Spartans, of St. Francis, and Cadets,
of Marmion, to wage epic league battle
By Steve Nemeth
Hollywood-type hype might draw a parallel between St. Francis and the more famous “Spartans” of “300” movie fame.
An outnumbered band of brothers fight and win against the odds in part due to a cohesive defensive formation in which each member protects his teammates’ backs.
Over the season’s initial six contests, the Class 2A St. Francis Spartans went undefeated against five Class 3A foes. Playing away from home, the early 3-1-2 record includes claiming the Hillner Classic crown at Lake Park.
Ironically, the lone loss came against a more mortal Class 1A opponent in Mt. Carmel – a 2-1 betrayal from a fellow Chicagoland Catholic League South Division opponent.
Whether mindful of the less than pleasant outcome of the legendary tale or not, St. Francis coach Kevin Ward isn’t so much anti-Hollywood as he is a realist. The Persian Empire is not on the schedule, and this is high school soccer.
As fiercely as Tuesday night’s 7:30 p.m. home date with CCL South foe Marmion may be, it’s part of a season, and that entire body of work is what Ward is concerned with when it comes to his Spartans.
Besides, despite being the seventh-of-eight 3A opponents for St. Francis, Marmion could argue for a role reversal. The Cadets have had their share of ups and downs in compiling a 4-4-3 record (1-1-1 in the CCL South), and it’s the no. 23 Spartans (8-1-2, 1-1) who are ranked in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
“We’re very aware that they’ve only been scored upon three times in 11 games,” Marmion coach Ricky Del Toro said. “It’s their second year with the coach’s (Ward) system, and they’re much better organized.
“At the same time, playing Boylan, Barrington, Warren and Huntley has prepared us and taught us we can face anyone. We also haven’t lost to them in the last four years,” Del Toro noted. “It’ll come down to who makes the most of one or two chances, who values possession more, who controls midfield.
"The last couple games, we we’ve won the 50-50 balls and controlled midfield better. We’ve struggled when we’ve had to constantly defend, so the key for us it to be aggressive from the start.”
Cadet senior Quinn Turcich echoes his coach’s thoughts.
“If we focus on executing our game plan in each third of the field, we know we can hang with anyone,” Turcich said. “The last few games, we’ve played smart, aggressive, team soccer, and the results showed our ability.”
That was in reference to a 2-0 league victory over 2014 CCL South champion St. Laurence and a 2-0 road win over a solid Huntley program.
Granted the Marmion roster numbers 23, but St. Francis has only 24, not 300.
“It’s a conference game so we expect a good one,” Ward said. Although the coach is not on the faculty at St. Francis, it is Teacher Appreciation Night and he’d welcome the Spartans showing him appreciation by remaining disciplined.
“Disciplined play has certainly helped us get where we’re at. As to the level we’re seeking, we’re getting there," he said. "Yes it starts with solid defense, and I believe we’ve ingrained that foundation. More importantly, is a work rate and every week we’ve made some progress.”
That’s pretty evident in the form of a six-match win streak – all by shutout. In fact, St. Francis boasts nine clean sheets.
“It’s been a combination of our goalie (Jonathan Burke) and our backline, guys like (Timmy) Pisarski, Carney (Herard), and Ethan (Grosman).”
The Spartans offense has come alive during the win streak with 28 goals. Junior forward Zach Crescenzo tops the team chart with six scores, but the rest have come from a variety of teammates.
The Marmion contest is the first-of-six consecutive home dates that complete the regular season schedule for St. Francis. The opportunity is clearly there to improve on last year’s 4-2-1 CCL South record that landed the Spartans in a tie for third.
While the postseason remains nearly three weeks away, any kind of momentum bodes well. Unlike last year, St. Francis does not have to worry about powerhouse Wheaton Academy. The Warriors beat the Spartans in a regional semifinal en route to the 2014 Class 2A state title, but Wheaton Academy is part of the 3A field for 2015.
