Preview story: Class AA Final Four
By Steve Nemeth
For the IHSA’s 2017 Class AA state finals, it’s a question of whose history will be written.
Can Wheaton Academy create some rare championship déjà vu?
Just last year, Rochester became the first program in the 28-year history of the girls state tournament to win back-to-back state titles in different classes. Those Rockets were the 2015 Class A champions (after a 6-1 win vs. Latin) and upon being elevated to 2A status, soared past Deerfield 4-0.
West Chicago-based Wheaton Academy claimed the ultimate Class A prize in 2004 when there were only two classes. When the three-class system began in 2009, the Warriors were the first AA champs and collected third and fourth place hardware in the very next two seasons. But for 2016, Wheaton Academy was assigned to 1A and beat Marian Central 2-1 in double overtime to claim that crown.
The IHSA “success adjustment” means Jeff Brooke’s crew is back in AA for his first season of directing the girls program.
“I’m happy for our girls’ hard work to have paid off in terms of an opportunity to win a second-straight state championship,” Brooke said. “Obviously it’s a challenge.”
Of course the Warriors’ initial challenge is Friday’s 11 a.m. semifinal against a tradition-rich Lemont program that is envisioning a special display completed by the typographical leg being a first place trophy: Picture the “L” in Lemont comprised of two fourth place prizes, and third and runnerup finishes with the 2017 keepsake as the foreground base.
Keep in mind the 1 p.m. semifinal at North Central College’s Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium includes Triad, this year’s representative aiming to mirror Rochester in the quest to remind everyone of the quality and tradition of downstate programs (often loosely defined as anyone from the Land of Lincoln’s lower two-thirds).
The Knights’ opponent? A school for whom the metaphorical history ink is yet to dry: Burlington Central. The newbie Rockets’ pioneer path bypassed two programs that collected state mementos either last season or the year before. So is this literally Central time?
Here's a closer look at this year’s Class AA Final Four. Each is a member of the 20-win club.
Wheaton Academy may have figuratively moved up in class, but the Warriors’ experience and depth is as high as ever.
“Our whole roster has a passion for the game, but we’ve got 12 seniors who drive our success,” Brooke said. “They play with such great heart, utmost respect for each other and a real desire to represent our school.”
Three of the seniors represent how recruiters from all levels have scoped out the roster. Defensive standouts Izzy McNally and Emerson Fuller are signed by Division III Wheaton College and Division II Lewis, respectively. Fuller earned IHSSCA Honorable Mention All-Section acclaim while senior forward Gretchen Pearson – a 2016 Chicagoland Soccer All-Stater and Division I Davidson recruit – is on the All-Sectional unit with Erin Teevans.
The latter two are among the trio who boast double figures in both goals and assists. Pearson owns 70 points (29 goals/12 assists). Teevans boasts 60 points (18/24), and soph Sophia Lindquist is next at 52 (19/14).
Need further evidence of the value of experience? Seniors Rebecca Smith and Maggie Liechty have each served up 11 assists to overshadow their own scoring (three and four goals, respectively). Even veteran senior defenders like Anna Southard, Lindsey Gartner, and Holland Kosiek have ventured up for an occasional goal or assist.
The team's current five-match win streak includes two of the seven times Wheaton Academy (20-5-0) eliminated second half minutes thanks to the IHSA’s time-shaving process based on seven-goal leads.
Lemont lost its season opener 3-0 to Hinsdale South. That’s also the Indians’ last loss. The current 24-game unbeaten (20-0-4) streak is capped off by the sweet revenge: defeating supersectional host Hinsdale South 1-0.
If not for a sectional semifinal slip-up in 2016, Lemont would have a string of five-straight sectional plaques that could have paralleled similar regional title runs from two occasions. Of course, there are the 13-consecutive conference crowns which Lemont plans on adding to since the 22-member roster has only two seniors.
One is midfielder Carli Bermele, an IHSSCA All-State honoree along with junior teammate Mairead Ruane. Bermele has 28 points (10/8), and Ruane leads the team with 75 (30/15). Freshman Adriana Patino adds 38 (17/4).
Junior mid Jacqueline Aleman was voted IHSSCA All-Section as was junior goalie Michelle Jerantowski, whose defense boasts 20 clean sheets. After the first Hinsdale South match, Lemont opponents scored a mere five goals over the next 24 games.
There’s actually some past tourney history between Wheaton Academy and Lemont. Trivia buffs would note the Indians 2009 runner-up trophy was a result of a 3-0 championship loss to the Warriors. Two years later, Lemont won 2-0 when the two met for third place.
