Cori Wronski: Fox Valley girls soccer captain
There is a recent photo that has caught plenty of people's attention.
It depicts Huntley junior forward Cori Wronski, who stands all of 5-feet-3 inches, going for a ball in the air with an opposing player.
The interesting thing about the photo is that Wronski's feet are near the player's head level.
Now, that's some kind of vertical.
And that photo provides kind of a parallel to the sky-high season Wronski enjoyed this spring - one in which she helped the Red Raiders to a school-record 24-2-1 mark, a third-straight Fox Valley Conference Fox Division title and a berth in a Class 3A sectional championship match.
To top it off, Wronski has been named the Honorary Captain of the Daily Herald's All-Area girls soccer team.
"When it came down to it, we had to have her on the field scoring goals when we really needed them," said Huntley coach Kris Grabner. "She was a huge cog in our success."
Wronski, whose younger sister Aimee was also a key contributor to the team, finished the 2009 campaign with a team-best 27 goals to go with 8 assists en route to being named to the all-FVC team. Wronski had a goal or an assist in 10 of Huntley's last 11 contests.
"We're talking about key games down the stretch in conference and the playoffs," said Grabner. "She scoring big goals and getting big assists in big games."
With numbers like those, it's a bit surprising to learn Wronski was a bit skeptical coming into the season.
"I was nervous. I didn't have a great sophomore year," said Wronski, who has already surpassed the 50 career goal mark at Huntley. "My focus got better this year. I focused the entire year and worked as hard as I could in practice and in games. I thank the Lord that I came out as one of the top players this season."
But Wronski, who plays club for KUFC Premier out of Elgin, would just as quickly prefer to attribute her improvement to the girls around her.
"I'm not a selfish player," said Wronski. "Some players play for themselves, for stats and to get their name in the paper. I play for the team. I try to help the team out as much as possible so we can have a total team effort. I couldn't do what I do on the field without the team. I go out there and try to be a good player and a good leader on the field."
Wronski's soccer skills speak for themselves, but her teammates say her mere presence as a teammate is her most valuable asset.
"She brings more energy to the game," said Huntley senior Nina Barreto, who will continue her career at Judson University later this year. "She's one of the friendliest girls we have. She is always cheering you up. Her attitude is great. She gives it everything she has on the field. She's always communicating and talking. She makes everyone else around her pick it up."
Barreto said Wronski's key goal in the sectional semifinal victory over Rockford Boylan was a defining moment for the team.
"It was an awesome goal. It brought everyone else up on the team," said Barreto. "We wouldn't be where we are if she didn't score that goal."
Huntley senior Kaylee O'Brien asks Wronski the same question frequently.
"I talk to her and say, 'Cori, are you going to score?'" said O'Brien. "She says, 'Yeah, I'm going to score today.' She has that attitude and desire to do what she has to do. Her attitude has completely changed the team's attitude. Her attitude has a lot to do with how she plays."
Wronski simply has no interest in negativity.
"I look for the positives," said Wronski, who enjoys playing a variety of sports in her spare time with her younger brother, Ben. "I don't bring any negative tension. I'm such a giddy person. I try to make people look at the bright side instead of the bad."
Besides her impressive goal against Boylan, Wronski also assisted on her sister's critical goal in the regional championship against FVC foe Cary-Grove.
"It was an awesome feeling to help my sister score in that game," said Wronski, who had some question as to if she could connect on the above-mentioned goal against Boylan. "I saw her there and knew she would be able to finish if I gave it to her. It was awesome watching her kick it in the back of the net."
So what about those impressive ups on balls in the air?
"I don't know how I learned how to do it," said Wronski. "I guess it's a natural skill for me. Timing is the key. Knowing when you have to jump, it makes you lift even higher. I guess even though I am so short, I can be tall."
That photo still has people buzzing.
"That picture, her feet are at the girl's neck. She's got some crazy hops," said Barreto. "When we have corner kicks, Cori gets in there and we know she can win every 50-50 ball."
"Her hip is right in the girl's ear and the girl was just off the ground," said Grabner. "That's vertical you see in a boy. I don't recall seeing a girl like she can."
"She has some sort of springs in her legs. I don't know how she does it?" said O'Brien, who will also play at Judson next year.
But O'Brien does know the high value Wronski brings to the team.
"We would not have gotten places we wanted to go without her," said O'Brien.
"We would not be where we are without Cori on the team."
Wronski, who has verbally committed to play at Upper Iowa University, will have none of that talk.
"I don't think that way," said Wronski. "I know people feel I'm important. But every player on this team is awesome and amazing. Every single one of our players is important. Without one person, we couldn't have gotten as far as we did."
Grabner has only one regret about the goal Wronski scored against Boylan.
"That goal was beautiful," said Grabner. "I would just love to have it on tape and watch it again."
No worries. Grabner will have a virtual rewind button all next season while he watches Wronski work her usual magic for the Red Raiders.
<div class="infoBox"> <h1>All-Area Teams</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Cook County</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=298406"><B>Softball</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298405">Softball captain: Nikki Goranson</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298398"><B>Baseball</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298397">Baseball captain: Jon Carlson</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298403"><B>Girls soccer</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298402">Soccer captains: Laura Mayer, Mary Kubiuk</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298401"><B>Boys volleyball</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298400">Volleyball captain: Chris Falknor</a></li> </ul> <h2>DuPage County</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=298388"><B>Softball</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298392">Softball captain: Hannah Santora</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298388"><B>Baseball</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298582">Baseball captain: Jack DeAno</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298391"><B>Girls soccer</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298394">Soccer captain: Leah Fortune</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298390"><B>Boys volleyball</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298393">Volleyball captain: Joe Kelly</a></li> </ul> <h2>Fox Valley</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=298362">Softball captain: Kimberly Pierce</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298660"><B>Baseball</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298356">Baseball co-captain: Brian Brauer</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298355">Baseball co-captain: Craig Lipp</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298658"><B>Girls soccer</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298361">Soccer captain: Cori Wronski</a></li> </ul> <h2>Lake County</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=298410"><B>Softball</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298408">Softball captain: Olivia Duehr</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298407"><B>Baseball</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298396">Baseball captain: Chas Evans</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298404"><B>Girls soccer</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298409">Soccer captain: Courtney Levy</a></li> </ul> <h2>Tri-Cities</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=298385"><B>Softball</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298383"><B>Baseball</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298382"><B>Girls soccer</B></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>