Geneva's Wahl takes his game to next level
There was no doubt that senior year was Brady Wahl's year at Geneva.
Not that his accomplishments went unnoticed in his previous seasons for the Vikings, but after overcoming mono last fall, Wahl arrived this fall stronger physically and mentally and in a further developed role as team leader.
Because of his dynamic play on the field, his ability to lead his team to great success, including a sweep of the Tri-Cities teams of Batavia, St. Charles East and St. Charles North, and another regional championship, Wahl has been named captain of the Daily Herald Tri-Cities All-Area Soccer Team.
A selection on the 11-man All-Area roster in 2009, Wahl remained committed to his game and he will continue his playing career after Geneva when he moves on to Ohio State.
“Complacency isn't a word you use when you talk about Brady,” Geneva coach Ryan Estabrook said. “He's constantly working on all facets of his game and it's going to serve him well next year.
“I don't think he was ever at full strength last year and he sprained his ankle early this season, but with him healthy, his production has gone up and we're a much better team.”
There are generally only a few players in the state each year that will garner the kind of attention that Wahl (9 goals, 12 assists in the regular season) does. These are the players you cannot miss when you watch them play.
It might be because they score or assist on a key goal, it might be something they create or break up on the other end of the field or it simply might be the fact that their presence forces the opposition to overcompensate in trying to nullify the star player's presence.
This often will afford other players with less complicated opportunities. With players such as Brian Ruane, Seamus Kaminski, Craig Hancock, Carlos Gonzalez, Robbie Johnson and Joshua Poythress, if it's not Wahl that's at the center of the play, it's some of the team's many talented players.
And a lot of that has to due with having to worry where Wahl is at on the field and what he's doing.
“He's been a marked man statewide for a while now,” Estabrook said. “It's hard to leave a Geneva game and not notice him because he's so dominant.”
Estabrook compared Wahl to former Geneva standout Zack Scaffidi who scored 24 goals in 2004 for Geneva's state quarterfinal team before playing at another Big Ten school, Michigan State.
“I see a lot of similarities between the two,” he said. “Both can control the midfield with passing and defense and are extremely dangerous when running.”
One of the biggest differences with the Wahl of today from the player from the past two years is that Wahl is now attacking teams with the dribble.
“He was reluctant to really run at the defense as a sophomore and junior. He preferred to beat teams with a clever pass or long distance shot,” Estabrook said. “Now he'll beat defenders off the dribble and that makes the team more dangerous when someone runs at him, because he's been able to open the offense up, not just him.”
Wahl is by no means the only Vikings player with a great deal of experience, as Hancock and Johnson are both three-year players and the Vikings boast a roster of 11 seniors as a whole. Still, Wahl is one of the players they turn to most for direction.
“They all know that they are getting to play with a very special player and they do respond to him,” Estabrook said. “The nice thing with Brady is that he shows up really well for our biggest games and knows when it's very good competition on the other side. The guys really look forward to him because of that.”
Johnson has been teammates with Wahl in some capacity ever since the two were 12 years old. You'd run out of fingers if you tried to count how many times the two have paired up for a big goal in their Geneva careers.
“It's kind of weird how well he knows not just me but everyone else,” Johnson said. “He serves a great ball in, and we have great chemistry especially on set pieces.”
Matt Butz, a sophomore who was called up to the team earlier this season, hasn't played alongside Wahl anywhere near as long as Johnson has, but he too as reaped the benefits.
“He's such a good player and he's always encouraging you,” Butz said. “He'll notice something and give you advice which can help us play better. It's nothing specific, but it all generally helps out, especially the underclassmen.”
In a year when even the best teams in the area have endured their share of winning and losing streaks, Wahl has been an organizer and a stopper. When the Vikings were in the midst of a tough three-game losing streak early on in the season, which included a trip to St. Louis, it was Wahl who scored the lone goal in a 1-0 victory over Fenwick to break the slides.
When things were going very well for the Vikings, in the midst of a 5-game winning streak, the Wahl-and-Johnson combo connected twice in a 5-2 win over St. Charles North and Wahl had both assists in a 2-1 victory over Batavia.
And, most recently, in a tough scoreless match against York in the Lake Park regional championship game, it was Wahl whose powerful strike proved to be the game-winner in a 3-0 victory that allowed the senior to celebrate his third consecutive regional title.
“I think the main thing when things are going wrong is to go back and look at yourself and your team to see what you've done successfully in the past,” Wahl said. “I try to do that and that's made it easier to move forward.”
Not that rough stretches have been common for Wahl and the Vikings who are 51-17-4 in his three seasons, entering the Schaumburg sectional on Oct. 26.
“We always talk about how hard he works and stuff and that he's encouraging to everyone but he also never complains,” Johnson said. “He's the guy that calms down the team very well when the ref makes a bad call or something doesn't go our way. He can set us straight.”
Wahl burst onto the area soccer scene on Oct. 2, 2008 when he scored an upper 90 shot in a 3-1 victory over Batavia. Last year, he beat all-state St. Charles East keeper Charlie Lyon to win the Class 3A St. Charles regional title with a 30-yard strike over a wall of defenders that curled perfectly into the top right corner of the net.
One could go on and on discussing the similar highlights of Wahl's brilliant career, and one that is unfortunately nearing the end.
“It's finally sunk in so there's a sense of urgency that I didn't have the last two years,” Wahl said. “Looking back to when I was 12 or 13, I was playing for fun but gradually realized that I could have a future in the game at the college level so the key thing for me has been work ethic.”
The future certainly does look good for Wahl. Of course, the past three years have been quite exceptional too.