Red Devils play way to fourth
Perspective can come hard for a high school soccer player whose season just ended with a loss, but Hinsdale Central goalkeeper John Shakon took just the right tack Saturday.
"It's not the best way to end the season, but I thought for a senior year that's the best way to end a high school career," Shakon said. "We got here, we competed, and that's just awesome.
"Just to be one of the teams still playing was awesome."
The Red Devils lost 2-1 to Rockford Boylan on a goal scored in the third overtime of their Class AA third-place game at North Central College, finishing the season with a 20-8-1 record and their first state finals hardware since 1975.
"This year we really just wanted to go out there and get it," said Red Devils senior David Tiemstra. "We had a great attitude. Everyone supported us, and that just sparked our intensity."
After beating New Trier 2-1 in Friday's quarterfinal game, the Red Devils lost 2-0 to Barrington in Saturday's semifinals.
Hinsdale Central and Boylan went scoreless until the 31st minute, when Jeff Graham busted up the right side and slid a pass over to Mark Knight, who scored his 10th goal of the year from 8 yards out.
Boylan tied the game less than a minute later on a Chris Johnson goal, and the 1-1 tie held to the end of regulation. Both Shakon and Boylan's goalkeeper tipped balls over the crossbar prior to halftime.
The regulation tie featured numerous chances each way, as the Red Devils put 12 shots on net for the night to the Titans' 13. It entered the record book as the first three-overtime game in Class AA finals history.
Boylan's Angel Ramirez ended the Red Devils' season in the 102nd minute with a goal from 6 yards out.
A season that started with a 6-4-1 record saw Hinsdale Central go on a 13-game winning streak to end the year, taking it all the way to the state semifinals.
Shakon and Tiemstra had watershed seasons for the Red Devils this year as the first coaches' all-Midwest and All-America soccer players, respectively, in program history.
Coach Mike Wiggins will also bid farewell to prominent departing seniors in Mark Knight, Jason Loebig, Greg Patterson and Sam Toczylowski.
"The thing that's most satisfying is that these kids, along the way, have come to the realization of the pride and tradition that goes with Hinsdale Central high school and its athletic program," Wiggins said.