Triad is solid from front to back, but the Knights (20-6-0) pride themselves on an armor-like defense. Six shutouts and one fluke goal make up a current seven-match win streak. To counter the imbalance in its Mississippi Valley Conference, Triad upgrades its schedule whenever possible.
Just before the current string, the Knights lost 2-1 to Belleville West and 1-0 to Collinsville – the southern region’s Class 3A finalist this weekend. Prior to that, Triad went to Missouri for the highly-regarded Meg Herndon Tournament. It’ll be a four-hour plus trek for both Collinsville and Triad, and the Knights would prefer to return with the state title as they did in their last finals appearance. In 2011 Triad edged Wheaton Academy 2-1 in two overtimes and then beat Marian Central via a shootout.
Way back in the single A days of 2002, Saint Viator dealt the Knights a 1-0 quarterfinal loss. Triad returned in 2003 and won two before a 1-0 overtime championship loss to those same Lions.
The aforementioned history by Rochester didn’t have a sequel because it was Triad that beat them in the sectional semi followed by a victory over another perennial contender in Glenwood. Tuesday’s 1-0 win over Sacred Heart-Griffin was a result of Madeline Keller’s fourth goal of the year coming in the 64th minute.
“We stress defense first, pride ourselves on possession, and believe goalkeeping is one of our strengths,” coach Matt Bettlach said.
That's understandable since he has two capable goalies that split time while posting shutouts in 19 of the 20 victories. Junior Mercedes King may have a slight edge on senior Madisyn Stauffer, but the defensive star that Saint Louis University celebrated as an early commit is sophomore Sydney Beach.
Nearby Illinois-Chicago signed midfielder Meaghan Smith, who owns 35 points (12/11) and was voted IHSSCA All-Section along with fellow honoree, senior defender Morgan Bohnenstiehl, who was named on the Honorable Mention list. The latter will play for Baker (Kan.) University where she may cross NAIA tourney paths with Columbia, which inked teammate Sam Bassler (24 -- 10/4). Missouri-St. Louis was thrilled to recruit Eyrnn Little.
Burlington Central may have the smallest enrollment of the group, but the Rockets have the state’s most amazing offensive numbers -- 125 goals in 28 games. Leave off the late roster promotions, and everyone – goalies included – from the regular-season lineup contributed a goal or an assist.
Ten players have double-digit points.
Having selected Missouri for academics, Anna McMahon should be wooed as a walk-on considering her 62 points (19/24), which puts her just ahead of Megan Majewski’s 60 (21/18). Forward and fellow junior mid Elizabeth Gousios (25 -- 9/7) received IHSSCA All-Section acclaim while Jordan King (54 -- 20/14) is one the 23 underclassmen among the 60 IHSSCA All-State elite.
Central has averaged over 20 wins for the last decade but the knock was always the Rockets’ weak league affiliation that couldn’t launch them past Sycamore -- the 2016 third place finisher -- in the postseason. Unlike three times in the prior four years when Sycamore ended Central’s efforts in the regionals, this year the two met for a sectional championship.
Trailing 1-0, the Rockets scored twice in the last 2:36 to beat the Spartans for the school’s first sectional triumph. A pair of goals in the opening 10 minutes lifted Central past another familiar AA name in Notre Dame (Peoria) for its initial supersectional plaque.
Closer examination reveals the following: 1) Central upgraded its nonconference slate and this year held its own in the state’s single-most competitive tournament, the Naperville Invitational; 2) the Rockets hired Jess Arneson (2015) whose teaching, strategy and personality completed a puzzle whose frame was created by Mike Gecan, a longtime Rockets head coach who preferred to continue as an assistant; and 3) the team is made up of an extremely tight-knit cluster of young soccer players who won’t graduate this spring.
Unlike the card game, the “21” drill the Rockets engage in regularly means those passes in tight spaces are not gambles. It’s “find feet” philosophy at its finest. Here's a word of advice to collegiate coaches: talk to sophomores like Kyrsten Pellikan, Taylor Abbott, or freshman Kirsten Wyse, because most (but not all) of the juniors have been heavily recruited – Sydney Pryor (Western Illinois), King (Miami, Ohio), Majewski (Bemidji State).
Hidden under by the bevy of goals is the fact Central has two dependable and workmanlike keepers. Senior Abbi Ciganek, who has Army plans for her future, can and has stepped in for junior Erin Rafferty. The duo has produced 20 whitewashes.
