What kind of history to be made in AA?
By Steve Nemeth
Basically, the IHSA Class AA State Finals will come down to the haves versus the have-nots.
All four programs boast soccer talent and hunger, but only one team can leave with the biggest have -- the state final championship trophy.
Friday’s 1 p.m. semifinal at Hoffman Estates High School features two programs whose trophy cases contain multiple pieces of state hardware.
Gibault, a Catholic school in Waterloo, Ill., aims for a fifth first place trophy and 10th addition to the Hawks’ display case. However that will be Gibault’s initial award in Class AA. The Hawks recent success, a 2013 title and third place showing last year, pushed the program into the middle class via the IHSA's “Success Advancement” formula for non-boundaried schools, which calls for a rise in class after two state trophies in a four-year window.
Gibault's state tournament success includes first place finishes in 2013 and 2005 through 2007, a second in 2009, third place finishes in 2016, 2008 and 2001, and a fourth place fun in 2002.
Wheaton Academy seeks a second Class AA crown after first taking its first top prize in 2014. The Warriors’ showcase includes fourth places in 2012 and 2013, plus a third place finish in 2005 from the two-class days. Next season Wheaton Academy will become the first Class AA program whose top-level finishes mean the program will be elevated to Class 3A for a second time under the IHSA success formula.
The second semifinal at 3 p.m. features programs vying to establish a centerpiece of pride. Solorio (Chicago) came within a 1-0 quarterfinal loss in 2015, clearly whetting the appetites for most of this year’s roster. St. Patrick (Chicago) is the newbie to the combination of fun, nerves, magic and pressure of making “state.”
Perhaps no people are more well-suited for the added challenge of a class jump than Gibault's Darryn Haudrich and his assistant Dan Kuester. While this is their first year in their respective roles, they are former Hawks themselves. Haudrich was a senior for the 2001 program that set the cornerstone of all the success.
At first glance, the 17-6-3 record and a scoring differential of only 55-25 could raise eyebrows. But to put that in context, if not for the success principle, Gibault, which has a victory this season against newly-crowned Class A champ Marquette (Alton), remained a Class A program in enrollment, but played a 21-game schedule with four Class AA schools and nine 3A programs on the slate.
“Our program is built on a legacy of success because of the strength of our schedule. We purposely play a difficult schedule against teams 10-times our size to prepare us for November. We don’t get caught up reading too much into stats or records,” Haudrich explained. “We recognize and appreciate AA opponents can be faster, more poised and greater depth, but we stick to our recipe for success.
“We’re built from the back to the front in terms of strength. We feature a young, but very confident and talented keeper (Connor Olson). In front of him stands three senior defenders and one junior,” Haudrich added. “In our attack we have various weapons of speed, grit, foot skills and timely passing, along with great vision and a knack for scoring.”
Among the select sophomores on Chicagoland Soccer’s preseason All-State Watch List is Karson Huels. As Gibault’s scoring leader (17 goals/10 assists), the junior midfielder earned IHSSCA All-Sectional distinction along with senior defender Aaron Grohmann (4/5). Up-top, junior forward Logan Doerr (10/8) is a definite threat as is senior Zack Gillan (6/1). Sophomore goalie Olson enters the game boasting four-straight shutouts.
Wheaton Academy comes to the finals with the longest string of wins, 16, as part of a 23-4-0 ledger. As was the case in 2014 when the Warriors reigned in Class AA, their's is a senior-dominated that has seized the brass ring.
Forward Luke Howerda (32/15) is an IHSSCA All-State honoree while teammates J.D. Gunn (one goal allowed in five postseason games) and Seamus Kilgallon (18/9) were All-Sectional picks. Coming on strong of late is Grayson Harris (15/17) but don’t overlook Jack Kilgallon (6/14) or Quinn Partain (11/7). Harris, Partain and mid Owen Hardy (2/8) are all headed to Taylor University.
Holwerda, Gunn and defensive anchor Max Dominguez are still weighing options
“We lost 16 players off last year’s roster, but these boys have really come together and play so hard for each other. As proud as we are for what we have accomplished, I believe we’re still hungry for this weekend,” coach Jeff Brooke said. “While I may not know a ton (about Gibault), I know they have a strong soccer culture, and they’re a historic program filled with success.
“My hope is that our preparation has given the boys a level of confidence that helps us be a resilient group. We want to be a focused group who plays the way we know how to play. Our schedule was designed to stretch and grow us. Because of that, my main hope is that our best soccer is in front of us.”
