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Woodstock became the area’s first team to double-digit victories with a win over rival Woodstock North last week. The Blue Streaks (11-4, 5-0 KRC) graduated more than 20 seniors from the program after last season, including more than a dozen off the varsity roster.
The Blue Streaks took advantage of a favorable early schedule and won their first eight games.
“There’s a lot of new people trying to figure out what roles people are playing, which is huge for us,” coach Matt Warmbier said. “They’re starting to come together as a team. They move the ball well when they want to. It’s a different chemistry than it’s been the last couple years. They’re really not worried about individual accolades. They’re worried about the team success, and that shows.”
Junior Oscar Escorza leads the Blue Streaks with 14 goals and eight assists this season.
“He can control the game; he’s a game changer,” Warmbier said. “He can create opportunities, and he’s our leading scorer.”
Woodstock lost three of four games last week, however, and struggled in the PepsiCo Showdown. That included a 5-0 loss to Huntley. With a shutout win over Harvard on Monday, the Streaks made it five straight Kishwaukee River Conference games without allowing a goal.
Hot Hurricanes: After winning one game in the regular season in 2018, Marian is now 7-6 through about the first month of the season. The Hurricanes returned almost the entire roster form last season's team, which won a Class 1A regional title despite the one-win regular season.
Chris Ghita, Nic Iafigliola and Jonathon DePrey have spurred the offense, while Paul Serdar and goalkeeper Caleb Taylor have led the defense. The Hurricanes defeated Nazareth, 5-1, this season for their first East Suburban Catholic Conference victory since 2017. Marian was 0-7-2 in the conference in 2018.
Marian will compete in Class 1A again this year. Seeds for the IHSA Class 1A state tournament will be released Thursday at IHSA.org, with the bracket being released Friday.
NORTHWEST HERALD POWER RANKINGS
1. Crystal Lake South (8-3-2, 2-0 FVC): The Gators lost a PepsiCo Showdown game last week against Solorio, a team that is now 13-1 and competes in Class 2A. The meat of the FVC schedule truly begins this week.
2. Jacobs (7-2-2, 3-0 FVC): After somewhat of a slow start, Jacobs has won five straight. The Golden Eagles played one of the area's tougher nonconference schedules.
3. Hampshire (9-3-2, 1-1 Fox Valley Conference): The Whip-Purs won four straight before a loss to Jacobs on Tuesday and will play in the championship of their PepsiCo Showdown bracket.
4. Dundee-Crown (8-3, 3-0 FVC): After a six-game winning streak, two losses in the PepsiCo set the Chargers back a little bit last week.
5. Huntley (6-5-1, 1-1 FVC): A number of local teams could make the argument for the No. 5 spot in the rankings. Huntley earned the nod this week by winning four of its last five games, including the shutout against Woodstock.
WHAT TO WATCH
Dundee-Crown at McHenry, 4:30 p.m. Tuesday: The Chargers head to McHenry to face a Warriors team (5-4-3, 0-2) that is in need of an FVC win.
Huntley at Jacobs, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday: The Red Raiders already have twice as many wins as last season (when they went 2-16-2), but they could use a signature win. A game at Jacobs presents an opportunity for one.