Class AA semifinal:
Grayslake Central vs. Glenwood
By Curt Herron
Grayslake Central has already made history -- it became just the third program at the school to collect consecutive state trophies.
And now it sets its sights on becoming the school's third state championship team and the first one to pull off that feat in a bracketed tournament.
The Rams earned a second-straight appearance in the IHSA Class AA finals in Hoffman Estates this weekend after capturing a 3-0 victory over Notre Dame in its supersectional championship match Tuesday. A year ago, they beat the Dons in the same round .
Coach Keith Andersson's 18-1-3 squad advanced to Friday's 3 p.m. semifinal match against Glenwood (19-3-2), which is making its first state appearance since 2011.
The opening semifinal match pits Notre Dame (Peoria/21-3-1) and Solorio (22-3-0) at 1 p.m. The winners advance to Saturday's title match at 11 a.m.
Grayslake Central took fourth place last season in Andersson's first year at the helm. The Rams suffered a 2-1 semifinal loss to eventual second place finisher Triad. Washington (Chicago) took the third place match 3-1.
Grayslake Central only loss came against Round Lake on Sept. 22, following a 9-0-1 start which included a tie against New Trier. In the defeat, the team lost the services of seniors Danik Marynevych and Jose Chavez due to injuries.
Since the setback, the Rams are 9-0-2 with draws against Wauconda and Glenbrook North late in the season before their playoff run.
Grayslake Central is unscored upon in the postseason and scored 11 goals. Three of the wins were 1-0 decisions, beginning with Cary-Grove in its regional opener and then sectional results over Wauconda in the semifinals and a victory over Vernon Hills in the championship match, both of which it hosted.
"We are excited to be going back to state two years in a row," Andersson said. "We have an amazing community that has supported us all season long.
"The boys have put in the hard work, and we can't wait to experience going back, It is a memory that you never forget."
Leading the way for the Rams is senior midfielder Alan Alonso, who tops the team with 15 goals and 22 assists. Senior forward/midfielder Raymond Sereno has eight goals; junior midfielder Mitchell Fein and freshman midfielder Ivan Sereno both have five goals.
Fein has assisted on eight goals while senior defender Lucas Veenstra and Ivan Sereno both have five assists.
Junior forward/midfielder Nick Molochnikov also has four goals and four assists.
Goalkeeper Uriel Garcia-Perez has played in all 22 matches and has allowed just 13 goals for an 0.59 GAA. The junior has recorded 111 saves, and the squad has posted 15 shutouts. Joining Veenstra on defense are senior Eric Garcia-Perez, sophomore Anderson Chevrier and freshman Damian Sereno.
While the Rams have a lot of experience with 11 returnees, they also have a lot of young players, including five freshmen and two sophomores new to the roster.
Seniors who are back are Eric Garcia-Perez, Raymond Sereno, Alonso and Veenstra, junior returners are goalkeeper/forward Brendan Kirkner, Uriel Garcia-Perez, Fein and Molochnikov and sophomores who return are midfielder/defender Jake Clement, midfielder/forward Jack Lapidus and Chevrier. The captains are Alonso, Eric Garcia-Perez, Veenstra and Marynevych.
Other programs at Grayslake Central that have won two-straight trophies were boys cross country, which took first in 2015 and second in 2016 in Class AA for coach James Centella and baseball, which took third in 2013 and fourth in 2014 in Class 3A for coach Troy Whalen.
The school's only other state championship came in 2019 when coach Kelsey (Pierotti) Adams led the competitive cheerleading team to a team title.
Glenwood is back at state for the fourth time. The Titans placed second in Class AA for coach Jay Lipe in 2011. The program won a AA championship in 2005 and took fourth place in Class A in 2003.
Lipe, who assists head coach Kyle Franke, has coached the girls teams at the Chatham school since 1994 and has won over 400 matches, one title and captured seven other state trophies.
Franke (32-11-2) is in his second season of coaching the Titans, who have definitely been on a roll after getting off to a 1-3-1 start. The slow opening included a 2-1 setback to fellow Final Four member Notre Dame (Peoria). Glenwood competes in the Central State Eight Conference.
After getting through the tough start, the Titans won 11 in a row before settling for a 1-1 draw with Normal on Oct. 8. Since that time, Glenwood has won seven in a row, including its five playoff matches. It has outscored its last seven opponents by a 35-4 margin.
The Titans advanced to state with a 2-1 win over 2021 runnerup Triad in the Rochester Supersectional, which followed a 2-1 win over Rochester in the Glenwood Sectional final.
Like Grayslake Central, Glenwood has a lot of experience with 13 seniors. The Titans have a larger youth movement with four sophomores and five freshmen.
Glenwood's leading goal-scorer is senior midfielder Maddox Gerger with 16. There is a logjam for second between senior forwards Carter Downen and Grant Tretter, and junior forwards Christian Ray and Eben Reed, who all have scored 10 goals. Sophomore defender Miles Calderon has scored nine goals.
Downen leads the way with 11 assists, two more than Gerger and Tretter.
Senior goalkeepers Josh Jones and Jack Wolfe have shared time in the net and the pair has allowed 23 goals and collected nine shutouts. They have allowed one goal on 10 occasions.
"We have 13 seniors that have come together and really started gelling halfway through the season," Franke said. "We played a tough schedule, and I feel that it has paid off down the stretch in these games in the playoffs.
"It has been a fun ride with these boys, and we are very happy that we get two more games together. It has been 11 years since Glenwood has reached this point and we are very excited to get Glenwood soccer back to the state finals."
