St. Francis aims for Final 4 return
By Patrick Z. McGavin
Jim Winslow had two choices, the conventional or the wildly unpredictable. As the coach of St. Francis, with multiple starters back from a Class 2A fourth place finish, Winslow had the luxury of the known. Naturally he went against the grain.
“I want this team to be tested,” he said.
He loaded up his schedule against some of the best teams in the state. Last year is a memory. “To be honest I am not sure if [the run last year] is going to have much impact. It’s a much different team this year than last year. It’s been a much tougher road this spring.
“Other than fond memories it should not mean a lot.”
The past is some inescapable given, the parallel path. Last year St. Francis defeated conference rival St. Ignatius in the sectional final. Now the Spartans gear up for another run in the Class 2A field and they return to the iconic West Loop campus to begin anew.
The Spartans secured the fourth-seed in the Nazareth sectional. The Spartans’ defense of their state trophy begins with Chicago Public League program Kennedy in a regional semifinal. The Wolfpack, the fifth-seed, plays Solorio in the second game.
The regional championship is Friday afternoon.
Nazareth (8-5-3) has been decimated by injuries and almost comical misfortune in trying to schedule its games. The Spartans’ conference game with St. Ignatius, already twice postponed, was limited to just one half last week and ended in a scoreless draw due to the weather.
“Generally we were pretty healthy all last spring,” Winslow said. “This spring we have not been. We have not started a consistent 11 all spring. Some of that is by design. Most of it is because of injuries. Tomorrow might be the first time we have our regular starting 11. I cannot even guarantee that, and depending on how the game goes we might even sit a couple of kids.”
The Nazareth Sectional is one of the strongest in the 2A field, headed by the no. 11 host Roadrunners. Benet and Hinsdale South, both of whom have been ranked at various junctures of the season, are the 2- and 3-seeds, respectively.
But nobody in the sectional has played the Spartans’ schedule. It included games against formerly top-ranked Naperville North, three-time defending state champion and no. 4 New Trier, no. 10 Metea Valley and no. 13 Loyola.
Loyola coach Craig Snower calls Spartans’ explosive and dynamic junior forward Kendra Pasquale, who was named the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference Red Division MVP, one of the best 10 players in the state. Sophomore forward Hannah Rittenhouse is physical and powerful. Forward Erin Peck is also an experienced and skilled player.
The Spartans boast a deep and highly skilled midfield with Claire Hensley, Jill DiTusa and Kaitlyn Joniak.
The Spartans’ back is the unit that has had trouble getting on the field together. It is solidified by the Douglass sisters, Lauren and McKenzie.
“When we played New Trier, the first 20 and 25 minutes we played great,” Winslow said. “We lost one player from the Naperville North game [days earlier], and by the end of that [New Trier] game we lost our entire starting back four. It gave a couple of kids the opportunity to step up and play and do some nice things.
A narrative emerged in the Spartans’ season. St. Francis dominated schools of its own size and held its own against the elite Class 3A schools they faced at the North Shore Invitational, or in the GCAC Red or other high-profile match ups.
The players understand their coach’s reasoning.
“I think our [schedule] is just going to make us better,” Pasquale said. “Playing in the tournaments like North Shore [Invitational] really does challenge us. What team does not want to be challenged. As great as it is to win games 8-1, I think these games are where we really learn where we are as a team.”
Last year was a breeze, gilded and refined. This year is tough, challenging, even heartbreaking at moments.
“The season has been a good learning experience,” Hensley said. “It’s good to have more of these [high-profile] games. If we are able to build out of the back and into the midfield and work up-top, with our combination plays, if we continue to do that we will have a lot more success.”
If this year’s record is statistically less impressive, everything begins anew. St. Francis is a formidable team ready for the next set of challenges.
“I heard Nazareth is a very good team,” Winslow said. “Compared to us, I doubt they are athletic as we are. Benet is the closest you are going to see to our athleticism, and they are a much bigger school. We are not scoring goals right now. It’s like the Blackhawks scoring goals or the Cubs scoring runs. One minute you are scoring as though they they are raining out of the sky and the next minute everything dries up and you can’t find them anywhere.”
But nothing in the past matters now. In this reckoning, St. Francis looks to throw down with a vengeance.
