Boys soccer: Fox Valley All-Area captain Correa leads South Elgin to best season in program history

Everybody loves Pablo, especially #fellas.

South Elgin senior center back Pablo Correa was healthy for the entire season this fall for the first time as a three-year starter for the Storm. His presence day in, day out turned the Storm into one of the best teams in the state.

The Storm (22-4-1) won a regional for only the second time in program history, and first time in 13 years, before winning a sectional title for the first time.

Correa is the captain of the 2025 Daily Herald Fox Valley All-Area boys soccer team for leading #fellas — their team’s self-titled moniker — to the best season in program history.

“It was the first year he was fully healthy and the results speak for themselves,” South Elgin coach Jerzy Skowron said. “It’s his leadership. I used to tout Jonah (Stueck), who was a two-year captain (2024 graduate) and people liked him, his teammates liked him and some guys followed Jonah.

“Everybody loves Pablo. Everybody respects Pablo. And this year everybody followed Pablo. That was the key. We didn’t have to do as much like we normally do from a coaching standpoint because of Pablo. Like I’ve told the kids, this is your program, I’m just the steward.”

Correa is magnetic to #fellas.

“Honestly, what makes Pablo such a good captain is being himself,” senior Jack Schmidtke said. “He’s a natural born leader, looks after everyone and is all around just a great guy to be around if it’s on the field or even off.”

Called up to varsity midway through his freshman season, Correa missed nearly all of his sophomore year due to an injury and surgery and then fought through groin and ankle problems a season ago.

“I got to know lot of the older guys and I took a lot of what I learned into being a captain sophomore, junior and senior year,” he said. “I learned a lot from comparisons about me. It really shaped me. I took accountability for the team my junior year during the regional final and we started to get it together and believed we had something this season.”

South Elgin had 19 wins combined in Correa’s first three years. The Storm picked up their 20th win during this season alone when they knocked off Larkin, 4-3, to win the Class 3A Elgin regional on Oct. 25.

“Honestly, I had no clue this season would be this fortunate,” Correa said. “My freshmen year we only had three wins and then sophomore year (9-8-4) and junior year (7-12-1) we had some more wins, but then senior year to come out with a new record of 22 wins was heartwarming.”

Correa may be a center back but he’s a midfielder at heart.

“Pablo reads the game really well,” Skowron said. “He doesn’t get in situations where he’ll lose a 1v1. He attacks the game well, is good with both feet and the big thing he’s been able to get out of us was the organization.”

He was able to get his teammates to believe this season could truly be a special one and then he led them in making it happen.

“Pablo expected a lot and demanded a lot from teammates,” Skowron said. “It started in back and he got them all locked in and the record, the results, speak for themselves.”

Correa hopes to continue to play soccer in college and study pre-med for physical therapy.

“My main reason is to help out guys,” he said. “I wouldn’t have had the same fun situations as I had without those who helped me.”