Boys Soccer
Under normal circumstances, Crystal Lake South senior Charlie Oliver would have signed his NCAA national letter of intent Wednesday to play soccer on scholarship at Northern Illinois University.
HAMPSHIRE – It was sure to be an uphill battle all the way. But the odds never stopped Hampshire coach John Gosling.
CARY – Tom Conner recalls yanking his son out of bed to work on his soccer game just like it was yesterday.
BARRINGTON – In some ways, this was the moment of truth for the Golden Eagles.
LAKE VILLA – The Whip-Purs barely had time to settle in before everything began spiraling out of control.
ALGONQUIN – Jacobs could call the 2011 IHSA Class 3A Playoffs “The Revenge Tour.”
ROCKFORD – Jacobs’ Will Hennessy took second and led the Golden Eagles’ boys cross country team to the title with 47 points Saturday at the IHSA Class 3A Guilford Regional.
LAKE ZURICH – All Cary-Grove goalkeeper Tom Breen could do was thank his backline for another strong effort.
ANTIOCH – With time winding down and his team’s season on the line, Johnsburg goalkeeper Matt Roman gave the Skyhawks a reason to cheer Friday.
Athlete of the Week
HARVARD – Harvard’s boys soccer team hung with Stillman Valley for more than 74 minutes Wednesday in a semifinal of the IHSA Class 1A Harvard Sectional.
ALGONQUIN – With the season on the line, Christian Martinez couldn’t help but feel an ounce of concern.
GRAYSLAKE – Marian Central’s boys soccer team upset Grayslake North, 2-0, in an IHSA Class 2A Grayslake Central Regional semifinal Wednesday.
LAKE ZURICH – McHenry’s players piled onto their bus lamenting why they had not started their soccer game with Lake Zurich the way they played in the second half.
LAKE ZURICH – Cary-Grove’s first goal pretty much epitomized what the Trojans are all about.
ALGONQUIN – Erik Soto had pulled it off only once before, in his youth soccer days.
POPLAR GROVE – The Richmond-Burton volleyball team clinched a share of the Big Northern Conference East Division crown Tuesday with a 25-12, 25-21 win against North Boone.
HAMPSHIRE – He showed speed and toughness on his runs, and power and accuracy on his kicks.
HAMPSHIRE – With the season on the line and the clock winding down, Jason Bishop tried to do the impossible – stay calm.
After missing two of his first three seasons, it has been a triumphant return for one of Cary-Grove’s brightest soccer stars.
HARVARD – A regional championship was among the goals Harvard boys soccer coach David Abel and his team made before the start of the season.
BYRON – Marengo’s girls repeated as team champions, while Richmond-Burton’s boys grabbed their third title in four years at the Big Northern Conference Cross Country Meet on Saturday at Byron Forest Preserve.
GRAYSLAKE – The new kids proved they belong.
CRYSTAL LAKE – Cary-Grove midfielder Mike McKune got his team on the scoreboard before players on either side were out of breath.
CRYSTAL LAKE – The Crystal Lake Central girls volleyball team should have been confident going into the final day of its own two-day invitational Saturday after taking first place each of the past six years.
WOODSTOCK – When his teammates need him most, Brandon Barnes focuses on one thing – absolutely nothing.
Athlete of the Week
MCHENRY – McHenry and Huntley spent the first 27 minutes of Tuesday’s boys soccer match near midfield, with neither team having many opportunities to score.
NORTHWEST HERALD
CRYSTAL LAKE – Brian Allen didn’t think his Crystal Lake South boys soccer team had turned in its best performance against Jacobs on Tuesday.
HARVARD – Harvard’s Abraham Esquivel scored with 11:04 to go in the second half Monday to lead the Hornets’ boys soccer team to a 1-0 Big Northern Conference East Division win against Marengo.
Athlete of the week
BURLINGTON – Nathan Baldwin had nothing left to do but beat his defender.
CRYSTAL LAKE – Crystal Lake Central’s volleyball team found its rhythm early Tuesday, beating Hampshire, 25-14, 25-8, in a Fox Valley Conference Fox Division match.
CARY – In the final 10 minutes of Cary-Grove’s soccer match Monday, Drew Conner saw teammate Bret Fotré make a run toward McHenry’s left goal post and thought he could hit him in stride.
HEBRON – With only one win coming into Saturday’s game, Alden-Hebron football coach John Lalor looked to his offensive line to instill some confidence.
MUNDELEIN – It isn’t often that a tournament has no winner.
JOHNSBURG – Set pieces have been a blessing for a young Johnsburg boys soccer team boasting only three seniors on its roster.
Athlete of the Week
RICHMOND – Wyatt Meyer scored a first-half goal Friday, and Woodstock held on to defeat Richmond-Burton, 1-0, in boys soccer at the R-B Tournament.
HUNTLEY – Renato Albuquerque had paid attention.
ALGONQUIN – McHenry goalkeeper Frank Valle said he believed he needed to do something special, even though the odds were heavily against him.
HUNTLEY – The pass wasn’t really intended for Aleks Rys.
ELGIN – Connie Ellett shot an even-par 35 to take medalist honors for the Hampshire girls golf team Monday at the South Elgin Invitational at Elgin Country Club.
CRYSTAL LAKE – Frank Valle gave the McHenry boys soccer team more than his 18 saves Saturday. He gave them confidence.
Athlete of the Week
HUNTLEY – Huntley’s boys soccer team doubled up on hat tricks Thursday as Danny Diaz de Leon and Lucas Baker scored three goals apiece to lead the Red Raiders in an 8-0 Fox Valley Conference crossover win against Crystal Lake Central.
WOODSTOCK – McHenry’s boys soccer players probably don’t write term papers until the night before they are due.
HARVARD – Goalkeeper Evan Grieshop knows all too well the consequences of split-second decisions when a soccer ball is headed his way.
