Crystal Lake South looks to end skid,
renew rivalry with Crystal Lake Central
By Matt Misiek
In the Crystal Lake area for many years, it had been THE rivalry. Central versus South, South versus Central; any way you phrased it, it was a big deal.
Now the excitement is back. Host Crystal Lake South and Crystal Lake Central will battle Thursday afternoon and revive THE rivaly, which has been dormant.
“We haven’t seen them in a few years due to them being in the (Fox Valley Conference) Fox Division side” said Crystal Lake South coach Brian Allen. “It is nice to not only be playing them again, but also having it be a meaningful conference game.”
The renewal of the rivalry was made possible because defections from the FVC this season cut the league down to nine teams without divisions.
Besides bragging rights, the game is meaningful beause both programs want to climb out of the sub-.500 ranks.
“The boys are working hard for each other,” said Crystal Lake Central coach Mark Leverentz. “What has been working for us is a real blue collar work ethic and a never-give-up attitude.”
Both programs suffered defeat Tuesday. On the road, Crystal Lake South (9-6-1 overall, 1-2-0) fell 2-1 to a solid Jacobs squad, which leads the conference with a 4-0-0 record. Crystal Lake Central (7-4-0, 1-3-0) fell to the no. 10 team in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, McHenry, 2-0.
“McHenry is a good, disciplined team,” said Leverentz. “However, we played a good disciplined game and hung tough with the undefeated conference leaders. The boys are playing a disciplined, organized style that makes them a tough opponent for anyone.”
Leverentz gave credit to the Tigers’ Will Sengstock and Gustavo Costa for having a good game against the Warriors.
As for the Gators, the loss to Jacobs made it three defeats in a row. They fell to Conant 5-0 in a nonconference matchup on Saturday and then fell in the championship match of the PepsiCo Showdown Gatorade Bracket to Addison Trail, ranked no. 11 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, 5-1.
Despite the results, Allen actually made a pleasant discovery over the past few days, in the form of JV call-up and sophomore Ricky Christante.
“He has been exceptional in all of these three games,” Allen said of Christante. “He played 60 minutes at Conant and then against Addison Trail, where he held his own the entire second half at center-back and outside-back. Then he got the start against Jacobs and again played fantastically for us along the back.”
Allen also pointed to hopes that his side will take the weekend experience to heart for the rest of the season.
“We stuck to game plan for 20 minutes, keeping high-powered AT (Addison Trail) scoreless but giving up 3 goals in a 9-minute spurt killed our morale,” he said. “As part of the experience, I was able to get everyone in to enjoy the experience of playing on a college campus against a top-rated team in a big-time tournament championship.
“As a result, the guys hopefully will have some memories to hold close to when the season is over and they reflect on what a great tournament run it was for us in our first year of the tournament.”
Now the task turns to facing the rival Tigers and the remaining FVC matchups.
“They are quietly having a solid year,” said Allen. “They are flying under the radar. As always, records don’t mean anything because so many of the players know each other due to the cross-town component.
“So for me, at this point, it is about our growth. And I will be watching to see which players individually, and most importantly us as a team, if we can take that next step forward and learn from yesterday.”
renew rivalry with Crystal Lake Central
By Matt Misiek
In the Crystal Lake area for many years, it had been THE rivalry. Central versus South, South versus Central; any way you phrased it, it was a big deal.
Now the excitement is back. Host Crystal Lake South and Crystal Lake Central will battle Thursday afternoon and revive THE rivaly, which has been dormant.
“We haven’t seen them in a few years due to them being in the (Fox Valley Conference) Fox Division side” said Crystal Lake South coach Brian Allen. “It is nice to not only be playing them again, but also having it be a meaningful conference game.”
The renewal of the rivalry was made possible because defections from the FVC this season cut the league down to nine teams without divisions.
Besides bragging rights, the game is meaningful beause both programs want to climb out of the sub-.500 ranks.
“The boys are working hard for each other,” said Crystal Lake Central coach Mark Leverentz. “What has been working for us is a real blue collar work ethic and a never-give-up attitude.”
Both programs suffered defeat Tuesday. On the road, Crystal Lake South (9-6-1 overall, 1-2-0) fell 2-1 to a solid Jacobs squad, which leads the conference with a 4-0-0 record. Crystal Lake Central (7-4-0, 1-3-0) fell to the no. 10 team in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, McHenry, 2-0.
“McHenry is a good, disciplined team,” said Leverentz. “However, we played a good disciplined game and hung tough with the undefeated conference leaders. The boys are playing a disciplined, organized style that makes them a tough opponent for anyone.”
Leverentz gave credit to the Tigers’ Will Sengstock and Gustavo Costa for having a good game against the Warriors.
As for the Gators, the loss to Jacobs made it three defeats in a row. They fell to Conant 5-0 in a nonconference matchup on Saturday and then fell in the championship match of the PepsiCo Showdown Gatorade Bracket to Addison Trail, ranked no. 11 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, 5-1.
Despite the results, Allen actually made a pleasant discovery over the past few days, in the form of JV call-up and sophomore Ricky Christante.
“He has been exceptional in all of these three games,” Allen said of Christante. “He played 60 minutes at Conant and then against Addison Trail, where he held his own the entire second half at center-back and outside-back. Then he got the start against Jacobs and again played fantastically for us along the back.”
Allen also pointed to hopes that his side will take the weekend experience to heart for the rest of the season.
“We stuck to game plan for 20 minutes, keeping high-powered AT (Addison Trail) scoreless but giving up 3 goals in a 9-minute spurt killed our morale,” he said. “As part of the experience, I was able to get everyone in to enjoy the experience of playing on a college campus against a top-rated team in a big-time tournament championship.
“As a result, the guys hopefully will have some memories to hold close to when the season is over and they reflect on what a great tournament run it was for us in our first year of the tournament.”
Now the task turns to facing the rival Tigers and the remaining FVC matchups.
“They are quietly having a solid year,” said Allen. “They are flying under the radar. As always, records don’t mean anything because so many of the players know each other due to the cross-town component.
“So for me, at this point, it is about our growth. And I will be watching to see which players individually, and most importantly us as a team, if we can take that next step forward and learn from yesterday.”
