Just less than 48 hours after sweating off Kankakee for a 1-0 win that made them back-to-back All-City champions and just less than 24 hours before a pivotal nonconference trip across the state to Moline, Bradley-Bourbonnais’ boys soccer team welcomed Herscher to town for nonconference rivalry action Thursday night.

Despite several opportunities early on, the Boilermakers started a little more sluggishly than they have of late and nearly saw the Tigers strike first when senior forward/midfielder Luis Parra hit the crossbar twice in the early moments. But after taking a one-goal lead to halftime, the Boilermakers’ own four-year midfielder/forward, Bennett Dykstra, tallied a pair of goals to get the Boilers (8-3) going to the tune of a 4-0 win.

“Honestly, we didn’t come mentally prepared in that first half,” Dykstra said. “I think we could have done better and prepared ourselves better. Our coaches told us we had Kankakee this week and Moline this week and also Herscher in between, a game we’d maybe look over, but don’t, because they’re a good team.

“We got that wake-up call when Luis hit the crossbar twice and was kind of dicing us at some points. It was like, ‘OK, now we need to lock in.’ ”

Dykstra helped the Boilers get their early lead, feeding sophomore Francisco Adrian on a free kick with eight minutes left in the first half. It took him all of 30 seconds into the second half to double the lead, taking the ball quickly down the pitch after a Tigers turnover to tickle the twine.

Dykstra added another goal 15 minutes later on a set piece from about 25 yards out before Parker Fouts did the same with 14 minutes left. Boilers coach Andy Stembridge said that Dykstra is “cementing himself as one of the highest quality players in the area,” and also that his goal in the opening moments of the second half was exactly what they needed out of the break.

“It was huge,” Stembridge said. “That was what we talked about at halftime – that we need to pick up the energy, be intelligent with what we’re doing, be intentional with what we’re doing and put the ball in the back of the net."

The win was the Boilers’ eighth in their last nine for a team that won eight games all last season. They’re now tied for their most wins since Dykstra and his senior classmates got to campus four years ago.

Starting with their senior core and trickling down to even the JV side of the program, Dykstra said he and his teammates don’t just get along, but are also able to hold one another accountable, which has contributed to the successful start.

“We’re with each other, but we push each other too,” Dykstra said. “We’re not going to be the type to let something slide if someone messes up. We’ll be on each other, but also in a loving way. And I think quality-wise, we’ve had a good group of seniors just come in and work with each other.”

It was a homecoming for first year Herscher coach Hugo Hernandez, whose Tigers now sit at 5-2-1. The 2014 Bradley-Bourbonnais graduate came to Herscher after working as an assistant at Kankakee. Hernandez said he never would have imagined being a head coach during his own playing days, making his return to Bradley-Bourbonnais on Thursday that much more special.

“I learned from (current assistant) Coach [Mark] Howard, who coached me back in the day, Coach [Stembridge], who was also on the staff, Vince [Mkhwanazi] and all those guys at Kankakee,” Hernandez said. “If it wasn’t for them, I don’t think I’d be in this position, and coming back as a head coach is a surreal feeling, because I thought I’d never be in this position to begin with.

“But for those pushing me to up my game and take the next challenge, and if it wasn’t for (former Tigers coach) Alan [High] having faith in me to take over a successful program in Herscher, it’s all on them for having the faith in me, teaching me right from wrong to be able to lead a great group of kids.”