All-area team profiles: Tri-Cities

Victor Alfaro, West Aurora

This senior midfielder has played in the shadow of his brother Jose, a two-time all-conference selection at West Aurora who is now playing collegiately at University of Wisconsin-Parkside. "Victor is so talented and he understands the game so well," coach Joe Sustersic said. "At times I think he's a better player than Jose and he was our best player in our last 4 or 5 games." Alfaro plays on the defensive side during the club season but proved to be one of the best finishers in the area this fall, finishing his final season with 9 goals and 10 assists.

Steve Anderson, Marmion

One of four senior captains for the Cadets, Anderson was a player who not only performed at an optimum level but coached his teammates toward success at the same time. "He's the anchor of the whole team," coach Kevin O'Connor said. "He's very sharp and has a keen understanding of the game. He's very good at organizing the kids in the back, telling the kids where to play and what to do." As the strength of the Marmion defense at center back, Anderson still has also been an asset offensively, posting numbers that currently include 9 goals and 7 assists.

Sam Duffield, Marmion

At 6-foot-3, this senior captain is a big target on the field and one his teammates have found often. Duffield has delivered time and time again, helped the Cadets offensively with 19 goals. He also has 8 assists. "He's a natural lefty and Max (Rosenfelder) is a right so they complement each other up top very well," coach Kevin O'Connor said. "He's the kind of guy who's very versatile and can play anywhere and play very well. He's gifted with raw ability, size and talent."

Kevin Hilgart, Geneva

A natural defender who made a wonderful transition to forward, Hilgart has come up huge time and time again for the Vikings this season. "We've been calling Kevin 'Big Government' because he keeps bailing us out," coach Ryan Estabrook said. "There aren't many guys who can make the transition like he did." He scored 3 second-half goals to beat Glenbard South to assure another Western Sun Conference title and most recently tallied an insurance goal in the regional championship. "He's our second leading scorer, a quiet leader and the guys really respect him and feed off of his energy."

Charlie Lyon, St. Charles East

A member of the Chicago Fire Academy, the senior decided to play for the Saints during his senior season and his acquisition proved to be huge. "It's no secret what I think about the lad," coach Paul Jennison said. "I think he's the best high school goalkeeper around." Knowing that they had Lyon in goal took some pressure off a Saints team that struggled at times in winning possessions and scoring. "He's made saves this year that he should've and he's made saves this year that he probably shouldn't have. He's a top prospect and I fully expect him to have a fantastic college career and beyond that." Lyon will play collegiately at Marquette.

Ty McCoy, Batavia

The Bulldogs received some much-needed offense from this senior at times, and were able to control the pace of the game often thanks to his ability to win 50-50s and play in the midfield. "I would say that he scored some goals for us early on and his physical (play) in the midfield when he dropped back to the midfield got some control for us," coach Mark Gianfrancesco said. McCoy, who functioned as the point and in a central mid position, finished his final season with 10 goals and 7 assists.

Jesse Ortiz, West Aurora

The Blackhawks received instant offense when senior Jesse Ortiz, an all-sectional player last year at East Aurora, transferred to West Aurora. "I've told the coaches association that he's one of the best players I've ever coached and I've coached D-1 players and a kid who has played in the MLS," coach Joe Sustersic said. Ortiz played selflessly, setting up his teammates as statistically recorded in his 23 assists. He also scored 14 goals. "His skills are phenomenal," Sustersic said. "He raised our abilities and has been such an asset to our team. He could be our MVP if we didn't have someone like Henrry (Perez) on the defense."

Henrry Perez, West Aurora

Our all-area captain was responsible for leading a Blackhawks team that established a new-school record for wins in a season while contending for a DuPage Valley Conference title against the likes of powerhouses, including Naperville North, Naperville Central and Wheaton Warrenville South. Perez's maturity on the field and leadership were evident all season. "He's a very good leader and knows how to make himself and his teammates accountable for all their actions," coach Joe Sustersic said. "He has great instincts and uses his body real well."

James Reed, St. Charles North

During a season in which the North Stars struggled in scoring (1 goal or less in 15 of 24 matches through Oct. 26), Reed has been clutch, coming up with big assists and goals, including the game winning score against Conant to give the program its sixth consecutive regional championship. "He's been fantastic," coach Eric Willson said. "It's senior year for him and he's playing like a true senior leader."

Max Rosenfelder, Marmion

The senior converted to forward during the indoor winter and summer seasons and his transition has been critical to the Cadets success. He currently leads the team with 22 assists and is second with 16 goals. The team needed to find someone to help with scoring after going 0-10-0 when scoring 1 goal or less last year. This season, the Cadets are 14-1-0 when they've scored 2 or more goals. "We needed someone who could attack and finish and he's answered that role very well," coach Kevin O'Connor said. "He's got a deceptive first few steps and a nice shot. And, his kicks on restarts are dynamite."

Brady Wahl, Geneva

You'd be hard-pressed to find someone in the state who possesses the mobility, skill and pace of junior Brady Wahl. Things were a little out of whack at the beginning of the season with Wahl sidelined with mono, but since he's been back the Vikings have been clicking. "He's the cement of our midfield and trigger man to the offense so without him we struggled," coach Ryan Estabrook said. "When he's in there the offense has really jelled and he's blossoming into one of the special talents you'll see in the entire state."

Ryan Ward, Geneva

There was a good possibility that this senior would forego his senior season as goalkeeper and focus entirely on his upcoming wrestling season. He decided to play and the Vikings have benefitted from his athleticism and skill. Through Oct. 26, Ward's posted 9 shutouts and been a very vocal communicator and leader of Geneva's defense. "Not many teams have a quality, heavyweight wrestler in their net," coach Ryan Estabrook said. "Most would think that he's a big lumbering dude back there, but he's not, he's very agile and strong and a great leader."