New skipper leads Prospect into
battle against state-tested Saint Viator
By Ken Keenan
Prospect welcomed first-year head coach Paul Elkins into the fold on
Monday with an impressive 6-0 road win over Maine East, but the
Knights then took one on the chin in Thursday's home opener, falling
2-1 to Downers Grove North.
The going won't get any easier for Elkins and Co. when they make the short trek to
Arlington Heights at 10 a.m. Saturday for a date with perennial power
Saint Viator. Last season, the Lions won 21 games and finished fourth
in the IHSA Class 2A state tournament after dropping a 1-0 decision to
Springfield in the third-place match.
"We know about Viator's tradition, but we do not focus a lot on our
opponents," said Elkins, who replaced Jason Cohen at the Knights'
helm. "I told our guys that if we play simple, smart and strong, we
can compete with anyone."
Led by third-year senior forward Chris Cooney's school-record six
goals, Prospect dominated Maine East in the opener. Senior goalkeeper Nick Jozefowski, who's back for his second varsity campaign, earned the shutout.
"It was a great way to start the year," Elkins said. "With it being my
first game (as coach), and a lot of our guys' first varsity game, we
didn't know exactly what to expect. But we had a great warm-up, came
out flying, and scored a goal in the first minute.
"Cooney was phenomenal on offense, but what I was most pleased about was our
defensive organization and our ability to build the ball out of the
back. Our backline was solid all night, and Nick (Jozefowski) gave us
a lot of confidence with a good game in net."
Cooney tallied three goals and an assist in only five games last year.
An injury kept him out of action the rest of the time.
"He's a speedy, dynamic forward who can make a play to decide a game,"
Elkins said.
The Knights' backline features senior returnee Patrick Walsh and
returning junior Grant Whitebloom, along with junior newcomers James
Estrella and Scott Gumowski.
"Estrella is a strong, tough defender, and he's great in the air,"
Elkins said. "We need him to be a rock for us in the back for us this
year."
Jozefowski posted a 1.73 goals-against average in eight games for the
Knights as a junior newcomer in 2014.
"He's a great, vocal leader for our team -- always demanding the best
of himself and others," Elkins said.
Elkins pointed to senior defensive midfielder Celso Soto as another
top returnee.
"He's a ball-winner, and a good distributor," Elkins said.
Elkins said his philosophy as Prospect's new skipper begins with
getting everyone on the same page, with an emphasis on maintaining a
team-first mentality with regard to building up the program.
"My goals are to set high standards for how our players approach the
game, mentally and physically -- both in training and in games," he
said. "We must be organized, and we must buy into our roles within the
system. If we can do that -- compete hard and play as a team -- we can
compete with any team on our schedule."
The Knights' start suggests they have a chance to overcome their 5-14-2 overall
record last season and 1-9-1 mark in Mid-Suburban League play.
Saint Viator (21-6-2 overall in 2014; 8-1-0 in East Suburban Catholic
Conference play) has a history of success. The Lions' storied
resume boasts two state championships (2003, 2009), a state runner-up
finish (2000), and four third-place finishes (1996, 1997, 2004, 2012)
-- as well as 12 sectional titles and seven supersectional crowns.
Longtime head coach Mike Taylor (28 years) said that because the Lions
made it downstate at least twice in the last four seasons, the IHSA's
success formula has resulted in a move from Class 2A to 3A in 2015.
"If you're successful, you get penalized, and frankly, I think it's
stupid," said Taylor, whose squad dropped its season-opener on
Wednesday in a 3-2 road loss against Lake Zurich. "It's tough to
compete with a school of about 850 kids (Saint Viator) against schools with 2,400 to
3,000. But I don't shy away from strong opponents. I'd rather go .500
in the regular season and win a state championship than win 20 games
and not do well in the playoffs.
"We want to have the best opportunity to win in the state tourney, as
opposed to just winning a conference championship. So, you worry about
your team, and playing the way you want them to play. Be more
disciplined than the other team, and if we lose, we didn't deserve to
win -- simple as that."