Brooke insists on crediting his staff and as accurate as that may be, his 10-season resume and 188-48-16 coaching record can’t go unnoticed.
The Warriors’ current victory run includes a title from the Go 4 The Goal Fall Classic which ultimately led to a rematch with Notre Dame (Quincy). Regardless of how difficult it may be to defeat a team twice, Wheaton Academy posted an identical 2-1 triumph in the Sterling Supersectional.
If the Warriors manage two more wins, they’ll tie the school single-season victory record set by the 2014 championship crew as part of its 25-1-1 record.
Solorio came into existence in 2010 and has received praises for its academics, but the boys soccer team has achieved an unprecedented level of success. What remains to be determined is which place finish goes on the school’s first-ever IHSA banner.
Solorio also has the distinction of owning one of the most unique – if not coolest – nicknames: Sun Warriors. That certainly makes them stand out among the numerous Bulldogs, Pirates, Cardinals, Tigers, Wildcats, Spartans, etc.
Coach Adrian Calleros insists his squad is singularly focused on being known for soccer skills. Solorio’s reputation grew earlier in the season thanks to three wins over Class 3A schools including Plainfield Central and a 3-2 loss to Morton in PepsiCo Showdown play.
“A lot of our guys played on the last supersectional team, and the memory is still fresh,” Calleros said. “While we’re trying to keep everything close to normal, it is a special time for our program. We’ve got four seniors starting in midfield and one at forward and another in goal. After that we’re fairly young. So we’re going to set the bar but will want to come after it again.”
While Jose Solis was named to Chicagoland Soccer’s All-State Watch List, he’s one of three Sun Warriors to garner postseason notice. Julian Arroyo, a four-year varsity starter, received IHSSCA All-Sectional status while Solis and Ricardo Silva-Torres were both honorable mention picks.
Solis has proven to be a danger scoring or creating, which is proven by his 21 goals and 18 assists. Alejandro “Alex” Sanchez is tops for goals on the team with 23 on top of nine assists. Misael Rodriguez is next on the list (12/6), but it should be noted that all 18 on the roster own at least a goal. So a break-out performance could come from Silva-Torres (6/9), Arroyo (4/9), David Diaz (4/7) or Brian Marin (4/5).
Senior goalkeeper Bryan Rangel Hurtado and the defense boast seven shutouts, the latest being a double-overtime 2-0 supersectional victory over Bremen.
Solorio knows its faces a tough task in its 1 p.m. semifinal.
“St. Patrick is a very solid team, to get to this level you have to be good,” Calleros said. “Unlike basketball, one or two studs can’t carry you in soccer. So it takes a team effort and the need to finish chances because there may not be many.”
St. Patrick can hold its own when it comes to uncommon monikers. And the Shamrocks are also newcomers to the Final Four, but only in soccer. They own previous state trophies for baseball, boys volleyball, water polo, and chess.
St. Patrick's sectional plaque holds a little extra luster because the 3-0 win deposed 2016 Class AA champion Latin. St. Patrick’s 23-4-2 record includes a current 14-game win streak after a hard-earned 2-1 supersectional triumph over Freeport.
“We’ve not lost to a single non-3A school this year. We played 12 3A programs and beat eight,” coach Kyle McClure proudly noted. “We come into this weekend with a lot of confidence. Beating defending champ Latin was a tremendous boost, but we’ve also won all five of our playoff games in regulation.
“I believe our biggest strength is the ability to score goals and put other teams on the defensive. We are unquestionably one of the best attacking teams in the state. We play our style of soccer the entire game, doing a lot of pressing and being very aggressive to the goal. Once we score we do not change our game plan, we keep a ttacking throughout the entire match, no matter what the score.
“We know that Solorio is a very talented team and number seven (Sanchez) is a talented striker who we will need to contain,” McClure said.
Spearheading the Shamrocks offense is senior forward Chris Modrzejwski (33/13), an IHSSCA All-State selection who is weighing various post-high school playing options including the possibility of competing in either Poland or China. Senior forward and All-Sectional choice Luis Saucedo is next (24/6) on a list of offensive weapons that include Herbert Carrera (11/6) plus a trio of set-up specialists: Joshua Torres (8/21), Jonathan Rodriguez (4/12), and Aaron Moreno-Lopez (4/9).
On defense Christopher Troyke has been steady in net and communicates well with senior defender Finn Elsmo, who has drawn interest from a wide variety of Division II and III programs.
