:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/OPLTGCULDFDGNOYNZC4DWII4EI.jpg)
Tryouts often are life changing for Lyons junior Collin Sullivan.
Take for example last season and this season.
As a sophomore, Sullivan was hoping to earn a spot on the varsity roster. He had added incentive: a final opportunity to play with his older brother, senior defender Jackson Sullivan.
After the first day of tryouts last season, the younger Sullivan was awarded his chance. Sullivan learned he would be in the midfield for the Lions.
“I was hoping to be moved up and it definitely would be a big thing for me to get moved up,” he said. “I found out on the day of tryouts. It was a long, stressful wait, but right after, I was thrilled. I knew [playing with his brother] might never happen again. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It turned out to be a fantastic season, the best season of soccer of my life.”
In early August, just a few practices before the first game of this season, Sullivan was told he would be switching positions to defender. Follow in his brother’s footsteps, so to speak. Jackson Sullivan, a freshman defender at Bucknell, was a first-team All-State selection last season and earned team MVP honors for Lyons.
“Walking into this year, everyone on the team was thinking who would fill the two center back spots,” Sullivan said. “I had never played the position before. I found out that I would be playing center back. My brother has been really helpful to me. I’ve been talking to him a lot. His leadership pretty much gave me a great example how to handle the position.”
Lyons coach Paul Labbato credited Sullivan for understanding the positional change was the best move for the program. Sullivan scored a goal, off a corner kick, in a dramatic 2-1 win over New Trier in the title game of the Northside College Showcase on Sept. 3.
“He hasn’t skipped a beat, so it has been easy for me,” Labbato said. “He’s very skilled and wants to dominate in other parts of the field. He’s so good at defense, it was a no-brainer for us. He kind of knew it was coming when we moved him into [that spot] during tryouts and even in the first game.”
The 6-foot-2 Sullivan said the upperclassmen are motivated to atone for last season’s 3-2 loss to Benet in a Class 3A sectional semifinal.
Sullivan said he’s also driven by a personal goal.
“I would love to make a name for myself [in soccer] and follow my own footsteps, not just my brother’s [footsteps],” he said.
Playing a rugged schedule in their first 10 games, the Lions (6-1-3) have another tough slate of games ahead against Libertyville, Morton and Hinsdale Central.
The Lions suffered a 1-0 loss to highly ranked Conant in the BODYARMOR Series on Sunday at Olympic Park in Schaumburg, but have quality wins over Sandburg, Naperville North, Waukegan, New Trier and Fenwick.
“We have 21 varsity players, but there’s not a drop-off from one to 21,” Labbato said. “We’re very deep, which helps when you play four games in a week. We’ve had some deep teams in the past, but this one has been a pleasant surprise. We’re able to put in any player in almost any position and they make it happen.”
Wheaton Academy slowly building to strong finish
Defending Class 1A state champion Wheaton Academy loaded its early schedule with higher class teams to prepare for another run at the state title.
That’s often the norm for a small school program looking to build toward a state championship.
There’s only one problem.
The tough schedule makes it harder for senior goalie Declan Finnegan to achieve one of his main individual goals. Finnegan, a three-year varsity player, is motivated to record the most shutouts in program history.
Wheaton Academy coach Cody Snouffer said Finnegan is on the right track. Drew Sezonov, an assistant coach on the Warriors’ staff, is the all-time leader with 38 shutouts. JD Gunn, a junior at Biola University, is second all-time with 34. Finnegan has 23 shutouts.
“I think he’s one of the best goalkeepers in the state,” Snouffer said. “He’s an incredibly talented goalkeeper. If the season goes well, he will finish in the top three for shutouts in program history at the end of his Wheaton Academy career. We’ve had a lot of great goalkeepers, but he wants to be the No. 1 shutout leader on the board. He probably has to get a shutout almost every game and we have to win a [state] title. But I hope he gets it. The whole team is really motivated by it defensively.”
The Warriors (4-2-3) played their first Class 1A school in their eighth game, beating St. Edward 7-0. The Warriors have a tough conference game against Timothy Christian on Thursday, host Riverside-Brookfield for a Friday night Homecoming game and travel to Iowa for the Great River Classic for the second year in a row.
“I’m pleased with the way the juniors and seniors have stepped into leadership roles, which is always challenging for falls sports because they don’t have a lot of time to build into leadership positions,” Snouffer said. “We’ve also really stretched ourselves and tested ourselves with our schedule. They’ve embraced it and we’ve taken our knocks. We’re finally starting to understand each other.”
Extra time
Riverside-Brookfield senior forward Hunter Ferguson was one of the stars in the first day of the BODYARMOR Series in Schaumburg. He scored three goals in the second half and added a first-half assist in a loss to Carmel. … Hinsdale Central suffered its first loss of the season, falling 2-1 in a thrilling game against New Trier before a large home crowd.