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HINSDALE – Even with a state championship no longer possible, Wheaton Academy decided to leave it all on the field for the third-place match at the state finals against Neuqua Valley on Saturday at Hinsdale Central.
The result spoke for itself as the Warriors ended their season with a 19-4 win over the Wildcats. It was their fourth time at the state finals in five years and their third time placing at least third.
“I’m super impressed with the way the guys developed throughout the year,” Wheaton Academy coach Geof Weisenborn said. “Early on, it was kind of like, ‘OK, we got a lot of young guys. How are they going to step up playing bigger, faster, stronger?’ I am amazed at the way they were willing to buy into what we do and the grit and resolve they had to be able to push through when things got hard, and things got hard at moments, and they came out the other side better.”
Grant Adams completed his sophomore season for the Warriors (19-5) with a seven-goal performance. He scored four times in the first quarter and twice more in the second.
“Obviously, our goal is a state championship,” said Adams. “But I just loved how hard we just fought no matter what. I just loved how hard we fought every single game. Even (in) this third-, fourth-place game, (we) just played so hard even though our goal was out of reach.”
Senior Charlie Foley had five goals and three assists in his final game for Wheaton Academy. Fellow seniors Cooper Miller and Zach Moravec both scored twice.
The Wildcats (16-8) were in their fourth state finals, all since 2019, and it was their third time finishing fourth. They were paced by senior Jonah Frank’s two goals, the latter coming in the final minute as the Wildcats’ only second-half tally.
“We (have) come a long way,” said Frank, who will play at Denison in Granville, Ohio next season. “We went from not being able to even win a top-15 matchup to being top four in the state, and I think we’ve come a long way. We’ve improved a lot, and I’m proud of that, of our team.”
Although Neuqua Valley finished as low as it could have in the state finals, the tears shed by coach Jordan Bobbo after the awards ceremony were far less about that result than everything the program accomplished during the season.
“You know, when you’re with the same group of guys for months, it’s tough,” Bobbo said as his voice quivered. “The effort and energy — I’m so proud of these guys. It’s the culture, the parents, everything. The seniors. It’s tough. It’s definitely tough.”