Senior leadership has Hall's Royals on winning track

In the business world, seniority has its place and purpose.

By definition, seniority is status accorded to greater age, higher rank or longer service.

Thus far, the Larkin boys soccer team has shown that it also has its place and purpose on the pitch.

After all, to this senior-heavy 2008 roster, taking their places on the soccer field equates to just another day at the office.

Having made back-to-back trips to the sectional finals the past two seasons, the Royals are hoping the third time is a charm.

Off to a 7-0 start, which includes championship honors at the Leyden Invitational as well as a trio of wins over Marist (2-0), Fenwick (3-1) and Lyons (2-1 OT) in the Pepsi Showdown, expectations remain high.

"We have some pretty lofty goals, but I'll leave it at that," said head coach Ken Hall in his third season back, seventh with the Larkin program.

Hall attributes the Royals' success thus far to a number of things.

"With a lot of seniors we expected good things," Hall said. "We're scoring a lot of goals and not giving up too many."

Larkin's balanced attack is fueled by veteran talent at every crucial position.

With 12 goals in 6 games, senior forward and team co-captain Raul Sandoval anchors the front.

"Raul was in the weight room during the off-season which has made him so much stronger," said Hall. "The biggest difference with him is his composure in front of the goal.

"His finishing is much more precise."

At sweeper, repeat all-conference (Upstate Eight), all-sectional and all-state (2007) selection Fernando Alverez returns.

Described by Hall as one of the best, if not the best defender in the state, having Alvarez on the field is like having a second goalkeeper.

"Fernado is just a rock in the back," said Hall. "You simply couldn't have more at the sweeper position."

In the midfield, senior Danny Hinterlong revisits his primary position for one final high school season, and has already tallied 11 assists in 6 appearances.

"As an offensive center-mid, Danny gives us exactly what we want from him and everything we need."

Beyond them, the list continues.

After sitting out last year with an injury, senior Michael Berequin returns and has contributed 5 goals at forward.

"Having Michael back this year full strength has really helped us a lot," Hall said.

Alongside Hinterlong in the midfielder is senior Carson McFadden.

"Carson is a student of the game," Hall explained. "He watches the game constantly, studies it, loves it and his passion for soccer wins games for us. He does all of the little things that can often go unnoticed."

Solidifying the midfield are seniors A.J. Southammavong and David Hernandez, while Raziel Somarriba makes the final stand for Larkin returning to the net.

In addition to senior-star power, an effective offense and an efficient defense is team camaraderie.

Much of this year's team played together as sophomores where they went 21-1-1 giving up just 3 goals.

"This year, experience and having played together for so long has made us stronger than we've been in years past," said team co-captain Hinterlong.

"There isn't one player out there that doesn't do what he's told. If feels good to be on a complete team which is what we strive for.

"Nobody gets greedy. We're looking to play as a total team, as a complete team.

"It's a great game to watch when everybody contributes," Hinterlong added.

Having earned a bid to the final 8 in the Pepsi Showdown, the largest tournament in the Midwest, Larkin is giving early indications that two tough season-ending losses and one last shot for a senior heavy roster can be a lethal combination.

In 2006, Larkin fell to Maine South 2-1 in the sectional finals. Last year, they lost in a devastating 1-0 triple overtime conclusion with Schaumburg.

"The past two years, we were knocked out in the sectional finals," said McFadden. "Achieving less would be a disappointment.

"We want to win state."

In essence, fool me once shame on you - fool me twice, shame on me.

"Being the last year of high school for a lot of us, we want to go further than ever before," said Hinterlong. "We want to leave a legacy."

En route to achieving new success, the game plan is simple.

"We play each game as if it is our last," Hinterlong said.

Regardless of what lies ahead, Hall is certain of two things.

"These guys are committed," he said. "And they can play with any team in the state."

Cary-Grove update: The Trojans (7-0, 2-0) have charged their way through the early stages of the 2008 campaign off to a 7-0 start which includes 5 shutouts and two Fox Valley Conference Valley Division wins.