By Steve Nemeth
Basically, the IHSA Class AA State Finals will come down to the haves versus the have-nots.
All four programs boast soccer talent and hunger, but only one team can leave with the biggest have -- the state final championship trophy.
Friday’s 1 p.m. semifinal at Hoffman Estates High School features two programs whose trophy cases contain multiple pieces of state hardware.
Gibault, a Catholic school in Waterloo, Ill., aims for a fifth first place trophy and 10th addition to the Hawks’ display case. However that will be Gibault’s initial award in Class AA. The Hawks recent success, a 2013 title and third place showing last year, pushed the program into the middle class via the IHSA's “Success Advancement” formula for non-boundaried schools, which calls for a rise in class after two state trophies in a four-year window.
Gibault's state tournament success includes first place finishes in 2013 and 2005 through 2007, a second in 2009, third place finishes in 2016, 2008 and 2001, and a fourth place fun in 2002.
Wheaton Academy seeks a second Class AA crown after first taking its first top prize in 2014. The Warriors’ showcase includes fourth places in 2012 and 2013, plus a third place finish in 2005 from the two-class days. Next season Wheaton Academy will become the first Class AA program whose top-level finishes mean the program will be elevated to Class 3A for a second time under the IHSA success formula.
The second semifinal at 3 p.m. features programs vying to establish a centerpiece of pride. Solorio (Chicago) came within a 1-0 quarterfinal loss in 2015, clearly whetting the appetites for most of this year’s roster. St. Patrick (Chicago) is the newbie to the combination of fun, nerves, magic and pressure of making “state.”
Perhaps no people are more well-suited for the added challenge of a class jump than Gibault's Darryn Haudrich and his assistant Dan Kuester. While this is their first year in their respective roles, they are former Hawks themselves. Haudrich was a senior for the 2001 program that set the cornerstone of all the success.
At first glance, the 17-6-3 record and a scoring differential of only 55-25 could raise eyebrows. But to put that in context, if not for the success principle, Gibault, which has a victory this season against newly-crowned Class A champ Marquette (Alton), remained a Class A program in enrollment, but played a 21-game schedule with four Class AA schools and nine 3A programs on the slate.
“Our program is built on a legacy of success because of the strength of our schedule. We purposely play a difficult schedule against teams 10-times our size to prepare us for November. We don’t get caught up reading too much into stats or records,” Haudrich explained. “We recognize and appreciate AA opponents can be faster, more poised and greater depth, but we stick to our recipe for success.
“We’re built from the back to the front in terms of strength. We feature a young, but very confident and talented keeper (Connor Olson). In front of him stands three senior defenders and one junior,” Haudrich added. “In our attack we have various weapons of speed, grit, foot skills and timely passing, along with great vision and a knack for scoring.”
Among the select sophomores on Chicagoland Soccer’s preseason All-State Watch List is Karson Huels. As Gibault’s scoring leader (17 goals/10 assists), the junior midfielder earned IHSSCA All-Sectional distinction along with senior defender Aaron Grohmann (4/5). Up-top, junior forward Logan Doerr (10/8) is a definite threat as is senior Zack Gillan (6/1). Sophomore goalie Olson enters the game boasting four-straight shutouts.
Wheaton Academy comes to the finals with the longest string of wins, 16, as part of a 23-4-0 ledger. As was the case in 2014 when the Warriors reigned in Class AA, their's is a senior-dominated that has seized the brass ring.
Forward Luke Howerda (32/15) is an IHSSCA All-State honoree while teammates J.D. Gunn (one goal allowed in five postseason games) and Seamus Kilgallon (18/9) were All-Sectional picks. Coming on strong of late is Grayson Harris (15/17) but don’t overlook Jack Kilgallon (6/14) or Quinn Partain (11/7). Harris, Partain and mid Owen Hardy (2/8) are all headed to Taylor University.
Holwerda, Gunn and defensive anchor Max Dominguez are still weighing options
“We lost 16 players off last year’s roster, but these boys have really come together and play so hard for each other. As proud as we are for what we have accomplished, I believe we’re still hungry for this weekend,” coach Jeff Brooke said. “While I may not know a ton (about Gibault), I know they have a strong soccer culture, and they’re a historic program filled with success.
“My hope is that our preparation has given the boys a level of confidence that helps us be a resilient group. We want to be a focused group who plays the way we know how to play. Our schedule was designed to stretch and grow us. Because of that, my main hope is that our best soccer is in front of us.”
