Boys soccer: Postseason scouting, Northwest
Boys soccer / Postseason scouting
Much of the attention here at the start of the state tournament series has focused on the top sectional seeds and league standouts, with Glenbrook North and Wheeling the red-hot favorites after both won conference trophies recently.
But as the knock-off phase begins this week, records and seeds don't mean all that much. It comes down to who is capable of winning on a given day.
Here's a quick look at the playoff landscape from three sectionals involving teams from the Mid-Suburban League and nearby schools.
Buffalo Grove sectionalAdvancement: winner advances to Barrington supersectional on Tuesday, Nov. 1 to face Maine East sectional champion.
Top four seeds (in order): Hersey (12-1-3), Barrington (17-3-1), Wheeling (15-2-1), Libertyville (12-3-0).
The lowdown: The top-end power clubs from the MSL are all in this sectional, and when Barrington, Hersey and Wheeling are hitting on all cylinders, it's hard to imagine anyone else sending off this trio during the next two weeks. And yet . . .
"There isn't a sure win for anyone in this sectional, so it will be fun, but you've got to try to keep everyone healthy as you can," said Darren Llewelyn, Hersey's head coach.
Kevin Lennon's team from Wheeling might be flying higher than any other entering the tournament after its thrilling 90-minute win in overtime against Barrington last week to lift the MSL trophy and earn some playoff momentum.
The Wildcats however, may face their trickiest spell this week when they play No. 14 (Fremd) in their regional opener. The Vkings appear to have be playign well with a new-look starting lineup on the eve of the tournament.
However, with all the talk about the the clubs from the MSL, there are also quality teams from the North Suburban. With No. 5 Warren, No. 7 Mundelein and Round Lake spaced throughout the four regional sites, there isn't an easy out among this bunch.
"The thing about this sectional is that nearly everyone has a big win over a higher-ranked team, so I'm not even going to try to predict who comes out of here," said Llewelyn.
To which Wheeling head coach Kevin Lennon adds: "This sectional is loaded. Teams like Fremd (8-9-3) and Buffalo Grove (8-9-4) are dangerous and have continued to improve throughout the season, and, obvioiusly, Hersey and Barrington are each capable of deep postseason runs. Libertyville (12-3-0), Warren (14-5-2), Mundelein (13-5-2) and Round Lake (12-2-5) have the same potential."
If the seeds do hold through the regional finals, fans will be treated to a sectional semifinal lineup of Hersey vs. Wheeling (a rematch of a 100-minute, 2-2 result two weeks ago) and MSL West champ Barrington against reigning 3A state champion Libertyville.
"None of us wants to play a team from our own conference at this time of the year, but ultimately you may have to go through one - and if you don't, you'll have a quality opponent standing in your way of advancing. Either way, you have to play your best," says Barrington's Scott Steib.
Glenbard East sectionalAdvancement: Winner advances to the Bartlett supersectional on Tuesday, Nov. 1 (5 p.m.) to play the Huntley sectional champion.
Top four seeds (in order): St. Charles North (12-3-3), St. Charles East (16-4-2), Addison Trail (19-1-0), Wheaton Academy (16-1-3).
The lowdown: The recent performances of No. 3 seed Addison Trail makes the Blazers one of the top teams to watch in the group. Addison Trail swept through Leyden, Downers South and Hinsdale Central to finish the regular season on a big upswing.
"Including summer league results, we are 28-1 with this group since the beginning of last June, so we've known all along that we have a good team," said Addison Trail coach Ryan Dini. "But the great thing about these guys is they are fun to coach and very motivated to do well in the playoffs."
The top two seeds are long-time rivals who have seen plenty of each other over the years, including this fall when North defeated East (3-2) with a late goal to fuel the rivalry.
"Both North and East are well coached and very good clubs, but even though the top five seeds are clearly the best in this sectional, I feel as though we'll see some upsets before we're done," said Conant coach Jason Franco.
The Cougars (12-6-0) willl not overlook No. 12 Willowbrook (7-8-0) who will be eager to make their mark early on. Should Franco's men advance, next up will likely be Wheaton Academy.
"This obviously isn't the same team that won the 2A state title two years ago, but they are super talented, they looked good in summer leage, so for us it will all be about how much we can make them feel uncomfortable with pressure," said Franco, who will lean on Kevin Sindewald and Sota Ono to inspire the attack, with senior Matt Biernat anchoring the back line.
Hoffman Estates might be the wild card within this sectional after coming off its best season in recent memory, led by the senior midfield duo of Noe Padilla and Luis Gurrola.
The No. 11 Hawks (7-8-0) are one win away from a likely meeting with Addison Trail in a regional final at the Blazers' home park - but only if they can get past No. 6 Wheaton Warrenville South and classy,longtime coach Guy Callipari, who recently won his 300th career victory.
Maine East sectionalAdvancement: Sectional champ advances to Barrington supersectional on Tuesday, Nov. 1 (7 p.m.) to play Buffalo Grove sectional champion.
Top four seeds (in order): Glenbrook North (19-1-1), Maine South (15-4-2), Evanston (15-1-4), Lane Tech College Prep (14-2-2).
The lowdown: Central Suburban champion Glenbrook North looks like the class of this sectional, but the Spartans' path still has plenty of roadblocks in its way, including Mark Valintis' club from Leyden (13-5-1), the No. 5 seed.
"This truly is a very strong sectional, with GBN and Evanston the class of the group, and Maine South highly capable of beating anyone also," said Valintis. "Lane Tech, for some unknown reason, is under the radar in terms of seeding, but I think they're as good as anyone. And when you look at the top 10, 12 seeds, with many of them having 10-plus victories, there's plenty of teams with the confidence needed to win at this time of the year."
Seniors Angel Lopez and Esteban Hernandez dictate the tempo of the game for the Eagles, and will be key figures during the next two weeks.
GBN boasts a stingy backline led by Seth Grossman, and a first-class midfielder with Sahil Modi. Valintis is hopeful his club will meet the front-runner should both advance onto the grass at Maine East for the sectioanl semis a week from today.
"We play most of our games on natural grass and it really suits our style of play, and assuming we get by a very good Niles West team, we then meet Lane just as we did in our regional final last year," said Valinitis. "It will take a monumental effort from our guys to get by them."
"This is a strong group of teams in this sectional," said New Trier coach Matt Ravenscraft. "We've actually played our best soccer against CSL opponents, so it will be interesting to see how teams advance, and how they adjust to playing on a narrow, grass field at Maine East."
Twelfth seed Maine West (4-9-4) and No. 17 Prospect will look to steal a match or two to force their way into the picture. Both are capable of doing so, particularly the Knights (5-10-2), who have shown they can play a gutsy 80 minutes with some of the best.
- Mike Garofola