A half-dozen veteran returnees form the nucleus of this year's crew,
joined by a pair of up-and-coming varsity rookies.
Entering his fourth season at the top level is senior midfielder Mike
McDonnell, while senior forward Tony Pineda, senior
midfielder/defender Patrick Hickey and junior mid/defender Sean
Lonigro each return for a third go-round. Kevin Napoleon, a senior
goalkeeper, and sophomore forward Jack Hartman both made their varsity
debuts in 2014.
"McDonnell is a great all-around player who works his butt off and
reads the game well," Taylor said. "By his work rate and demeanor, he
gets other kids on board. Pineda is a hardworking forward who holds
the ball real well, and he has a pretty good shot. He does a nice job
making the offense run.
"Hickey is a midfielder we moved to defense. He's great in the air,
comes hard and fast on corners, and has a deadly free kick. Lonigro is
a good, solid player. He works very hard, and technically is very
sound. Napoleon is a steady keeper -- solid, not flashy. He can make
the routine saves, and the big ones, and he doesn't bounce around all
over the place."
The top newcomers are freshman midfielder Zaul Perez and sophomore
forward Alberto Kovacwvic.
"Zaul is gonna be a player -- I'm excited about him," Taylor said.
"Technically, he's very good, and once he finds his legs you'll be
hearing about him for years. Alberto is skilled, but we just have to
break some habits regarding things done on the lower level. He doesn't
have to force things with fancy moves -- just keep it simple and use
the skill only when you need it.
"All in all, we have a good core -- we just have to fill some holes.
Our strength will be in the midfield, and our forwards are strong, but
we've got to settle our defense. We lost the first game (vs. LZ), but
one game doesn't make a season. It does if you don't learn from it, so
you learn from it, stay disciplined, and put things together from
there."
Saint Viator has beaten Prospect both times since the schools started
their down-the-street rivalry in 2013.
battle against state-tested Saint Viator
By Ken Keenan
Prospect welcomed first-year head coach Paul Elkins into the fold on
Monday with an impressive 6-0 road win over Maine East, but the
Knights then took one on the chin in Thursday's home opener, falling
2-1 to Downers Grove North.
The going won't get any easier for Elkins and Co. when they make the short trek to
Arlington Heights at 10 a.m. Saturday for a date with perennial power
Saint Viator. Last season, the Lions won 21 games and finished fourth
in the IHSA Class 2A state tournament after dropping a 1-0 decision to
Springfield in the third-place match.
"We know about Viator's tradition, but we do not focus a lot on our
opponents," said Elkins, who replaced Jason Cohen at the Knights'
helm. "I told our guys that if we play simple, smart and strong, we
can compete with anyone."
Led by third-year senior forward Chris Cooney's school-record six
goals, Prospect dominated Maine East in the opener. Senior goalkeeper Nick Jozefowski, who's back for his second varsity campaign, earned the shutout.
"It was a great way to start the year," Elkins said. "With it being my
first game (as coach), and a lot of our guys' first varsity game, we
didn't know exactly what to expect. But we had a great warm-up, came
out flying, and scored a goal in the first minute.
"Cooney was phenomenal on offense, but what I was most pleased about was our
defensive organization and our ability to build the ball out of the
back. Our backline was solid all night, and Nick (Jozefowski) gave us
a lot of confidence with a good game in net."
Cooney tallied three goals and an assist in only five games last year.
An injury kept him out of action the rest of the time.
"He's a speedy, dynamic forward who can make a play to decide a game,"
Elkins said.
The Knights' backline features senior returnee Patrick Walsh and
returning junior Grant Whitebloom, along with junior newcomers James
Estrella and Scott Gumowski.
"Estrella is a strong, tough defender, and he's great in the air,"
Elkins said. "We need him to be a rock for us in the back for us this
year."