By Steve Nemeth
For the IHSA’s 2017 Class AA state finals, it’s a question of whose history will be written.
Can Wheaton Academy create some rare championship déjà vu?
Just last year, Rochester became the first program in the 28-year history of the girls state tournament to win back-to-back state titles in different classes. Those Rockets were the 2015 Class A champions (after a 6-1 win vs. Latin) and upon being elevated to 2A status, soared past Deerfield 4-0.
West Chicago-based Wheaton Academy claimed the ultimate Class A prize in 2004 when there were only two classes. When the three-class system began in 2009, the Warriors were the first AA champs and collected third and fourth place hardware in the very next two seasons. But for 2016, Wheaton Academy was assigned to 1A and beat Marian Central 2-1 in double overtime to claim that crown.
The IHSA “success adjustment” means Jeff Brooke’s crew is back in AA for his first season of directing the girls program.
“I’m happy for our girls’ hard work to have paid off in terms of an opportunity to win a second-straight state championship,” Brooke said. “Obviously it’s a challenge.”
Of course the Warriors’ initial challenge is Friday’s 11 a.m. semifinal against a tradition-rich Lemont program that is envisioning a special display completed by the typographical leg being a first place trophy: Picture the “L” in Lemont comprised of two fourth place prizes, and third and runnerup finishes with the 2017 keepsake as the foreground base.
Keep in mind the 1 p.m. semifinal at North Central College’s Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium includes Triad, this year’s representative aiming to mirror Rochester in the quest to remind everyone of the quality and tradition of downstate programs (often loosely defined as anyone from the Land of Lincoln’s lower two-thirds).
The Knights’ opponent? A school for whom the metaphorical history ink is yet to dry: Burlington Central. The newbie Rockets’ pioneer path bypassed two programs that collected state mementos either last season or the year before. So is this literally Central time?
Here's a closer look at this year’s Class AA Final Four. Each is a member of the 20-win club.
Wheaton Academy may have figuratively moved up in class, but the Warriors’ experience and depth is as high as ever.
“Our whole roster has a passion for the game, but we’ve got 12 seniors who drive our success,” Brooke said. “They play with such great heart, utmost respect for each other and a real desire to represent our school.”
Three of the seniors represent how recruiters from all levels have scoped out the roster. Defensive standouts Izzy McNally and Emerson Fuller are signed by Division III Wheaton College and Division II Lewis, respectively. Fuller earned IHSSCA Honorable Mention All-Section acclaim while senior forward Gretchen Pearson – a 2016 Chicagoland Soccer All-Stater and Division I Davidson recruit – is on the All-Sectional unit with Erin Teevans.
The latter two are among the trio who boast double figures in both goals and assists. Pearson owns 70 points (29 goals/12 assists). Teevans boasts 60 points (18/24), and soph Sophia Lindquist is next at 52 (19/14).
Need further evidence of the value of experience? Seniors Rebecca Smith and Maggie Liechty have each served up 11 assists to overshadow their own scoring (three and four goals, respectively). Even veteran senior defenders like Anna Southard, Lindsey Gartner, and Holland Kosiek have ventured up for an occasional goal or assist.
The team's current five-match win streak includes two of the seven times Wheaton Academy (20-5-0) eliminated second half minutes thanks to the IHSA’s time-shaving process based on seven-goal leads.
Lemont lost its season opener 3-0 to Hinsdale South. That’s also the Indians’ last loss. The current 24-game unbeaten (20-0-4) streak is capped off by the sweet revenge: defeating supersectional host Hinsdale South 1-0.
If not for a sectional semifinal slip-up in 2016, Lemont would have a string of five-straight sectional plaques that could have paralleled similar regional title runs from two occasions. Of course, there are the 13-consecutive conference crowns which Lemont plans on adding to since the 22-member roster has only two seniors.
One is midfielder Carli Bermele, an IHSSCA All-State honoree along with junior teammate Mairead Ruane. Bermele has 28 points (10/8), and Ruane leads the team with 75 (30/15). Freshman Adriana Patino adds 38 (17/4).
Junior mid Jacqueline Aleman was voted IHSSCA All-Section as was junior goalie Michelle Jerantowski, whose defense boasts 20 clean sheets. After the first Hinsdale South match, Lemont opponents scored a mere five goals over the next 24 games.
There’s actually some past tourney history between Wheaton Academy and Lemont. Trivia buffs would note the Indians 2009 runner-up trophy was a result of a 3-0 championship loss to the Warriors. Two years later, Lemont won 2-0 when the two met for third place.
