Grayslake title on line: Central meets North
By Rusty Silber
There's a big rivalry when you put together Grayslake Central and Grayslake North on the field. It's been a growing tradition over the last decade for bragging rights of Grayslake Community High School District 127.
This year's edition takes place at 6:15 p.m. Thursday (tonight) at Grayslake Central.
"The rivalry is always a high-intensity game as you'd expect from any crosstown matchup," Grayslake Central coach Tom Hamilton said. "Both teams will look to contest every ball and pin back the opposing team.
"Every game over the last few years has been close, and this one figures to follow suit given that both teams have talent and work ethic that our records might not reflect. It'll definitely be a great atmosphere with every player battling for 80 minutes. We're looking forward to it."
Entering this matchup, host Grayslake Central's record stands at 2-5-0 with Grayslake North at 1-4-1, but records go out the door when they meet.
"We've learned a lot about ourselves these first few weeks, and the boys have been working hard to learn from the tough nonconference schedule they've faced so far," Hamilton said.
"We conceded more goals than we would have liked, but the team is defending better as a unit lately. And we've been able to create good chances even against the best of opponents.
"If we can continue to build on what we've learned so far we know we can compete. It's coming together, and now we're looking to build some momentum."
Grayslake Central took part in the top-shelf Northside College Showcase hosted by New Trier. Grayslake North hosted a tourney with the unbeaten Warren, ranked ninth in the Chicagoland Soccer top 25, and always tough Prairie Ridge in the field.
Grayslake North has been working hard trying to find its feet.
"We're a hard-working team that has played well for large periods of time, but one mistake and we're made to pay for it," Knights coach Adam DeCaluwe said. "This game is always tough, no matter what the records are coming into the game. Both teams want to win and work really hard to make it happen."
The game takes on an even more important role for both teams because it is the Northern Lake County Conference opener for each.
"I'm looking forward to some more tough games against quality opponents," DeCaluwe said. "The Northern Lake County conference has always proven to be a battle between every team in it."
Grayslake Central is ready for the conference race.
"As for the NLCC, we're excited to start playing for results rather than merely for information," Hamilton said. "The early games show us where we stand and what we need to work on, but the conference games are when the results really start to matter.
"This year there's a good deal of parity in the NLCC, so we know we'll have to bring our "A" game for all seven matches if we want to compete. The conference hasn't been around very long, but we've had some healthy rivalries among these schools for years, so it feels like we've all been together for much longer.
"Last year we fell short of our goals for the conference season, but we're looking to see if we can work towards a better finish this season."
Rams' seniors Owen Aaberg and Nick Hoffman were honored with all-tourney status at the Northside College Showcase.
Freshman forward Daniel Marynevych is off to a great start with four goals in six appearances. Junior Damian Makowski has recently returned from injury and figures to give Grayslake Central a boost as a tenacious and intelligent striker.
By Rusty Silber
There's a big rivalry when you put together Grayslake Central and Grayslake North on the field. It's been a growing tradition over the last decade for bragging rights of Grayslake Community High School District 127.
This year's edition takes place at 6:15 p.m. Thursday (tonight) at Grayslake Central.
"The rivalry is always a high-intensity game as you'd expect from any crosstown matchup," Grayslake Central coach Tom Hamilton said. "Both teams will look to contest every ball and pin back the opposing team.
"Every game over the last few years has been close, and this one figures to follow suit given that both teams have talent and work ethic that our records might not reflect. It'll definitely be a great atmosphere with every player battling for 80 minutes. We're looking forward to it."
Entering this matchup, host Grayslake Central's record stands at 2-5-0 with Grayslake North at 1-4-1, but records go out the door when they meet.
"We've learned a lot about ourselves these first few weeks, and the boys have been working hard to learn from the tough nonconference schedule they've faced so far," Hamilton said.
"We conceded more goals than we would have liked, but the team is defending better as a unit lately. And we've been able to create good chances even against the best of opponents.
"If we can continue to build on what we've learned so far we know we can compete. It's coming together, and now we're looking to build some momentum."
Grayslake Central took part in the top-shelf Northside College Showcase hosted by New Trier. Grayslake North hosted a tourney with the unbeaten Warren, ranked ninth in the Chicagoland Soccer top 25, and always tough Prairie Ridge in the field.
Grayslake North has been working hard trying to find its feet.
"We're a hard-working team that has played well for large periods of time, but one mistake and we're made to pay for it," Knights coach Adam DeCaluwe said. "This game is always tough, no matter what the records are coming into the game. Both teams want to win and work really hard to make it happen."
The game takes on an even more important role for both teams because it is the Northern Lake County Conference opener for each.
"I'm looking forward to some more tough games against quality opponents," DeCaluwe said. "The Northern Lake County conference has always proven to be a battle between every team in it."
Grayslake Central is ready for the conference race.
"As for the NLCC, we're excited to start playing for results rather than merely for information," Hamilton said. "The early games show us where we stand and what we need to work on, but the conference games are when the results really start to matter.
"This year there's a good deal of parity in the NLCC, so we know we'll have to bring our "A" game for all seven matches if we want to compete. The conference hasn't been around very long, but we've had some healthy rivalries among these schools for years, so it feels like we've all been together for much longer.
"Last year we fell short of our goals for the conference season, but we're looking to see if we can work towards a better finish this season."
Rams' seniors Owen Aaberg and Nick Hoffman were honored with all-tourney status at the Northside College Showcase.
Freshman forward Daniel Marynevych is off to a great start with four goals in six appearances. Junior Damian Makowski has recently returned from injury and figures to give Grayslake Central a boost as a tenacious and intelligent striker.