Holbrook makes welcome return

At the start of his junior year, Brian Holbrook, a midfielder on the Geneva boys soccer team, wanted a change of pace.

Holbrook decided to not play soccer with the Vikings his junior year. He opted instead to play with his club team, Chicago Sockers Top Talent.

Although he had fun with his club team, Holbrook knew it was important for him to cap his final year of high school with his high school team, so he chose the Vikings over the Sockers this fall.

The Vikings, coach Ryan Estabrook and even Holbrook himself couldn't have been happier about his choice to come back and play for Geneva.

"It's my senior year, and I've grown up with most of these guys," Holbrook said. "It might be the last time I ever play with any of them. I wanted to come back. I knew we'd have a good team and I wanted to be a part of it."

"It was amazing," Geneva teammate Max Cary added on Holbrook's return. "We lost a lot of people last year -- Nick Helmer, Brian Hinchman and Joel Pincomb -- but he stepped right in and it's like we didn't lose anyone. We gained."

"It helped he came back," Geneva senior Andy Filipiak added. "Holbrook stepped in and filled spots that needed to be filled and really carried the team."

Holbrook's leadership, skills and mere presence on the field were three big reasons why Geneva had such a great season. The Vikings went 19-6-2, won the Western Sun Conference title with an undefeated record and won a regional and sectional title.

A lot of that has to do with Holbrook, who is the 2007 Tri-Cities All-Area captain. This is the third straight year a Geneva player was named captain, following Steve Sloan in 2005 and Filipiak in 2006.

"Game in and game out, he showed consistent heart for us," Estabrook said on Holbrook. "There were a few games he missed where we were definitely lacking. Some of the skills he brings to the team are hard to measure.

"He does a lot of running off the ball, he does a lot of directing the defense in the middle of the field -- all the intangibles a center/midfielder can bring to a team."

It's hard to believe Geneva began the season 3-5-2, but Holbrook was out with a bad back for three of those games when the Vikings were in a slump. As soon as he was back, so was the team.

"When he's not playing, it feels like there is a huge hole that needs to be filled," Cary said. "Everyone on our teams trusts Brian. He's a force."

Finishing with 9 goals and 10 assists, Holbrook's skills and experience and overall knowledge of the game gave the Vikings a huge boost.

Holbrook said he began playing soccer as soon as he learned to run. His first influence was his father, who also played. He's always been a midfielder, but played forward in club at times.

"(Soccer) was the first sport I ever played, first sport I ever got into," said Holbrook, who estimates he's been playing for 15 years.

Holbrook made Geneva's varsity as a sophomore, but then headed for a year with the Sockers. He is the only Viking to play for the Palatine-based club, as most of the rest of the team plays for the Strikers.

Estabrook compared having Holbrook back for his senior campaign to having a foreign exchange student.

"You are getting the kid for one year, and then you know he's gone," Estabrook said. "You try to make the most of an opportunity to coach a kid like that, both in what he can do for you and what you can do for him in building up his future and establishing him as a person. We definitely could have used him last year, but we'll take one off season with him in his senior year."

Holbrook's college plans are yet to be determined. He wants to study marine biology, and his dream would be to attend the University of Central Florida and continue playing soccer. He is also considering Northern Illinois University.

Still, at either the club or high school level, he will never forget playing with his friends.

"I'll miss it a lot," Holbrook said, noting he loved the environment of the fans at the games. "But I'll have to move on."

Estabrook will miss Holbrook as well, along with the 10 other seniors.

"It is one of those things where you don't know how much you will miss them until you see what life is like without them," Estabrook said. "I know there is going to be a void as far as our talent level goes, but I guess their legacy will be determined in the future."