Scouting: Fox Valley area sectionals
Class 3A
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 coach 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 titlist, 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 Nov. 4 against the Wheaton North sectional champion.
At Wheaton North
Today's semifinals: St. Charles North vs. Wheaton North, 5 p.m.; Geneva vs. Schaumburg, 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 and 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 Nov. 4 against the Boylan sectional champion.
Class 2A
At Grayslake Central
Wednesday's semifinals: Hampshire (10-9-1) vs. Lakes, 4 p.m.; Marian Central vs. Antioch, 6:15 p.m.
Sectional final: Saturday, 11 a.m.
Scouting report: Hampshire had a game plan entering the 2008 campaign under new head coach John Gosling. A former Judson University soccer player, professional player and former coach in both the Wheaton Warrenville South and Glenbard West programs, Gosling brought new and improved tactics to the Whip-Pur pitch. Following a 2-5-2 start, Hampshire pieced things together to close the regular season winning 7 of 11. Now perfect at 2-0 in the postseason, the Whip-Purs, who had never won a regional title before this season, enter the Grayslake Central sectional to face a new foe in Lakes. "We've seen a huge turnaround from the beginning of the season," said Gosling. "As of late, we've played very well. The guys have shown me that they understand what I'm looking for." According to Gosling, advancing beyond the sectional semis will depend on three key factors. No. 1, attacking the organized defense of Lakes; No. 2, playing on turf (which should bode well for the Whips); and, No. 3, minimizing damage from the Eagles' top players. Hampshire will look to both sides of the spectrum in its talent pool with veteran stopper Ryan Ponomar anchoring the Whip-Pur defense and freshman forward John Cabral posing an offensive threat up top. "Lakes was similar to Belvidere North in that they have a player up top and a player in the middle whom are both very good with the ball," Gosling said. "If we can minimize their time with the ball, and get our forwards to make runs that disorganize their defense, we'll be in great shape."
Advancement: Sectional champion advances to the Elite Eight at North Central College Nov. 7.
Compiled by Mike Garofola and Jen LaPorte