“Playoffs are in the future, and we continue to concerned only with the present, as in the game in front of us,” Ward said. “Potentially the schedule sets up nicely, but it was mainly created to balance the demanding slate of early games.”
of Marmion, to wage epic league battle
By Steve Nemeth
Hollywood-type hype might draw a parallel between St. Francis and the more famous “Spartans” of “300” movie fame.
An outnumbered band of brothers fight and win against the odds in part due to a cohesive defensive formation in which each member protects his teammates’ backs.
Over the season’s initial six contests, the Class 2A St. Francis Spartans went undefeated against five Class 3A foes. Playing away from home, the early 3-1-2 record includes claiming the Hillner Classic crown at Lake Park.
Ironically, the lone loss came against a more mortal Class 1A opponent in Mt. Carmel – a 2-1 betrayal from a fellow Chicagoland Catholic League South Division opponent.
Whether mindful of the less than pleasant outcome of the legendary tale or not, St. Francis coach Kevin Ward isn’t so much anti-Hollywood as he is a realist. The Persian Empire is not on the schedule, and this is high school soccer.
As fiercely as Tuesday night’s 7:30 p.m. home date with CCL South foe Marmion may be, it’s part of a season, and that entire body of work is what Ward is concerned with when it comes to his Spartans.
Besides, despite being the seventh-of-eight 3A opponents for St. Francis, Marmion could argue for a role reversal. The Cadets have had their share of ups and downs in compiling a 4-4-3 record (1-1-1 in the CCL South), and it’s the no. 23 Spartans (8-1-2, 1-1) who are ranked in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
“We’re very aware that they’ve only been scored upon three times in 11 games,” Marmion coach Ricky Del Toro said. “It’s their second year with the coach’s (Ward) system, and they’re much better organized.
“At the same time, playing Boylan, Barrington, Warren and Huntley has prepared us and taught us we can face anyone. We also haven’t lost to them in the last four years,” Del Toro noted. “It’ll come down to who makes the most of one or two chances, who values possession more, who controls midfield.
"The last couple games, we we’ve won the 50-50 balls and controlled midfield better. We’ve struggled when we’ve had to constantly defend, so the key for us it to be aggressive from the start.”
Cadet senior Quinn Turcich echoes his coach’s thoughts.
“If we focus on executing our game plan in each third of the field, we know we can hang with anyone,” Turcich said. “The last few games, we’ve played smart, aggressive, team soccer, and the results showed our ability.”
That was in reference to a 2-0 league victory over 2014 CCL South champion St. Laurence and a 2-0 road win over a solid Huntley program.
Granted the Marmion roster numbers 23, but St. Francis has only 24, not 300.
“It’s a conference game so we expect a good one,” Ward said. Although the coach is not on the faculty at St. Francis, it is Teacher Appreciation Night and he’d welcome the Spartans showing him appreciation by remaining disciplined.
“Disciplined play has certainly helped us get where we’re at. As to the level we’re seeking, we’re getting there," he said. "Yes it starts with solid defense, and I believe we’ve ingrained that foundation. More importantly, is a work rate and every week we’ve made some progress.”
That’s pretty evident in the form of a six-match win streak – all by shutout. In fact, St. Francis boasts nine clean sheets.
“It’s been a combination of our goalie (Jonathan Burke) and our backline, guys like (Timmy) Pisarski, Carney (Herard), and Ethan (Grosman).”
The Spartans offense has come alive during the win streak with 28 goals. Junior forward Zach Crescenzo tops the team chart with six scores, but the rest have come from a variety of teammates.
The Marmion contest is the first-of-six consecutive home dates that complete the regular season schedule for St. Francis. The opportunity is clearly there to improve on last year’s 4-2-1 CCL South record that landed the Spartans in a tie for third.
While the postseason remains nearly three weeks away, any kind of momentum bodes well. Unlike last year, St. Francis does not have to worry about powerhouse Wheaton Academy. The Warriors beat the Spartans in a regional semifinal en route to the 2014 Class 2A state title, but Wheaton Academy is part of the 3A field for 2015.
“Playoffs are in the future, and we continue to concerned only with the present, as in the game in front of us,” Ward said. “Potentially the schedule sets up nicely, but it was mainly created to balance the demanding slate of early games.”