Wheaton Academy wraps up state championship
Wheaton Academy first established itself as a genuine boys soccer powerhouse back in early 2004 under coach Chip Huber.
Jeff Brooke took over in 2012, and the Warriors have kept up the tradition. But during back-to-back seasons, the club has suffered heart-breaking losses in the state tournament, leading to consecutive fourth-place finishes.
No more.
Built around the considerable talents of its all-state striker Ty Seager, as well as a roster filled with several shining stars, the Warriors finally lifted the state championship trophy following their dominating performance at the Class 2A final Saturday afternoon at Hoffman Estates.
Lucas Hoepner and Reid Culberson helped build a 3-1 first-half lead before the Warriors (25-1-1) added two more after the break to defeat St. Joseph 5-1 in Hoffman Estates.
“This is a very special group of players and young men,” Brooke said.
“It all feels really good right now, especially after falling short the past two years,” added Seager, who bagged three goals Friday night in the Warriors' semifinal win over Springfield.
“We saw last night during that St. Viator-St. Joseph game that a 2-0 lead isn't good enough, so our focus today was to get that third goal, then manage the lead the rest of the way.”
The influence of the big striker began to grow as the Warriors got into the game, and with the duo of Hoepner and Culberson, along with a back four that kept the attacking strength of the Chargers (23-1-1) at bay, it wasn't long before Wheaton Academy found the back of the net.
Hoepner took center stage first when he steered in a rebound from a Seager free kick at 10 minutes. Seven minutes later Culberson doubled the Warriors' lead with a well-struck angled shot that was far out of reach from goalkeeper Jonathan Rosales, the shootout hero against St. Viator on Friday evening.
“I thought we could play with them, especially when it became 3-0, then 3-1 before the break, but we didn't have enough to match them during that second half, even though the guys played hard right until the end,” said Chargers coach Stan Niemiec.
Hoepner gave the Warriors their three-goal cushion it had been in search for, and although the Chargers tried to respond after a spectacular 30-yard cracker from Victor Moreno just minutes before halftime, it was clear Jeff Brooke's club was still in control.
Jha'Lon Johnson showed admirable pace before going past Castro at 59 minutes, and Culberson ended things off an Elias McCloud assist two minutes later to send the Warriors faithful home happy.
“After the last two years of great runs to get here, with both ending so quickly for us, it's finally a reality for all of us,” said Hoepner, with a wide grin.