Jozefowski posted a 1.73 goals-against average in eight games for the
Knights as a junior newcomer in 2014.
"He's a great, vocal leader for our team -- always demanding the best
of himself and others," Elkins said.
Elkins pointed to senior defensive midfielder Celso Soto as another
top returnee.
"He's a ball-winner, and a good distributor," Elkins said.
Elkins said his philosophy as Prospect's new skipper begins with
getting everyone on the same page, with an emphasis on maintaining a
team-first mentality with regard to building up the program.
"My goals are to set high standards for how our players approach the
game, mentally and physically -- both in training and in games," he
said. "We must be organized, and we must buy into our roles within the
system. If we can do that -- compete hard and play as a team -- we can
compete with any team on our schedule."
The Knights' start suggests they have a chance to overcome their 5-14-2 overall
record last season and 1-9-1 mark in Mid-Suburban League play.
Saint Viator (21-6-2 overall in 2014; 8-1-0 in East Suburban Catholic
Conference play) has a history of success. The Lions' storied
resume boasts two state championships (2003, 2009), a state runner-up
finish (2000), and four third-place finishes (1996, 1997, 2004, 2012)
-- as well as 12 sectional titles and seven supersectional crowns.
Longtime head coach Mike Taylor (28 years) said that because the Lions
made it downstate at least twice in the last four seasons, the IHSA's
success formula has resulted in a move from Class 2A to 3A in 2015.
"If you're successful, you get penalized, and frankly, I think it's
stupid," said Taylor, whose squad dropped its season-opener on
Wednesday in a 3-2 road loss against Lake Zurich. "It's tough to
compete with a school of about 850 kids (Saint Viator) against schools with 2,400 to
3,000. But I don't shy away from strong opponents. I'd rather go .500
in the regular season and win a state championship than win 20 games
and not do well in the playoffs.
"We want to have the best opportunity to win in the state tourney, as
opposed to just winning a conference championship. So, you worry about
your team, and playing the way you want them to play. Be more
disciplined than the other team, and if we lose, we didn't deserve to
win -- simple as that."
A half-dozen veteran returnees form the nucleus of this year's crew,
joined by a pair of up-and-coming varsity rookies.
Entering his fourth season at the top level is senior midfielder Mike
McDonnell, while senior forward Tony Pineda, senior
midfielder/defender Patrick Hickey and junior mid/defender Sean
Lonigro each return for a third go-round. Kevin Napoleon, a senior
goalkeeper, and sophomore forward Jack Hartman both made their varsity
debuts in 2014.
"McDonnell is a great all-around player who works his butt off and
reads the game well," Taylor said. "By his work rate and demeanor, he
gets other kids on board. Pineda is a hardworking forward who holds
the ball real well, and he has a pretty good shot. He does a nice job
making the offense run.
"Hickey is a midfielder we moved to defense. He's great in the air,
comes hard and fast on corners, and has a deadly free kick. Lonigro is
a good, solid player. He works very hard, and technically is very
sound. Napoleon is a steady keeper -- solid, not flashy. He can make
the routine saves, and the big ones, and he doesn't bounce around all
over the place."
The top newcomers are freshman midfielder Zaul Perez and sophomore
forward Alberto Kovacwvic.
"Zaul is gonna be a player -- I'm excited about him," Taylor said.
"Technically, he's very good, and once he finds his legs you'll be
hearing about him for years. Alberto is skilled, but we just have to
break some habits regarding things done on the lower level. He doesn't
have to force things with fancy moves -- just keep it simple and use
the skill only when you need it.
"All in all, we have a good core -- we just have to fill some holes.
Our strength will be in the midfield, and our forwards are strong, but
we've got to settle our defense. We lost the first game (vs. LZ), but
one game doesn't make a season. It does if you don't learn from it, so
you learn from it, stay disciplined, and put things together from
there."
Saint Viator has beaten Prospect both times since the schools started
their down-the-street rivalry in 2013.