Coal City advances to state for first time in program history

It’s been quite the 10 days for the Coal City boys soccer program.

In that span, the Coalers have won their first regional title, first sectional title, and with Monday’s 1-0 win over Williamsville in the Class 1A Maroa-Forsyth Super-Sectional, advanced to state for the first time in program history.

They will play Mendota at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the state semifinals at Hoffman Estates High School.

After a scoreless first half on Monday, the Coalers broke through just 58 seconds into the second when a pass from Julian Micetich found the foot of Adrian Dames, who was able to chip it into the net.

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Boys Soccer: Coal City vs. Williamsville - Class 1A Maroa-Forsyth Super-Sectional championship Coal City players rush to celebrate a goal by Adrian Dames, second from left, during the Coalers' 1-0 victory over Williamsville in the IHSA Class 1A Maroa-Forsyth Super-Sectional on Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (Tiffany Blanchette)

After surviving a frantic final few minutes with Williamsville fighting to keep its season alive, the Coalers poured onto the field to celebrate the program’s longest season getting a little longer.

“This is the farthest we’ve ever gone, and it just feels really good,” Dames said. “It’s unreal. I never thought until this year that we could go this far.”

After winning just three games in 2022 and five in 2023, the Coalers broke through a season ago with a 17-7-1 record, tied for the second-most wins in program history, the most coming when they went 18-5-1 in 2001.

That resurgent 2024 season was led by a 12-player junior class that came into their senior years in 2025 and put together the winningest season the program has ever had, with their record sitting at 23-3 following Monday’s win.

“They’ve just led the way by example,” Coal City coach Steve McCleary said. “They expect as much out of everyone else as they put into it. It all starts from when they were sophomores, being up on varsity for a long period of time and now just putting in the time in the offseason, whether it’s travel ball or summer workouts.

“They put in time, and now it’s all paying off for them.”

Boys Soccer: Coal City vs. Williamsville - Class 1A Maroa-Forsyth Super-Sectional championship Coal City’s Julian Micetich, left, attempts a shot on goal under pressure from Williamsville's Aiden Morgan during the Coalers' 1-0 victory over Williamsville in the IHSA Class 1A Maroa-Forsyth Super-Sectional on Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (Tiffany Blanchette)

As one of those dozen seniors, Dames said it has been validating having their final season last as long as it has.

“We’ve all been wanting this to happen throughout our soccer careers, and it’s actually happening,” he said. “It’s a dream come true.”

Coal City had picked up 14 shutout wins in its 25 games heading into Monday, but faced a Williamsville team that had scored multiple goals in all four of its postseason games.

The Coaler defense managed to keep pressure off of goalkeeper Carter Nicholson for much of the game, with the Bullets only getting substantive scoring chances in the final few minutes with goalkeeper Garrett Timm abandoning the net to help on the attack.

Williamsville’s James Harter had a free kick sail just high with just over a minute to go, and that was the last real chance the Bullets would have for an equalizer.

Coal City junior midfielder Creed Macaluso, who was named the team’s player of the game by the coaching staff, said the team was simply not going to let the win slip away once they took the lead.

“To be honest, I just saw hustle,” he said. “I saw hustle between every one of our 11 men. We played our hearts out, and every single one of us earned it.”

In Thursday’s state semifinals, Mendota (24-4) will give the Coal City defense, which has allowed just 10 goals all season, one of its biggest tests.

The Trojans have scored 145 goals this season, an average of nearly 5.2 goals per game. They are coming off a 2-1 win over Quincy Notre Dame on Monday.

Based on the fight he has seen out his team this season, and their performance in the postseason, McCleary said he is excited to see what they can do over these final two games.

“When they play with that much passion, that much heart, the sky is the limit for them,” McCleary said. “They can give anybody a game, and you never know what happens.”

The first state semifinal Thursday will be between Columbia and Chicago Academy, with the third-place game set for 11:30 a.m. Friday and the state championship set for 2:30 p.m on Saturday.

While the season has already been the most successful on program history, Dames said that he and his teammates are not getting complacent.

“We’re going to win and we’re trying to win,” he said. “We’re going all the way.”