Class 3A sectional preview
At Rockford Boylan
Today's semifinals: Round Lake (17-3-1) vs. Jacobs (13-7-4), 5 p.m.; Rockford Boylan (21-2-1) vs. Barrington (19-5-1), 7 p.m.
Sectional final: Saturday, 6 p.m.
Scouting report: Jacobs was a surprise qualifier, but you can bet nobody will take Jim Dzialo's club lightly. The former Boylan coach worked his magic last year when it upset tournament favorite St. Viator before its cinderella season ended against Palatine in a sectional semifinal. Round Lake, the North Suburban Conference Prairie titleist, will look to the trio of Cesar Garcia, Gilberto Alfaro and Edwin Martinez and their 50-plus goals this season for the deepest advancement in its history. Barrington-Boylan is a rematch of a game in pool play at the Barrington Classic in September, when the Broncos beat the Titans 3-0. Since then, the Titans have been nearly untouchable, earning yet another NIC-10 title with Rocco Taglia helping lead the way. The Broncos appear to be tournament ready after surviving back-to-back OT matches against quality opponents Cary-Grove (4-3) and state ranked Lake Zurich (3-2). Tom Unak and a sturdy group in front of senior goalkeeper Andrew Komnick including Shawn Deacon, Will Farrell and Tim Rudnicki have bent - but they don't often break.
Advancement: Sectional champion advances to Barrington supersectional Tuesday, Nov. 4, against the Wheaton North sectional champion.
At Wheaton North
Today's semifinals: St. Charles North (12-8-2) vs. Wheaton North (11-5-6), 5 p.m.; Geneva (19-2-1) vs. Schaumburg (17-7), 7 p.m.
Sectional final: Saturday, 11 a.m.
Scouting report: Seeds 2-3-4 (Geneva, Schaumburg and Wheaton North) validated their lofty ranking en route to the sectional, but No. 1 Larkin was bounced from the tournament by No. 8 St. Charles North in a 2-1 victory Saturday. Shawn Sloan (26 goals) of Geneva Schaumburg's Josh Beard are serious all-state candidates who will put their opponents on high alert each and every time they are on the field. Both of these clubs were one match away from advancing to the Elite Eight in 2007.
Advancement: Sectional champion advances to Barrington supersectional Tuesday, Nov. 4, against the Boylan sectional champion.
At Libertyville Soccer Complex
Wednesday's semifinals: Waukegan (17-2-3) vs. Palatine (18-4-1), 5 p.m.; Deerfield (18-3-1) vs. Carmel (12-11-3), 7 p.m.
Sectional final: Saturday, 11 a.m.
Scouting report: This side of the sectional has been a dangerous place for top-seeded clubs, with just No. 1 Waukegan and No. 2 Deerfield still around. Fifth seed Palatine eliminated No. 4 St. Viator 1-0, and No. 15 Carmel continued its glorious postseason ride. With a young roster all coming together at the right time, the Corsairs bounced No. 3 Stevenson in their regional opener and sent No. 6 Wheeling packing 1-0 on sophomore Jimmy Ryan's goal to capture their fourth regional title. The Corsairs finished fourth in the East Suburban Catholic. Deerfield reached the sectional semifinals last year, falling to eventual state champion Barrington 1-0 in 3 overtimes. The Warriors are led in scoring by Brian Frankel. The sectional opener features contrasting styles of play when the Pirates take on Waukegan, which advanced by beating three-time Mid-Suburban League champion Hersey 1-0 to take the Glenbrook South regional title. Palatine sophomore keeper Kyle Held (9 shutouts) will help direct a well-organized backline, led by senior sweeper Tim Conklin and complemented on the outside by Dan Schweikert and Josh Feldman, who has jumped into the attack to score 4 goals this season.
Advancement: Sectional champion advances to Loyola University supersectional Tuesday, Nov. 4, against the Niles North sectional champion.