Bartlett’s overnight success
story has a history
Distance doesn’t diminish former coach Beary’s pride
By Steve Nemeth
If there’s one person, other than Bartlett’s current coaching staff and players, who believed the Hawks’ magical season would happen, it’s Ben Beary.
With three young sons needing him more and more both as a father and coach, the former Bartlett coach stopped making the commute from his home in Rockford to Bartlett after last spring’s girls soccer season. He took a job a Belvidere High School, and then lobbied hard for his successor.
On June 22, his email said it all: “I’m happy to announce that Vince DiNuzzo has been named the new head boys and girls soccer coach for Bartlett High School.”
Beary’s pride and pleasure were based on DiNuzzo not only being a Bartlett alum and former All-UEC goalie, but having “Vince as my right hand for six-straight summer camps.
“That’s when (Vince) already developed a rapport with these seniors,” Beary said. “He worked with (assistant coach Mark) Mirsky and I with our girls program last spring and during the previous fall, helped Streamwood’s run (to fourth place in Class 3A). There’s no question he was ready to be a head coach.
“All season I’ve received updates from Vince and Mark, I couldn’t be happier or more excited about their success,” Beary insisted without any trace of disappointment over not staying as head of the program. “I do remember this group as freshmen; they were good, but a little cocky. From the first tryout – out of the six freshmen classes I saw – this group showed they had talent to do something special.”
The senior-heavy Hawks captured the programs' first sectional and supersectional plaques. Only A.J. Santori was with the varsity right away as a freshman. A few more were promoted by season’s end, more made varsity the next year and by their junior years, all were on that level and most were seeing significant minutes. There are 17 seniors on Bartlett's state finals roster.
Beary admits the progress and improvement he saw wasn’t very evident by record alone. After a sectional semifinal exit in 2011, Bartlett soccer began a major rebuilding.
The 2012 unit was a mere 2-17-0. The progress was somewhat hidden within the 5-13-3 ledger in 2013. Considering an 0-8-1 start, the team was playing better and lost a regional championship to a Lake Park squad that went on to finish fourth in the state. Of course, that 5-1 thumping was the fifth time the Hawks had been beaten by four or more goals.
Last year, there were only two of those blowout losses, and five of the defeats in a 6-13-0 season were one-goal setbacks.
“Just this morning I was remembering how as freshmen, very few passed the series of fitness tests I start every year with. Because of that I was giving them the business, sort of pushing their buttons to see how they’d respond,” Beary recalled. “Every group responds differently. I told they could never quit, they can’t stop when things get uncomfortable, they have to earn respect every time on the field. They showed some resiliency.
“I can now say they’ve never quit on Vince or Mark. Now that A.J.’s back, this might be the first time they’ve had a healthy roster for the first time at the right time of the year.”
Since a 4-3 loss to Sterling for the championship of the late October Bucs Soccer Classic – the sixth one-goal setback within the current 17-7-2 record – Bartlett is on a six-game win streak. That winning began with a 5-1 win over East Aurora to secure the UEC Valley Division crown. They avenged a season-opening 1-0 loss to St. Charles North with a win by the same margin for their first regional hardware since 2011.
Then came a dramatic 2-1 overtime squeaker over Glenbard North to top the Panthers for the second time in 2015. Next up was Wheaton Academy, whose success in 2A, including the 2014 state crown, moved the Warriors up to 3A. Led by Northwestern-bound Ty Seager – whom many would argue is the state’s top player – Wheaton Academy was the top-rated side for three of the year’s first four weeks in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25. It took until the 10th penalty kick, but Bartlett’s 9-8 advantage yielded a major upset and sectional title.
Finally there was the 78th-minute goal by Timmy Riordan for a 1-0 supersectional triumph over McHenry.
Beary, now an English teacher at Belvidere, didn't see the Hawks in person until they finished second in Belvidere's soccer tournament in October.
