Boys soccer: St. Charles North's Amro had a special season
It was a special year on the north side of St. Charles.
St. Charles North's boys soccer team accomplished many things this season, including plenty that it hadn't done in years, as well as a couple things that it had never done in program history.
The North Stars finally took care of their arch nemesis, St. Charles East, ending a four-game losing streak to the Saints, beating them 2-1 to earn their first victory against them since 2011.
Senior Alex Amro's penalty kick was the difference.
In addition to that victory over the Saints, the North Stars earned 1-0 victories against Geneva and Batavia to bring the Fox Trophy to St. Charles North for the first time in school history.
The North Stars weren't just tough against their local rivals though. They also proved to be the top team in the Upstate Eight Conference River Division, something they haven't been able to do in nearly 10 years as they won conference for the first time since 2006.
And then there's the season that the diminutive Amro put together. It was huge. The North Stars tallied 51 goals this year and Amro scored or assisted in 57 percent of them, finishing with 13 goals and 16 assists.
"Alex was our best playmaker this season," North Stars coach Eric Willson said. "At the ACM (attacking center midfielder) position, he was excellent at both getting his teammates involved, as well as making plays himself when we needed him most."
As the offensive leader for the North Stars, and as someone Willson was able to count on from the moment his junior season ended last fall until their season ended this year in a classic, but tough 1-0 loss to Bartlett in a Class 3A regional championship game, Amro proved to be one of the most special players in the area, and thus has been named as the Honorary Co-captain of the 2015 Daily Herald Fox Valley All-Area boys soccer team. He shares the award with sophomore Noah Melick of Jacobs.
It's an honor that hasn't been bestowed upon a St. Charles North player since, well, ever. While four players from St. Charles East have enjoyed the honor, Amro becomes the first North Star named as a captain of this team.
"At the beginning of the season I had set personal goals for myself, but ultimately as the season progressed, those goals became team goals and I put the team first," he said. "I went our there working for my teammates. I knew I'd have some good personal success if we had success as a team and that's a credit to having great players around me. This was an unbelievable team to play with that did the things they were supposed to do in order to win."
Opposing coaches knew that stopping Amro's antics was the key to beating the North Stars.
Take for instance the team's games against Bartlett. The North Stars beat the Hawks, 2-1, early in the season as Amro assisted on the equalizer. Then, when the teams met with a regional title on the line, the Hawks were able to limit Amro, shutting them out 1-0. He's not the only great player they've slowed either, as they earned their first trip to state on Tuesday.
"He's a great player, a playmaker. I'm just glad we never have to play him again," Bartlett coach Vince DiNuzzo said. "We made note of him and we man marked him. Not many kids in the state deserve a man mark in my opinion, especially since we have a strong back four, but he was one of those kids who deserved a man mark because he's such a great player. His first touch is incredible and he has the ability to create something out of nothing."
Amro showed signs of brilliance a season ago as he scored 5 goals and shared 9 assists for a team that won 11 games. This year, he helped the North Stars enjoy their best season since 2011.
"It was awesome playing alongside him, especially since we've been playing together for four years now and this being senior year and us both being captains," defender Brandon Stricker said. "It was awesome for him to be that go-to guy, always trusting him. He was our leader up top and with us trying to stop goals, it was nice to have that trust in him."
Collectively, these North Stars were closely knit. That special relationship paid off as many players enjoyed their finest seasons.
"The thing about this group is everyone loved playing together," Stricker said. "I'd say it was the closest knit group I've been part of, and because of that we played for each other and became conference champs. I think we all loved our team so it's sad to say it's over."
As effective as he was on the field, you could argue that Amro contributes even more off it. Despite a busy schedule that sees him trying to balance soccer with his studies, Amro gives back to a number of great causes.
"I'm involved in scholar athletes, Relay For Life and Heroes, which is a task force that strives to prevent drug/substance abuse in the community," he said. "And it's definitely tough to manage, but it's really all about prioritizing. Some days I'll have to do homework until late at night and sacrifice some time with friends, but it's just something I've got to work with."
Like his assists helped his teammates, Amro hopes to make a living helping others professionally off the field.
"I'm definitely focusing on academics first, but it would be a dream of mine to continue to play," he said. "Ultimately I want to help people. There's definitely the benefit of helping others, which is better than helping yourself. I know it's a cliché, but it's true. I hope to study psychology and business and maybe eventually open my own psych firm to help people."
He certainly helped the North Stars enjoy one of their finest seasons in quite some time. And, there's no doubt with his commitment and work ethic that he'll continue to help others in the future.