Triad is solid from front to back, but the Knights (20-6-0) pride themselves on an armor-like defense. Six shutouts and one fluke goal make up a current seven-match win streak. To counter the imbalance in its Mississippi Valley Conference, Triad upgrades its schedule whenever possible.
Just before the current string, the Knights lost 2-1 to Belleville West and 1-0 to Collinsville – the southern region’s Class 3A finalist this weekend. Prior to that, Triad went to Missouri for the highly-regarded Meg Herndon Tournament. It’ll be a four-hour plus trek for both Collinsville and Triad, and the Knights would prefer to return with the state title as they did in their last finals appearance. In 2011 Triad edged Wheaton Academy 2-1 in two overtimes and then beat Marian Central via a shootout.
Way back in the single A days of 2002, Saint Viator dealt the Knights a 1-0 quarterfinal loss. Triad returned in 2003 and won two before a 1-0 overtime championship loss to those same Lions.
The aforementioned history by Rochester didn’t have a sequel because it was Triad that beat them in the sectional semi followed by a victory over another perennial contender in Glenwood. Tuesday’s 1-0 win over Sacred Heart-Griffin was a result of Madeline Keller’s fourth goal of the year coming in the 64th minute.
“We stress defense first, pride ourselves on possession, and believe goalkeeping is one of our strengths,” coach Matt Bettlach said.
That's understandable since he has two capable goalies that split time while posting shutouts in 19 of the 20 victories. Junior Mercedes King may have a slight edge on senior Madisyn Stauffer, but the defensive star that Saint Louis University celebrated as an early commit is sophomore Sydney Beach.
Nearby Illinois-Chicago signed midfielder Meaghan Smith, who owns 35 points (12/11) and was voted IHSSCA All-Section along with fellow honoree, senior defender Morgan Bohnenstiehl, who was named on the Honorable Mention list. The latter will play for Baker (Kan.) University where she may cross NAIA tourney paths with Columbia, which inked teammate Sam Bassler (24 -- 10/4). Missouri-St. Louis was thrilled to recruit Eyrnn Little.
Burlington Central may have the smallest enrollment of the group, but the Rockets have the state’s most amazing offensive numbers -- 125 goals in 28 games. Leave off the late roster promotions, and everyone – goalies included – from the regular-season lineup contributed a goal or an assist.
Ten players have double-digit points.
Having selected Missouri for academics, Anna McMahon should be wooed as a walk-on considering her 62 points (19/24), which puts her just ahead of Megan Majewski’s 60 (21/18). Forward and fellow junior mid Elizabeth Gousios (25 -- 9/7) received IHSSCA All-Section acclaim while Jordan King (54 -- 20/14) is one the 23 underclassmen among the 60 IHSSCA All-State elite.
Central has averaged over 20 wins for the last decade but the knock was always the Rockets’ weak league affiliation that couldn’t launch them past Sycamore -- the 2016 third place finisher -- in the postseason. Unlike three times in the prior four years when Sycamore ended Central’s efforts in the regionals, this year the two met for a sectional championship.
Trailing 1-0, the Rockets scored twice in the last 2:36 to beat the Spartans for the school’s first sectional triumph. A pair of goals in the opening 10 minutes lifted Central past another familiar AA name in Notre Dame (Peoria) for its initial supersectional plaque.
Closer examination reveals the following: 1) Central upgraded its nonconference slate and this year held its own in the state’s single-most competitive tournament, the Naperville Invitational; 2) the Rockets hired Jess Arneson (2015) whose teaching, strategy and personality completed a puzzle whose frame was created by Mike Gecan, a longtime Rockets head coach who preferred to continue as an assistant; and 3) the team is made up of an extremely tight-knit cluster of young soccer players who won’t graduate this spring.
Unlike the card game, the “21” drill the Rockets engage in regularly means those passes in tight spaces are not gambles. It’s “find feet” philosophy at its finest. Here's a word of advice to collegiate coaches: talk to sophomores like Kyrsten Pellikan, Taylor Abbott, or freshman Kirsten Wyse, because most (but not all) of the juniors have been heavily recruited – Sydney Pryor (Western Illinois), King (Miami, Ohio), Majewski (Bemidji State).
Hidden under by the bevy of goals is the fact Central has two dependable and workmanlike keepers. Senior Abbi Ciganek, who has Army plans for her future, can and has stepped in for junior Erin Rafferty. The duo has produced 20 whitewashes.