Larson leaves as one of Batavia's best
Ian Larson is in a league of his own when it comes to the area's top soccer player.
The Batavia senior, an all-state selection, led the Bulldogs to a 19-3-3 record and to titles in the Upstate Eight River Conference and the Class 3A Metea Valley regional, as well as a sectional semifinal win against Benet.
His high school career finally came to an end last Saturday against Naperville North in the Bolingbrook sectional championship as the Bulldogs fell short of winning their first sectional title in 21 years.
Larson scored 25 goals and had 16 assists. The Bulldogs scored 62 goals all season so Larson was astonishingly involved in two-thirds (66 percent) of their scoring.
For leading Batavia to an unforgettable run from August until the first of November, Larson has been named the Captain of the 2014 Daily Herald Tri-Cities All-Area Boys Soccer Team.
“I think it was pretty obvious even during his freshman year that he separated himself from other players at his age level,” Batavia coach Mark Gianfrancesco said. “He's always had great skills and could find ways to score, but he's become more of a person player to make other people better on the field and that's what he did this year. He was instrumental in our success.”
Amazingly, Larson's season was even better than last year when he tallied 17 goals and 9 assists to help Batavia win 16 games.
“He uses his body so well and when you combine that with his foot skills, one-on-one ability and quick release, he separates himself from other players,” Gianfrancesco said. “When he gets moving they're screaming 'He's going to go to his left,' and of course, you know that, but he beats them anyway.”
He was threatening in the run of play. He was lethal during set pieces.
“Players like him who can strike it like he can are so dangerous on free kicks and corners,” Neuqua Valley coach Skip Begley said. “But even with all the great things he could do he seems team-oriented and very focused on winning despite all the scoring he creates.”
He scored twice to beat Geneva, 2-1.
“Batavia is a nice team, but it's pretty clear that Ian is the guy that makes their team go,” Geneva coach Ryan Estabrook said. “He just makes it look very simple with how he plays the game.”
Larson's one of those rare players who grabs your attention for a full 80 minutes every time out.
“He's by far the best player on the field,” West Aurora coach Joe Sustersic said. “His presence is seen immediately and needs to be taken care of. When we played them, I thought we did a pretty good job of shutting him down at times, but he rose to the occasion when he had one good chance, and the accuracy of his shot is amazing. He was the driving force of everything for the Bulldogs.”
Naperville North was the only team that truly had success against the Bulldogs, beating them twice, but Larson still left Huskies coach Jim Konrad impressed.
“The first time he touched the ball in the first game we played them I knew he was one of the best kids in the state,” Konrad said. “The way he sees the field, distributes the ball and changes speed. It was obvious that he was an Academy level, top-flight soccer player. I think every time he gets the ball you hold your breath and hope he passes it.”
Often when he did pass it, the Bulldogs still found success.
“We had a great season and coming into it we really weren't sure how it would go,” Larson said. “We really bonded and it's truly been an unforgettable experience. Having that bond was the one major reason we were able to achieve a lot of the things we did and meet a lot of our goals.”
As a freshman, Larson was eased onto the varsity squad, but his impact was made during the postseason as he helped the Bulldogs, and their 16 seniors, win a regional title. It was apparent this season that he learned a lot from those seniors.
“That was a great experience for me with all those seniors. They made me feel comfortable and taught me a lot about high school soccer,” he said. “As years went by I wasn't sure if I'd be able to play with club and Academy, so I missed it sophomore year, but was able to come back last year.”
He's obviously going to leave a lasting impression on his younger teammates.
“When I'm a senior I hope to be just like him,” Batavia sophomore Erik Faessler said. “His character is impressive to me and he's such a leader. We weren't down too often this year, but when we were, he always kept us together.”
Soccer became Larson's favorite sport at an early age, as he preferred it to baseball, golf and tennis and dreams of playing in college came to life.
“The other sports were slower. I've always liked how fast-paced soccer is and have never gotten tired of playing,” he said. “Now it's hard to believe that my high school playing is over, but the next step is college and I love everything about the school and the city.”
Larson's taking his game to the Steel City where he'll play at Duquesne University, but he'll never forget his run at Batavia.
“I was able to play with the friends I've grown up with my whole life,” he said. “It's been a great time and they're also the reason why I've been successful. They've been a great support for me and I've been a great support for them.”