"All the credit goes to the players," said coach Mark Olson. "They are coming together as a group and having success."

While Nick McDonald currently leads a powerful offense that has posted 24 goals in 7 games netting a 3.42 goals-per-game average, Cary-Grove has seen six different players find the back of the net.

"We're scoring right now, and we have different kids stepping up at different times," said Olson.

The early jump-start had earned C-G the No. 17 slot of the Daily Herald Top 20 rankings, but according to Olson the real test lies ahead.

"We're just getting into the meat of our schedule," he said. "Defense is going to be important, and we will have to keep up our offensive push.

"Our defense starts with our forward."

Bookend Ben Alleva has also been impressive as the final thing standing between opponents and scoring.

"Ben has been doing a nice job," said Olson. "He has stepped it up and is learning with each game."

On nabbing five shutouts in seven matches, Olson simply states that "all you have to do is score one more than your opponent, but the goal for any team is to shut the other out."

Most impressive to Olson thus far is watching this young squad believe in themselves despite the situation.

"We got down early versus Jacobs, but the guys quickly came back," he said. "The biggest thing for this team is to stay focused and motivated as one unit.

"We want to put ourselves in the best position to be in every game in the end."

Streamwood update: Streamwood had high expectations coming into the season, and off to their best start ever, the Sabres remain optimistic. Now 8-1-2 overall, the Sabres are seeing a number of good things.

"I expected our defense to be great, but they are honestly exceeding those expectations," said head coach Matt Polovin.

Most recently, Streamwood endured its lone loss of the year against Schaumburg, the No. 1 seed holder in the Pepsi Showdown and No. 19 ranked team of the Daily Herald Top 20 via a 1-0 conclusion.

"I was beyond impressed with our defensive stance against a solid team like Schaumburg," said Polovin. "It showed us a lot."

On the other end, the Sabre offense has been thriving.

Alex Perez currently leads the team in scoring with 12 goals and 4 assists, while midfielder Roma Patino has added 6 goals and 3 assists to the attack.

St. Edward update: While St. Edward is still looking for consistency, the Green Wave opened Suburban Catholic Conference play strong with a 7-2 victory over Driscoll.

At 2-5-1, longtime coach Tim Brieger is pleased with adjustments his players have made on a daily basis.

"When we're clicking up top, we're not in the back or vise versa," Brieger said. "As soon as we start working on all cylinders, we'll be solid.

"I can say that this entire team is getting better with each game."

Westminster Christian moving forward: With first-year head coach Mike Richardson at the helm, the Warriors are sporting a different look these days. Some consistent positives have been the play of Ryan Beachler at sweeper and the goalkeeper efforts from newcomer Scott Saturik.

"Last year, this was a one-way team," said Richardson. "The guys are learning to play a more complete game, and while they are confronted with different things as the occur, they are showing a ton of improvements."

With one of the toughest portions of their schedule approaching, the Warriors are looking to maintain a positive outcome in the face of adversity.

"One thing I can say is that I'm very pleased with the overall effort thus far," Richardson said. "These guys are fighting hard."

Hampshire's fountain of youth: Despite a slow start, Hampshire is whipping into shape quickly and it is a group of freshman that is driving the system along.

Freshman forward Johnny Cabral currently leads the offense with 5 goals, while freshmen Andrew Obmalay and Jason Bishop are solidifying the midfield.

"We have a couple of freshmen who have really surprised us," said Gosling. "Andrew and Jason are running the midfield. They both have excellent touch, and Johnny has really been pushing the offensive attack up top."

Defensively, freshman Jared Butler has also made numerous contributions.

"Jared is just a hard working player," Gosling said. "He marks up well and gives you what you need defensively."

The Whip-Purs are 2-5-2 to date, but according to Gosling they are ready to tack on some wins.

"It's been a lot of work and a lot of chalk talk," said Gosling. "The biggest positive on this team is that these guys are not satisfied with anything. If they keep on this pace, they're going to be difficult to beat."