Brooke insists on crediting his staff and as accurate as that may be, his 10-season resume and 188-48-16 coaching record can’t go unnoticed.
The Warriors’ current victory run includes a title from the Go 4 The Goal Fall Classic which ultimately led to a rematch with Notre Dame (Quincy). Regardless of how difficult it may be to defeat a team twice, Wheaton Academy posted an identical 2-1 triumph in the Sterling Supersectional.
If the Warriors manage two more wins, they’ll tie the school single-season victory record set by the 2014 championship crew as part of its 25-1-1 record.
Solorio came into existence in 2010 and has received praises for its academics, but the boys soccer team has achieved an unprecedented level of success. What remains to be determined is which place finish goes on the school’s first-ever IHSA banner.
Solorio also has the distinction of owning one of the most unique – if not coolest – nicknames: Sun Warriors. That certainly makes them stand out among the numerous Bulldogs, Pirates, Cardinals, Tigers, Wildcats, Spartans, etc.
Coach Adrian Calleros insists his squad is singularly focused on being known for soccer skills. Solorio’s reputation grew earlier in the season thanks to three wins over Class 3A schools including Plainfield Central and a 3-2 loss to Morton in PepsiCo Showdown play.
“A lot of our guys played on the last supersectional team, and the memory is still fresh,” Calleros said. “While we’re trying to keep everything close to normal, it is a special time for our program. We’ve got four seniors starting in midfield and one at forward and another in goal. After that we’re fairly young. So we’re going to set the bar but will want to come after it again.”
While Jose Solis was named to Chicagoland Soccer’s All-State Watch List, he’s one of three Sun Warriors to garner postseason notice. Julian Arroyo, a four-year varsity starter, received IHSSCA All-Sectional status while Solis and Ricardo Silva-Torres were both honorable mention picks.
Solis has proven to be a danger scoring or creating, which is proven by his 21 goals and 18 assists. Alejandro “Alex” Sanchez is tops for goals on the team with 23 on top of nine assists. Misael Rodriguez is next on the list (12/6), but it should be noted that all 18 on the roster own at least a goal. So a break-out performance could come from Silva-Torres (6/9), Arroyo (4/9), David Diaz (4/7) or Brian Marin (4/5).
Senior goalkeeper Bryan Rangel Hurtado and the defense boast seven shutouts, the latest being a double-overtime 2-0 supersectional victory over Bremen.
Solorio knows its faces a tough task in its 1 p.m. semifinal.
“St. Patrick is a very solid team, to get to this level you have to be good,” Calleros said. “Unlike basketball, one or two studs can’t carry you in soccer. So it takes a team effort and the need to finish chances because there may not be many.”
St. Patrick can hold its own when it comes to uncommon monikers. And the Shamrocks are also newcomers to the Final Four, but only in soccer. They own previous state trophies for baseball, boys volleyball, water polo, and chess.
St. Patrick's sectional plaque holds a little extra luster because the 3-0 win deposed 2016 Class AA champion Latin. St. Patrick’s 23-4-2 record includes a current 14-game win streak after a hard-earned 2-1 supersectional triumph over Freeport.
“We’ve not lost to a single non-3A school this year. We played 12 3A programs and beat eight,” coach Kyle McClure proudly noted. “We come into this weekend with a lot of confidence. Beating defending champ Latin was a tremendous boost, but we’ve also won all five of our playoff games in regulation.
“I believe our biggest strength is the ability to score goals and put other teams on the defensive. We are unquestionably one of the best attacking teams in the state. We play our style of soccer the entire game, doing a lot of pressing and being very aggressive to the goal. Once we score we do not change our game plan, we keep a ttacking throughout the entire match, no matter what the score.
“We know that Solorio is a very talented team and number seven (Sanchez) is a talented striker who we will need to contain,” McClure said.
Spearheading the Shamrocks offense is senior forward Chris Modrzejwski (33/13), an IHSSCA All-State selection who is weighing various post-high school playing options including the possibility of competing in either Poland or China. Senior forward and All-Sectional choice Luis Saucedo is next (24/6) on a list of offensive weapons that include Herbert Carrera (11/6) plus a trio of set-up specialists: Joshua Torres (8/21), Jonathan Rodriguez (4/12), and Aaron Moreno-Lopez (4/9).
On defense Christopher Troyke has been steady in net and communicates well with senior defender Finn Elsmo, who has drawn interest from a wide variety of Division II and III programs.