There are plenty of guys who are unheralded or have flown under-the-radar this fall, but there’s absolutely no doubt they’re making a huge impact on their team. Here’s a look at some of the best of them as the regular season comes to a close.

Downers Grove North junior center midfielder Dylan Fullard

Trojans coach Rafal Slomba calls Fullard an unsung hero since he “came into the season without much attention but proved (his) value through consistent effort, smart decisions on the field, and a team-first attitude. They may not have scored the most goals or made the biggest plays, but the team was always better with them on the field.”

Fenwick senior defender Conrad Sperry

“He’s been our unsung hero,” Fenwick coach Shannon Seymour said. “Although no goals yet on the season, he has contributed greatly with the minutes he has played and helping keep clean sheets, the back line organized and bringing the energy when the team needs. He has been a versatile player for us that just is a complete work horse. There is no quit in him and sometimes it goes unnoticed by others but not our team or staff. He is an integral part in this teams success this season.”

Glenbard South junior defender Alex Soto

“When we started this season he wasn’t even in our starting lineup,” Raiders coach Willie Fajkus said. “He worked himself into getting playing time at outside back. After the first week or so he became our starting outside back. He was moved to center back afterwards when we needed to move captain PJ Lehr into a more attacking role due to our inability to score goals. He is now our starting center back and had a phenomenal (this) week while another captain of ours (Wyatt Bremer) was unavailable. He has shown great growth and has become a steady leader.”

Glenbard West junior center back Owen Ashmore

“Last year we graduated three out of the four starting defenders from our regional championship team,” Hilltoppers coach Phil Wicyk said. “Center back is a huge position to fill on the varsity level, and Owen has done an exceptional job. With this being Owen’s first year on varsity, we knew he would do well, with some hiccups maybe, but he for sure has been a staple in the back for us this year; leading the backline that has only given up 19 goals in 22 games.”

Hinsdale Central junior defender Arhaan Saini

“Arhaan is in his second season as a member of our varsity team, who played a key role as a sophomore in our 2024 season on the way to a third place state trophy,” Red Devils coach Mike Wiggins said. “Since then he has continued to be a steady presence on both sides of the ball. Someone who we are glad plays for us, plays at a high level, makes few mistakes and works at a high rate. Characteristics that don’t necessarily come with stats.”

Lyons senior midfielder Victor Sklaryk

“Victor Sklaryk has quietly become one of the most dependable players on the team,” Lyons coach Paul Labbato said. “While he may not always grab the headlines, his consistent effort, composure, and willingness to do the little things have made a huge impact. Victor has exceeded every expectation, showing growth, grit, and leadership.”

Nazareth senior midfielder Brendan Boyd

Since the third game of the season, this captain has been dealing with a nagging quad injury. “He came to me just past the midway point through the season (Sept. 24 game vs. Notre Dame) realizing that he wasn’t going to be as effective as we needed him to be in the midfield and suggested a move to center back,” Nazareth coach Roberto Cianci said. “And since that time he has gone above and beyond solidifying the defense keeping us in games, winning a couple along the way. He really has embraced the true meaning of a team captain.”

St. Francis senior midfielders John Coco and Junior Diaz

“Both score goals, assists and do the dirty required in the middle,” Spartans coach Jim Winslow said. “Those two have grown so much as players and are looking to play at the next level.”

Timothy Christian junior forward Andrew Lumkes

Lumkes led the JV team in scoring before he worked his way up and onto the varsity squad. Last week he moved into the starting rotation where in his past three games with the big club he’s scored 10 goals. He now leads the Trojans (12-6-1) with 15 goals.

Westmont junior defender Juan Bolivar

“Not many stats to look at, but he has easily been our best player in a season where we have set the program record for wins in a season,” Westmont coach Francisco Delgado said. “Every game, opposing coaches praise (him). He can shut down the opposing team’s best player, and in the same play help set us up for a goal. He is our best defender and can be our most dangerous player if he were to ever move up the field. Stats won’t show many goals as he’s played defense all three years but he is such an important player for us.”

Wheaton North junior center back Ray Novakowski

Falcons coach Joe Klingelhoffer praised Novakowski’s leadership and communication in back. “He doesn’t have any stats, so he probably hasn’t been mentioned in an article, but he’s reliable, consistent, and brings out the best in his teammates,” Klingelhoffer said. “He was not a starter in our first game, and now he plays all 80 minutes a game.”

Wheaton Warrenville South senior defender Jay Weber

“The Tiger have a player under the radar regionally but not locally because I believe everyone in the program believes Jay Weber has been outstanding in the back this season,” Tigers coach Guy Callipari said. “Jay is a senior captain and the only returning starter from last season in the back line plus keeper. He has been the anchor, mentor, leader and today (Oct. 11) winning goal scorer against East Aurora. He is the voice of reason and a gentleman who best represents the ideals and values of our program. He is courageous, athletic and possesses a soccer intellect that allows him to anticipate orchestrated combination plays by the opposition. Smiles the majority of the game which simply indicates he is alway enjoying himself.

York senior defender Cameron Coates

“I feel like Cameron Coates has come in strong for us at York,” Dukes coach Jordan Stopka said. “He has slotted in to center back for us and has been wonderful. He also acts like a captain even though he doesn’t wear the band. He keeps us focused at practice when kids are starting to bring the level of competition down. He has been great.”

Razman climbs ranks

Wheaton Warrenville South senior captain Semin Razman has quietly become the second all-time goal scorer for the Tigers with 47 goals. Charlie Fajkus holds the record with 56. Ramzn is now third in points in school history, tied with Alex Mangan with 106. Eric Shrigley’s 111 beats that but no one comes close to the 172 points collected by Fajkus.

Tigers long-time coach Guy Callipari has surpassed 800 career wins with both the boys and girls, getting no. 800 last spring when the Tigers beat St. Charles North to win the Class 3A Glenbard West sectional.