Fox Valley area sectional preview
Class 3A Barrington sectional
The matchups: Larkin (8-15-3) vs. Crystal Lake South (19-3-2), Tuesday at 5 p.m.; Lake Zurich (17-4) vs. Boylan (18-4-3), Tuesday at 7 p.m.; Winners will play for the sectional title on Friday at 6 p.m.
Advancement: The Barrington sectional winner will play the winner of the Hoffman Estates sectional in the Barrington supersectional on Tues., Nov. 3 at 7 p.m.
Outlook: CL South, co-champion of the Valley Division of the Fox Valley Conference, has the second-most wins in school history, second only to the 22-win team of 2004. The Gators have reached sectional title matches twice in program history but have yet to earn the hardware. In order to reach a third sectional title match, CL South will have to overcome young and quickly improving Larkin. The Royals start four freshman, four sophomores and only one senior, defensive center midfielder Billy Weber. However, coach Ken Hall's Royals have jelled in the second half of the season. They earned the program's third regional title in four seasons by dispatching rival Elgin 1-0 in four overtimes on Saturday. Larkin freshman forward Erik Rodgriquez has 5 postseason goals, matching his total during the regular season. Freshman midfielder Tony Hernandez has 7 goals this season. "I know they're young and they are definitely playing their best soccer of the season right now," CL South coach Brian Allen said. "With that formula you can definitely have some success. Obviously, they're peaking at the right time so we know we're in for another challenge. We'll just take it one game at a time and continue to do what we've been doing all year long by just working hard and playing as a team and see what happens from that." The Gators boast dual scoring threats in sophomore Charlie Oliver (19 goals, 9 assists) and senior captain Jon Gutmann (17 goals, 7 assists) and a strong midfield, led by captains Carey Bienert, Andy DeBoer and Brandon Dybdal. Junior goalkeeper Dave Walsh has 10 shutouts this season, most recently a 4-0 victory over McHenry in the regional title match. The Gators' speed is a concern for the Royals. "When they go forward, they go forward and get the ball on top as quickly as they can," Hall said. "Their outside forwards are good. They're a very fast team from what I've seen, so we'll have our hands full. I think we might be a little quicker in the midfield, so we can't let them get the ball. If we have good possession of the ball, I think that will be to our benefit. We have to get our passing game going and not turn the ball over because that's when they seem to be really dangerous. They have a quick counter attack and get the ball up to the top. We have to be smart with the ball. They come really hard in the midfield. We kind of do the same thing. Our forwards are getting better as the year as has gone on. If we can get the ball up to our forwards as well as they get the ball up to their forwards, I think we might be able to stay with them." Lake Zurich's Tim Kruetz scored 2 goals and added 2 assists as the Bears routed Barrington 5-0 for a regional title Saturday. Lake Zurich, which won its only sectional title in 2001, finished the regular season ranked No. 4 in the Daily Herald Top 20. CL South was No. 6. Boylan is the most decorated program in the sectional. The Titans are coming off back-to-back third-place finishes in the state tournament and have won 15 sectional titles since 1987. Boylan advanced to the sectional courtesy of a regional title victory over Hononegah in four overtimes. Senior midfielder and captain Brian Klazura scored the golden goal in the 112th minute.
Class 1A sectional final
The matchup: Westminster Christian (17-3-1) vs. Timothy Christian (12-12), Tuesday at Benedictine University Stadium in Lisle at 7 p.m.
Advancement: The winner will face the winner of the Illinois Valley Central sectional final (Peoria Central vs. Rochester) in a state semifinal at North Central College in Naperville on Friday at 5:30 p.m.
Outlook: Familiar foes from the disbanded Private School League meet for the right to advance to the Final Four in Class 1A. Westminster Christian is making its second appearance in a sectional title match in three seasons as it seeks its first berth in the state finals. Timothy Christian was the state runner-up in 2008, falling to Class 1A champion Winnebago 2-0. The Trojans, who graduated nine starters from last year's team, are led by holdovers Corey Phillip, a junior, and senior Nate Middel. They each scored in a 2-1 regional title victory over Chicago Christian. Phillip has 7 goals in the postseason. Senior goalkeeper Aaron Foster has allowed 5 goals in 4 postseason games. He was brilliant in the 2-1 sectional semifinal shootout victory over F.W. Parker, when he stopped the first 2 penalty kicks. The Warriors' attack is led by Ryan Beachler (18 goals, 8 assists), Josh Beachler (20 goals, 10 assists) and Ishmeal Yemoah (17 goals, 10 assists), co-captain J.J. Marshall in the midfield and goalkeeper Scott Sutarik (6 shutouts). Co-captain Ryan Beachler scored the game-winner in the 3-2 sectional semifinal victory over Peotone with 27 minutes left in the second half. The teams have not played this season. "We're just looking to focus our efforts on what we have to do and not necessarily what Timothy needs to do," Warriors coach Mike Richardson said. "First of all, we have to go in there and play like we've been playing all season. To be honest, it's just another game in the grand scheme of things as far as we're concerned. Yes, it's a big event and a big opportunity to do something the school has never done, but our team philosophy is a little different than everybody else's... In games like this there are always one or two players who step up and make things happen that really aren't coached. It could be a guy who hasn't played all season due to an injury. We're looking at this thing as a complete team effort and for all the guys to play their best game of the season."