“Two things really struck me. No. 1 was their ability for possession. It’s something coach Mirsky and I focused on for the last three years. I think that really helped them develop their chemistry,” Beary noted. “Second is their focus. At this point in the year, all teams have talent, the difference is mental toughness. When their backs have been against the wall, they’ve come together and kept going no matter the odds, no matter the opponent.”
So will Beary make that trek to Hoffman Estates?
“Are you kidding? I wouldn’t miss it,” Beary said. “I’ll be there Friday and Saturday.”
From his perspective, DiNuzzo believes Beary’s presence has been there all along.
“(Ben) played a huge role, essentially he planted the seed and grew this program. Don’t misunderstand me, the boys deserve the most credit because they’re the ones getting it done on the field,” DiNuzzo said. “Some people forget Ben took a somewhat mediocre program, put his spin on it, got people to buy in and produced back-to-back regional titles. That laid the foundation for us, and Ben was Bartlett soccer.
“I’m lucky to have his assistants with me, Kevin (Lesch) does everything I ask and Mark (Mirsky) is relentless when it comes to getting the guys to raise their level of play.”
Mirroring DiNuzzo’s emphasis on the Hawks’ unique bond as a group, Beary ultimately relented to questions over individuals at the heart of Bartlett’s Cinderella story – the team's first postseason was its 13th victory of the season, which equalled the Hawks cumulative wins in the three previous years.
“I always say big players come up big under pressure. Timmy Riordan is soft-spoken but leads my example and with his demeanor. Who has goals in the last three wins? Timmy. He’s special,” Beary said. “Jake (Hasenstein) was one of the freshmen that was a little bit of a hot head. That can work against you as a goalie, but he’s learned to harness that, make it a positive and help him handle pressure.
“So much of possession depends on a quality midfielder, Oliver (Saile) has really grown into that role. He’s so much smarter and so much more of a catalyst. I also believe the entire back line – the Joshuas (Merkel and White), Bryan (Recinos) and Joey (Mirsky) – still struggled a little in the Belvidere tourney. But now they’re a huge part of the postseason run.”
story has a history
Distance doesn’t diminish former coach Beary’s pride
By Steve Nemeth
If there’s one person, other than Bartlett’s current coaching staff and players, who believed the Hawks’ magical season would happen, it’s Ben Beary.
With three young sons needing him more and more both as a father and coach, the former Bartlett coach stopped making the commute from his home in Rockford to Bartlett after last spring’s girls soccer season. He took a job a Belvidere High School, and then lobbied hard for his successor.
On June 22, his email said it all: “I’m happy to announce that Vince DiNuzzo has been named the new head boys and girls soccer coach for Bartlett High School.”
Beary’s pride and pleasure were based on DiNuzzo not only being a Bartlett alum and former All-UEC goalie, but having “Vince as my right hand for six-straight summer camps.
“That’s when (Vince) already developed a rapport with these seniors,” Beary said. “He worked with (assistant coach Mark) Mirsky and I with our girls program last spring and during the previous fall, helped Streamwood’s run (to fourth place in Class 3A). There’s no question he was ready to be a head coach.
“All season I’ve received updates from Vince and Mark, I couldn’t be happier or more excited about their success,” Beary insisted without any trace of disappointment over not staying as head of the program. “I do remember this group as freshmen; they were good, but a little cocky. From the first tryout – out of the six freshmen classes I saw – this group showed they had talent to do something special.”
The senior-heavy Hawks captured the programs' first sectional and supersectional plaques. Only A.J. Santori was with the varsity right away as a freshman. A few more were promoted by season’s end, more made varsity the next year and by their junior years, all were on that level and most were seeing significant minutes. There are 17 seniors on Bartlett's state finals roster.
Beary admits the progress and improvement he saw wasn’t very evident by record alone. After a sectional semifinal exit in 2011, Bartlett soccer began a major rebuilding.