Grayslake Central vs. Glenwood
By Curt Herron
Grayslake Central has already made history -- it became just the third program at the school to collect consecutive state trophies.
And now it sets its sights on becoming the school's third state championship team and the first one to pull off that feat in a bracketed tournament.
The Rams earned a second-straight appearance in the IHSA Class AA finals in Hoffman Estates this weekend after capturing a 3-0 victory over Notre Dame in its supersectional championship match Tuesday. A year ago, they beat the Dons in the same round .
Coach Keith Andersson's 18-1-3 squad advanced to Friday's 3 p.m. semifinal match against Glenwood (19-3-2), which is making its first state appearance since 2011.
The opening semifinal match pits Notre Dame (Peoria/21-3-1) and Solorio (22-3-0) at 1 p.m. The winners advance to Saturday's title match at 11 a.m.
Grayslake Central took fourth place last season in Andersson's first year at the helm. The Rams suffered a 2-1 semifinal loss to eventual second place finisher Triad. Washington (Chicago) took the third place match 3-1.
Grayslake Central only loss came against Round Lake on Sept. 22, following a 9-0-1 start which included a tie against New Trier. In the defeat, the team lost the services of seniors Danik Marynevych and Jose Chavez due to injuries.
Since the setback, the Rams are 9-0-2 with draws against Wauconda and Glenbrook North late in the season before their playoff run.
Grayslake Central is unscored upon in the postseason and scored 11 goals. Three of the wins were 1-0 decisions, beginning with Cary-Grove in its regional opener and then sectional results over Wauconda in the semifinals and a victory over Vernon Hills in the championship match, both of which it hosted.
"We are excited to be going back to state two years in a row," Andersson said. "We have an amazing community that has supported us all season long.
"The boys have put in the hard work, and we can't wait to experience going back, It is a memory that you never forget."
Leading the way for the Rams is senior midfielder Alan Alonso, who tops the team with 15 goals and 22 assists. Senior forward/midfielder Raymond Sereno has eight goals; junior midfielder Mitchell Fein and freshman midfielder Ivan Sereno both have five goals.
Fein has assisted on eight goals while senior defender Lucas Veenstra and Ivan Sereno both have five assists.
Junior forward/midfielder Nick Molochnikov also has four goals and four assists.
Goalkeeper Uriel Garcia-Perez has played in all 22 matches and has allowed just 13 goals for an 0.59 GAA. The junior has recorded 111 saves, and the squad has posted 15 shutouts. Joining Veenstra on defense are senior Eric Garcia-Perez, sophomore Anderson Chevrier and freshman Damian Sereno.
While the Rams have a lot of experience with 11 returnees, they also have a lot of young players, including five freshmen and two sophomores new to the roster.
Seniors who are back are Eric Garcia-Perez, Raymond Sereno, Alonso and Veenstra, junior returners are goalkeeper/forward Brendan Kirkner, Uriel Garcia-Perez, Fein and Molochnikov and sophomores who return are midfielder/defender Jake Clement, midfielder/forward Jack Lapidus and Chevrier. The captains are Alonso, Eric Garcia-Perez, Veenstra and Marynevych.
Other programs at Grayslake Central that have won two-straight trophies were boys cross country, which took first in 2015 and second in 2016 in Class AA for coach James Centella and baseball, which took third in 2013 and fourth in 2014 in Class 3A for coach Troy Whalen.
The school's only other state championship came in 2019 when coach Kelsey (Pierotti) Adams led the competitive cheerleading team to a team title.
Glenwood is back at state for the fourth time. The Titans placed second in Class AA for coach Jay Lipe in 2011. The program won a AA championship in 2005 and took fourth place in Class A in 2003.
Lipe, who assists head coach Kyle Franke, has coached the girls teams at the Chatham school since 1994 and has won over 400 matches, one title and captured seven other state trophies.
Franke (32-11-2) is in his second season of coaching the Titans, who have definitely been on a roll after getting off to a 1-3-1 start. The slow opening included a 2-1 setback to fellow Final Four member Notre Dame (Peoria). Glenwood competes in the Central State Eight Conference.
After getting through the tough start, the Titans won 11 in a row before settling for a 1-1 draw with Normal on Oct. 8. Since that time, Glenwood has won seven in a row, including its five playoff matches. It has outscored its last seven opponents by a 35-4 margin.
The Titans advanced to state with a 2-1 win over 2021 runnerup Triad in the Rochester Supersectional, which followed a 2-1 win over Rochester in the Glenwood Sectional final.
Like Grayslake Central, Glenwood has a lot of experience with 13 seniors. The Titans have a larger youth movement with four sophomores and five freshmen.
Glenwood's leading goal-scorer is senior midfielder Maddox Gerger with 16. There is a logjam for second between senior forwards Carter Downen and Grant Tretter, and junior forwards Christian Ray and Eben Reed, who all have scored 10 goals. Sophomore defender Miles Calderon has scored nine goals.
Downen leads the way with 11 assists, two more than Gerger and Tretter.
Senior goalkeepers Josh Jones and Jack Wolfe have shared time in the net and the pair has allowed 23 goals and collected nine shutouts. They have allowed one goal on 10 occasions.
"We have 13 seniors that have come together and really started gelling halfway through the season," Franke said. "We played a tough schedule, and I feel that it has paid off down the stretch in these games in the playoffs.
"It has been a fun ride with these boys, and we are very happy that we get two more games together. It has been 11 years since Glenwood has reached this point and we are very excited to get Glenwood soccer back to the state finals."