By Patrick Z. McGavin
Jim Winslow had two choices, the conventional or the wildly unpredictable. As the coach of St. Francis, with multiple starters back from a Class 2A fourth place finish, Winslow had the luxury of the known. Naturally he went against the grain.
“I want this team to be tested,” he said.
He loaded up his schedule against some of the best teams in the state. Last year is a memory. “To be honest I am not sure if [the run last year] is going to have much impact. It’s a much different team this year than last year. It’s been a much tougher road this spring.
“Other than fond memories it should not mean a lot.”
The past is some inescapable given, the parallel path. Last year St. Francis defeated conference rival St. Ignatius in the sectional final. Now the Spartans gear up for another run in the Class 2A field and they return to the iconic West Loop campus to begin anew.
The Spartans secured the fourth-seed in the Nazareth sectional. The Spartans’ defense of their state trophy begins with Chicago Public League program Kennedy in a regional semifinal. The Wolfpack, the fifth-seed, plays Solorio in the second game.
The regional championship is Friday afternoon.
Nazareth (8-5-3) has been decimated by injuries and almost comical misfortune in trying to schedule its games. The Spartans’ conference game with St. Ignatius, already twice postponed, was limited to just one half last week and ended in a scoreless draw due to the weather.
“Generally we were pretty healthy all last spring,” Winslow said. “This spring we have not been. We have not started a consistent 11 all spring. Some of that is by design. Most of it is because of injuries. Tomorrow might be the first time we have our regular starting 11. I cannot even guarantee that, and depending on how the game goes we might even sit a couple of kids.”
The Nazareth Sectional is one of the strongest in the 2A field, headed by the no. 11 host Roadrunners. Benet and Hinsdale South, both of whom have been ranked at various junctures of the season, are the 2- and 3-seeds, respectively.
But nobody in the sectional has played the Spartans’ schedule. It included games against formerly top-ranked Naperville North, three-time defending state champion and no. 4 New Trier, no. 10 Metea Valley and no. 13 Loyola.
Loyola coach Craig Snower calls Spartans’ explosive and dynamic junior forward Kendra Pasquale, who was named the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference Red Division MVP, one of the best 10 players in the state. Sophomore forward Hannah Rittenhouse is physical and powerful. Forward Erin Peck is also an experienced and skilled player.
The Spartans boast a deep and highly skilled midfield with Claire Hensley, Jill DiTusa and Kaitlyn Joniak.
The Spartans’ back is the unit that has had trouble getting on the field together. It is solidified by the Douglass sisters, Lauren and McKenzie.
“When we played New Trier, the first 20 and 25 minutes we played great,” Winslow said. “We lost one player from the Naperville North game [days earlier], and by the end of that [New Trier] game we lost our entire starting back four. It gave a couple of kids the opportunity to step up and play and do some nice things.
A narrative emerged in the Spartans’ season. St. Francis dominated schools of its own size and held its own against the elite Class 3A schools they faced at the North Shore Invitational, or in the GCAC Red or other high-profile match ups.
The players understand their coach’s reasoning.
“I think our [schedule] is just going to make us better,” Pasquale said. “Playing in the tournaments like North Shore [Invitational] really does challenge us. What team does not want to be challenged. As great as it is to win games 8-1, I think these games are where we really learn where we are as a team.”
Last year was a breeze, gilded and refined. This year is tough, challenging, even heartbreaking at moments.
“The season has been a good learning experience,” Hensley said. “It’s good to have more of these [high-profile] games. If we are able to build out of the back and into the midfield and work up-top, with our combination plays, if we continue to do that we will have a lot more success.”
If this year’s record is statistically less impressive, everything begins anew. St. Francis is a formidable team ready for the next set of challenges.
“I heard Nazareth is a very good team,” Winslow said. “Compared to us, I doubt they are athletic as we are. Benet is the closest you are going to see to our athleticism, and they are a much bigger school. We are not scoring goals right now. It’s like the Blackhawks scoring goals or the Cubs scoring runs. One minute you are scoring as though they they are raining out of the sky and the next minute everything dries up and you can’t find them anywhere.”
But nothing in the past matters now. In this reckoning, St. Francis looks to throw down with a vengeance.