The 2012 unit was a mere 2-17-0. The progress was somewhat hidden within the 5-13-3 ledger in 2013. Considering an 0-8-1 start, the team was playing better and lost a regional championship to a Lake Park squad that went on to finish fourth in the state. Of course, that 5-1 thumping was the fifth time the Hawks had been beaten by four or more goals.
Last year, there were only two of those blowout losses, and five of the defeats in a 6-13-0 season were one-goal setbacks.
“Just this morning I was remembering how as freshmen, very few passed the series of fitness tests I start every year with. Because of that I was giving them the business, sort of pushing their buttons to see how they’d respond,” Beary recalled. “Every group responds differently. I told they could never quit, they can’t stop when things get uncomfortable, they have to earn respect every time on the field. They showed some resiliency.
“I can now say they’ve never quit on Vince or Mark. Now that A.J.’s back, this might be the first time they’ve had a healthy roster for the first time at the right time of the year.”
Since a 4-3 loss to Sterling for the championship of the late October Bucs Soccer Classic – the sixth one-goal setback within the current 17-7-2 record – Bartlett is on a six-game win streak. That winning began with a 5-1 win over East Aurora to secure the UEC Valley Division crown. They avenged a season-opening 1-0 loss to St. Charles North with a win by the same margin for their first regional hardware since 2011.
Then came a dramatic 2-1 overtime squeaker over Glenbard North to top the Panthers for the second time in 2015. Next up was Wheaton Academy, whose success in 2A, including the 2014 state crown, moved the Warriors up to 3A. Led by Northwestern-bound Ty Seager – whom many would argue is the state’s top player – Wheaton Academy was the top-rated side for three of the year’s first four weeks in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25. It took until the 10th penalty kick, but Bartlett’s 9-8 advantage yielded a major upset and sectional title.
Finally there was the 78th-minute goal by Timmy Riordan for a 1-0 supersectional triumph over McHenry.
Beary, now an English teacher at Belvidere, didn't see the Hawks in person until they finished second in Belvidere's soccer tournament in October.
“Two things really struck me. No. 1 was their ability for possession. It’s something coach Mirsky and I focused on for the last three years. I think that really helped them develop their chemistry,” Beary noted. “Second is their focus. At this point in the year, all teams have talent, the difference is mental toughness. When their backs have been against the wall, they’ve come together and kept going no matter the odds, no matter the opponent.”
So will Beary make that trek to Hoffman Estates?
“Are you kidding? I wouldn’t miss it,” Beary said. “I’ll be there Friday and Saturday.”
From his perspective, DiNuzzo believes Beary’s presence has been there all along.
“(Ben) played a huge role, essentially he planted the seed and grew this program. Don’t misunderstand me, the boys deserve the most credit because they’re the ones getting it done on the field,” DiNuzzo said. “Some people forget Ben took a somewhat mediocre program, put his spin on it, got people to buy in and produced back-to-back regional titles. That laid the foundation for us, and Ben was Bartlett soccer.
“I’m lucky to have his assistants with me, Kevin (Lesch) does everything I ask and Mark (Mirsky) is relentless when it comes to getting the guys to raise their level of play.”
Mirroring DiNuzzo’s emphasis on the Hawks’ unique bond as a group, Beary ultimately relented to questions over individuals at the heart of Bartlett’s Cinderella story – the team's first postseason was its 13th victory of the season, which equalled the Hawks cumulative wins in the three previous years.
“I always say big players come up big under pressure. Timmy Riordan is soft-spoken but leads my example and with his demeanor. Who has goals in the last three wins? Timmy. He’s special,” Beary said. “Jake (Hasenstein) was one of the freshmen that was a little bit of a hot head. That can work against you as a goalie, but he’s learned to harness that, make it a positive and help him handle pressure.
“So much of possession depends on a quality midfielder, Oliver (Saile) has really grown into that role. He’s so much smarter and so much more of a catalyst. I also believe the entire back line – the Joshuas (Merkel and White), Bryan (Recinos) and Joey (Mirsky) – still struggled a little in the Belvidere tourney. But now they’re a huge part of the postseason run.”
