Fox Valley Conference races remain up for grabs

With just a handful of conference matches remaining before the postseason gets under way, the area boy's soccer scene has spectators holding their breath and biting their nails simultaneously. In the Fox Valley Conference, both the Fox and Valley divisions could come down to the final matches on their respective ends.

As it stands, Cary-Grove and McHenry are tied for first place in the FVC Valley Division at 6-2 in conference play after an intense C-G victory on October 2.

After losing Game 1 of conference play 5-0 to McHenry on September 13, the Trojans battled their way back into the title race defeating McHenry 1-0 on penalty kicks after a 0-0 tie held through two overtimes earlier this week.

Now back in the race, Cary-Grove hopes to remain in position for at least a share of the title. The Trojans played a big match against Crystal Lake South Thursday and still has Woodstock to face.

"There has been a ton of parity in our division this year," said C-G coach Mark Olson. "We are the only team to get blown out in Fox Valley Conference Valley play.

"Both teams control their own destiny from here."

Cary-Grove earned its way back into the race behind an incredible defensive effort against McHenry which prevented any regulation scoring, any overtime scoring and a blocked PK.

"Our guys wanted the challenge versus McHenry after losing 5-0 earlier," said Olson. "It came down to 'what are we going to do to turn this around' and they made a stand."

According to Olson, little time to prepare for Round 2 against McHenry made it a difficult task, but with the help of assistant coaches Casey Decaluee, Ray Krystal and former C-G coach Chris Phillips everything came together.

"It has been great having these guys working with us," Olson said. "Decaluee has really thrown himself into the program to help, and Ray (Krystal) has also done his share to get these guys to the next level of play. Chris's willingness to help out has been incredible.

"It has been a team effort top to bottom."

At 14-2 overall, the Trojans recently earned a spot in the Daily Herald Top-20 at No. 20. A conference title in 2007 would make it two years running for Cary-Grove.

Also noting the parity of the Fox Valley Conference Valley Division is Jacobs coach Jim Dzialo, whose team has been down in conference play but seldom out.

The Golden Eagles (5-14, 0-8) have not lost a single game by more than 3 goals, dropping nine of this season's losses by just a single goal.

"It has been a disappointment not winning any conference matches, but there has been great parity in the Fox Valley," Dzialo said. "We expected to do better because we have some very strong players."

Despite the struggles, Jacobs has shown moments of greatness and could shock any opponent at any time.

"We looked good in our tournament last weekend," said Dzialo. "John Ward did an excellent job for us in the midfield. We have the potential to win games here."

On the flipside, the Fox Valley Conference Fox Division currently stands in a 3-way tie with Huntley, Prairie Ridge and Grayslake North at the top each at 5-3 in conference play.

"That is the top of the conference," said Huntley coach Kris Grabner. "The title is up for grabs until somebody claims it."

An FVC Fox title was among the list of early goals set by the Red Raiders and with just two conference games remaining, Grabner is happy that it remains attainable.

"Our goals are still very feasible," said Grabner. "We have the potential to play great soccer, and we still have a really good shot at winning the conference title."

Huntley hopes to see the return of Jesus Alejos for the postseason. The Red Raiders lost Alejos a few weeks back after his appendix burst. However, they do still have the help of offensive leader Nico Carbonara, who is among the area leaders in goal scoring with 24 goals. They also have Adrian Alejos who has 14 assists and a solid goalkeeper in Kevin Montelongo.

"Our keeper is looking really good," said Grabner. "He is defensively a standout for us. A lot of the goals given up this year haven't been his fault."

After an 0-8 start, Prairie Ridge has not only battled its way to a near .500 overall record at 8-9-1 but has also earned a spot among the top three in the FVC Fox, losing just one game in its last nine appearances.

In that stretch, the Wolves have won five of their last six Fox Division matchups including overtime wins against Grayslake Central and Crystal Lake Central.

Big Northern East race: Burlington Central (11-4-2) remains a front-runner for the Big Northern East Conference title in 2007. With just one conference contest remaining against Harvard set for October 9, a win would give the Rockets their second consecutive BNE title and third in program history.

With the way Burlington Central has been playing as of late, the odds are in the Rockets' favor having won eight consecutive matches since September 19.

"These guys are more than capable of going above and beyond the call and they have been," said BC coach Michael Gecan.

"Everybody is playing great soccer right now."

A big boost for the Rockets has been the recent return of Danny Conran as well as the play of rising star Steven Hall.

The sophomore came up to fill in at marking back, earned a starting position, and has not left the field since.

"Steven has been stellar for us," Gecan said. "He is shutting down forwards, and is just an amazing all around athlete.

"Having Danny back has also made a huge impact for us."

Upsets and updates in the Upstate Eight: Streamwood (9-10-1) continues to turn heads in the Upstate Eight Conference most recently upsetting Waubonsie Valley by a final of 3-0 earlier this week.

Streamwood's Roma Patino stepped it up offensively to find the back of the net twice while goalkeeper Alex Perez recorded his second shutout in as many games played.

Larkin (9-3-2, 3-1-2) has been and continues to be a force both in and out of Upstate Eight play. Currently ranked No. 13 in the Daily Herald Top 20, the Royals bring a lot to the table. That talent will really be tested in the upcoming week when they face St. Charles North, St. Charles East and South Elgin to conclude Upstate Eight play as well as the regular season.

G-O-A-L: With 24 goals, Huntley's Nico Carbonara leads the area offensive push. Carbonara racked up five of those goals in a recent 9-2 win over Belvidere coming up just shy of a double hat trick. Junior Makinde of Hampshire has scored 22 goals to date, while Tyler Beachler of Westminster Christian has found the back of the net 15 times. Both Jordan Innis (Crystal Lake South) and Alex Sauciuc (Prairie Ridge) have reached a dozen offensively for their respective teams, while Burlington Central's Enrique Alvarado is just shy with 11 knocks.