex Stacy, jr., MF, Oak Forest
Scoring summary
First half
OF: Ian Plancarte, 1'
OF: Alex Stacy, 3'
OF: Jhan Ruiz (Mickey Kelly), 20'
Second half
OF: Brandan Stacy (Alex Stacy), 48'
OF: Jose Vega (Ian Evans), 66'
OF: Mohammad Diefallah (Giovanni Cabrera), 75'