Zamora adds zest to Knights
You want some more of Zamora?
If you're a Grayslake North fan, you probably can't get enough of the promising young player.
A big reason for the surprising success of the Grayslake North boys soccer team has been the play of sophomore forward Julio Zamora.
He has 13 goals in the first 11 games for the Knights, who were shut out by Grayslake Central 2-0 on Thursday night.
"He's finishing more than expected," Grayslake North coach Adam DeCaluwe said. "But we're not just relying on him. He's using his teammates and making runs to get behind the defense. He's being smart on the ball."
Led by their high-scoring forward, the Knights are 8-3. They started the season by winning their first six games.
In their inaugural campaign last year, the Knights won seven games.
"We've got a lot of talent," DeCaluwe said. "We're in all the games this season."
And they're winning the close ones.
Grayslake North has won both of its Fox Valley Conference Fox Division games in double overtime.
Zamora scored every goal for the Knights in their 4-3, double-OT win over Huntley. He netted the golden goal with 2.4 seconds left, as he slotted a 25-yard shot into the corner.
Drew Hauck scored the winner against Prairie Ridge on Tuesday night.
Worth the wait: Round Lake finally played a game this week.
The Panthers began their season on Monday with a 1-0 shutout of Grayslake North and followed up by blanking North Chicago 3-0 on Tuesday.
Round Lake hasn't started the season unbeaten in more than 10 years.
"We would've liked to have played more games," Round Lake coach Mike Hruska said. "I've been trying to keep the kids motivated, and I've been working them hard the last few weeks. It's hard to figure where we're at."
Round Lake lost a number of games last season by one goal. Perhaps the Panthers' luck is changing.
"Maybe we're finding ways to finish better," Hruska said. "I see us making good runs and crossing the ball better. We've got multiple guys that can attack and score. There's not just one guy who can score. We've got 8 or 9 guys that can do it.
"Having better results can make the team feel real good."
The Panthers' lack of games could end up hurting them, as the sectional seeding meeting is Wednesday.
"Dealing with the limited games, we'll probably get a low seed," Hruska said, "since we'll have played only 3-4 games compared to other teams with 10-12 games played."
Wauconda winning again: Wauconda is off to another good start.
The Bulldogs' 2-1 win over Woodstock on Wednesday night made them 5-2-3 and unbeaten in their last six games (3-0-3).
"We've got decent potential," Wauconda coach Terry Stevig said. "We have to play together and have discipline on the field. We still need some leadership out there."
The Bulldogs scored 7 goals against Vernon Hills on Tuesday, but their offense has been inconsistent. It's the defense that has dominated, as the Bulldogs have allowed only 9 goals in 19 games.
"On offense, we're getting opportunities, but we're not finishing," Stevig said. "We're taking good shots, but they're not going in.
"Defensively, we've done pretty well defending our side of the field."
Lakes playing competitively: Lakes is off to a 2-6 start, but the third-year Eagles have played some quality soccer.
Of their six losses, four have been by a goal. The other two defeats were by two.
"We've had a total team effort," Lakes coach Kevin Kullby said. "We wish we could get some breaks, instead of having them go against us."
Lack of scoring has been an issue for the Lakes.
"Kids have had some hard luck when it comes to scoring," Kullby said. "I hope things come together because they work real hard."
Sectional assignments: The IHSA recently released the sectional assignments for the state tournament, which begins in the middle of October. Libertyville will host one. The other sectional host has not yet been announced, but it will likely a school from the southern part of Lake County and will include Mid-Suburban League teams.
There's not too many changes from last year, except that the IHSA has placed the supersectional at Illinois Benedictine University in Lisle. The supersectional will be the second game to be played after the Wheaton Academy and Neuqua Valley sectional winners play.
Predetermined sites for the Libertyville sectional include: Carmel, Lakes, Mundelein and Carmel. Those teams will join Antioch, Grant, Grayslake Central, Grayslake North, Johnsburg, Lake Forest, Libertyville, McHenry, North Chicago, Richmond-Burton, Round Lake, Wauconda, Waukegan and Zion-Benton.
In the other sectional, the predetermined sites are Buffalo Grove, Hersey, Jacobs and Palatine. Other teams included are Barrington, Cary-Grove, Crystal Lake Central, Crystal Lake South, Deerfield, Dundee-Crown, Fremd, Highland Park, Lake Zurich, Prairie Ridge, Stevenson, St. Viator, Vernon Hills and Wheeling.