After claiming second place finishes in the Class A finals in both 2021 and 2022, Althoff hopes that its third state appearance in four seasons will be the charm when it continues its step up in class in this weekend's Class AA finals at Hoffman Estates High School.

Coach Skip Birdsong's Crusaders bring a 24-4-0 record into Friday's 1:30 p.m. semifinal match against Lemont (23-3-1), the top seed in the Brother Rice Sectional and third-ranked squad in the Chicagoland Soccer Class AA Super 7 poll. Althoff, a sub-sectional top seed at Triad and the fifth-ranked team in the Illinois 10 poll, earned its fourth state appearance after winning 4-2 on penalties over Glenwood after the teams played to a 2-2 draw in the Illinois College Supersectional in Jacksonville.

After starting the season at 1-2-0, the Crusaders have only lost twice more. Those 1-0 decisions came against Class A semifinalist Columbia on Sept. 16 and to Timothy on Sept. 27. 

The team is on a 13-match winning streak and has outscored its five playoff opponents by a 21-6 margin. 

This is the fourth-straight 20-win season for Birdsong, who is in ninth season at the Belleville school, where he owns a 155-49-13 record. He also coached at Granite City from 2007-2009. His career mark is 184-72-19 in 12 seasons. 

In addition, he led Granite City's girls team to the IHSA Class 3A title in 2011. 

Besides being head coach, Birdsong is also the school's principal. He is assisted on the pitch by Michael Stevens and Chris Bunting. 

Birdsong played on the 1989 and 1990 state championship teams at Granite City for 1988 Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association Hall of Fame coach Gene Baker, who won an IHSA record nine state titles from 1976-1990.

In its recent state Class A state tournament history, Althoff took 4-1 semifinal victories over Bloomington Central in 2021 and Wheaton Academy in 2022. The Crusaders fell 2-1 to Wheaton Academy in the 2021 championship match and 4-1 to Notre Dame (Quincy) in the 2022 title tilt.

Top scoring leaders for Althoff, who won the Gateway Metro Conference with an 8-0-0 mark, are sophomore midfielder Nate Pitre (22 goals, 10 assists), senior forward Bo Gomric (16 goals, 10 assists) and junior midfielder Luke Smith (12 goals, five assists).

Others who contribute to the attack include junior midfielders Jack Sorgea (nine goals) and Nash Johanigmeyer (four goals, 10 assists), sophomore midfielder Tyler Pollock (seven goals, 18 assists) and junior defender Tyler Birdsong (seven goals, seven assists).

Senior goalkeeper Zach Winkler, who can also play the midfield, has an 0.78 GAA in 23 matches and has made 107 saves. Team captains for the Crusaders, who have recorded 13 shutouts, are Birdsong, Gomric, Smith and Sorgea. 

Gomric is the lone player that was on both state runnerup teams. Juniors R.J. Divine, Sam Medlin, Birdsong and Smith competed on the 2022 second place squad, which finished with a 27-2-0 record.

"We have a tight-knit group of boys this year who play for each other more than for themselves," the coach said. "They have fought through a number of injuries this season and continue to stay positive and take a next-man-up mentality. I'm very proud of the season they have had to this point."