The road to a state boys soccer championship was not expected to go through Winnetka New Trier High School this year.
Just don’t tell that to leading goal-scorer Ben Beaver and the rest of the Trevians. They did believe.
The Trevians lost 14 seniors to graduation from a team that went 22-1-1 last year and won the first-ever Illinois Class 3A title. They were winless in their first two games this year, and had just two victories in their first six games.
Meanwhile, in the southwest suburbs of Chicago, Neuqua Valley, Naperville North and Naperville Central dominated. Neuqua Valley was unbeaten in its first 26 games. In late October, all three teams were in the city’s Top 10 rankings and among them had 56 wins and just five losses, most of those losses coming to each other.
But come Friday at Naperville’s North Central College, where the state semifinals are held, New Trier (18-6-3) will be one of the final four Class 3A teams standing. Forget that the Trevians’ six losses are the most at New Trier in four years.
Top-seeded Neuqua Valley? They lost in a supersectional match Tuesday night to LaGrange Lyons. Naperville North and Naperville Central? Gone, and gone.
Suddenly, New Trier, which has won two state titles in the last three years, is exactly where it is accustomed to being. The Trevians have won eight straight, including 2-1 over north suburban rival Lake Forest in the supersectionals.
"It’s great," said Trevians head coach Craig Fairbairn, who won his 300th career game earlier this season. "The kids are excited."
Leading New Trier to its fourth consecutive state appearance is Beaver, a senior forward who has scored 39 goals, assisted on 15 others and scored a goal in the Trevians’ 2-1 win over Edwardsville in last year’s title game. Among the other returnees are senior goalkeeper John Secaras, who was the team’s starter in goal last year, and midfielder Matt Hickey (eight goals, 20 assists). Despite having 11 seniors this year, many of those seniors were starting for the first time, and a group of seven juniors and four sophomores were rolled into the mix. Gavin Craig, a sophomore, scored 11 goals.
"We had a lot of new faces; they’re all stepping into new roles," Fairbairn said.
The Trevians really came together over the last 10 games, Fairbairn said. And perhaps even further than that. The Trevians havde lost just once in their last 15 games, a 3-2 loss to Maine South that was avenged with a victory in the sectional final to earn the Trevians their fourth consecutive sectional championship.
"Right from the beginning of the year, our goal was to get to state," Beaver told the Chicago Sun-Times after Tuesday’s super sectional win.
At 5 p.m. Friday, the Trevians will face Lyons (24-3), which knocked off Neuqua Valley, 1-0, in the supersectionals. If New Trier wins that game, it would face Lake Zurich (20-4) or 2008 runner-up Edwardsville (18-3-4) in Saturday’s 7 p.m. title match.
"It takes a little bit of luck (at state)," Fairbairn said. "You always have to be lucky, no matter how good you are."
2A soccer: Peoria Notre Dame seeks another title
In Class 2A, Peoria Notre Dame (22-2-1) is chasing after its second consecutive state title and third in six years. Vince Cicciarelli and Cody Gilfillan, both juniors, have each scored 25 goals. The Irish will meet Freeport (22-2-4) in Friday’s semifinals at 11 a.m. at North Central College; Arlington Heights St. Viator (22-4-1) will play Troy Triad (14-9-2) in the other semifinal. The title match will be played at 1 p.m. Saturday.
1A soccer: Timothy Christian wins title in 4 OTs
Corey Phillip’s goal in the fourth overtime sent Timothy Christian to a 2-1 victory over Waterloo Gibault Catholic in the Class 1A championship game Oct. 30 at Naperville. The Trojans had lost the title game to Winnebago last year by a score of 2-0.
"I was tired, everybody was tired," Phillip told the Chicago Tribune.
For Gibault Catholic, it was more of the same. Gibault lost 1-0 to Timothy Christian in the semifinals in 2008.
Football: Catholic Blue teams power on
All four playoff teams from the Chicago Catholic Blue League powered their way into the second round of the postseason in three different classes last weekend, led by league champion Providence Catholic’s 41-7 trouncing of Harland in Class 6A. The Celtics have won nine straight after a 28-7 season-opening loss to Lincoln-Way East. Tim Hanrahan rushed for 209 yards and three touchdowns on 13 carries.
"Our running game is our bread and butter," Providence head coach Mark Coglianese told the Sun-Times News Group.
But so is the Celtics’ defense. The Celtics have held opponents to seven points or less five times this season.
Other Catholic Blue wins in Round 1: Mount Carmel edged Chicago Simeon 19-14 and Loyola blanked Chicago St. Patrick 30-0 in Class 8A, and St. Rita bounced Plainfield North 40-14 in 7A.
If St. Rita (8-2), a No. 4 seed and a 7A semifinalist last year, can defeat Marian (7-3) on Friday night, the Mustangs could face powerful Wheaton Warrenville South (9-1) in the quarterfinals next week. The Tigers’ only loss was to defending Class 8A champion Maine South, which hasn’t lost a game since 2007. The Tigers won the tough DuPage Valley title this year and pounded St. Laurence, 61-6, last week.
Round 1 notables:
* Maine South running back Matt Perez, an Indiana recruit, rushed for 125 yards and two TDs, leading the top-seeded Hawks to a 28-14 win over Oak Park.
* St. Rita junior running back Travis Starks rushed for 250 yards and four TDs in a 40-14 win over Plainfield North.
* Sandburg’s Jermell Harris ran for 155 yards and four TDs in a 35-10 upset victory of Hinsdale Central, the Class 8A runner-up last year.
* Wheaton Warrenville South quarterback Reilly O’Toole passed for 158 yards and four TDs in a 61-6 win over St. Laurence.
* Proviso West receiver Kyle Prater, a Southern Cal recruit, scored two touchdowns and caught 5 passes for 68 yards in the first football playoff game in school history, a 46-0 win over Taft.
* Adam Bruere rushed for 117 yards and two TDs, helping unbeaten Glenbard West to a 28-7 win over Lyons.
Head injury ends Whitelaw’
s season
Hinsdale Central senior quarterback John Whitelaw, who passed for nearly 2,000 yards and had 1,200 rushing yards, missed the Red Devils’ playoff opener against Sandburg due to a concussion suffered in the regular-season finale against Proviso West. In his absence, three Hinsdale quarterbacks totaled 81 yards of passing in the loss. Last year, Whitelaw led the Red Devils to the 8A finals vs. Maine South.
"John’s career never should have ended this way. He should have ended on his feet. But his health has to come first. I feel for him," Hinsdale Central head coach Mike DeMatteo told the Chicago Sun-Times.
Whitelaw has been recruited heavily by several Ivy League schools, including Princeton and Harvard.
Volleyball: Benet to face Hinsdale Central in 4A sectional
Benet Academy, last year’s Class 4A runner-up, defeated Downers Grove North, 25-18, 23-25, 25-19, on Tuesday, sending the Redwings to a sectional final match Thursday night against Hinsdale Central (33-5). The Redwings are 34-4.
The Benet-Hinsdale Central match at Lockport is one of 16 sectional finals. Defending Class 4A champ St. Charles East will meet Elmhurst York in the Geneva Sectional title match. Because they are in opposite brackets, Benet and St. Charles East could play for the title again this year. The semifinals and title matches in all classes will be held Nov. 13-14 at Redbird Arena in Normal.
Paul Bowker, a sports journalist for 25 years who has worked at newspapers nationwide, covers the Chicago area for MaxPreps. He may be reached at bowkerpaul1@aol.com.
